Wednesday's Wisdom....

Charity begins at home....

"Thank heaven and democratic progress, charity is one traditional virtue the modern world is willing to applaud.  But what a lot we talk about it these days, and how often we miss its implications.  Charity is not simply a donation to the community chest and a gift to the Hundred Neediest Cases at Christmastime.  It is not merely giving one's hours as a volunteer in a hospital or subscribing to the relief of flood victims a hemisphere away.  It is both larger and smaller than those things, at once easier and harder, and it does, indeed, begin at home.  Charity is graciousness and tact.  Charity is a guarded tongue.  It is picking up one's toys, giving a hand wit the dinner dishes, writing a bread-and-butter letter to one's hostess.  It is turning off television at a respectable hour so one's neighbor can sleep in peace, and being patient with bores.  It is thanking salesladies in shops, forbearing to pass on the bit of malicious gossip so tempting to tell, wielding knife and fork so that we do not aesthetically offend." 

~ Phyllis McGinley

Sixpence in Her Shoe - copyright 1960

(still true today!)

Tips for a Tuesday....

The following tips are from among the 432 suggestions listed in 

The Little Book of Christmas Joys

These are a few of my favorites:

#66 * Take pictures after you've finished decorating your home.  Not only will they be fun to look at later on, but you will have a visual reminder to help you decorate next year.

#163 * Throughout the holiday season, give your family the gift of a sweet disposition.

#265 * Add a note of appreciation to the Christmas card you give your child's teacher.
(As a former teacher, personal notes of thanks were truly precious gifts which I have kept and reread often.)

#323 * Smile at police officers, fire fighters, emergency personnel, and security guards.  Thank them for being on the job during the holidays.
(Same for those who work in hospitals, nursing homes, and public transportation.  Many people work on the holidays.)

#379 * Don't try to do everything yourself.  Remember, even Santa needs helpers.

#425 * On New Year's Day, light three candles and think about the three things that happened the past year for which you are most thankful.

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

*Posted on Facebook by Country Living magazine

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"Adopt the pace 

of nature: 

her secret is 

patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tip for a Tuesday....

How do I manage to remember all those important birthdays and anniversaries?  A handy little sheet of paper, downloaded and printed from Susan Branch, which I keep it tucked under my Susan Branch desk calendar.  At the beginning of each month I check it, make note of that month's celebrations, and make a list of cards I need to purchase and send.

This page is available to all on her website.  

Go to susanbranch.com

 Click on the top bar marked "Shopping" 

Scroll down the left hand side to "Free Stuff" 

Scroll down to the bottom and the center page marked "A Year at a Glance" 

 Click and print!

Easy Peasy

A Monday Memory....

Source: Positive Outlooks shared The Humor League's photo

This popped up on my Facebook page late this afternoon and immediately triggered a memory.....

My Dad passed away on December 6th, many years ago.  At the time, daughter #1 was just shy of her third birthday and daughter #2 was but seven weeks old.

His passing was a shock to us all, despite the fact that he had been in declining health for a while.

Christmas seemed to come upon us swiftly that year.  Though she didn't really have the heart for it, my mother felt it was very important for "the little ones" to keep up with family traditions.  So we bought a tree and set about bringing up the decorations from the basement to adorn it.

Now, those of us who knew my mother well will recall 

that she was very particular about her Christmas tree decorating.  

She insisted that the lights be evenly spread around the branches 

and that the ornaments hung just so.

So I held my breath when I noticed that our oldest, as each ornament was handed to her, 

placed them side by side, 

on a single branch, 

and on only that branch.

When my mother noticed what she was doing, she stepped back and declared,

"That looks beautiful!"

And she left it just the way her granddaughter had arranged it.  

Thanks, Mom!

As Linus would say, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!"

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.

 A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.

An unexpected phone call from an old friend.

Green stoplights on your way to work or shop.

I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in.

    The fastest line at the grocery store.

    A good sing along song on the radio.

    Your keys right where you look.

    I wish you a day of happiness and perfection.

I wish you little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling that God is smiling on you."     - Anonymous

Welcome, December!