Warm Thoughts

• Episode 276: Life & Learning

  Surprise! The Warm Thoughts column two weeks ago, on, "I've Learned," was favorably received by readers. It also brought me a four page email letter on more "I've learned." So here's a sequel to the first column: "I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes, after that, you'd better know something. I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but the best you can do. I've learned that it's not what happens to us that's important. It's what we do about it. I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. I've learned that it may be easier to react than to plan ahead, but it's much less effective. I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't. I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you. I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, passion fades and there had better be something stronger to take its place. I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice. I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it. I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score. I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up. I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they are going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that. I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself. I've learned that background and circumstances may have influenced who we are or who we become. I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of seconds by people who don't even know you. I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help. I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us. And again, I've learned that I still have a lot to learn, and need to just keep on keeping on learning." Make every day a celebration of life and learning!Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr. Luetta G WernerPublished in the Marion Record September 17th, 1998.Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

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• Episode 275: Love & Logic

  September brings us Grandparents Day. Recently, I read some thoughts from, "Grandparents with Love and Logic," by Foster W Klein and Jim Fay. These thoughts are worth sharing about grandparenting in today's world. "Today, grandparents tend to move toward the 21st Century with images of grandparents past: silver haired, slow talking, slow moving people biding their time in wooden rocking chairs on the front porch, contemplating the sunset through wire rimmed spectacles. They smile crinkly smiles and take out their teeth at night. Grandmothers crochet booties and make cookies while grandfathers whittle wooden treasures with jack knives. Their grandchildren walk over from across town, sit on the porch with them, admire the carving and munch on the cookies." Each of us carries variations of their picture created in our own childhood. As we set zoom feature on our cameras to grandparenting present, we realize with shock how much the picture has changed. We travel around the world instead of crochet, or play golf instead of whittle. Some become grandparents long before they are ready for rocking chairs. Many of the grandchildren live half a continent away or wear strange, baggy clothes and radical color combinations and pierce their ears. 94% of older adults with children in the US have grandchildren. Half of these are great grandparents. Of the 54 million grandparents in the US, 26% are younger than age 55 only 38% are in their retirement years, over 65. The average grandparents has three or four grandchildren. Grandparents are living longer. From 1940 to 1980 the life expectation for a 40 year old woman increased by seven years, and the life expectancy of a 40 year old man by four years. What do these numbers mean? Grandparents are more important than ever. More adults than ever are living long enough to get to know their grandchildren and for their grandchildren to get to know them. The increase in longevity is giving their relationships the potential to become stronger and longer lasting. Children close to at least one grandparent are more emotionally secure than those without such a tie. Grandparents can provide this emotional security by listening, truly, listening to their grandchildren, refusing to compete in the acquisition of material possessions, giving their most valuable gift: time. More heart to heart thoughts: Parents need to understand that the grandparent's role is sacred to the child, and they should do whatever they can to enhance that relationship. Kornhaber. Grandparents can do more for us than anyone else in the world. They sprinkle stardust in our eyes. Alex Haley. Happy Grandparents Day!Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr. Luetta G WernerPublished in the Marion Record September 10th, 1998.Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

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• Episode 274: You are a Blessing

  It is always a joy to receive warm thoughts from readers. These special gifts can then be shared with the reading audience of this column. The column a reader once gave me entitled, "Count Your Blessings," received many comments, so it was very special this week to receive these additional thoughts on counting blessings from a special friend: "Count your garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your days by golden hours. Don't remember clouds at all. Count your nights by stars, not shadows. Count your years with smiles, not tears. Count your blessings not your troubles. Count your age by friends, not years."Abraham Lincoln once said, "My friends are my best treasure, the best part of life." I recently heard someone say, "You are more than a friend. You are a blessing." "Friends are like flowers in the garden of life. A friend is like a sunbeam that can always warm your day and bring you endless treasures as you travel on life's way." William Ellery Channing once stated, "True friends have no solitary joy or sorrow." In my collection of thoughts on friends and friendship, I found this thought by John Addison, "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by doubling our joy and dividing our grief." Coleridge describes friendship as "a sheltering tree." Friendship and friends are truly gifts. The Gift of Friendship. Friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought or sold, but its value is far greater than a mountain made of gold. For gold is cold and lifeless. It can neither see nor hear, and in the time of trouble, it is powerless to cheer. It has no ears to listen, no heart to understand. It cannot bring you comfort or reach out a helping hand. So when you ask God for a gift, be thankful if he sends...not diamonds, pearls or riches, but the love of real, true friends." Thanks for being a friend!Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr Luetta G WernerPublished in the Marion Record July 30, 1998.Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

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• Episode 273: You Are What You Eat

  Recently, I read an article about how our attitude depends on what we eat and when we eat, as it has major impact on our performance and moods. We have heard often, "you are what you eat," according to Dr. Jack Grapple, a well known nutrition and fitness expert, he tells us how to have a better attitude. He states that we need to remember what your mother said about breakfast. Don't skip it. Grapple says no ifs, ands, and buts... eat breakfast. Breakfast is most important. He tells us why it is so important. "After a good night's sleep, your body is nearly devoid of glucose or blood sugar you need to replenish when you eat a proper breakfast, your cognitive abilities, your energy and your attitude are better. Cereals and grains are good, and even a little fat is okay." He tells us that eating for attitude and energy is a day long project. The rule, according to Grapple, is simple: eat four or five small meals, not three big meals - a hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner is old thinking. To keep your metabolism up, your blood sugar from dropping and yourself energized, you need to eat a small breakfast, a healthy mid morning snack, a small dinner and a healthy snack. He even suggests certain foods for certain times of the day. For energy in the afternoon, for example, many people opt for a light lunch, like a salad. This is one of the worst things you can do, because when you eat carbohydrates, your body releases an amino acid called tritopan. "That amino acid," he says, "triggers a hormone that has a relaxing effect, not good if you have a busy afternoon planned, select a chicken sandwich on rye bread and skip the mayonnaise." He says the protein causes the release of amino acid tyrosine, another big word with the simple meaning energy. And what about that late night snack? Carbohydrates make you feel calm if you have to eat late eat carbohydrates, he concludesl. Did you expect another Warm Thoughts column on attitudes? Thanks to Dr Jack grapple, a very well known nutrition and fitness expert, on the subject. I'd love to discuss this a little more with him. Yes, you guessed it, just over a cup of tea. Warm thoughts: The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change the past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and this is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. Charles Swindoll.Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Teawritten by Dr. Luetta G WernerPublished in the Marion Record July 23rd, 1998Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

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• Episode 272: A Quilt is Love

  Recently, I attended a Quilt Fest at the Pioneer Hall in Freeman, South Dakota. There were 155 quilts displayed, and the featured quilter was a 94-year-old resident of the Salem home. Throughout her life, she has been involved in the making of hundreds of quilts, and love has turned the patterns into works of art. As I stood there by the Christmas quilt, the wedding ring quilt, and many others, there were many warm thoughts that flashed through my mind. In the many quilts I have given away in my lifetime, I have included this poem entitled "Warm Thoughts.""Love is a quilt. A quilt is love, both love and quilt should be soft enough to comfort you, bright enough to cheer you, generous enough to enfold you, light enough to let you move freely, strong enough to withstand adversity, durable enough to last a lifetime and given gladly from the heart." Perhaps we can even say that God's love is a quilt - bright enough to cheer you and generous enough to enfold you and comfort you. An unknown author has written these thoughts on "Another Comforter." "Overnight visits to Grandma's house were a whole new world. Grandma turning the crank on the butter churn, kneading yeasty homemade bread, ironing on the board placed between two chairs with a flat iron heated on the old wooden stove. Then bedtime came with the long truck up the stairs, strange noises, dark shadows. But grandma would always say, there's an extra comforter on the foot of the bed. What a haven. Just pull that comforter up over my head, and strange noises were shut out. Lurking shadows disappeared. No bright flashes of lightning could be seen, no cold chill could penetrate its warmth. But most of all, every hand stitched piece of that comforter radiated grandma's love and care. And grandma reminds me of God, not only did he send his son for our redemption, He went one step beyond and sent another comforter, a haven for every need, shelter, for every storm, light for our darkest days, healer of our deepest sorrows, and the warmth of his very own love.” A Quilters Song, "Oh, give me a scrap bag filled to the brim with bright bits and pieces. So according to when I might make a rainbow or some butterfly wings, a mountain, a sunset and number of things, I thank you, dear Lord, and make quilts be your praise for the stitches and patches that brighten my days." Barbara Kraun. More Warm Thoughts: Oh Lord, make the scraps of my life something useful. Stitch into my life your own design and use me as you will. May you have many warm thoughts in the good ol summertime! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G. WernerPublished in the Marion Record on July 22nd, 1999Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

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