Sandy's Scribbles, Poetry and Prose

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you . Ralph Waldo Emerson We always dwell on our past and worry about the future. But, it is what is inside us, what is in our hearts that is important. We all make mistakes, they are life's lessons. We should learn and grow from them. We cannot change the past and we cannot predict the future. We can have loving memories of the past and learn from the mistakes we have made. We can plan for the future, but we do not know what the future brings. Live each day to the fullest and count your blessings, for they are many.

I went to a baby shower yesterday afternoon. Peggy's daughter Lindsay is expecting a precious baby boy in September. Jackson is the chosen name. I remember trying to pick out a name when I was pregnant with Jonny. Laura Ann was the girl's name we picked. My husband liked the name John for a boy. I went to grade school with a boy who spelled his name, Jon. I liked the way it was spelled, and we both agreed on Jonathan. I looked up the meaning of Jonathan..... The boy's name Jonathan \j(o)-na- than \ is pronounced JAHN-a-thun. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is " gift of God ". Biblical : the son of King Saul, Jonathan was noted for his manliness , generosity , and unselfishness. He was a gift from God. He was generous and giving. He cared about those around him. With my oldest son Brandon, we could not agree on a name. Being our first born, we struggled with the decision. I bought a baby name book, wrote down a list of boys and girls names. My husband ...

Oh, what a busy bee I have been. Working long hours, the past two weeks. Last weekend was busy, but I had time for friends and enjoyed the beautiful "fall" weather we have been experiencing, in the middle of July. I joined in my church's fellowship at a catfish dinner at a lodge on the Ohio river on Friday night. What beautiful scenery. Enjoying God' s masterpiece, the beautiful pictures. Just as Renee's son had described. http://www.reneeswope.blogspot.com/ School semester will be starting again, and I will have to get back in my routine. I am glad I took the summer off. I worked on my scrapbook, visited with friends & family, and caught up on things around the house. I miss getting the kids ready for the school year....going to Wal-mart to get their supplies and of course we needed a new back pack every year....going clothes shopping....and trying to get them back in the routine of going to bed earlier.....seems like just yesterday.

I found a new blog site ... /www.reneeswope.blogspot.com/ .....she talks about, Florence Littauer's book Personality Plus...in this book four personalities are mentioned 1. Phlegmatic 2. Choleric 3. Sanguine 4. Melancholy I have not only read this book and taken the personality test years ago, but I had the privilege in going to a church Woman's conference and Florence was the guest speaker in 1996. She is an excellent speaker, and the book is quite interesting. I have taken several personality test, through the years either in school or through work. I have read "Please Understand Me II" by David Keirsey about temperament, character and intelligence and "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, PhD. These books are interesting, informative, thought provoking and motivating. They not only tell you about your personality, but about those around you. They teach you about other's personalities. It teaches about diversity of pe...

My friend Lynne, was one of many who had helped get me through the first few days after my news of Jonny's accident. She was with me the first night, so I would not have to be alone. We had a power outage that night, and Lynne wrote a beautiful poem, by candle light, in which I asked her to read at Jonny's Memorial Service. I have been given permission by Lynne to share this with my friends and post it on my blog site. To You….. My spirit soars To the golden gates I must arrive now For I can’t be late. God’s arms out stretched Bringing me into his fold Heaven’s bounty and glory Are a sight to behold. I wasn’t ready I still had dreams I feel your hearts break As your tears run in streams. Know that I’m safe Surrounded by love I’ll now watch you From way up above. God needed me now He took me and a friend With angels around That God did send. My spirit is light And full of life Eternally I live And with no strife. God’s grace is felt For all who believe Hold your hearts open For ...

At the suggestion of Jackie @ Teacher's Pet, I am awarding the Warm Hearts Blog Award to my 3 amazing followers. This award is given to them, for their kindness, comforting words, benevolent characteristics. This award should be passed on to those, for those who are bolstering, uplifting, reassuring, soothing, calming, cheering, consoling, encouraging to those around them. 1. mailto:Jackie@Teacher 2. mailto:Eileen@Umma 3. Shannon@BlessOurNest God Bless and pass this Award on to those deserving. Sandy

So many people are gifted with warm hearts and kind words.....they express themselves so eloquently.....they use their experiences to help others understand their own trials and tribulations ....we learn from our life experiences and share them with others....they help us to learn and grow We see our loved ones through eyes of others and we understand our loved ones through their words ..... I recently received an e-mail from the mother of Jonny's friends, she expressed to me how Jonny's smile lit up a room, of his compassion for others and of his kindness....I always observed these characters in Jonny , but to know that others appreciated these qualities, is so comforting Although Brandon and Jonny had completely different personalities , they both demonstrate these qualities and characteristics ....these are deep and sincere...both my sons are forever in my heart and I cherish my time with them....

I get so much information from these blogs sites....especially the frugal shoppers...like.. http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ .. which gave the great tip of double coupons at K-mart.....saved $26.00 http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/ ..... lots of Target, CVS and Walgreen tips and coupons.... Of course there is a lot of work to couponing....lots of clipping, organizing, and it takes a little longer to shop....some of these sites give tips and suggestions....try not to get trapped into buying something you don't normally use, or something that might be cheaper in another brand without the coupon.....I have received a free quart of paint from "Glidden" ......I have also received a free box of Kashi TLC bars (tasty little cereal), along with 5 - $1.50 coupons towards more boxes of TLC bars... Another money saving site is.... http://www.5dollardinners.com/about-me ........I just tried the taco salad (posted 6-4-09), even made my own taco seasoning (already had the ingredients...

Happy 4th of July everyone.....it is raining this morning, but hopefully it will quit tonight.... I used love to take the boys to see the fireworks...some times we would go to see the local fireworks, sometimes we would go to my sister-in-laws for the big family get together... When Jonny was 7 months old and Brandon was 4 years old, we lived in Northern Indiana and went to the park, laid out a blanket.....Brandon and I watched the fireworks while Jonny slept....how he slept amongst the loud noise of the fireworks and the "oohs" and "aahs" is beyond me, but as soon as the sun went down he fell asleep....I guess he could not figure what all the fuss was about, and sleeping seemed the thing to do... Have a safe and spectacular 4th.... Sandy