Dear Reader:

Yesterday was set aside to catch up on some correspondence with people I admire who are going through some tough times now. As I was looking through my note card boxes I found this small box of note cards at the bottom of my large cloth box where I keep all my writing supplies.

I had used up most of the cards (in this particular box) but there were still about three cards left… that would work out perfectly. As I stared at the back of the box…it had pictures of some of the different messages that were once in there. It was a good thing so many were gone….because I loved each message equally and the more I thought about it…the more I realized (once again) just how fortunate I am to be where I am in the happy stage of life.

The five messages read:

1. May you always have reasons to laugh
2. May you live a life you love
3. May you be surrounded by delight
4. May you find your life filled with every good thing
5. May you live the kind of life you imagine for yourself

It has taken a lifetime, for me, to reach this completely happy stage of my life. I certainly never pictured my retirement starting out with breast cancer but then, again, I never pictured five beautiful grandchildren either. Life balances itself out so perfectly if we step back and let God work His magic and wonders in our lives.

Maybe it is just some kind on in-bred philosophy coming from my zodiac sign ( Libra -the scales) but I believe every time our lives get out of sync, off-kilter or off-balance… it is because we are getting in the way of God’s construction plan for our path. He can’t do His work for us trying to take over His job as supervisor. We have to let go to see the good things waiting for us farther down our path.

I remember as I was getting closer to retirement I kept having the same image in my thoughts about what my retirement would look like…and for whatever reason…I pictured myself as a gardener digging in the rich dirt planting beautiful flowers. As lovely as that image was it made me laugh out loud.

I had no green thumb, no prior experience, or even interest in gardening…still the image wouldn’t go away. Things were so hectic and stressful at work that I probably imagined the scene for the calming, peaceful effect it had on me.

It would take several years for this imagined scene to unfold…years of cancer treatments, radiation, chemo, surgeries, physical therapies etc. – but it did come to pass…just like I saw it in my imagination years before it became reality.

Besides having a garden sanctuary now, I get to look out my side window while working on my beloved blog and see the birds feeding and the new flowers and bushes growing that I planted. In my Happy Room I get to watch the hummingbirds drink their nectar and laugh at all the antics from the different personalities that assemble for a drink. So every day I am “surrounded by delight.”

To date…I am “living the life I imagined” and “living a life I love.”

I have wonderful friends, neighbors, children,  grandchildren and blog readers…so I have “found my life filled with every good thing.”

Last but not least (“May you always find reasons to laugh”) when I saw this video on the news the other night I just cackled out loud to myself. Some of you might have seen it…but it is so funny. Two women steal a car and a police chase ensues…including a police helicopter. Finally the car stops beside a pasture…one woman remains in the car but the other takes off running across this pasture in Florida.

She doesn’t know there are about 20 cows in this pasture and when they see her running through it they start running after her and herding and then finally corraling her up against a fence which she passes through to the waiting policemen who handcuff her. The cows were the true heroes of the day! They kept the suspect “moo-ving” in the right direction!

*(A picture is at the top of the link but scroll down the story to find the video)

Video: Cows help ‘reel in’ wanted suspect in Florida – Agriland.ie

So until tomorrow…Catch a smile and then pass it on…smiles really can be catching.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The Turners are back…everyone stayed healthy and well. I love that with all the rides at Disney…the carousel still holds its own in the mix. Nostalgia at its best for childhood memories.