A Granite Bench with a View

View of mountain and corn field

Sometimes, it’s hard to quiet our minds with the events of the day always taking priority.

I have found a quiet place, with a granite bench and a great view, which is just a 10-minute walk from the school where I am a full-time student.

When the weather is nice during our lunch hour, I buy a sandwich at our school cafeteria, and head off to this special place.  



Another view from the bench

During my quiet time on the bench, I think about people who are precious to me.  

My walk back to school doesn’t seem so pressured, and the rest of the day takes on a whole new perspective.

I would love to hear how you find the time for your “quiet” times.

  

 

 

 

A Surprise Visit on My Noon Walk

Leslye and Mary

Have you been walking along and you bump into someone you didn’t expect to see, but were really glad to see? That happened to me today.

When I was walking back to school on my lunch hour walk, I saw a white vehicle turn onto the street where I was headed. The car drove toward the school but turned into a parking lot opposite the school and then headed back my direction. I know someone who owns a vehicle like that, so I wondered if it could be her. The vehicle kept moving slowly down the long parking lot toward me until it stopped at the curb. The passenger door opened and out stepped my friend, Leslye. And she had something in her hand.

Leslye and Richard, her husband

Today is my birthday and she knows that I gave up cookies (which she superbly bakes) over eight weeks ago. So, she brought me a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements and was going to drop it off at the school, but saw me walking, and handed it to me in person.

Thank you, Leslye, for this wonderful birthday surprise!

Thank You for Taking Your Time

This morning at church, our lay leader shared a story about a young man who had been mentored as a boy by a man who passed.

The man taught the young man many things about life, including carpentry. The young man moved away to another part of the country and became a successful business man in the carpentry business.

One day, his mother called him to say the man had passed, and she wanted her son to return home for the funeral. Her son felt he was too busy, but conceded after his mother reminded him the man had mentored him after his father had died, and that he had taught him carpentry. After the funeral, the son and his mother walked through the house where the man had lived. The son said everything seemed the same, but then he remembered the man had a gold box on his desk. The man had said that the gold box was the most important thing to him. The young man found the desk but the gold box was gone. He thought the man had probably given it to his relatives.

The young man returned back to his business. In a few weeks, he received a packaged that looked like it had been wrapped a hundred years ago. The brown paper and cord were old. The return address was that of the man who passed. The young man ripped open the package and found the gold box. He opened the box and inside was a gold pocket watch. He turned the watch over and found the words, ‘Thank you for taking your time to spend with me.’

The lay leader went on to say, “This is Easter week. Take your time to make Easter eggs, Take your time to put a ham in the oven for Easter. Take your time this week, don’t be in a rush.”

We may not always know the effect our time with others may have on them.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Social Media Helps Us Sell Our Ideas

In our social media class at South Hills, part of our class project is to create a blog where we will write and post things we care about.  My blog, “Inspirational Moments,” will cover some of my life’s experiences, which I want to share with you. Your thoughts are welcomed in the Comment section, and my hope is that you will share my post with your friends on Facebook or any other social media that you use.

I am excited about using social media, especially Facebook, to post my blog stories. Facebook not only helps businesses promote their products and ideas, but it helps the rest of us, too. We learn the interests of others by the photos and videos they share of their families and pets. I find Facebook inspiring because it lets me know what my friends and family are doing and what they care about.

This morning when I was walking from the parking lot to the school, I heard lots of quaking in the direction I was headed. I had recently heard about the South Hills ducks and wondered if this could be them.  Sure enough, straight ahead on the grassy section to the left of the sidewalk was a mother duck quaking, non-stop.  The father duck stood quietly in the distance. Gazing at them both for a few minutes, I was touched by the spirit of the mother duck, and the obedience of the father duck, as they prepare for their next exciting journey.

Inspired by the ducks, I continued on my own walk which led me through the school doors and into an exciting journey of my own.

Please watch for my stories on Facebook!

Remembering Others With Greeting Cards

 

Who still likes to pick up mail and discover a colored, hand-written, envelope in the mailbox? It's like receiving a gift and wondering what is inside. Hand-written cards are like gifts. It takes time to go to the store where you could spend an hour looking for a particular card that you feel is just right for the person you are sending it to. You then set aside a quiet time at home where you can sit down and write your thoughts and wishes on the card.  If you don't have postage, you will need to take the card to the post office. Finding the right stamp at the post office is almost as tedious as looking for the right bow to match the wrapping paper on a gift you just wrapped. Considering all this time and effort to get a card ready to mail can be a daunting task. But don't let these steps prevent you from sending cards when they seem more warranted than a text or an email, which is far more convenient.  Cards make the receivers feel special because of all the work they know that you put into getting the cards ready to send to them. Cards really do inspire others. When I see a card in my mailbox, I open as soon as I receive it. I can't even wait until I get home. Please let me know what you think about sending cards and the blessings you received by doing so.