ATTITUDES & GRATITUDES

[Even if you're not going through a rough place, I hope you'll find something in this little essay to help you on your own journey. April is always a difficult month for me--physically and emotionally--so I'm repeating this post for all of us who have some rough patches.]

When I was young, long before I could drive a car, I rode with my parents. If we wanted to get somewhere quickly, we took what my dad called "hard roads"--meaning, the surface of the road was probably concrete, or maybe asphalt. We called it "the black top" because that's what it looked like.

If it didn't matter how long the trip took, or if the people we were going to visit lived 'way off from civilization (or so it seemed to  my young mind), we drove on gravel roads. These were supposedly maintained by the township where the roads were located. Sometimes they were.

I bring this up because whenever we found ourselves on the lesser improved roads, we often hit a rough place. Literally. The road might be deeply rutted, due to heavy rains followed by vehicles, trucks or wagons, that sank down in the mire. Somehow or other, we always got through.

Right now, I--along with any number of people--am going through a rough place. The way ahead is uncertain, though so far there's been no detour or sliding off the road into a water-filled ditch. Metaphorically speaking, you understand.

I don't recall my parents and I ever had a bad outcome to our jaunts. Somehow or other, we always came through--maybe a little muddy on the outside, or possibly with a flat tire out of the ordeal. Overall, though, not so bad. Maybe that's the genesis of my basically positive attitude--we always came through.

So today, in case you're in, or nearing, a rough place, I'm sharing some thoughts that may make the going a little easier.

First, Attitude:

• You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.( Brian Tracy)

• The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm. (Aldous Huxley)

And now, Gratitude:

• Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. (Melody Beattie)
• As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. (John F. Kennedy)

I'll give Winston Churchill the last word:

Until next time,

Blessings

Thursday's Child

 HAPPY EASTER!

Since we're nearly at Easter Day, this post will be a little different. I came across a poem you might like--its first line will throw you for a bit of a loop, and then you'll just roll along with the rest of the lines.

Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail.
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.

A people sometimes will step back from war,
elect an honest man, decide they care
enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best intentions do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.

Here's a surprise--the poet, a Welsh woman--doesn't want her name given. She's written many, many poems, published since the 1970s, and also writes novels and essays. But this poem, usually called "Sometimes," has been caught up in the whirlwind world of current non-stop, wow-look-at-this life we're living, and she got sick of seeing it everywhere.

So I'm honoring her wish to remain anonymous.

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So, you ask, how does this have anything to do with Easter? I'm glad you asked!

Let's think about it--two thousand years ago, give or take a few decades, a bunch of fledgling believers broke bread with a man they knew well (or so they thought) who said he'd die in a few more days and three days later, he'd rise from the dead. Well, some said, why not? He's done it before, for his friend Lazarus.

Others, of course, probably climbed on the fence, afraid to make a commitment to this  promise they'd been given. It just seemed so--well, so fantastic, right?

However, SOMETIMES . . . . You just gotta make that leap.

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This Easter Day, may the sun shine on you and your family. May you find all the Easter eggs hidden in the new green grass on your lawn. May it all happen for you.

Easter Blessings,

Thursday's Child

 SPRING!

Yes, indeed, Spring arrived!! Did you see signs?

S - Sunshine - Snow! - Sparrows - Surprise Lilies getting ready to show above ground

P - Peonies - Parks open - the "puddlewonderful" season (thank you e e cummings)

R - Rhubarb - Rainy days (wear your cute boots)

I - Iris beginning to show - Inspiration everywhere you look!

N - New-ness all around - Nesting birds

G - Gardens - Grass - Green & Gold

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I had two daffodils bloom already--wasn't even sure they'd survived the winter, but they did.

Birds are house-building, courting, some of the robins are already pregnant. 

And just in case I've gotten all goofy about how wonderful spring is, along came Tuesday's 50-mph wind gusts to remind me that it ain't all sweetness and light in springtime!

Whatever you're seeing in your springtime environment, enjoy it as long as you can.

'Til next time,

Blessings from

Thursday's Child

  SPRING CLEANING

Growing up in the Midwest, in a family of hard workers with strong ideas of right and wrong, I could always count on one thing. Every year the arrival of Spring meant something important: Cleaning Out. Cleaning Up. 

Almost an "off with the old and on with the new" attitude. But not quite.

Houses were swept, scrubbed, and polished until every surface mirrored my face and the fragrance of lavender greeted me every time I came home from school.

Furniture appeared in back yards--not for sale, but for airing.

Clotheslines sagged with heavy bedspreads, wool blankets, small-to-medium sized rugs. Also for airing.

Eventually, after the furniture and other household linens were back in place, out came our winter clothing. Once the wool jackets, coats, and sweaters appeared on the clotheslines, we knew it really was Spring. None of those things would be worn again until cold weather appeared, probably in November. (And you were on your own if you felt cold before the official date of hauling out woolies.)

In those days, not much was thrown away. "Make it do or do without" wasn't just an attitude of the Yankees of New England--it was the difference between having a sufficient something until money again became available to replace it. And, it was a matter of pride.

So I don't recall much of the old stuff going out and being replaced by new stuff. I do recall folks reusing clothing--cutting out the good parts of old suits to make a child's coat, for example. (Clearly, recycling is not a new concept.)

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Fast forward to today--yes, we recycle; been doing that officially for a couple of decades. We've had to re-learn the "make it do" philosophy during a year of COVID, especially when it came to having enough paper products or canned goods.

Then there's another category of Spring Cleaning: our attitudes.

There's a lot--a whole lot--of stuff in the news about diversity, racism, social justice, and more. We're encouraged to think of others. Help those who are having a hard time. If you can't donate money or goods, how about giving a kind word? Or a smile? Or just letting somebody in line ahead of you at the checkout when they have three items and you have a cartful?

It's been a while since I took my attitudes out for an airing--got them down off the shelf and dusted them, rubbed them with a cloth and some fragrant dusting spray to make them shine again. Maybe take them outside and hang them on a drying rack (no clotheslines around here) in the sun and breeze. I think it's time. And Spring is as good a time as any.

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Without our help, Nature comes along and does a super job of Renewal. Every year. Without fail. 

The church encourages Renewal--Easter is a grand celebration of the power of new life.

We can do it, too. It doesn't have to be expensive or labor intensive. How about it?

 HAPPINESS IS . . .

One of my favorite gifts each Christmas is the Peanuts calendar from my son and daughter-in-law. Each month shows a picture defining Happiness--Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Woodstock, Sally--sometimes in a group, sometimes alone.

Here are some highlights:

--JANUARY: HAPPINESS IS a new adventure. Perfect for the first month of a new year.

--MARCH: HAPPINESS IS a good book. That one could be on every month of my personal calendar.

--MAY: HAPPINESS IS being with friends. Where would we be without our friends?

--AUGUST: HAPPINESS IS an afternoon nap. Yesss!

--SEPTEMBER: HAPPINESS IS expressing yourself. The picture shows Snoopy painting a portrait of Woodstock. I don't do portraits, but I love to paint. (We won't talk about quality here.)

--AND THE LAST ONE, LEADING INTO THE NEXT YEAR: HAPPINESS IS staying cozy. Snoopy is nearly invisible under a huge padded jacket.

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As I mulled over the topic for today's post, I found myself remembering what it was like being a kid, what made me happy, what I looked forward to, what seemed to me to be the epitome of being happy.

At age 6--going to school. So much great stuff to do--books to read, workbooks to fill out, drawings to color, other kids to see and hear (a one-room school was a microcosm of life for me).

At age 9--discovering writing! Putting characters we'd heard about in the book read to us by Miss Kincaid into our own story! It was like walking through a secret portal into another universe, where my own words made the story.

At age 12--living in a big city. (Wichita, KS was about 300K population at that time; big city by my standards.) Finding out there were other kinds of people in the world--meeting my first African Americans as students in my school. Having male teachers. And discovering art--making puppets, fashioning clay images, painting with watercolors.

At age 15--getting a chance to write for the high school newspaper; acting in one-act plays; going to high school basketball games.

After high school, everything seemed to be going faster. Life was lived on an adult plane--college students were treated like serious contenders for honors and graduation diplomas.

Happiness came with studies--though I have to admit advanced math classes made me break out in a rash; my brain wasn't ready to deal with number logic--word logic, now, that was just my style.

Adult happiness--so much depends on the person--what they grew up with, what their expectations were about life, what resources they had, or didn't have, to make dreams become reality. Like many people, I learned to adjust my dreams and expectations to fit with the resources I had or could assemble.

In my late 20s, I could find joy in my young family; going to church; eventually returning to college to finish my education. 

Beyond that time, life didn't offer many different kinds of experiences. I did eventually work at a full-time job, which brought its own kind of happiness. I returned to writing fiction and found a writer's group of like-minded women. A short-term accompaniment job at a church became nearly full-time employment as the organist (never expected that!).

After retirement, and a rather long adjustment period in which I had to decide what I could do, what I could afford to do, and what I'd much rather do, I settled into mostly activities that called me to be creative--quilting, knitting; playing church music; watercolor painting, and writing.

Happiness is still a good book or an afternoon nap--or both! But there's always a new adventure around somewhere, waiting to be discovered. 

May you be blessed with happiness in your life!

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P.S.--If you find snatches of the "Happiness Is" song from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown running through your mind today, do a quick google search--"two kinds of ice cream" will bring up several sites, and on YouTube you can hear it sung. Enjoy! Sing along!!

 FEBRUARY 29TH!

Do you call this Leap Day? Some folks do.

This is the day added to the calendar to make up for the nearly 6 hours accumulated each year and in four years, that makes another (almost) full day; so that there are not 365 days, but 366. If you want a more in-depth discussion and explanation, google "leap year" and read all about it.

I always think of February 29th as an extra day, a special day, an unplanned day. It's a bonus we get for slogging through the previous three years of 365 days (plus those extra hours that make an extra day). It's actually much more complicated than that, so I recommend you do the above google search.

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So! What am I going to do with my bonus day? Wow, so many possibilities! Here are a few:

• I just checked out 2 new Anne Hillerman books from the library, #6 and #7 in the Leaphorn-Chee-Manuelito series of mysteries. Started Book #6 the day I got it from the library, so I could continue with that. Might even finish it during my bonus day.
• I'm publishing this post, since Feb. 29th is a Thursday this year. But I do that every Thursday, so even though it's a special event, it isn't really an extra-special event.
• There's always a creative project waiting to be finished:
• paintings planned or started
• quilt tops waiting for the batting and backing to make them into covers for somebody to snuggle under
• characters struggling to find their story (I've noticed they keep wandering around, like they're lost; but maybe they're just finding their places, and if they finally get settled, the rest of the story can take off. We'll see.)
• I'm behind in letter writing; and even when there's no birthday card to send, I like to put a few thoughts together in a blank card. Getting personal mail (ads and such things don't count, do they) has always been a big deal for me; I'm trusting it's the same for other folks.

What I'm NOT going to do:

• clean my house (there are 365 other days for that)
• go shopping (definitely not my thing, unless I'm looking for art supplies, and even then I shop online at a couple of vendors' sites I like)
• sort boxes of papers that have languished in the garage for more months than I like to think about--or even care about

One disadvantage for Leap Day--this time it's a week day. Nobody has lobbied for it to become one of the Monday-observance holidays. And the problem with a week day is, this is probably a work day. Even if you're retired, like some of us, it's still a week day and stores are open, the bank's open, the library, court house--if you're of a mind to do some errands, you'll have no problem.

I will close with this thought: I'm glad my birthday wasn't/isn't February 29th. I can't imagine--can you?--not having a birthday celebration every year? Having to wait three more years before the proper number of days have elapsed and those 23+ hours have accumulated to give us the 29th of February? What do those folks do--celebrate a day early? A day late? Not at all?

I won't even open the subject of those folks who opt to get married on Feb. 29th. I wish them well.

Next time we meet, it'll be March--Daylight Savings Time will be looming in our neck of the woods--and who knows? We may have 60-degree weather! Or snow!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child

Resurrection Lilies
Leaves already up!

 3 WEEKS + 5 DAYS

Think you can make it?  In 3 weeks plus 5 days we'll have the Vernal Equinox, March 19th--and that, folks, marks the beginning of SPRING!

Here's some intel from The Farmer's Almanac online:

• Equinoxes are the only two times yearly when the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth!

• Get outside! Look around. Are worms and grubs reappearing? (The March Full Moon is called the "Worm Moon" for this very reason!)

• Watch the arc of the Sun across the sky as it shifts toward the north. Birds are migrating northward, along with the path of the Sun.

• Are you noticing that the days are getting longer? Did you know that the increasing sunlight inspires birds to sing? Cool, eh?

• Are daffodils poking up their heads? Trees, shrubs, and flowers are sensitive to temperature and day length, too! Since ancient days, people have used natural events as indicators of when the weather is right for planting. For example: Blooming crocus are your cue to plant radishes, parsnips, and spinach.

• Can you feel the Sun getting stronger? The longer days bring high temperatures. Both we and the animals around us discard our warm clothes and heavy coats!

• Do you plan to garden? The first day of spring is a traditional day to start in the garden! There’s nothing more restorative! 

• Are you craving fresh foods after a long winter? A Spring Tonic, using the early greens of spring, may be just the thing you need! Also, find some new fresh vegetables using what’s fresh and seasonal!

Many thanks, Farmer's Almanac, for all the helpful and cheerful information!!

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We all know--from bitter experience, if we're over the age of ten--that the arrival of Spring doesn't mean there'll be no more snow/ice/fog/slippery roads and sidewalks. But we do know there'll be more color in the landscape, and occasional warm breezes, and if we look in a mirror now and then, we'll see our lips are curved up instead of down.

So let's hear it for Spring!

Remember, 3 weeks + 5 days . . . you can do this!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child