My Grama's Soul

It always amazes me how little one actually knows about  living life.  I believe, if you are wise, one will actually slow down enough to really examine how things are. I, for one, spend quite a bit of time re-examining past events and their outcomes.  Perhaps this is a result of growing old gracefully not necessarily about feeling guilty or regretful.   Often I come across sayings or quotes that I believe would have been meaningful to me in my earlier years.  There are a million of them out there...but two seem especially relevant  to me personally.   FIRST:  "BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND." SECOND:  "LOVE MANY, TRUST BUT A FEW, LEARN HOW TO PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE." Unfortunately, my parents were too busy just surviving for the majority of their lives....so little was said about the future of one's life.  The day to day existence of managing events far outweighed any wisdom that would have been...

I am always tickled when I see yet another post in social media about collecting plants....as though THAT was a new thing!   I have always had plants once I had my own home.  In fact...in my early twenties and thirties I had as many as 150 of the little friends living with me and my family. I do admit that number became little over-whelming as I had my children and life became more complicated....but I never disposed of my friends...I just became more selective in which ones I was willing to nurture.  Actually, that is kind of like life....you only keep friends you REALLY VALUE.     Anyway...my plants have been with me through thick and thin...in fact they used to travel with us when we would leave AZ for the summer. But...due to time and age factors (both mine and my plants) I have cut my numbers significantly....(the plants..NOT my age)  haha.....  My next several posts will be about amusi...

I have spent most of my adult life trying to find silence within....that calmness we all seek...free from anxiety and worry.  This 71st year of my life I am going to focus on just that!   It seems as though I am not alone in this endeavor as yogis and meditators seem to lurking around every corner in social media.  I know this is certainly not a new situation in our society....in fact it has been around since the beginning of man only their anxiety came from a different source...(not getting eaten alive by predators);  although some would say that situation exists today, as well.  :) Each one of us approaches this area of our life in our own way, for me it is starting a yoga class.   Over the years I have neglected my self care always focusing on my husband, worrying about my adult children or fussing with my home.  This year is going to be a year of self care and hopefully I will continue this for the remainder of my l...

"THE ART OF WISDOM IS KNOWING WHEN TO SPEAK YOUR MIND....AND WHEN TO MIND YOUR SPEECH." Don't know where I found this, but I think it could certainly apply to the world of today. Just saying' Me

"The most wrenching fear that one experiences is the fear one feels for others..when one loves, one fears for the other." David Brazier Why is doing the right thing oftentimes the HARDEST thing? When rescuing becomes EN-NABELING ...you have totally missed the target.  This has been a hard lesson for me to learn and I have suffered greatly because of my fear. Perhaps this time the lesson has been learned.  Who knows? Just me.... Jo  

Included the above just because I thought it was neat! O.K.....here is what I want to share with you........ This is perfect....is it not. xo Jo

Hi dear friends.  This is a photo of me on my 70th birthday.  It was taken at a dinner in celebration of same.  I'll soon be 71 and of course should have spoken out about this little issue earlier.   Why is it that in today's society that once you are past 60 or 65 you suddenly become invisible.  Your opinion seem to no longer matter, your visibility all but goes into a closet and any  thing of new  interest always seems to be about the young.  I know.....we have had our "time in the sun" so to speak...but we still have ideas and comments to contribute to the world. I follow a number of different media sources and rarely are the older folks even mentioned.  We are still here and we still are interested in design, beauty, art, culture, reading, making a living, cooking, people, travel.....just to name a few things...and the list could go on and on.  Oh.....didn't even MENTION politics!!! Often times...even...

" Pain is inevitable....suffering is optional."  the Buddha... For those of us who have lost an adult child it is often a case of thinking "how can the sun go on shining?" ...but it does each and every day.   As each morning arrives with a jolt....no it is more like pain....you come to realize that life goes on even though you feel like yours has just fallen apart.  Flowers keep on blooming.....rain keeps on falling...and people are just  "keepin' on" about the business of life. My beautiful amaryllis has not missed a beat during this sad time in my life.  It just keeps on blooming and blooming....with a message to me that "life must go on....not as before....but it must continue". These beautiful sunflowers were sent to us from my brother, Kerry.  These are for you Scott.....I know the sun is shining where you are. ENJOY THEM!!!!! xo Jo

Hugs from me to you.. Jo

How is this for a New Year's Resolution. xo Jo Found this little jewel somewhere in the web.

so simple...so true. Also made me chuckle! xo Jo

When I read the news around the world......my heart aches.... Sending loving kindness thoughts through the universe.. This wonderful painting of the Buddha is by the very talented Brenda Ferguson...titled HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD......let's keep that precious and wonderful thought. xo Jo

Have you ever had a request from someone and been torn as to whether you should help them....or not?   This morning it happened to me in regards to my beautiful grandson.....I was asked to keep him all weekend and give up plans of ours that had been made for several months...because of conflicting schedules and illness..we have been unable to get together with these friends..who, by the way, are like family.   I explained the situation to the person requesting the favor and felt guilty the whole time.  The situation is quite serious on the requestor's end....and it was all I could do to say no, I'm sorry I can't do this.  You also must understand that we are VERY available to take care of our grandson most of the time. When I discussed the situation with my wonderful soul mate....his reply was quite simple.....Jo, you can't take care of everyone......keep the focus on our life and let others take care of their own. Such a simple concept....but a...

Years ago I came across the above term in a book entitled THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE.....perhaps many of you have read it. It was a completely new term to me as I had never ever considered much of anything besides just getting through my day.  Days spent mostly caring for family members with one issue or another....rarely focusing on what I WANTED out of life. As I am now a woman of advanced years.... I realize how very important the thought of  beginning with the end in mind is.  In fact if there was one thing I would share with any of you younger bloggers out there it would be this term. So often, as women, we focus on every one else....totally forgetting ourself in the process...trying to fix or help this one or that one..and never really focusing on the most important one....OURSELVES.  Not nurturing our creativity or taking care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually or physically...and then we wake up one day and think.....WHER...

UMMMM......please notice the wonderful cameo of my darling niece around my neck...oh my~~ oh my goodness.....I digress in my story.  Anyway....the reason for this little missive is due to a recent exasperating note I have received, as of late,  from Miss Sophie  You all remember her don't you....that wonderful Cavalier King Charles who had the PERFECT life.....until Little Mister..aka...Skyler came on the scene. She writes and I quote... "Oh Auntie.....I had the perfect life of a 10 year old spaniel.... Endless pampering People food on very, very many occasions Always got my own small bowl of rice when we ordered Chinese food Slept in the big bed with my humans..and I might add...had it all to myself Was coddled, caressed and loved totally and singularly for the first ten years of my life Never had to share my humans OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER with anyone else AND THEN HE CAME Little Mister, Skyler..... ...

OK....here is the remainder of yesterday's post.. 29.  What other people think of you is none of your business. 30.  Time heals almost everything.  Give  time..time. 31.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.  32.  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends will.  Stay in Touch. 33.  Believe in miracles. 34.  God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 35.  Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 36.  Growing old beats the alternative - dying young. 37.  Your children get only one childhood.  Make it memorable. 38.  Read the Psalms.  They cover every human emotion. 39.  Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40.  If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 41.  Don't audit life.  Show up and make the most of i...

REGINA BRETT'S 45 LIFE LESSONS AND 5 TO GROW ON ~~~ Life isn't fair, but it's still good. When in doubt, just take the next small step. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't take yourself so seriously.  No one else does. Pay off your credit cards every month. You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree. Cry with someone.  It's more healing than crying alone. It's OK to get angry with God.  He can take it. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. It's OK to let your children see you cry. Don't compare your life to others'.  You have no idea what their story is about. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.  But don't worry; God never blinks. Life is too short for long pity parties.  Get bus...

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." Charles W. Eliot See the four small red books on the stack of these little books.....found them while antiquing with a friend a few weeks back.  She saw them in a stack and we both fell in love with the size, the feel and the color.   They only measure 3" by 4" and are nicely weathered inside. Each one was written by a famous author during the 1800's....I can only imagine how many hands have held these delicate little tomes. What a different time it was then with books only available to the chosen few.... and such small sizes.   As more advanced methods of book publication became available larger books came into being...but still very small compared to those we read today. These hardcover books are approximately 4" by 6"...small enough to still be carried in a pocket...