Memories

Richard, my husband, never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam, other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8 x 10 black and white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.

A few years ago, Ann Margret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing.

When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage. Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted.

Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home. Ann Margret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as second in line, it was soon Richard's turn.

He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it."

She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for 'my gentlemen."

With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to-do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he were the only one there.

Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big, strong husband broke down in tears... "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army." he said.

That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet. I'll never forget Ann Margret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband.

I now make it a point to say 'Thank you' to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.

Author Unknown

Prickly Pear

For the last couple of days on my drive home from work I've noticed that the Prickly Pear have their fruit.  

This is the before picture where they were all in bloom.  These happen to be yellow.  Some are white and I have seen pink.  

Some people take the red things off the cactus.  You have to be very careful because they have tiny tiny spines that stick you.  Inside the red things is the fruit and they do make preserves from these.  It would sure take a lot of these to make a jar of preserves.  But, these are free and alongside the road or out in the desert.  







I'm linking to:
Fertilizer Friday Flaunt Flowers

SleepyManBanjoBoys

The music these boys play is so good.  To be so young and so talented.  

Living From Gratitude

For most of my adult life I believed that an attitude of gratitude is a good thing to have. As often as possible I tried to be humble and grateful for the blessings I received, but I didn't fully grasp just how powerful a gratitude practice could be until I set an intention to "Live From Gratitude" for an entire day.

What does that mean, to "Live From Gratitude?"

I decided that I would stay in a grateful state of mind and give deep, heartfelt thanks for everything I did, saw, felt, and experienced that day.

From the moment I opened my eyes early that morning, I began giving thanks for everything and everyone that entered my awareness. I thought about each of my family members and friends, and gave thanks for their presence in my life. I gave thanks for my home, my business, my car, my clothing, my health, and my cats.

As I moved through my daily activities, I gave thanks for everything I touched, everything I saw or heard, everything I felt, and everything that happened to me - even the annoying and challenging experiences.

I gave thanks for our dishes and utensils as I washed them, as well as the water I was washing them in, and for my hands that enabled me to wash them. A few of those items were wedding gifts for my husband and I, and as I washed each one, I recalled our wedding day with joy and gratitude, and gave thanks for my husband and the life we share together.

During my business activities that day, I gave heartfelt thanks for my clients and the passionate work that fulfills me and allows me to make a difference in the world. I also gave thanks for the challenges my work sometimes brings, simply because they strengthen me.

I expressed sincere gratitude for everything I saw, heard, felt, did or experienced throughout the entire day, big or small, good or bad. Not only did I SAY "thank you" for these things, I made sure to really FEEL the feelings of gratitude and appreciation for them. As I'm sure you can imagine, that was a LOT of gratitude!

The results that came from my day of living from gratitude were astounding. It was one of the most powerful days of my life.

All day long I kept meeting the nicest, greatest people everywhere I went. My income for that day jumped up to roughly three times what it normally was, without me having to lift a finger to make it happen. I kept noticing awesome opportunities, tools, and resources that would help me grow my business or improve some aspect of my life. Some of these things had been right under my nose all along, but I'd never noticed them before.

I received so many great gifts as a result of my day of living from gratitude, but the true gift of that day is the way I felt all day long.

Never in my life can I remember feeling so humbled, so blessed, so RICH. Everything around me became SACRED in ways that I can't even describe.

Struggle, strain, anxiety, frustration, fear, anger . . . they all just faded away. Everything I saw and experienced was uplifting, inspiring and beneficial. My life was transformed that day, into something that I never dreamed would be possible. I'd thought my life was good before that - but my new attitude of gratitude took it to a whole new level of goodness.

That day stands out in my memory as one of the best days of my life. In fact, it was so powerful that I've since adopted my "living from gratitude" mind-set as an ongoing intention. Every day I strive to live from gratitude - and each day gets more and more magical the longer I do it.

Try it yourself and see if it doesn't have the same wonderful effect on your life.

Wendy Betterini

4th of July

This is a 3-day weekend for most Americans.  Stay safe in whatever you are doing this weekend.   In the Southwest, we are trying to stay cool and praying for rain!