A wonderful poem

MAYA ANGELOU'SBEST POEM EVER
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...enoughmoney within her control to move outand rent a place of her own,even if she never wants to or needs to...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...somethingperfect to wear if the employer,or date of her dreamswants to see her in an hour...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …a youth she's content to leave behind....A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …a past juicyenough that she's looking forward toretelling it in herold age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …one friend whoalways makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a good pieceof furniture not previously owned by anyone else in herfamily...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …eightmatching plates, wine glasses with stems,and a recipe fora meal,that will make her guests feel honored...A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …a feeling ofcontrol over her destiny..EVERY WOMAN SHOULDKNOW...how to fall in love without losing herself...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.....how to quita job,break up with a lover,and confront a friendwithoutruining the friendship...EVERY WOMANSHOULD KNOW...when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALKAWAY...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that she can't change the length of her calves,the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that herchildhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...what shewould and wouldn't do for love or more...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....how to livealone..... even if she doesn't like it...EVERYWOMAN SHOULD KNOW...whom she can trust,whom she can't,and why she shouldn't take it personally...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table…or acharming Inn in the woods....when her soul needssoothing...EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…What she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year...SEND THIS TO 6 WOMEN....You will havegood luck for all of the year or if nothing else....you know that you are truly loved and thought of by the friend,
who sent this to you...and that she only wishes thebest for you and your life..ANDREMEMBER:GOOD FRIENDS ARE LIKE STARS.YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE THEM,BUT YOU ALWAYS KNOW THEY ARETHERE!!!!!!Be yourself...everyone else isalreadytaken.

No matter how many times I read this I love how inspiring it is....

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER -by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer). I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.' But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it , live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!! Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

The Daffodil Principle

The Daffodil Principle
"Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead
"I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly
I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by
the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my
grandchildren."Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog,
and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want
to see badly enough to drive another inch!"My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading
for home!" I assured her. "But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said.
"I'll drive. I'm used to this." "Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this
experience."After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a
small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an
arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ." We got out of the car, each took a child's
hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path Then, as we turned a corner, I
looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over
the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in
majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy
white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different
colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its
own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered.
"She lives on the property.. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept
A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house.On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking",
was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.
The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet,
and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman
whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb
at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop.
Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever
changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created
something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles
of celebration.That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often
just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the
accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments
of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can
change the world .."It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have
accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago
and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years?
Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.
"Start tomorrow," she said.She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays.
The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for
regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting....Until your car or home is paid offUntil you get a new car or homeUntil your kids leave the houseUntil you go back to schoolUntil you finish schoolUntil you clean the houseUntil you organize the garageUntil you clean off your deskUntil you lose 10 lbs.Until you gain 10 lbs.Until you get marriedUntil you get a divorceUntil you have kidsUntil the kids go to schoolUntil you retireUntil summerUntil springUntil winterUntil fallUntil you die...There is no better time than right now to be
happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money.Love like you've never been hurt, and,
Dance like no one's watching. If you want to brighten someone's day,
pass this on to someone special. Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!Don't be afraid that your life will end,
be afraid that it will never begin.

Need Washing?????

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in 'Mom let's run through the rain,' she said.'What?' Mom asked.'Let's run through the rain!' She repeated'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,' Mom replied.This young child waited about another minute and repeated: 'Mom, let's run through the rain,''We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said.'No, we won't, Mom.. That's not what you said this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.'Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,' Mom said.Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. Send this to the people you'll never forget and remember to also send it to the person who sent it to you. It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them.If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry.Take the time to live!!!Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other -- and don't forget to run in the rain!

Monday

It's here again another Monday, slow at work..........

"It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating" ~ Oscar Wilde