45 lessons life taught me - Regina Brett

Snopes says this is accurate. :) with the exception of age. Turned 50 in 2006.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's okay to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31 However good or bad a situation is - it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35 Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44 Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Vicks Vapour-Rub on Feet

They can't prove it works, they don't understand why it works, but for some people it works a charm.
I figure...it can't hurt you... so what's the harm in trying it? :)

_VICKS VapoRub

During a lecture on Essential Oils, they told us how the foot soles can absorb oils. Their example: Put garlic on
your feet and within 20 minutes you can 'taste' it.

Some of us have used Vicks VapoRub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body
parts in between. But I've never heard of this. And don't laugh, it works 100% of the time, although the scientists
who discovered it aren't sure why. To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally),
put Vicks VapoRub generously on the soles of your feet, cover with socks, and the heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly

Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good, due to the chemicals in them This method of using Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet was found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bed time. In addition it seems to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

My wife tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes.So she went from; every few seconds uncontrollable coughing, she slept cough-free for hours every night she used it.)

Today was a good day

Sold some bunnies, bought some new ones.

Visited the dutch relations who were visiting at Mom and Dad's for their anniversary.

Went home, unpacked bunnies, saw how REALLY fuzzy my new buck was and said wow...that's fuzzier than I expected. go figure that one!

Then home to do experiments with the lad.

We did a fair number of them. The biggest hit being experimenting with different ways to put out a fire.

Then tonight I did my download n go review.

Homeschool cleaning

I'm a bit fed up with having things here, there and yon so today said to myself...enough with this, let's tidy and clean and see what we can figure out for making things a bit better.

WE have a clean floor...the rest of the house... well..isn't. :) but things are indeed a bit better. found a ton of lost pens, crayons, pencils etc...and they are organized. Brought some stuff upstairs and brought some of the same stuff back downstairs... it feels right now like it's a lost cause.. BUT I do know I want to do homeschool on the MAIN floor of the house, and not upstairs.

Jim wants to rearrange the living room/dining room so some of the reorganizing will simply have to wait, I just want to make things a bit more doable.

Time will tell what we figure out I suppose. I'm feeling a bit "ack" right now though as I've tons of things unfinished and I don't know where to put it all and AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness the lad is five and homeschooling is doing kindergarten and he can learn and play and help his mommy and that even counts. :) Today he did three pages in one of his books and learned "STOP DROP and ROLL" as well as "STAY LOW and GO (away from the fire)" and we talked about fire safety. He got all worried that we'd get a fire and Tagu would lose his tail and that Mr.O would get lost so we had to work through all that (aka....we'd get Tagu a new tail and we'd fix Mr. O if we could.)

Overall.... a decent day

have to admit, could have done without the sore back, but overall...a good day.

This morning we worked on the letter A lapbook after finishing up his big picture he painted yesterday. When it was dry (after lunch) we hung it up in his bedroom. He looks forward to showing it to Gramma on Sunday.

After lunch we went to the library where we read books and played with the train table. We took home almost all the books we went with, and then took home almost as many again. :) LOTS of reading we can do again this week. It's rather interesting...Justin is trying hard to read books along with me...but only if he thinks I'm not really noticing. :) He's a silly lad at times.

After the library we came home where he played and I worked on dishes and finishing up the laundry. Talked with my mom on the phone for a while.

Had a good supper and watched America's funniest videos together for a while.

In the evening Jim had a bible study, so I put the lad to bed and then played some kingdoms of camelot and then got materials ready for tomorrow.

Overall a good day.

Need washing?

This was sent to me in an email this morning. True or not I don't know, but I thought it made for a nice story.

Need Washing?

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. 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, just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. 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.

Her 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 a 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! '

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 need washing,' Mom said.

Then off they ran and they got soaked.

Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe

So Jim was given this book by one of the people at HOPE.

He suggested I read it.

So I am.

It's called Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe.
it's not available on amazon or I would link to it there. But I did find it at this place, familyman ministries.

9 lies, 6 truths it looks an interesting read. :)

The Author in talking about his wife says

Daily, doubt gnaws at her heart, nibbling away at her confidence. Accusations flood her quiet thought....she questions her abilities, the results, and her motives. ...... But she's not alone. Even as I type away, close to a million homeschooling moms sit in their homeschools feeling much the same way as my wife. They too are bombarded by thoughts and feelings of failing their children, their husbands, and God.

THAT leaves me wanting to read more. Because THAT describes me. :)

Rainy Day Plans get changed

Our original plans...go to the ilderton fall fair and parade.

It was raining this morning when I got up.
Took me FOREVER to get the bunnies done... and by the time I was done I was chilled through and through.

NO desire whatsoever to stand outside in the rain for a parade, as fun as the ilderton parade always is. so our plans to leave at 930 to drop off critters at Robin's for her to take to the sale tomorrow and then go to the parade changed.

We instead left at 1100ish, dropped them off, went to gramma's for a short visit. The lad stayed behind as Jim and I headed out to run some errands and just spend some together time.

We had a lovely day, got a lot done, talked a fair bit about this that and whatever. The lad had a lovely time at grammas and a rainy day didn't seem so overbearing afterall. :)