Mom and Dad

Dad and Mom were married August 1st, 1934, in a small town in Minnesota. August 1st was the birthday of Mom's mother, Emma. Mom dearly loved her Mother and Father so chose her mother's birthday as her wedding day. Mom was a beautiful bride and Dad was her handsome prince. Wouldn't you agree they were a lovely couple. Sure do miss them.....

A NEW OUTLOOK

Deck of Cards

It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard

The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.

As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army Sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?'

The soldier replies, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.'

The sergeant said, 'Looks to me like you're going to play cards.'

The soldier said, 'No sir. You see, since we are allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,

I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards'

The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How will you do that?'

'You see the Ace, sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Five is for the five virgins, where were ten but only five of them were glorified.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives--the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represent the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of Heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

The King stands for Jesus, for he is King of all Kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week-52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards--there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So, when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this deck of old cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.'

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes, and a pain in his heart, he said "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?'

Please pray for our military.

' US HUMANS '

"Self-worth is not a thing; it is a perception. Just as a gymnast begins a routine with ten points and receives deductions for each mistake, so you begin life with a natural, complete sense of worth. But as you grow, you serve as your own judge, deducting points when you misunderstand the nature of living, and learning...when you forget you are a human-in-training and that making mistakes and having slips of integrity and mediocre moments are a part of life, not unforgettable sins"

Dan Millman from: Everyday Enlightenment

George Bernard Shaw once remarked that "the ignorant are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt."

This quote really got me thinking...which am I...I am full of self-doubt, but this 'Long Journey' through the mental illness with my daughter, has made me question many things about life. No, mental illness is not fair....yes, it i difficult to deal with.... would we have chosen this for our daughter, her family and our family....quite possibly not...but then I reflect back, see far more difficult situations and am then thankful for our troubles. The old say "walk a mile in my shoes, before you criticize me" has much meaning. My feelings are; we are given troubles in this life to grow as human beings. I would pray that my troubles have made me grow as a human being, that I have learned hard lessons, and in doing so, have become more compassionate towards my fellow man.

There have been a couple of times in my life, when things got eye-brow level, I have simply stepped back from the situation. The step back was due to the actions of certain people. People that should have known better. Some people have judged me because I did so, but they didn't know all the facts about why. I made the choice a couple of years ago, to step back and re-group. I did so for myself and my family. I do know that you can come back with a renewed sense of self-worth, inner peace, and strength. It is a feeling I cannot put into words...but the inner peace is there

TROUBLES

"THE LONG JOURNEY"

A trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eyes and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus.

Hold it at the proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified.

Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life.

This is how I feel about life. Too many times when one has troubles, your troubles can take over your life, instead of you taking control over your own life. All the years I was growing up, Mom and Dad had a little plaque on the wall that read:

"SUCCESS COMES IN 'CAN', FAILURES IN 'CAN'T ' !!"

Dad and Mom were very wise. They taught my sister Sandra, brother Tom , and myself about life. They taught us to be honest, trustworthy, have carry through, and that our word was binding. These are positive character traits.

My daughter has Schizophrenia and this has been a difficult card to be dealt, both for her and our family. But it is alright.... I firmly believe that we are given obstacles in this life, to help us grow. These obstacles were determined long before we journeyed into this world. These difficulties, and how we handled them, how we treated people along the way, is how we will be judged on our journey out of this world.

Yes, life is like the title of my blog "The Long Journey". The STIGMA associated with mental illness is over whelming. Even agencies and people that should know better, throw in the towel when the going gets rough. They leave families and people suffering high and dry...is there possibly an element of self-service.

Answerable to a higher power some day.....oh yes !!!

This is the reason I am so dedicated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I guess you could say "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade".... One thing I have noticed is people with disabilities are treated differently. Some people are given loads of help, while others have to fen for themselves. I guess it depends on which way the wind is blowing....

HAPPY JULY 4TH, 2009

The 4th of July is truly a holiday to celebrate our Independence for so many reasons. It is the date we give thanks for our freedoms. The meaning of Independence is: the state of being independent. The 4th of July is a legal holiday celebrating the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Our freedoms have been quite evident throughout the years !! Our country has more freedoms than any other nation and we should appreciate each an every one of them. I am happy I live in this country, where we are able to make our own choices, vote independently, worship as we choose, and all the other freedoms we enjoy.

GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!