Slowing Down...

I am posting quotes on slowing down and resting this morning. This subject is dear to my heart. I was thinking this morning about how hectic Black Friday was. I heard on the news that a gentleman was even trampled to death at a Wal-Mart during "a rush" to get into the doors (which were pulled off their hinges) when they opened. As he was being resuscitated, shoppers were pushing past EMTs to get through the doors, not worrying about the poor gentleman.

My hope is that, as this holiday season is upon as, you take time to savor the moments. I hope you can enjoy the lights, foods, sounds, cooking, parties, holiday cheer, etc. and not get caught up in the haste and panic of the season. Please try to savor each moment and take breaks when you are tired or need to be rejuvenated. I have learned that when I live life slowly and when I take breaks, things actually work out better. My mind becomes clearer and more focused and I am better help for others. Here is wishing you a happy and healthy and loving Christmas and New Year... Val =)

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke
is easy and My burden is light."
- Matthew 11:28-30

"Slow down and enjoy life.
It's not only the scenery you miss by
going too fast - you also miss the sense
of where you are going and why."
- Eddie Cantor

“Take rest; a field that has rested
gives a bountiful crop.”
- Ovid Roman

"Slow and steady wins the race."
- Robert Lloyd

"Feeling trapped? Slow down! If you're
having difficulty coming up with new ideas,
then slow down. For me, slowing down has
been a tremendous source of creativity."
- Natalie Goldberg

"Wisely and slow. They
stumble that run fast."
- William Shakespeare

"The art of resting the mind and the power
of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably
one of the secrets of energy in our great men."
- Captain J. A. Hadfield

"I have never taken any exercise
except sleeping and resting."
- Mark Twain

" ...so rest awhile. It will be alright.
No one loves you like I do."
- Third Day, The Rain Comes

"I am a slow walker but I
never walk backwards."
- Abraham Lincoln

Overcoming Quotes...

Overcoming Quotes

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps
life moving, you lose that courage to be, the quality that helps
you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"There ain't nothing from the outside
that can lick any of us."
- Margaret Mitchell

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog
in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"The harder the conflict, the more
glorious the triumph."
- Thomas Paine

"Some minds seem almost to create themselves,
springing up under every disadvantage and working their
solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles."
- Washington Irving

"Comfort and prosperity have never enriched
the world as much as adversity has."
- Billy Graham

"Out of difficulties grow miracles."
- Jean De La Bruyere

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be
so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome."
- Anne Bradstreet

"I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm
learning to sail my ship."
- Louisa May Alcott

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries
with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."
- Napoleon Hill

"All the world is full of suffering,
it is also full of overcoming it."
- Hellen Keller

*dedicated to John K., my hero

Thanksgiving Riddles and Puns and a Joke

Thanksgiving Riddles and Puns

Q: What did the mama turkey say to her naughty son?
A: If your papa could see you now,
he'd turn over in his gravy!

Q: What did the turkeys sing on Thanksgiving Day?
A: God save the kin.

Q: What key has legs and can't open doors?
A: Turkey.

Q: If April showers bring May flowers,
what do May flowers bring?
A: Pilgrims!

Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?
A: It was the chicken's day off.

Q: If the Pilgrims were alive today,
what would they be most famous for?
A: Their AGE!

Q: Why can't you take a turkey to church?
A: Because they use such FOWL language.

Q: Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building?
A: Yes - a building can't jump at all.

Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?
A: Enough drumsticks for Thanksgiving.

Q: How can you make a turkey float?
A: You need 2 scoops of ice cream,
some root beer, and a turkey.

Q: What kind of music did the Pilgrims like?
A: Plymouth Rock.

Q: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
A: The outside.

Q: Where did the first corn come from?
A: The stalk brought it.

Q: Why did the Indian chief wear so many feathers?
A: To keep his wigwam.

Q: What happened to the Pilgrim who
was shot at by an Indian?
A: He had an arrow escape.

Q: How did the Mayflower show that it liked America?
A: It hugged the shore.





The man who forgot to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving


It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up
when a man begins pounding on the front door.

"Please let me in," says the man desperately, "I forgot to buy a
turkey, and my wife will kill me if I don't come home with one."

"Okay," says the butcher, "Let me see what I have left."
He goes into the freezer and discovers that there's one last
scrawny turkey left. He brings it out to show the man.

"That's one is too skinny. What else you got?" asks the man.

The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits
a few minutes and brings the same turkey back out to the man.

"Oh, no," says the man, "That one doesn't look any better.
You better give me both of them!"

From my home to yours, Wishing you and yours a
very warm and wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Love, Valerie xox

Thanksgiving Humor

Funny Thanksgiving Quotes

"The funny thing about Thanksgiving, or any huge meal,
is that you spend 12 hours shopping for it and then chopping
and cooking and braising and blanching. Then it takes 20 minutes
to eat it and everybody sort of sits around in a food coma,
and then it takes four hours to clean it up."
- Ted Allen

"Thanksgiving, man.
Not a good day to be my pants."
- Kevin James

"At Thanksgiving, my Mom always makes too much food,
especially one item, like 700 or 800 pounds of sweet potatoes.
She's got to push it during the meal. 'Did you get some sweet potatoes?
There's sweet potatoes. They're hot. There's more in the oven,
some more in the garage. The rest are at the Johnson's.'"
- Louie Anderson

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday.
People travel thousands of miles to be with people
they only see once a year. And then discover once
a year is way too often."
- Johnny Carson

"An optimist is a person who starts a
new diet on Thanksgiving Day."
- Irv Kupcinet

"We're having something a little different
this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey,
we're having a swan. You get more stuffing."
- George Carlin

"You know that just before that first
Thanksgiving dinner there was one wise, old
Native American woman saying, 'Don't feed them.
If you feed them, they'll never leave.'"
- Dylan Brody

"Thanksgiving is the day when you
turn to another family member and say,
'How long has Mom been drinking like this?' My Mom,
after six Bloody Marys looks at the turkey and goes,
'Here, kitty, kitty.'"
- David Letterman

"My mother is such a lousy cook that Thanksgiving
at her house is a time of sorrow."
- Rita Rudner

"May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!"

- Author Unknown

Being Grateful...

A special friend sent me this in an email. I loved it!
Since it is about being grateful, and it is nearing Thanksgiving,
I thought I would post it. I hope you can take something from it.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!! Love, Val xox

Being Grateful

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were
meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to
help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbor,
professor, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger), but when you
lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life
in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair
at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you
would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower or heart.

Everything happens for a reason.

Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love,
lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test
the limits of your soul.

Without these tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved,
straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable,
but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls
you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.

Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the
most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart forgive them,
for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being
cautious to whom you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because
they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how
to open your heart and eyes to things.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those
moments everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able
to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before,
and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.

Hold your head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't
believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then
go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

Most importantly, if you love someone tell them, for you never know what
tomorrow may have in store. And learn a lesson in life each day you live!
Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

Was it worth it?

- M. J. Ryan, Attitudes of Gratitude