Find Your Joy
JOY ~ The Journey of You January 29, 2010 |
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Greetings & Salutations!
I was gifted a dragonfly pin (THANK YOU!) and I looked up its symbolism.
"As a creature of the wind, the dragonfly represents change. It's iridescent wings are incredibly sensitive to the slightest breeze, and so we are reminded to heed where the proverbial wind blows.
Dragonflies carry messages that deal with deeper thought - and they ask that we pay attention to our deeper thoughts and desires.
It should be noted that the dragonfly lives a short life, and it knows it must live to the fullest with what it has. This lesson is huge for each of us."
Humans, and insects alike, live your life to the fullest.
Words to Ponder~
Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. --Martin Luther King, Jr.
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| Lyrics to love |
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"I'm in love with a waitress..."
I'm in love with you, baby,
and I don't even know your name
"I Don't Even Know Your Name" ~ Alan Jackson |
| Joy |
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What brings YOU joy lately?
* "Sailing in January." Allen & Ruth Penticoff, New Milford, IL currently in Florida
*"The medicine has shrunk the tumor in my daughter's head to almost nothing." Torrie Cullinane, Mulvane KS
*"Volunteering at Spring Creek School for the reading program." Murl Hill, Rockford, IL
*"That Valentino bag..." Tess Iandola, Chicago, IL
* "Custom diamond plate floor mats and hi-performance exhaust for my smart." Jim Hanson, Hanover Park, IL
* I suprised my hubby on Christmas with reservations for DisneyWorld in May. He is insane about that place. I have reservations for NINE. Four grandkids, our two unmarried kids, a boyfriend, hubby, and me. Unspeakable JOY!" Karen Phillips, Atlanta, GA
* This photo is from Kathy Batzkall, Belvidere, IL of last week's fog/ice crystal creations.
"It was like a gossamer vision in the fog." |
| Giggle |
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My giggles this week come from you.
Allen Penticoff sent a list of oxymorons and quipped, "Oxy-moron - something to get your idiot clean."
Commenting on the late hour of my emails, Stephanie Meier, said: "You're sending emails at 3 am?! Someone had better be throwing up for me to be awake at 3 am!"
This from Randy Lape is bad!
A woman goes to the doctor, beaten black and blue.
Doctor: "What happened?"
Woman: "Doctor, I don't know what to do. Every time my husband
comes home drunk he beats me to a pulp."
Doctor: "I have a real good medicine for that.. When your
husband comes home drunk, just take a glass of sweet tea and start
gargling with it. Just gargle and gargle."
Two weeks later the woman comes back to the doctor looking fresh
and reborn.
Woman: "Doctor, that was a brilliant idea! Every time my
husband came home drunk, I gargled with sweet tea. I gargled and
gargled, and nothing happened!"
Doctor: "You see how keeping your mouth shut helps?"
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| Picks this week |
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Flick Pick - The Little Black Book
Brittany Murphy is adorable (RIP sweetie) and sings Carly Simon songs.
Book Pick - Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation
by Sheila Weller
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| Birthday Love |
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HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO:
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
DOTTIE DAY
VAL ROTE
DEB MCKEW
NATE NANIA
JANUARY BDAY WINNER IS:
REBECCA JOHNSON
(I need your address, pretty please.)
(Send in your birthday. Each month a name is drawn for a JOY prize delivered via snail mail.)
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| Quote Junkie |
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"There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."
~Vicki Baum
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| Sage Advice |
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From the email inbox:
(thanks, Sherri Meredith, Machesney Park, IL)
>Never buy a coffee table that you can't put your feet on.
>Believe in miracles, but don't depend on them.
>Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.
>Remember that nothing important was ever achieved without taking a chance.
>Be willing to accept a temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement.
>Protect your enthusiasm from the negativity of others.
>Never forget that life's most treasured moments usually come unannounced.
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| Inquiring Minds |
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The question was:
Movies at the theater
or
Movies at home
Replies have been back and forth all week. There are merits to both. Big screen creates "an experience," but costs more money and annoying cell phones ring at inopportune times. (Any time during the movie is inopportune.) The small screen at home is cozy, cheap, and if the movie stinks, you can turn it off.
Many opinions, but ultimately, it was a tie. I won't cast a vote one way or the other because I love both.
THIS WEEK'S POLL:
Gas fireplace or wood burning? |
| Gigs |
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February 4 - Joy on the Job; Rockford Memorial Hospital, Perionatal Network
February 8 - Finding Joy; Center for Learning in Retirement
February 12 - Finding Joy; Park Tower
February 20 - Write Your Personal Story, Elgin Community College
Kelly's newspaper column - The year of the engaged adult
Kelly's blog for healthyrockford.com - Write it out
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| Wise |
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Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.
~Goethe |
| Wit |
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From the "church bulletin typo" files...
(thanks, Kristin Podemski, Rockford, IL)
"This evening at 7 pm there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin."
Anne Taintor Inc. |
| Word Nerd |
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Widdershins (withershins) (adverb)
Pronunciation: ['wid-�r-shinz]
Definition: Moving in a direction opposite the usual; moving counterclockwise or in the contrary direction (of the sun, especially).
Usage: Today's word is basically an adverb but may be used as an adjective without the final [s].
Suggested Usage: Today's word is another wonderword from the land of kilts and bagpipes that we should all fight to keep alive: "Gerard does everything widdershins; he will either turn out a grandiose success or an abrupt failure." "Remember, the prophets agree that you get nowhere walking widdershins up the escalator."
-Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
I might be living my life widdershins, but it feels like the right direction for me. |
| Spirit of Giving |
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Many people have been moved to donate to Haiti relief. Something of that magnitude grabs our attention and our heartstrings and we give. We should.
Some people are moved to give when something on a smaller scale grabs their attention and heart. Read how one teenage girl convinced her family to sell their home, live more modestly, and give.
And read how one man who became a billionaire also then found himself "joyless." Until he decided to give it all away.
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| Play together |
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Married over 60 years and playing a piano duet with a smile and a bounce
(Thanks for sharing, Lisa Larson, Pasadena, CA) |
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"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday living."
~Pablo Picasso
The Old Guitarist |
| You Tube junkie... |
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* Take a sad song and make it better.....
* "The shiny guy always worries..."
* My boys used to sit in a chair together
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Earmuffs and sweaters and slippers. Warmth equals joy. To all of you readers in warm climates, please enjoy it. Send me a postcard.
joyfully,
xxkelly
Disneyland in April - the Biology of HOPE!
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| SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY JOY AND PASS IT ON
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| parting shot...
Baby, it's cold outside. I hear that song only in December and it's not a Christmas tune. Tis perfect right now. Vanessa Williams' version is wonderful (I love her Wilhemina Slater on "Ugly Betty.")
I really can't stay. Well, maybe just a half a drink more.
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Kelly Epperson
kel_epperson@yahoo.com
PO Box 2324 Loves Park IL 61131
Member AATH - Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
Member NSNC - National Society of Newspaper Columnists |
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| JOY |
New book, 365 Days of Joy, is in the works and coming soon. $20
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| When LIfe Stinks, It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes (collection of newspaper columns) $10
Shirts ~C'est Bon and JOY*US $10 |
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