Choose To Be Kind or Not!

So I had a very enjoyable outing and I of course I ran into a couple of crazies out there! LOL! The first one honked his horn at the light because I took less than 30 seconds to make my turn! I prayed that God would give him a little more patience! Then, on my way home I stopped at a red light and the truck behind me drove into the rut to my right and took off like a crazy person! Maybe he didn’t know that the law states that you make a full stop, check for oncoming traffic and than proceed to make your turn! In about a minute I was right behind him! Silly boy! I prayed for him too!

Now the good stuff… a very kind lady was in front of me at Michael’s Craft Store, and she turned to me and said, “I am sorry, this is gonna take a few minutes” and I smiled and said that’s ok… I had my walker with me just in case I needed to sit down.. then she looked down and said, your boot is untied, may I please tie it for you so you don’t fall! For that I was very grateful, unless I am sitting, I can’t tie it! Then she turned to the clerk and said, please cancel what you are doing and ring this lady up so she can get home! Even though I said no no no, she did it! We chatted while the clerk rang me up and I told her I was going to make Valentines cards with my granddaughters. She got all excited and told me that she was a third grade teacher before she retired. She said of all the holidays including Christmas, this was the kids favorite. They loved exchanging those little valentines, and believe me, she said, they read every line.

As an aside to my story here, I’ll throw this in… In previous years I created a design and they copied it. This year, I bought a bunch of stuff and I am gonna let them create their own designs. It should be interesting to see what they come up with. I will have to post some pics when they finish!

That, my friends,  was a very pleasant outing at one of my favorite stores. But, that is not the end of my story. I stopped on the way home to pick up a drink and while I was walking toward the register (with several people in front of me), a second clerk opened her register and motioned for a man to come forward, he turned to me and said, you go ma’am. and I said, “no, no, you were here first” he smiled and said, “I am in no hurry, it will only take an extra minute.” So true an extra minute…. what’s a minute in a lifetime, I thought to myself. I smiled and thanked him and we both went on our way.

So, four people, two in a mad rush, and two showing kindness… You decide; take that extra minute to be kind or rush through your life as if every minute you delay will cost you something.

In my mind, the choice is very simple….. what I have learned over the years is that kindness goes a long way.. If you smile at someone today, I guarantee you will get a smile back… in the meantime, Don’t forget to:

Live, Love, Laugh and by all means Read!

Until next time!

Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Look Back at 2015

One of the best years of my retirement, 2015 was filled with fun. At least, the first 11 months of it was. From spending the winter in San Antonio and the summer in Upstate New York with family and friends in both places, who could ask for more? I jammed this year full of happy times and fun things with my kids and grandkids. As I look back at 2015, I thank God for it. It was as though he was telling me to live my life as if tomorrow will never happen…… And I did. Thanks to my family and friends for those happy times that I think about often, and will live in my heart forever.

Aha, this was the year of my blog. I have always wanted to write a blog but was afraid that I would run out of things to talk about, so I didn’t do it. (me, run out of things to talk about, stop laughing!)  My hope for the blog was that I would encourage my family and friends to pick up a good book, smile at something I did or didn’t do, try something new and different, but more than anything else, I want to encourage folks to live life to the fullest. Love as though there is nothing else in the world. And Laugh, for we all know that laughter is the best medicine. Time is one of our most valuable assets, use it wisely!

Unfortunately, December brings sadness for my family and me.  I began to have stomach pains, not bad at first, but progressively getting worse. On December 23rd, my daughter in law looked up at me and then at Jeff and said, “Get dressed we are going to take mom to Urgent Care!” And so we did. On December 24^th, I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. My life has changed forever. It has been three months now, and as I try to adjust and find the bright side to all of this, I can’t help but think of all the wonderful years that I have had. It would be a lie if I said that thanking God for all the good things in my life was my first thought because it certainly wasn’t. I was angry, very angry! I screamed at God and asked the usual why me questions, and the good Lord knows I cried a LOT!

My living independently is gone. I now live with my son and daughter in law. Lucky for me I have a very pleasant living environment and am well taken care of. I am hoping that as time goes on, I will be able to do more to help them out, especially with the cooking, which I love and miss very much. Time will tell….

Anyway, I have had 3 chemo treatments, the first one failed and left me extremely frustrated and in tears. However, the 2^nd one was successful and has given me new hope. Results from the 3^rd treatment will be forthcoming. I am praying for good results again. I have lost my hair which actually doesn’t bother me. I know it will grow back and with any luck, it will be a nicer color. Silver like my mom had would be nice.

Please understand, that I am not looking for sympathy, a little prayer would be nice. I just wanted to let my friends know what is going on in my life, especially since I have not been as active as I was for the first 11 months of the year. Hoping to get back into things soon.

In closing, I want to say that whatever the outcome is, I have lived a wonderful life. I had a great career having worked for two major companies giving me the opportunity for promotions, and taking me from NY to GA and finally to FL. After my retirement, I continued my journey and lived in AZ and now TX. I have met some amazing people along the way and have made many friends. I am so grateful for the folks who have come into my life, each of you has made some kind of impact on me. I may not chat with all my friends other than on FB, but rest assured,  I do think of you and I thank God daily for all of you. And of course, my family makes my life worth living. I am very proud of my sons, my daughter in laws, my stepchildren and my grandchildren. They make me smile all the time. But I am guessing that everyone already knows that since I post on facebook all the time, especially about these wonderful grandchildren that I have been blessed with.

I am posting my picture with this blog post and although I am not at all embarrassed by my baldness, I am not going to show it to you.

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2016, which is well underway!

And don’t forget to:

Live, Love, Laugh, and by all means, READ!

Sharon

 

Off to San Antonio, Texas

As I prepare my travel plans, I thought I would stop and think about the summer that I have enjoyed. When someone asks me where I am from, I usually laugh and say “everywhere”! Born and raised in Kingston, NY, I was given the opportunity to relocate with the company that I worked for. Although it was one of the most difficult decisions I ever had to make, I made it rather quickly. I asked myself two questions. What were my career opportunities if I stay and what opportunities will my three sons have? Packing up my home and moving to Atlanta, Georgia was the best decision I have ever made. And yes, I was sad to leave my family and friends, but I had to think about what I could give my boys. I remember when we were leaving New York, I thought it would be really nice if we ended up in Tampa, Florida where I could eventually retire. (no I don’t have psychic powers or do I?). Six years later we moved the finance department to Tampa, Florida. Two of my sons were grown at this point so moving to Tampa was a little more difficult. However, I didn’t feel like I was in a position to give up my years of service and my retirement package, so after a family meeting, off to Florida I went with my youngest son in tow. For the next 15 years, living in Florida was everything I hoped it would be. TA-DA, retirement, April 2011. With my sons scattered about, I decided to live near my youngest son who just gave me my first granddaughter. Sierra Vista, Arizona. Wow, what a change in climate. Did I love yet another change? You bet I did. Of course, I knew this was temporary because my son is in the military. It was a wonderful three years and my second granddaughter was born while I lived there.

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After three years in Arizona, my son and his family were off to upstate New York, and this is a place where I just cannot live in the winter. I opted to join my first two sons in Texas. Hence, I spend my winters in Texas and my summers in upstate New York. And yes, I absolutely love it!

What I really intended to write about when I started this post was my summer here in upstate New York. So, here it is; It started with a very long drive from San Antonio, Texas to Kingston, New York. Here I visited with my sister and her family. The week-long visit had me reminiscing about old times with lots and lots of throwback Thursday pictures. A few drives through the city had me thinking about the good old days and concluding that I wouldn’t change a thing with regard to the direction my life has taken me.

Off to Philadelphia, New York… What a beautiful Upstate NY area. Beautiful weather (most of the time), The St Lawrence River, and the beautiful Thousand Islands. Lots of Camping in Central New York. And wineries… lots and lots of wineries. And yes my friends quite a few trips to the library. My girls already love reading, and this makes me very happy. The Fall brings festivals, Pumpkin Patches, and Apple Orchards… I really dislike leaving my girls. But, on November 1, I will be heading southwest for a warmer climate where I will spend the winter and early spring with my two sons and family in San Antonio, Texas.

So what have you done this summer or early fall?

Please enjoy a few of the many pictures I took this summer!

  Boldt Castle

 St Lawrence River

Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library and my Sophia

Madelynn and Sophia at the Cream Cheese Festival

Madelynn and I

Sophia and I

Riverwalk, Watertown, NY

Ashokan Reservoir

Roosevelt Estate, Hyde Park, NY

Petting Zoo, Evans Mills, NY

St Lawrence River, Clayton, NY

Thanks for stopping By and As Always,

Live, Love, Laugh, and by all means…. READ!

Sharon