Make Me Think Monday

15 02, 2016

Poems of love to love

By |2018-02-01T14:55:52-06:00February 15th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Poetry is popular around Valentine’s Day. I am not a poetry writer, but I do have favorite love poems.Love wordsIn this picture, you see poetry and sayings that have special meaning for my husband and me. They hang in our bedroom along with our original wedding invitation.

The first is a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, written in 1845 to her husband, Robert. On a trip to Paris, I had silhouettes done at Montmartre Art Colony then framed with the poem penned in calligraphy.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
~Sonnet XLIII found in Sonnets From the Portuguese by Elizabeth B. Browning

On the left of the Browning poem is an anniversary gift plaque with words from First Corinthians 13. Wise words on love written around 56 A.D. by Paul to the Christians at Corinth.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

The last plaque in the wall grouping, though not a poem, always brings a smile and giggle for the truth it shares about married life.

This marriage was made in heaven,
but so was thunder and lightning.

What about you? Do you have a special love poem or a saying on love you’d share in the comments section?

8 02, 2016

Valentines – the mirrors of romance

By |2016-02-05T10:41:48-06:00February 8th, 2016|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

Next Sunday will be Valentine’s Day.

You may feel the greeting card companies, jewelers, and florist have forced the holiday upon us. The day has certainly been commercialized. Consumers are predicted to spend close to nineteen billion dollars this year.

As a romance writer, I prefer to believe we celebrate the day because we value what a day emphasizing love and romance can do for relationships. Having such a special day focused on love and loved ones provides the opportunity to:

~ ignite new relationships with romantic gestures
~renew an old love gone stale with a dose of romance

Many of us use valentines to express our feelings. That’s why I say, valentines are the mirrors of romance.

Supposedly, Saint Valentine began the valentine practice when he cut hearts from parchment, giving them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.” He’s the saint that defied Emperor Claudius’ edict forbidding priests to marry couples and ended up in prison. A prison guard’s daughter formed a friendship with Valentine and on the day he was martyred he left her a note signed, “Love from your Valentine.”

Source: http://www.amazingwomeninhistory.com/Mass-produced valentines begin appearing in the 1840s. Esther A. Howland is considered the Mother of Valentines in America. Inspired by an English Valentine she received, she created elaborate cards from scraps of real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures.

You’ll find a large collection of her valentines in The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester.

Postcards with romantic scenes and messages were also popular in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the tradition of sending Valentine postcards died as the use of postcards for personal correspondence faded.

These are samples from my collection of vintage holiday postcards. valentine postcards

A modern day variation of postcards is found in the cute valentines schoolchildren share on Valentines’ Day.

In my opinion, of all the commercial choices of valentines, the homemade ones are the most special.

YOUR TURN: Will send a valentine to your sweetheart this year?

25 01, 2016

3 Ways to Exercise at Your Desk

By |2018-01-17T08:41:12-06:00January 25th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

As a writer, I spend hours at my desk. These days too many jobs require much of the work day to be spent sitting in an office at a computer.

exerciseThat’s a problem because, to be fit and healthy, we have to get moving, to exercise.

The web offers lots of advice on exercise. Problem with most of those website suggestions is they involve going somewhere to exercise. We’re stuck at a desk all day!

The ideas are also excellent if you live in a warm climate. Not so easy if you live in the mountains of the Rio Grande Forest.These days my Fitbit step goals remain unmet.

Once the temperature rises above freezing and the snow melts, I do participate in many outdoors activities. The forest outside my office window calls to me frequently. Sometimes, too frequently.

Even in the winter months, my two four-legged children demand to go outside. Unfortunately,  the sub-zero temperatures are just not inviting enough for us to linger outside. Our ventures out doors are short. Very short. Other times road conditions make getting to a gym or indoor pool or even walking impossible and our trips outdoors are even shorter.

So how do I get exercise these cold winter days? I follow the advice of Josh Vogt, fantasy and freelance writer, in his Write Strong series on fitness strategies for writers. Most of which are readily adaptable to any desk job. You don’t have to be a writer.

I use these three ways to keep in shape:

barbells1. Keep weights on my desk. During breaks or while I’m reading on the computer, I pick up the weights and do some basic arm lifts.stretch
2. Stash resistance bands in a desk drawer. Quick and easy way to do simple resistance training.
3. Stand and stretch. I find it helps refocus and gives an energy bump.

If none of these suggestions works for you, check out Vogt’s other strategies here.

Or develop your own fitness plan using this online fitness plan generator that lets you input your skill level, available gear and time and the part of the body you want to focus on.

Whatever it takes — get moving! You’ll find you’ll be healthier and more productive.

18 01, 2016

Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service

By |2016-01-10T17:13:52-06:00January 18th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation designating a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Junior for his accomplishments. Today is that day.

Honoring Dr. King’s birthday evolved into a national day of service to encourage citizens to use the federal holiday as an opportunity to give back to their communities with legislation in 1994 that established a Martin Luther King Day of Service to coincide with the Federal holiday. serveimage

King’s vision was to build what he called “the beloved community.” He believed life’s most persistent and urgent question was

‘What are you doing for others?’

Check here to find projects in your specific area where you can honor him and help your community.

Even if you don’t have the federal day off, make a positive and peaceful impact in your community. What better way to honor King’s legacy than by helping others every day.

11 01, 2016

Challenges, not resolutions

By |2016-01-11T08:29:02-06:00January 11th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

resolutionsJanuary blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts are overloaded with advice and suggestions for resolutions and ways to achieve your goals for New Year. I’m going to join the crowd, but with a twist.

I’m not calling these resolutions because a whopping 80% of us fail within the first thirty days when we make resolutions.

There are three hundred and fifty-five days  left in 2016 so I’m challenging you to pick one or more of the four suggestions below. Suggestions that I think you will find easily achievable, unlike resolutions.

~Learn one new thing

I read that Steve Jobs studied calligraphy for the beauty and artistry of the technique. Jobs admitted calligraphy wasn’t the most pragmatic thing he’d ever done  Yet his calligraphy experience deeply influenced his design work at Apple.

So what new thing peaks your curiosity? Give it a try. Whatever your thing is doesn’t have to be practical or even useful. Point is learning something totally new might lead you down paths you never dreamed.

~Volunteer

Preferably on a project outside your comfort zone.

Maybe assist at the local food bank, mentor at your neighborhood elementary school, be a timer for Special Olympics, serve at a soup kitchen, or read to a senior citizen. You’ll meet new people, learn about areas outside your expertise, and, I’m quite sure, discover insights about yourself.

~Read 3 books

No stipulations about length or titles, fiction or non-fiction. Browse your favorite independent bookstore, hop on Amazon, or get a free library card. I think you’ll discover the choices are endless.

Personally, I recommend a classic, a fiction genre you don’t always read, and a non-fiction, but whatever your selections, choose ones that will make you think or inspire you. You might just rekindle a long-lost love of reading or discover a newfound one.

~Schedule One Unplugged Weekend

Technology rules our lives. I get it. Cell phones are an outgrowth of our hands. We’re constantly logged on, tuned in, 24/7. All that being on line can lead to burnout.

Step away from your devices for one entire weekend. I think you’ll find, technology free time will stave off exhaustion, and most likely lead to a creative and more energized you.

These are only suggestions. If you accept my challenge, I believe you can change you and your world.

Let me know how you do.

5 01, 2016

How are your 2016 resolutions coming along?

By |2016-01-04T00:07:28-06:00January 5th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

We’re four days into the New Year. If you’re like me, I suspect you’ve broken one or more of the resolutions you made for this year.

It happens. Good intentions slide, pushed aside by reality and unrealistic expectations.

What happens next is discouragement. Our mindset becomes I can’t and we set aside our goals. We give up.

That’s so sad and not the correct response, in my opinion. Let me tell you why I think that way.

Recently my youngest daughter shared her Elsie Joy’s goal tracker sheet from 2015 on Instagram. Every day my daughter had marked her goal progress on the tracking sheet. On December 31st she did the math and found she’d hit her goal 93.15% of the time. For someone who works full time in a high tech position that requires lots of travel, scrapbooks, blogs, and corrals three active teenagers and a special needs dog. That’s a remarkable result!

So why was my daughter so successful? I believe there are two reasons:
Big Things HappenFirst, she applied Elise Joy’s principle of “Big Things Happen One Day at a Time.”

Second, when she missed a day to bubble in one of her circles, she blew it off and let it go.

I’m big on accountability and goals. I’ve always set yearly goals and charted the methods I’d use to accomplish those goals. I blogged about my process here.

This year I’m adding a goal sheet like my daughter’s as a handy visual to chart my success. Seeing those circles bubbled will encourage.

goal sheetsLooking bare right now, but 2016 just started. Yes, you’ll also notice there are already days I’ve missed for one of my goals.

That’s okay. Tomorrow is a new day.

Btw, I get no kickback from Elsie Joy. I just happened to believe her chart is a great way to stay on target for our New Years’ resolutions. Check out her website for other goal setting tools.

Or, create your own chart design if you want. But most of all, I hope you forget about the broken resolutions and give those resolutions another try.

7 12, 2015

My Holiday Paradox… I hate this part!

By |2015-12-06T17:37:20-06:00December 7th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

Christmas is always such a paradox for me.

I love it, but hate so much that goes with the season like the decorating, the baking, the Christmas cards, the parties, the gift shopping… you get the idea. And, most of all, I hate the rushing to get everything done. I want to wiggle my nose like Samantha from the Bewitched TV series of the sixties and seventies and have all the preparations done.

At the same time, I miss all the falderol after years of not decking the halls. Why did we stop decorating, baking, and partying? Several reasons…

Last year I broke my right wrist at Thanksgiving and had surgery, so not much Christmas happened last year.

Before that, we were only at our cabin for December so it seemed pointless to decorate or bake at either the Colorado place or our Texas home, which meant three years of not much Christmas spirit around either homestead.

When we made the decision to move permanently to Colorado and put the Texas house up for sale, the Realtor said no Christmas decorations. We took her advice and celebrated the holiday sans decorations and homemade holiday treats instead we went to relatives’ homes during the season.

Our move and remodel/addition consumed two more years of no decorating, baking, etc. We always had a tree, though. Our son-in-law hiked up into the forest behind our house and cut one.

This year, we vowed to change what was becoming a trend of a minimalist holiday celebration. It is time to get back into the holiday spirit.

Boyton shirtI donned my “I hate this part.” tee shirt, gathered all the red and green plastic containers filled with years of holiday decorations, played Christmas music from satellite radio, and begin the arduous task of making the house festive.

Then the part of Christmas that I love came rushing back…

decorating 2flippedEvery ornament and all the decorations whispered a story. Memories brought smiles as we hung ornaments and added touches of Christmas to all the rooms in the house. We went slowly, taking time to relish each and every precious memory.

Seeing the house transform into a winter wonderland inspired my husband to make his famous Chex Mix. Familiar scents from that holiday favorite spurred plans for other traditions like his pralines and fudge.

I’m also planning to bake Christmas cookies for the first time in years. I’ve even started practicing Christmas carols.

decorating3flippedWe had helpers, who reminded us of Christmases past when our adult children were toddlers fascinated by the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the season.

It’s fun seeing all the familiar Christmas things again. We’re truly pumped about our celebration this year and refuse to allow even the tiniest thought about what has to be done to undo after New Year’s Day.

What about you? Do you have an “I hate this part.” of the season? If not, what’s your most favorite part of your holiday season?

23 11, 2015

Thanksgiving Thanks

By |2015-11-21T14:26:22-06:00November 23rd, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

If you live in the United States, you’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving Day soon.

We Americans began celebrating the day during the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Since 1924, many of us spend the day watching New York City’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or football. The National Football League has been broadcasting games since its inception in 1920. And, of course, there are always the collegiate teams to cheer for. Around our house, timing of our Thanksgiving Day meal is based on when the University of Texas Longhorns play.

Things today are different from that first Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast in the early autumn of 1621. What hasn’t change is the basis for Thanksgiving. We still pause on this day to give thanks for our blessings.

While I believe an attitude of gratitude should be an everyday occurrence, this Thanksgiving I am reminded of my many blessings:

A loving husband (who’s the hero model for my novels)

Family and friends (far and near)

My pets (who brighten every day)

Most especially you, my readers

If you are traveling this Thanksgiving Day, I wish you Godspeed. Our weather forecast for here in the mountains of Colorado is for snow on Thanksgiving Day, which will make a perfect day for those who ski or like to  watch football games.

Me, I’m not that crazy about football or skiing. I’ll be cozied next to the fireplace reading.

If you have a Kindle, you can be reading too. Pick up a copy of my latest release. It’s my special Thanksgiving Thank you for you.

When Love Returns for KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1My5CeW WLR free v.2

2 11, 2015

Time to De-Stress, Re-group, and Re-focus

By |2015-10-08T14:42:06-05:00November 2nd, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|3 Comments

regrpP1030610

SOURCE: http://quotesgram.com/time-to-refocus-my-life-quotes/

Halloween was Saturday, which means whatever calm and order existed in our personal worlds will soon disappear into preparations for the coming holidays.

Don’t get me wrong. The holidays are my favorite time of year.

At the same time I dread them because the days been Halloween and New Year’s Day can be so overwhelming.

Plus, this year I have a new writing project due by the end of the year—When Love Trusts, Book three in the Fitzpatrick Family series.

Because Chicken Wrangler Sara and I want to enjoy the holidays with our families, and hopefully reduce our stress, we will be taking turns posting blogs once a week instead of our two individual blogs each week. This plan worked well last holiday season and we’re counting on it working again this year.

What will you be doing to de-stress, re-group, and re-focus during this holiday season?

Need ideas? Check out these articles at Huffington Post and WebMD

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