Author: purposejoyandpositives

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES is a blog created to promote thoughts and ideas about gaining clearer PURPOSE in our lives, JOY in who we are and what we do, and sustaining POSITIVES. We are all on the journey called 'life' which has many paths for each of us. Sometimes, the path is clearer with PURPOSE and more JOY filled than others. Often, there will be crossroads........again we must chose. May our choices be about a fulfilling PURPOSE, JOY in the simple and profound, and abundant POSITIVES to sustain us on the journey. PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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CHILDREN: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Yesterday was the first day back at my volunteer job at the school where my grandchildren attend. This is the fourth year I have volunteered there one day a week to provide speech, language and literacy assistance to those students in need.

As I walked the hallway checking out new displays, the above caught my eye:  “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”  John F. Kennedy.  I will share my reflections of the day from that quote.

As we watch children grow and pass from grade to grade, each year increasing in knowledge, resourcefulness and hopefully confidence, it is truly a pretty amazing event to witness.  They are so young, impressionable, and like blank slates. We as teachers, parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles, older cousins and family friends have unique opportunities every day as we encounter the children in our lives to help them grow in their resources, skills, and plant the seeds of greatness. They are THE FUTURE! They will make their mark on the events of the world, the environment,  and contribute to society in ways we of this generation have not even considered. Each child, no matter what struggles they may have in the education system, WILL make a unique contribution that only they can make.

So, let’s not let any opportunity pass us by that we might influence, inspire, and support these young students. Talk your talk and walk your walk as a role model for each child on your journey. You never know what words or actions from you that may be exactly what the child needs that will move them forward.

No other quotes needed for today. John F. Kennedy said it well.

Look for opportunities each day to make a difference in a child’s life……..it doesn’t have to be  monumental, just make the difference.

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Turning to fall!

With the beginning of the school year and the turning of the calendar to September, I can already feel fall fast approaching. The stores are filled with  dark sweaters, scarfs and warm comfies instead of the light weight soft pastel colors of summer. Just last week, I saw Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations in one of the local decor stores! No matter what I may think, fall will arrive.

Inspite of my grousing about the end of summer and the anticipation of fall, I do really enjoy the season……..once it gets here. Things I love the most are the beautiful multicolored bright leaves, walking on a crisp morning breathing in the smell of evergreens, building a fire on a slightly chilly evening, exchanging my sandals for my favorite fall classic shoes, though still open toed (LOL), planting mums around the border of my perennial garden, looking for perfect pumpkins with my grandkids, and decorating the house with a few treasured fall items.

Fall also somehow inspires me to clean closets, unclutter my desk, cull the bookcase and organize in general. It gives me a renewed sense of order and helps me create a new schedule of discipline for writing on my book and watercolor painting. By the end of summer, my schedule of writing and painting gets a little off as I try to grab every last minute of all the things I wanted to ‘play’ at during summer. So, here we come Fall…..ready or not!

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Life starts all over again when  it gets crisp in the fall.”

What do you love about fall?

 

Purpose, Joy and Positives

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BACK TO SCHOOL

Today is the last official day of vacation for my grandchildren as tomorrow the new school year officially starts at 8:30 AM!! It reminds me of an appropriate book called: All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgrum (2004). Don’t let the title fool you! There is a wealth of knowledge in this little book.

Fulgrum says this is what we learn in Kindergarten:

“Share everything; play fair don’t hit people;  put things back where you found them; clean up your own mess; don’t take things that aren’t yours; say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody; wash your hands before you eat; flush; warm cookies and cold milk are good for you;  live a balanced life; take a good nap every afternoon; when you go out into the world watch out for traffic hold hands and stick together;  wonder; goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even a little seed in the styrofoam  cup they all die so do we;  then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learn….. the biggest word of all LOOK; everything you need to know IS in there somewhere”.

Wow… a mouthful and a brain wave full of info in 16 phrases! These most likely were messages and experiences each of us were exposed to in Kindergarten (and before in our families). How many of these do we still struggle with as adults???? I think my favorite is: “Remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learn… the biggest word of all LOOK”. Because when we truly LOOK at ourselves, our lives and our dreams, we as adults still have much to learn, to experience and to develop so that we can become that best version of a Kindergarten student  we can be!

Robert Frost, my favorite poet, says, “I am not  a teacher, but an awakener”. 

Which one of those Kindergarten learnings do you still struggle with as an adult??

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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CHALLENGES!

Life is never short on challenges! Would you agree? At times, it seems like if it is not one thing to manage, then it is another.  Various ways to look at those periods in our lives is that these challenges could be hidden opportunities……depending on how we rise to the occasion. If we face the issue head on, then we have a good possibility of resolving and overcoming, depending on our line of thinking, positive or negative. Contrarily, if we avoid the matter at hand, it either gets worse or in time gets slightly better,  but usually does not resolve itself. Funny thing about that!

The interesting note about life’s challenges is that after the crisis and one has time to reflect (and this could be a long time after), one may find that the permeating issue has morphed into opportunity, in which a new path to growth and inner development forged into a change for the positive path/direction in life.  The reality is that often we may come to realize that this would most likely not have happened had we not been faced with the original challenge and did the work to resolve it. In other words, we would not have sought out the new direction on our own…….we needed guidance and enlightenment to see it. What is it they say about our hindsight……often clearer than our foresight!

“The challenges that come our way in life are simply opportunities to change, to grow,  and to become  the-best-version-of-ourselves” Matthew Kelly, Dynamic Catholic, from The Seven Levels of Intimacy.

How do you view your current challenge and could it be an opportunity for growth?

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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NOSTALGIA!

“A wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition” (Merriam – Webster).

Within the last few weeks, I have attended my family reunion and met up with 15 of my 21 remaining first cousins on my father’s side, attended a book signing of an author friend that I knew for many  years before she moved to the Northwest, had lunch with a dear college friend,  and experienced a day of visiting at my sister’s with another cousin and husband from the West Coast. Each of these events brought about its own memories of things gone by, laughter in sharing the memories, mine and the others involved, and a few thoughts about longing for those times.

I would have to say that I am deeply grateful for those memories and am experiencing a desire for ‘more’ of this in my life. Maybe it has to do with the age and space I am in and the loss of a brother within the last year. It encourages you to cherish each day a little more and want to work positively toward continuing to create life defining memories that perhaps a few years down the road will bring  ‘nostalgia’ and JOY.

“Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective and maybe objectivity” (Robert Morgan, American poet, short story writer and novelist).

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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ART AND MORE ART

A few weeks ago, I had the great experience of attending a week long workshop on watercolor painting at THE CLEARING in Door County. A dear friend and I attended together and had plenty of time to dine out and catch up on our lives.

Although I have been painting since 2003, with a few years off, I decided to challenge myself to take this class. What an inspiration and enlightening week it  was! Wow….my head was bursting with all the information and new ideas I wanted to implement in my own painting. I came home really fired to rev up my painting schedule. Now a couple of weeks away from that experience, my fervor has calmed, but not gone, perhaps just on a more even keel.

Isn’t that so true with most new experiences in life? As we are in the midst of it, our senses, heart and mind want to take off and run with it…soar to the sky. Then life happens and you become a little less enamored with what you were going to do. I decided that to avoid that if I could, I should set some goals around the excitement I experienced during that week. Well, it is a couple of weeks down the line, but today I am setting those goals…….keeping in mind they need to be realistic, yet involve a little ‘push’ to move myself out of the comfort zone.

Dan Stevens said: “The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears.”

What do you want to do to move out of a comfort zone for yourself?

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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ACCEPTING OUR FAULTS

Faults….who me? Of course, me. The issue is that we would just like to overlook those little things that are less than perfection in our character…….yes…no?

It is a hard task to take a good look in the mirror and really ‘see’ ourselves. We know that there are three ways of seeing who we are:  what others see, what the Lord sees, and what we ‘allow’ ourselves to see. There is also the matter of our masks, what we let others see, but that is another chapter for another day.  Understanding ourselves for both the positive characteristics and the faults we have is part of our responsibility to own who we are. Without addressing our faults, it is hard to become the ‘best version of ourselves’, as Matthew Kelly from Dynamic Catholic would say.  I have found that there is often a silver lining to the fault I find in myself,  if I can  change it into a better way of being that becomes a benefit rather than a liability.  John Kuypers, author of The Peace Promise, says: “When we accept our faults, we gain compassion for the faults of others.” In the end, teaching ourselves to do less judging of others must start with our inner being first.

When you look in your mirror, what do you ‘see’? Continue reading “PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES” →

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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BEING APPRECIATED.

One of the nicest things that happen to you in life is a surprise that says “I appreciate you and what you do/are”. The flowers above appeared one morning on my table at school where I volunteer once a week, from my daughters with four personally handmade notes attached from each of my grandchildren. My heart could not have been fuller, filled with more joy or been more grateful! I know of course that they all love me, but this said “I am happy you are here and love what you do for us”.

There are many opportunities in life for each of us to show our appreciation in simple ways that cost only a little thought and a few minutes. My guess is that we miss many of these opportunities and once the moment is gone, it can’t be recaptured. You have to observe and find another time.

Here are some thoughts: Smile  at those who wait on you or bag your groceries with a genuine ‘thank you’; holding a door for someone who may or may not need that; letting someone go ahead of you in a line because they have only one or two items;  telling your children/grandchildren that you appreciate their good work/help; thanking your friends for their friendship and support (in good times and bad); and above all find small ways to let your partner/significant other know they are appreciated on a regular basis.

“Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of  your thankful thoughts” (Alan Cohen, inspirational author).

Who can you shower with appreciation today, tomorrow, next week, next month …any day?

DIGGING UP THE PAST

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A few weeks ago we had our original drive way of about 28 years, completely dug up, filled with asphalt and then sealed. As I watched the machines easily gliding across the driveway, chewing up the old asphalt and spitting it out into the dump truck, I could not help but think about the ‘past life’ of this drive. How many different cars carrying our family members,  friends, and household repair workers had driven on it? There have been parties on the drive, cookouts and a few firecrackers lit. There also have also been police cars, ambulances, doctor’s cars, UPS, the mail truck, and sadly a hearse. Yes, this driveway has lived a full and busy life. The digging up brought back some interesting reflections for me.

Isn’t that how life is too? Some event happens and it brings back a flood of past recollections, some good and some less than good. Suddenly, you find yourself immersed in ‘digging up the past’, bringing about perhaps some sadness, anger, and hopefully some JOY with beautiful memories. It is a funny thing about memories. A wise lady once told me that you have to cull through your memories and selectively pick the one’s that have special meaning to you because you could never hold all your memories in that bank, the brain. Words of wisdom for sure.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”  (Soren Kierkegaard).

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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FIREWORKS!!

Fourth of July has come and gone, which makes me sad because in my mind that means that summer is half over. So, I engage myself in a different conversation – thinking about all the things I can still do during the last couple of summer months.

What can I do to create some artificial ‘fireworks’ in my life? For starters, I could just sit and enjoy this nice 75 degree weather filled with sunshine and cool breezes. Just enjoy the day for what it is…today. One thing I am working on during the next couple of months is reconnecting with friends for lunch that I have not been in touch with, for one reason or another for a while. One is a college friend from 1975 that I have not seen for about three years. Reaching out to a neighbor for lunch that I do not know very well was also worth the time. It seems that I think of these people in my life but don’t go to the phone and make the plans. My new commitment is to make the plans!

One other adventure I am taking part in is to attend Watercolor Classes for a week long intensive session with a friend who also is a watercolorist! This will be ‘fireworks’ for me and I am truly excited about the new things I will learn, as well as looking forward to catching up on life with a dear friend.

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “The PURPOSE of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly without fear for newer and richer experience.”

What fireworks do you want to create for yourself before summer ends?