Entertainment

The moral of all of this is that entertainment can be uplifting and edifying, or it can be demoralizing and debasing. So where do you want our energy to flow - - and, even more important, what kind of energy do you want our children to experience? We must be on guard against any entertainment that uses excessive profanity and seems to support hatred and disrespect in its narrative.

(Dr. Wayne Dyer, Inspiration, page 166)

31 December 2015

They Won't Let Me

They won't let me

Life is depending on you to shine.

Life is waiting for you to bloom.

Life is waiting for you to glorify it.

Please don't let life down.

Be sure not to allow other people to should on you.

Folks are always so ready to let you know what you should be or should not be doing, they get very little done in their own lives.

If your mother, father, sister, brother, friend is so sure of what you should be doing, let them do it.

Remember, good advice is not always free.

You pay dearly for it with little pieces of your life and yourself.

It may be challenging to move beyond the expectations and demands others have of or for you, but remember a good challenge strengthens your muscles.

Please  do not should on me!

(Iyanla Vanzant, Faith In The Valley, p. 151)

30 December 2015

Stamps on a Passport

I look at my very imperfect body and see its patches of history, like stamps on my passport. The stamps aren't the kind of thing that would make me throw off my towel at the gym or be the first to jump naked into a lake. But like a good story, they remind me of where I've been, and the annoying and endearing people I've met along the way.
(Betsy Carter, writer, in Words That Matter by the Editors of the Oprah Magazine, p. 86)
29 December 2015

Stifle Yourself

Actively work at reducing your inclinations to interrupt others with an I reference in conversations.

Just stifle yourself, as Archie Bunker used to say.

Make a concerted effort to be silent when you're about to interrupt.

See the words stifle yourself flash on your inner screen, and remind yourself at that moment that you inspire by listening and encouraging, not by self-reference or sermonizing.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Inspiration, p. 154)
28 December 2015

Perspective

We all need a place to vent our emotions, a place to talk. When we don't have this, we live in our own heads too much and things become out of proportion. We lose our perspective.

It is so important to have positive and loving people in your life to talk to and with whom to share. In the safety of good friends we are able to release what we have been holding inside, freeing ourselves from negativity and fear.  This frees us to be more open and grow.

(Ruth Fishel, Time For Joy, 10 December, p. 344)

27 December 2015

Belligerent Individuals

New 2015 Santa Claus

Belligerent individuals who live in turmoil and revel in hostile encounters send out nonverbal energy that adversely impacts those around them. The immediate impulse is to remove ourselves from these low-energy non-peaceful people because sticking around means tension and a lowering of our energy.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Inspiration, p. 151)
26 December 2015

Merry Christmas 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2015

 

Here's the link to our Christmas letter which is staged on my Box account in PDF format.

Dick & Melva's Christmas Message

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Melva's New 2015 Christmas Decoration

It came upon the midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heav'ns all-gracious King!"

The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing.

(Moravian Daily Texts - 2013, 24 December)

24 December 2015

Present Moment

Pilgrims Landed on December 21, 1620

(Departure from Europe Image)

You are always in the present moment. If you are not aware of this, you have no power because you are under the control of external circumstances.
(Gary Zukav and Linda Francis, Thoughts from the Heart of the Soul, p. 56)
21 December 2015

Growth

The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.
(As Bill Sees It, p. 115)
20 December 2015

Money

Money often compounds unhappiness because, mistakenly, we think that spending will make us feel better ... When you're happy, you create your own financial stability by living within you means.
(Suze Orman, finance expert, in Words That Matter, by The Editors of The Oprah Magazine, p. 74)
19 December 2015

Walking

Photo by Mr. Dickie at Omaha, NE

Taking a walk when you hear bad news or have been cooped up with someone sick is extremely therapeutic. Having a standing walk date with a friend is delightful and intimate. Some people like to talk things through with others when they're having difficulty, but often ... [they'd] rather walk alone. Walking gives ... [us] the solitude to work things out for ... [ourselves]. ... take a small pocket notebook ... [along] and write down ideas and images that float to mind while ... walking. This helps ... keep a healthy state of mind.
(Alexandra Stoddard, The Art of the Possible,p., 10-102)
18 December 2015

Human Spirit

There is no more searching test of the human spirit than the way it behaves when fortune is adverse and it has to pass through a prolonged period of disappointing failures. Then comes the real proof of the man. Achievement, if a man has the ability, is a joy; but to take hard knocks and come up smiling, to have your mainsail blown away and then rig a sheet on the bowsprit and sail on -- this is perhaps the deepest test of character.
(Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts, found Flowers Along The Path by Esther Carls Dodgen, p. 211)
17 December 2015

Good Habits

Good habits are not made on birthdays, nor Christian character at the New Year.
The workshop of character is every-day life.
The uneventful and commonplace hour is where the battle is lost or won.
(Maltbie D. Babcock, Thoughts for Every-Day Living found in Flower Along The Path by Esther Carls Dodgen, p. 210)
15 December 2015

True Joy In Life

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one ... the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
(George Bernard Shaw, playwright in Words That Matter by The Editors of The Oprah Magazine, p. 65)
13 December 2015

Free Will

The individual is as free to be afraid of a new venture as to be eager for it; free to bear the consequences of his mistakes as well as of his achievements.
(Dr. Carl Rogers in The Art of the Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 109)
12 December 2015

The Illusion of Importance

It's easy to operate under the illusion that what we are doing is so important we cannot stop doing it.
We think we cannot slow down, especially for something so trifling as a turtle [or duck in the road].
But that is exactly the sort of thing we must never be too busy ... [to do].
Stopping is a spiritual act.
It is the refuge where we drink [in] life ....
(Sue Monk Kidd, Firstlight, p. 121)
11 December 2015

Dreams

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler, solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness, weakness.
(Henry David Thoreau in Flowers Along the Path by Esther Carls Dodgen, p. 199)
11 December 2015

Acting "As If"

Sometimes you might have to "act as if" to push beyond feelings, to get to the other side of them where you really want to be. There are times when it is not appropriate to act out how you really feel. You might have to save those feelings and deal with them later in a more healthy and appropriate way.
(Ruth Fishel, Time For Joy, 27 October 2015)
9 December 2015

Gifts

The most significant gifts are often the ones most easily overlooked. Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered through our days.
(Sue Monk Kidd, Firstlight, p. 113)
5 December 2015

Pearls Of Wisdom

... it should not affect us too much when other people don't accept our pearls of wisdom. What may be a gem for us could be a mere pebble for another.

(Day By Day, 26 November)

30 November 2015

Voting Rights

There is continued evidence that people's right to vote is under attack or being denied.

Here's what Senator Edward Kennedy had to say about voting. (In my case the women denied the right to vote were my grandmothers and my mother and her sisters.)

Our great-grandmothers marched, were arrested, and suffered heroically in jail to obtain the vote for women. People walked the dusty back roads of the South, and sometimes died, to ensure African-Americans the right to vote. We should be humbled by that. We have progressed to where we are because we stand on all their shoulders, and we must never forget it. Voting says thank you.

(Edward Kennedy, U.S. Senator in Words That Matter by the Editors of The Oprah Magazine, p. 61)
28 November 2015

Relating

Productive activity is characterized by the rhythmic change of activity and repose.

Productive work, love and thought are possible only if a person can be, when necessary, quiet and alone with himself.

To be able to listen to oneself is a prerequisite for the ability to listen to others, to be at home with oneself is the necessary condition for relating oneself to others.

(Eric Fromm in The Art Of The Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 88)

27 November 2015

Life Journey

On ... [your life] journey,

• some people will fall behind you, and you will feel guilty for leaving them.
• Some people will fall in front of you, causing you to stumble.
• Still others will fall right next to you, scaring you half to death.

Always keep in mind, if you stop on the journey to worry or doubt or fear, you will create a major obstacle.

• Others will then fall over you.

(Iyanla Vanzant, Faith In The Valley, p. 143)
26 November 2015

Letters

Letters 

Letters take time to write, usually more time than talk. They require a certain level of artfulness and thoughtfulness in expression. Then they remain, to be reread, perhaps to be stored away for another day of reading, or even to be encountered at some distant time by a future, unknown eavesdropper.

All of these aspects of the letter invite soulfulness:

• rereading is a form of reflective meditation; 
• keeping letters honors memory and not only daily living; and 
• speaking to a reader not yet present in this life respects the soul's eternal nature.

(Thomas Moore, Soul Mates, p. 125)

19 November 2015

Conflict

Conflict in close relationships is not only inevitable, it's essential. Intimacy connects people who are inevitably different -- as the saying goes, if two people agree about everything, one of them is superfluous. Conflict is the mechanism by which we set boundaries around these differences, so that each party feels safe with the other.
(Martha Beck, life coach, in Words That Matter by the Editors of The Oprah Magazine, p. 53)
18 November 2015

Run Your Own Race

Don't spend all your time trying to win over your critics; 

just run your own race.

(Joel Osteen, Become A Better You, p. 235)

16 November 2015

Easier Said Than Done

PEACE

When confronted with conflict, we can choose to feel peace. 

When attacked in any way, we can make the decision not to fight.

We can come from a place of restraint and 

not act out in any hostile way, 

even if we want to. 

We do not have to act out our thoughts or emotions. 

We can pause and wait 

until we can come from our volition, 

from our choice.

We can 

choose peace.

Today we can wait until all negative and hostile feelings lose their power over us before we say or do anything. We can take the time to breathe in peace and love, no matter what is going on in our lives.

(after Time For Joy by Ruth Fishel, 4 October)

******

It's been a good week for purchasing used CDs for $1.00 each.

On Wednesday at the double Thrift Store I bought five:

1. The Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley (2 CD set)
2. Sara Evans - No Place That Far
3. Sara Evans - Restless
4. Alan Jackson - Homemade Mix

On Saturday at the Holy Redeemer Fall Rummage sale I bought seventeen:

1. Time-Life Treasure of Bluegrass - America's Music  (2 CD set)
2. The Maddox Brothers and Rose - Live on the Radio
3. The Skillet Lickers - Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs From North Georgia
4. Ernest V. Stoneman - Edison Recordings 1928
5. Steve Martin - The Crow
6. Eddy Arnold - Greatest Hits
7. Chuck Mangione - Compact Jazz
8. Various Artists - Country Gospel (3 CD set)
9. Various Artists - Guideposts Presents - Then Sings My Soul (4 CD set)
10. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder - Soldier of the Cross
11. Emmy Lou Harris - The Very Best Of - Heartaches & Highways

Dick Henthorn

15 November 2015

Lack

There seems to be no lack of discontent and problems for many of the people of the world. Could this be attributed to our willingness to accept lack as the way it has to be for a significant percentage of the worlds' population?

Why do we expect so many to be content with a lack of:

• education
• good jobs
• a living wage
• affordable housing
• healthy diets
• clean water
• health insurance
• affordable medical health care?

(Mr. Dickie after The Christophers, Three Minutes A Day, 17 October)
14 November 2015

I'm Ready!

Talking ready is not enough.

Thinking ready will not work.

You must be ready 

in mind, body and spirit 

before you can make a change.

(Iyanla Vanzant, Faith In The Valley, p. 96)

13 November 2015

Detachment

Detachment allows you to remain aware of what you feel while the events of your life unfold.
(Gary Zukav & Linda Francis, Thoughts From The Heart Of The Soul, p. 75)
12 November 2015

Skills

We can all tune up our skills by focusing more attention on our strengths rather than dwelling on our weaknesses.
(Alexandra Stoddard, The Art Of The Possible, p. 24)
11 November 2015

It's My Time

The only true time which a man can properly call his own, is that which he has all to himself; the rest, though in some sense he may be said to live it, is other people's time, not his.
(Charles Lamb in The Art Of The Possible, by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 74)
10 November 2015

Whatever Comes

2015 Washington, DC Orchid Show

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
(Eleanor Roosevelt in The Art of the Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 23)
7 November 2015

Miracles

Miracles are not in contradiction to nature.
They are only in contradiction with what we know of nature.
(Augustine of Hippo, in Flowers Along The Path, by Esther Carls Dodgen, p. 90)
7 November 2015

If The Shoe Fits

Human beings are never quite alike, so each of us, when making an inventory, will need to determine what his individual character defects are. Having found the shoes that fit, he ought to step into them and walk with new confidence that he is at last on the right track.
(As Bill Sees It, p. 280)
6 November 2015

Don't Project

Art at the November 2015 Artomatic Show

• Don't project!
• Don't imagine the worst;
• deal with your problems as they arise.
• Live one day at a time.

(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 11 July)

******

I've been working on a project to add information about my latest CD purchases to my Music catalog. I uploaded a copy to my Box account.  This allows me to look at what I have when I am away from my own computer.

5 November 2015

One Ought

Washington, DC Artomatic 2015

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

(Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe in The Art of the Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 69)
4 November 2015

Point Of View

It can be upsetting to discover that our own point of view is only one of many options.
(After Thomas Moore in Soul Matters, p. 36)
3 November 2015

Defects

2015 Washington, DC Orchid Show

A clear light seems to fall upon us all -- when we open our eyes. Since blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step in our spiritual growth.
(As Bill Sees It, Day 10)

******

I didn't do any blogging, or daily reading, this week.  I needed an attitude check. 

I'm pleased to report that I finally figured out why I couldn't make all of the songs in a Box account folder play sequentially.  They made changes in the appearance of Box and I fell behind.  It turned out to be something simple to fix.  Click on the Gear, then turn on Auto-play. There are many music files on my Box account which I can now enjoy listening to in the background while doing genealogy or while spending time on Facebook.

Dick Henthorn 

1 November 2015

Decisions

Not all large decisions can be well made by simply listing the pros and cons of a given situation, helpful and necessary as this process is. We cannot always depend on what seems to us to be logical. When there is doubt about our logic, we wait upon God and listen for the voice of intuition. If, in meditation, that voice is persistent enough, we may well gain sufficient confidence to act upon that, rather than upon logic.
(As Bill Sees It, Day 202)
21 October 2015

I Want

The problem is not that we too rarely fulfill our desires, but that we so often do, and are still left wanting.
(Joel Goldsmith, Time For Joy, by Ruth Fishel, 9 August)
20 October 2015

Play Your Hand

When the cards are dealt and you pick up your hand ... there's nothing you can do except to play it out for whatever it may be worth. And the way you play your hand is free will.
(Jawaharlal Nehru in Night Light by Amy Dean, 18 July)
18 October 2015

Here or There

... a fine space separates us from experiencing our life as nowhere or now here.
(Sue Monk Kidd, First Light, p. 37)
17 October 2015

Negative Thinking

Negative thinking produces negative ways and weak living. It undermines our morals so that we develop a "what's the difference" attitude. But a positive faith in God, as each of us understands Him, gives strength to the body and courage to the soul.
(Day By Day, 15 October)
15 October 2015

Choices

We can control our choices, but we can't control the consequences of these choices.
(Stephen R. Covey, First Things First, p. 25)
14 October 2015

Listen

I intend to listen to my own thoughts concerning my life. I'll be receptive to advice, but I'll do what my conscience dictates, even if I incur disapproval.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Inspiration, p. 76)
13 October 2015

Courage

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

(Alexandra Stoddard, The Art Of The Possible, p. 53)

12 October 2015

The Past

... we need to view our past from the perspective of everything that we've ever done or not done being over. We can't undo or redo it -- we have the choice to look back at the past either through eyes clouded by ego judgments or through an inspired point of view. We can forgive ourselves or we can shame ourselves.
(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Inspiration, p. 89)
7 October 2015

Being Married

It takes something to get married: nerve, hope, a strong desire to make a certain statement -- and it takes something to stay married: more hope, determination, a sense of humor, and needs that are best met by being in a pair.
(Amy Bloom, writer in Words That Matter by The Editors of The Oprah Magazine, p. 23)
6 October 2015