| When Life Stinks, Find Your Joy! |
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| Issue No. 24 |
February 13, 2009 |
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SEND ME JOY! |
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Kelly Epperson
PO Box 2324
Loves Park, IL 61131
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CLICK HERE to Subscribe to JOY!
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Valentine's Day is overrated.
But hugs aren't. We need them to get by and to grow. I get fewer hugs now with teenage boys than when they were toddlers, but my guys still let me be affectionate. Good thing. I am what is known in the scientific world as "touchy-feely."
Some people are not touchy-feely and do not like to be hugged. I'm the other end of the spectrum. I have hugged people upon first meeting. (Not just Barack Obama. Many others too.)
Words to ponder:
Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold
and a heart to understand.
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Joy = Music |
Sing along:
Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you
~~Frank Sinatra; lyric by ??
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| Joy = Love |
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A heart that loves is always young.
~Greek proverb
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| Joy = Chocolate |
Eating chocolate is a good deed!
Chocoholic Frolic
Feb 19
Clock Tower Resort, Rockford, IL
5:30 pm Social Hour
6:30 pm Chocolate Extravaganza
$25 ($20 tax deductible)
Benefits The Arc (serving people with disabilities)
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| Joy Droppings |
| What brings me joy lately?
* Personalized Valentines
* A fridge that keeps things cold
* Getting checks in the mail
* Hugging my boys
* My red glass heart, always in my pocket
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| Joy = Wisdom |
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"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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| Joy = You |
Birthday joy and spankings this week to...
Dead presidents and Bob Marley (belated)(don't think he'll notice) and
Jayne S, Chula Vista, California
Lynda P, Windsor, Connecticut
Tanya E, S. Beloit, Illinois
Terry P, Cherry Valley, Illilinois
and two of my favorites
Laura Ingalls Wilder
and
Charles Dickens
I have visited their homes and hang-outs hoping for a little writing magic to seep into my soul.
Artwork by my friend Patricia Loya! LOVE her stuff!
(New JOY seekers/spreaders: Let me know your bday. At the end of each month, I draw a name and one birthday person gets a joy present in the mail.)
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| Joy = Books & Movies |
Book Pick This Week = anything Laura or Dickens
Flick Pick This Week = anything Laura or Dickens |
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| Quote Junkie |
All the technology in the world will never replace a
positive attitude. -Harvey Mackay
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| Joy=Speaking Gigs |
Feb 13 - Lost Art of Love Letters, Center for Learning in Retirement
Feb 18 - Lost Art of Love Letters, Rock Valley College
Feb 16 - PROGRAM SPEAKER, ROCKFORD NETWORK OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN
Feb 18 - PROGRAM SPEAKER, NATIONAL ACTIVE AND RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
Feb 23 - Harlem High School, Creative Writing class, guest speaker
Feb 27 - PROGRAM SPEAKER, HI-TWELVE
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| Joy=Writing |
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Rockford Writers Guild - Sunday, Feb 15 at 1:00 pm
Gensler Gardens Cafe, Orth & Argyle Roads, Loves Park
Guest Speaker: Local author Beverly Long
Meetings are free, open to the public. ALL are welcome!
"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." ~ E.L. Doctorow
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| We get by with a little help from our friends... |
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I'm writing an article for Rockford Woman magazine and need to know what folks do to celebrate Mother's Day. For you or your mom or your mommy-in-law, whatever.
What do you do that is Free?
What do you do that is Cheap?
What do you do that is Over the Top?
THANKS! |
| Joy = Never Give Up |
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Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
(Churchill also said Never give up.)
(Winston and Clementine wrote hundreds of love letters to each other over the course of their marriage.)
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Joy = Obligatory Sales Pitch |
... still have not updated my website. Still have not done a lot of things....
the book - When Life Stinks, It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes.
the cards - gorgeous south of France
the shirts - C'est Bon
joy*us
If you need a writer or a speaker, I'm your gal. If you need wine and conversation, I'm your gal. |
| Joy =French Lesson |
Donnez-moi votre numero de portable.
Give me your cell phone number.
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| Joy= History |
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Historic Lecture Series Continues:
The First 100 Years of the Rockford Park District
Feb 22, 2 pm, Midway Village, Rockford, IL
Former Rockford Park District Executive Director Webbs Norman presents stories and recollections of the history of the park district. The Rockford Park District was formed on March 27, 1909 and is now the second largest park district in Illinois .
Call the museum at 815-397-9112 or visit www.midwayvillage.com for more details.
The Rockford Park District is a happening place now too! Check it out at
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| Joy= Green |
Jan Herbert (yes, of Rockford Park District) drives a hybrid sporting license plates that read "I GO GRN." Jan writes a regular column for the Rock River Times on how we all can do just one green thing. This week: REUSE is better than recycle. Amen. Read more here. |
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"Joy = finding cousins you haven't heard from in years.I got a call out of the blue from my cousin Jay in Bellingham, WA, and we have since located two more cousins and an aunt, and are planning a family reunion! I'm excited to see Jay and meet his wife Melinda - they are coming here for Easter!" ~~ Nita B
"Today joy is witnessing people you love enjoying something you helped create. It's been so much fun to discover who is visiting Katie's Cup, and it's a real joy to see your joymobile parked outside our "green" building." ~~ Lynne K
Note to locals: Check out Katie's Cup. 7th Street, Rockford. My fave is white zombie. I want a Lantow Loft! Read a little more about Katie's Cup here.
"Joy is inspirational quotes. One of my favorites: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. ~~ Angie S
Note: Angie Scordato is the artist who painted words on my walls. She is an amazing talent and very reasonable. I can give you her contact info. You will love her and her work.
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| Joy = Good News |
My friend Karen was diagnosed with cancer last spring on Good Friday. It has been quite a journey for her. We get updates via carepages.com from Karen and her daughter Kari:
"This is Kari (and Karen here) reporting to you live from Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. Breaking news...there are no cancer cells in the fluid in mom's abdomen!!!! This means that the only spot where the doctor's can find cancer is the tumor in her rectum that is to be removed within the next month."
JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY
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| Joy = Heart Health |
JoyfulTiffany at Summit Radiology is having a special deal for heart health month (extended thru March!) on Cardiac Calcium Scoring.
This tests uses CAT Scans to check for the buildup of calcium in the walls of the arteries of the heart. Coronary arteries don't normally contain calcium. If present, the amount of calcium within the four main arteries helps predict the future risk of a cardiac event such as a heart attack.
You can get this exam for a reduced rate of just $125 through March 31, 2009. Scoring results will be read by a radiologist and sent to your doctor for review. A physician's order is not required for the test. Call 815-654-2486 for more info.
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| Joy = Change |
Joyful Debbie W of Rockton sent me newsletter from gratefulness.org. Here's an excerpt:
Poet Rainer Maria Rilke writes "Wolle die Wandlung" --- "Desire change"
Not just allow it; not just let it happen; but *desire* change.... Desire is a beautiful word coming from the Latin "desiderata," which has in it "desidera," the stars. So the opening line of Rilke's 12th "Sonnet to Orpheus" can also be translated as "let change be your guiding star".... http://www.gratefulness.org/poetry/orpheusII12_rilke_dsr.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| Love Poems... or not |
THESE ARE ENTRIES TO A WASHINGTON POST COMPETITION ASKING FOR A TWO-LINE RHYME WITH THE MOST ROMANTIC FIRST LINE, AND THE LEAST ROMANTIC SECOND LINE. (Thanks, Aunt Kathie!)
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you has screwed up my life.
I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.
Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss,
But I only slept with you 'cause I was pissed.
I thought that I could love no other
-- that is until I met your brother.
My feelings for you no words can tell,
Except for maybe 'Go to hell.'
What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.
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| Ireland Trip... |
It's happening. For real. Ireland June 12-21 with me and PJ & Helena Francis (the real Irish folks), and a group of happy travelers. All you need is a passport, patience and sense of humor. Crabby, complaining whiners are not allowed.
Info meeting late February. Details coming soon.
THANKS, JONI, FOR THE IRELAND T-SHIRT!
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| Joy=Great Sex |
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What's better after 40?
"Sex! Everything. I wouldn't go backward if you paid me."
~Sandra Bullock | |
...tune playing at the moment....
sometimes you wonder what happens to love
sometimes the touch of a friend is enough....
~Jackson Browne, "Hold On Hold Out" |
No matter what you are going through, I wish for you a smile and a hug. If you are anti-hug, then how about a fist bump. Talk to you next week.
joyfully, xx kelly
now that the snow has melted,
what is this guy gonna do?
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