Conversation

A conversation requires two parts: talking and listening.  

When only [one person is] talking, that is a monologue.

(Amy E. Dean, Night Light, 22 February)

30 November 2014

Cluttered Mind

More important than learning how to recall things is finding ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind. Before going to sleep at night, empty your consciousness of unwanted things, even as you empty your pockets.
(Eric Butterworth in Night Light by Amy E. Dean, 23 February)
29 November 2014

Black Friday

So, it is vanity to seek material wealth that cannot last and to place your trust in it. It is also vanity to seek recognition and status. It is vanity to chase after what the world says you should want and to long for things you should not have, things that you will pay a high price for later on if you get them.
(Thomas 'a Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 1)
28 November 2014

Grace and Gratitude

Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. 

Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo.

Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning.

(Karl Barth in Peace Flowing Like A Gentle River, 26 November)

27 November 2014

Going Through The Motions

You cannot have a sense of purpose and meaning in your life if you are merely going through the motions of your life rather than living as you would really like to.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, The Sky's The Limit, p. 342-3)
26 November 2014

Negativity

Negativity is highly contagious; we give it to others who, in turn, give it back to us.
(100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 227)
25 November 2014

Once Is A Fluke

... once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.

(Hope For Today, 9 January)

24 November 2014

Success

In reality ..., you cannot achieve success in anything without failures along the way.
(David Jeremiah, Journey, 29 September)
23 November 2014

Judgment

Just for today I will release any need to judge or criticize others and begin to see them in the same way I might want them to see me.
(Hope For Today, 31 October)

******

Bad news yesterday.  I noticed that WikiSpaces is no longer "free."  They want $50.00 a year for the space.  I'm sharing lots of genealogy information there. Now I'll need to make a decision. I'll admit it, I'm not good at making decisions. I didn't determine how long I have before I lose all the work.

20 November 2014

Things

Things

Things are about power.

Things are about belonging.

Things are about identity

Things are about perfection.

(Extracted from 

Making Peace with the Things in Your Life, 

by 

Cindy Glovinsky, p. 37)

19 November 2014

On Aging

Southern Comfort Quilters

If age is denied, soul becomes lost in an inappropriate clinging to youth.

It's difficult to let go of youth, because that release requires an acknowledgment of death. I suspect that those of us who opt for eternal youth are setting ourselves up for heavy bouts of depression.

As we age, our ideas formerly light, rambling, and unrelated to each other, become more densely gathered into values and a philosophy giving our lives substance and firmness.
(Thomas Moore, Care Of The Soul, p. 139 & 141)
18 November 2014

Substance

Southern Comforters

As we age, our ideas, formerly light, rambling, and unrelated to each other, become more densely gathered into values and a philosophy giving our lives substance and firmness.
(Thomas Moore, Care Of The Soul, p. 141)
16 November 2014

******

Yesterday the three of us were out for a while enjoying the day.  We went to the Fall Bazaar and Auction at the Greenbelt Community Church in Greenbelt, MD for the bake sale and bazaar. Melva's friend, Laura, had three tables set up along one wall. Melva donated several items for the sale. We've been going to this sale for many years.  The church is on Crescent Drive and it is easy to get there by entering Greenbelt from Kenilworth Avenue.

We also attended the bazaar at the Patuxent Research Refuge National Wildlife Visitor Center near Laurel, MD.  The Center was completed in 1994. Melva and I had been there before, but not since the building was erected. We decided not to take the tram ride because it was too chilly.  We did walk out to the lake at the end of our visit.  One of the retired ladies encouraged me to consider doing volunteer work. There were quilts on display from the Southern Comforters of Bowie, MD.

Everyone bought something at the two bazaars.  Cyndi got a green cameo broach set in sterling silver and she won a matted sunset photo door prize at Wildlife Visitor Center.  Melva bought a pair of pants and baked goods.  I bought a book, "1001 Ways to Live in the Moment," by Chronicle Books to go with their book, "1001 Ways To Relax," that I bought in January 2011.

Dick Henthorn

16 November 2014

Negative Attitudes

My peace of mind depends on overcoming my negative attitudes. I must try, day by day, to be honest with myself.
(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 9 May)
13 November 2014

Trust Yourself

Trust yourself and your intuition when something is out of kilter enough to mistrust.
(after Sandra A. Crowe, Since Strangling Isn't An Option, p. 248)
12 November 2014

Giving

Giving frees us from a vicious struggle for possessions and from a debilitating preoccupation with calculating how to gather more material things for our own use.
(Joan Dargatz, 52 Simple Ways To Give Your Spiritual Life A Lift, p. 95)

******

I've been working on a genealogy project to extract some records from a GEDCOM file. The source file needs extensive edits before copying the information into my own genealogy file. I got so wrapped up in this project I lost interest in posting to any of my blogs for several days.  It takes discipline and dedication to blog on a regular basis.

Dick Henthorn

11 November 2014

Powerful People

When we refuse to submit to someone else's thinking 

we stop being a victim and become powerful people.

(Perry Tilleraas, The Color Of Light, 19 October)

7 November 2014

The Call Of Duty

Some of Melva's Flowers

Going far beyond the call of duty, doing more than others expect ... is what excellence is all about. And it comes from striving, maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail, and going the extra mile.
(The Little Book Of Virtures, 5 November)
5 November 2014

Election Day - 4 Nov 2014

Copyright - Jeff Parker

He brings disaster upon his nation who never sows a seed, or lays a brick, or weaves a garment, but makes politics his occupation.
(Kahlil Gibran)
4 November 2014

Danger

There is danger in taking on another's duty - danger that we may neglect our own, and that we may deprive them of what they may learn from finding their own solutions.
(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 7 May)

******

I think we solved a long-standing problem with our house yesterday. For a long time whenever we had high winds we heard a noise at the back of the house.  I checked the three windows, the gutters and the aluminum siding. I couldn't locate the loose piece. This weekend our daughter, Cyndi, told me to check the basement door. This door, with a doorknob lock and a deadbolt lock, was moving back and forth about 1/4 of an inch whenever we experience fluctuating wnds . I wonder if this problem manifested after the earthquake we had several years ago. I devised a temporary fix. I wedged a screwdriver between the deadbolt and the door jam. This moved the door slightly inward and stopped the back and forth movement in the wind. I wouldn't have found the problem myself. I swore the sound was coming from above ground.  The joys of home ownership never cease.

Dick Henthorn

3 November 2014

Searching For Serenity

If I stay out of other's affairs and become more aware of my own,
I have a good chance of finding some serenity.
(Hope For Today, 1 April)
2 November 2014

Ducks In A Row

I no longer care if my ducks are in a row. Sometimes I prefer they aren't. By not forcing my thoughts and feelings into a straight line, I can see all the possibilities. I can explore and be creative, innovative, and adventuresome. [I can share with others and] ... expand my horizons to encompass unexplored avenues of perception and action.
(Hope For Today, 21 October)
1 November 2014