This week I will encourage readers of this Warm Thoughts column to light a candle on Sunday, December 12th. When your child and perhaps your grandchild dies in a family, the world changes and you will never be the same person. Life goes on, but priorities change, and remembering the child who has died is an important way of traveling through your grief journey. The holiday season is especially difficult, as old traditions often give way to new or more meaningful traditions that help to remember the child, sibling, or grandchild or great grandchild who has died.
Episode 206: Giving Thanks to God →
Thanksgiving Day is a very special holiday for many families. Family traditions are often carried out on this day in many homes. It is also a good time to remember what we often forget to say - that we are grateful to be together and to acknowledge with thanks, each other. It is a time to thank the people who have made a difference in our lives. Many warm thoughts come to mind.
Episode 205: 10 Tips for Educational Success →
Every parent has a dream that their child will succeed in school. And the question they may ask is, "How can I help my children succeed in getting a great education?" As a mother and grandmother, this has been a real concern for me. I found it very interesting to learn about research that Judith Ann Hillard did for her doctorate. Her research is based on a sampling of more than 1,800 students. I believe you will appreciate the following 10 tips Judith found, which are backed up by statistics and her research.
Episode 204: Liberty →
November: the month of Remembrance Day, also known as Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving Day. How thankful we are to live in our America. Liberty, so precious a gift for each of us. It is so special that we can enjoy our liberty every day here in America.
Episode 203: Leadership Lessons from the Geese →
This is a time of year when some folks leave the Prairie Winds and go south for the winter. Folks down south who have permanent residence there will say, "The snowbirds are coming!" About the same time, the northern geese are going south too. Recently I read that these geese are not going as far south as they used to go in past years. These geese flap their wings and fly south and a "V" formation. In the spring they fly north and it is always a special time for us to learn some lessons from the geese.
Episode 198: How Can You Make a Difference? →
One of the very faithful readers of this Warm Thoughts column recently sent me an article entitled, "You can Make a Difference." It was an article informing the public to take action on October 26th and make that day a day of caring. A National Day to inform us that the Make a Difference Day can help everyone to help others. The sixth annual event in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation takes place on October 26th. Mark your calendar! How do you plan to spend Make a Difference Day? It may be a month away but it is not too early to think about what you can do to help your community pull together a project for the day. You can also make a difference in the life of even one lonely shut-in, give a helping hand to a busy mother, write a letter of cheer to someone in need of an encouraging word, or touch the life of a child by sharing a gift of time with that child. Perhaps Saturday October 26th does not fit into your schedule, then make it October 27th or a day that will also Make a Difference Day for you or someone in need.
Episode 195: Eating for Attitude →
I recently read an article about how our attitude depends on what we eat and when we eat as it has a major impact on our performance and moods. We have heard often, "You are what you eat." According to Dr. Jack Groppel, a well known nutrition and fitness expert, he tells us how to have a better attitude.
Episode 192: I've Learned... →
Recently, I read a book by H. Jackson Brown Jr. entitled, "Live and Learn and Pass it On." In the book, people ages 5 to 95 share what they have discovered about life, love, and other good stuff. Some of the thoughts are a bit humorous, but somehow we can get the message. I've personally discovered throughout my years that if we really listen, we can learn so much.
Episode 191: Always Have a Dream →
The world watched the passing of the torch for the Olympic Games. Whether one has the dream of carrying that torch or winning a gold medal, we all have some dreams and goals in our lives. Recently, I read an article by a noted doctor stating that everyone has dreams. What is your dream of dreams? The following thoughts by Amanda Bradley have blessed the lives of many people. I have often used it when closing a speech or at the end of a seminar or workshop. I would like to share it with all my special readers of this column.
Episode 190: Jerry's Positive Attitude →
Of all the Warm Thoughts columns I have ever written, perhaps the ones pertaining to "thoughts on attitude" have received the most favorable comments from my readers. Recently I read about Jerry who had a very positive attitude. It inspired me so much and it may have a positive effect on any summertime blues that may be coming our way in this season of the year.
Episode 189: An Attitude Worth Catching →
It is always a joy to receive thoughts from faithful readers of this Warm Thoughts column. They share with me thoughts so precious that I feel the need to share with others. A faithful reader from Florida who has lived a long life and has a contagious attitude worth catching, sent me thoughts by Charles Swindoll on attitude. "The longer I live, the more I realized the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than the facts, it is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on this one string we have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes."
Episode 181: Cheers to the Graduates! →
Cheers to the graduates! As I write this column, on the day of National Day of Prayer, many warm thoughts come to mind. Throughout the country, many students will be graduating from schools of learning this month. Graduation is both a happy and a sad occasion. The diploma, a symbol of excellence and knowledge, is the inheritance of our youth. I am reminded of what a big gray-haired, soft spoken Professor Greek once stated, as he handed out the diplomas. He said, "Young ladies and gentlemen, it is not possible for everyone to have a great intellect, but it is possible for everyone to have a great heart."
Episode 172: Sunshine in a Smile →
The first of March is "Share a Smile Day." Why just one day? Let's make every day a National Smile Day! Joseph Addison puts it this way, "What sunshine is to the flowers, smiles are to humanity...the good they do is inconceivable." Remember, it takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile! A world traveler once explained, "In all the countries I have been to, everyone understands a smile." We soon learn when we travel that all people smile in the same language.
Episode 171: Listening to the Children →
In recent Warm Thoughts columns you've read about the joy one receives when you really listen to the children. Their words of wisdom not only surprise us, but their thoughts jog our minds to higher levels of understanding, for they are our master teachers. I was so pleased to learn that our governor signed a proclamation encouraging us to find a child to read to on March 2nd. This date is "America's Read to Kids Day." It is hoped that all states will become aware of how important it is to read to the children. This is a nationwide campaign to encourage reading.
Episode 170: A Letter to Luetta →
When you read this Warm Thoughts column, it will be February and January has come and gone. Where has the month gone so fast? It has been a month of London fog flinging a crystal veil over the heartland, a real winter wonderland. February is heart month - the month of the Groundhog, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day...Did I forget something? February is also the month when many warm thoughts on love come to mind. In his book "How to Love," Arthur H. Rahner Jr states, "It is a selfish world." He defines love as not emotions or feelings, but the willingness to sacrifice for another. When we are selfish and look only to support our own causes, we cannot truly love.
Episode 169: Celebrate Life Each Day →
After I delivered last week's Warm Thoughts column, I walked to the post office. At the counter stood someone receiving a parcel - it was for her 90th birthday that day. I stood there in amazement and deep in thought as she drove away, alone, on the icy streets. I thought, "Here's a lady who understands what celebrating life each day really means. She lives every day of her life." In the mail that day came a letter from a longtime friend and reader of Warm Thoughts. She related about how her family and friends gave her a warm reception on her 80th birthday. She shared with me one of the readings her daughter read, and I feel you too, will enjoy these warm thoughts.
Episode 167: No Place Like Home →
Recently I read an article about the "Little Houses on the Prairie." Perhaps you, too, have read about the 1,400 people who came to a small Native American reservation here in South Dakota, to build thirty homes in five days. This happened in mid-July of last year and at that time, on those prairies, the wind was warm. These volunteer workers for Habitat for Humanity came from all walks of life. At one time, there were three PhDs on the roof of a house nailing on shingles. To build thirty homes in one week became a most ambitious project. It became known as "Jimmy Carter's Work Project." It was named after Habitat's best known volunteer. Alongside was former First Lady Rosalynn Carter working with her husband. There they were for the week, dressed for the work project. The people called the former president, "Wawikia Lakota - for one who cares about people."
Episode 166: Children - Our Master Teachers →
Throughout the years, I have been aware of how much one can learn in our lifelong learning process when we listen to the children. Albert Einstein once stated, "Pay close attention to the curiosities of a child. This is where the search for knowledge is the freshest and most valuable."
Episode 165: Today is Life →
Happy New Year! This is the first column for the new year. Perhaps you have already been asked, "Have you made your New Year's resolutions already?" For me, it almost seems like a dream that 1997 is here already. As my thoughts on this new year is before us, I am reminded of the motivational plaque which declares, "Yesterday is but a dream. Tomorrow is a vision of hope. Look to this day, for it is life." Let's celebrate life!
Episode 159: The Letter You Did Not Write →
The holidays are approaching so fast. Already, I am receiving those holiday letters as I have a few friends who write their holiday letter about family in October. It seems that many people in this high-tech age no longer write those personal letters.