Another Deadly Tornado — See How You Can Help

painting by © oldpp

 

I’m under another tornado Watch, and Alabama has just had a deadly tornado hit them. CLICK HERE TO SEE 68 PHOTOS — I thought I would put my post about donating to the Red Cross (or any organization that will help the tornado victims), up again for today. Many people have died today, more are still trapped, even more injured, and many homeless. They need our help and our prayers.

Who Will “Stand By You”?

This is a post from a few weeks ago, I am posting it again, because I figured out how to add the song to it. So, it’s just a quick read, but then if you want, you can click on the video below to hear the song.

picture by © smrafiq

WHO WILL “STAND BY YOU”? — by Catherine Morgan

One of my favorite songs to listen to is, “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders — you can play the song at the bottom of this post. I was listening to it today in the car (while riding home from my mammogram). I began to think about how nice it is to know that someone will “stand by you” no matter what. As a mom, I will “stand by” my kids no matter what…I think they know that (especially since I play the song all the time and tell them). The song always makes me think about how lucky people are when they know (really know) that they have someone who will “stand by them” no matter what.

Sometimes when we are feeling down, and life isn’t going our way, and we feel all alone…..That’s the time we find out who will “stand by us”. It’s sad in a way, that it takes tragedy, or pain to find out who the people in our life are that will “stand by us”, even in our darkest hours. The people who are like angels on earth to us–Connie. The people who were like angels on earth to us–Becky. The people that pick us up when we feel like we are in a never ending free fall of grief–Dawny. The people who save us when we just want to die–Vicki. The people who support us when we can barley support ourselves–Frances Ellen. I feel sad for the people who have perfect lives and never get to really find out who these people are in their lives. It is truly the one great blessing that comes out of our heartache and pain.

Leave Worry And Negative Thoughts Behind — Steps To Help You Solve Your Problems

FOUR STEPS TO HELP YOU SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS — by Catherine Morgan

We all carry around stress and worries about problems in our lives, some of us more than others. If you are one of those people that can’t stop worrying about all the problems in your life, then this article is for you. Worrying about our problems only adds to our problems, and no amount of worrying about a situation is going to make it better. Letting go of negative thoughts and worries is an important step in our overall happiness. Hopefully these steps can help you get passed some of the problems that have been bothering you, and allow you to let go of the negative thoughts that block you from your true happiness.

picture by © malachony
STEP ONE: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS

Take some time and write down all the problems that have been bothering you. Write each problem on a separate piece of paper, make sure you cover ALL the problems, the big ones and the little ones. For 10 problems, 10 separate sheets of paper. Do this when you have some time to really get a complete list together — Sometimes going to bed a few minutes earlier than you normally do, can be a good time to do this, and provide you with the quiet time you need.

At this time also write down the reasons for wanting to solve this problem, and what you hope to achieve by resolving it.

Everything Changes, Nothing Ever Stays The Same.

EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME — by Catherine Morgan

This isn’t “breaking” news. We all know that nothing stays the same. We all know that life is constantly changing. However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways. What I mean is, when things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great. And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it is sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy. In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.

Deadly Tornado in Central Florida — Be The Change In Someones Life — Donate To The Red Cross

picture by © oldpp

BE THE CHANGE IN SOMEONES LIFE — DONATE TO THE RED CROSS

Less than twenty-four hours ago, I was sitting at this computer, and working on a post for my blog, when that annoying sound came over the television. You know the one, the….this is a test of the emergency broadcast system. However, this time it wasn’t a test, it was a voice notifying the people of my county that a tornado was being tracked, and we should go to the safest area of our house. I quickly through some pillows and blankets into my closet (in the middle of the house, the safest place we have), woke my kids, got our cat and our puppy, and huddled in the closet, off and on for the next two hours. At 2:30am, the local news was saying that the threat was over, but we all ended up sleeping in the same bedroom just in case. It turned out, shortly after we went to sleep, more tornado warnings were issued, and a deadly tornado came true Central Florida. I began getting concerned phone calls from family and friends at about 9:30am, that was when I first learned how bad the tornadoes had been, and how close we had come to losing our home and possibly our lives.

Waiting On The World To Change

If you saw the 20/20 program, “waiting on the world to change” that addressed the issues of the impoverished children of Camden, New Jersey, you might be wondering if there is something you can do to help. Well, there are needy children in every school, and we all can do little things to make a big difference in their lives.

One suggestion I have, is to organize a “school supply drive” at your local public school. By this I mean, collect pencils, notebooks, book bags, and other needed school supplies, to be donated to the less fortunate children of the school. Usually the school counselor will know who these children are, and be able to distribute any donated supplies.

This is something little, that even one person can pull together, and make a big difference in their local community. If you have other ideas, I would love for you to post them here. I think so many of us want to help, but just aren’t sure how.

What ideas do you have? What ways have you helped? Let’s start a list of all the ways we can make a difference in a child’s life. Even the smallest thing, is a step in the right direction.

Also See: QUOTES ON PURPOSE, QUOTES ON GENEROSITY

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ALSO SEE:

Empowerment

Forgiveness

Kindness

Love

Music

Happiness

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HAS THE WORLD LOST IT’S EMPATHY?

picture by © ehirschenberger

HAS THE WORLD LOST IT’S EMPATHY? — by Catherine Morgan

We all see the news, and feel badly about the wars, the starving, the homeless, the poor, and all the other sad things we are seeing on television. On a smaller scale, we all know people with hardships, going through divorce, struggling with health issues, having financial problems, and many other difficulties affecting our families and neighbors.

When we hear all of these stories, we feel great sympathy and sadness. But, I think what we don’t do, is feel empathy. To feel empathy, you have to be able to put yourself in that other person’s shoes, and feel what they must be going through. True compassion comes from a place of empathy, not sympathy. In fact, most people don’t want our sympathy, and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. What I am saying is that people don’t want us to feel sorry for them, they want us to have compassion and empathy for them.

I’m pointing this difference out because, we need to see that without empathy our sympathy is just a judgement, and being judgemental is never helpful. When we can “truly” empathize with the hardships of our neighbors, our families, and others in our lives, we are then in a position of compassion and kindness towards them. Even if we are not in a position to alleviate the struggle of the person we are empathizing with, we will be conveying compassion towards them and not pity. While your pity is a judgement, your compassion is a kindness, and kindness is what we all need in our lives.

I would challenge you to look at your own life, and see where you are sympathizing without empathizing. Then allow yourself to feel the feelings. I’m not saying that this is an easy thing to do. Empathy, is most definitely the harder of the two feelings. But, when you can push yourself past sympathy alone, you are a better person, a better friend, a better neighbor, and so on, and so on.

On a larger scale, if the world can find it’s empathy, it won’t be in danger of losing it’s humanity.

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ALSO SEE:

Empowerment

Forgiveness

Kindness

Love

Music

Happiness

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In The End…..Only Kindness Matters

ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS — by Catherine Morgan

Jewel has a song, and in it she sings….”In the end, only kindness matters”. Those are very profound words. I would even say, that these are words to live your life by. Because, it is so true. In the grand scheme of things, we are here on earth only a very short time. Many of us spend much of this time being angry at people, making judgements on others, and generally just not being as kind as we should be. So, the question then becomes….How can we change that? How can we live a more kind life?

Well I think, that like everything else we can’t be too hard on ourselves. After-all, we live in a harsh world, where many times people are not even being very kind to us. But, that’s no excuse either. Remember when our mom’s told us, “treat others the way you would want them to treat you”. Well it seems that, somewhere between kindergarten and junior high, most of us forget this little bit of wisdom. But, I say we bring it back. Don’t get panicked, I’m not suggesting anything radical. But, maybe just some baby-steps in the right direction.

The first thing we need to do is be conscious of our thoughts and reactions towards people. This is important because, if we recognize the times we could have chosen kindness over judgement, we find our opportunities to make a change.

Second, begin actively making attempts during your day to choose to be kind to those around you. Do this in random acts of kindness, as well as in the choices you make with the people in your everyday life.

Third, notice if your kindness is rubbing off on the people around you. Are others treating you more kindly? Are others treating others more kindly? It is surprising how positive energy can radiate all around you, and affect all those around you.

Forth, reflect or journal on how choosing kindness is making a difference in your life.

Well, that’s it. Now, just go for it. And remember, IN THE END…ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS.

Jewel – Hands

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ALSO SEE:

Empowerment

Forgiveness

Kindness

Love

Music

Happiness

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FINDING EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADVERSITY

picture © malachony

FINDING EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADVERSITY — by Catherine Morgan

When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But it is there.  You will get through it.  And in time, your wounds really will be healed.

Can something good come out of adversity?  Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain.  The only thing we can think about, are questions.  Why is this happening to me?  How will I go on?  How will I survive?  These are all reasonable questions, and in the depth of our pain we will ask them, and more.  But there are no answers to these questions.  Only after we realize this, will we be able to go on, and let go.

We should not turn away from our pain.  It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache.  Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way. In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles.  But, if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on; we will triumph.

You may sometimes feel like you are losing the battle; but when you push through your battle, you come out on the other side the winner of your war.  That is because you are empowered when you conquer life’s toughest battles.  Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be.  Think about that for a minute. Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?

For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few.  But I also know that I would not be who I am today, had I not.  My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today.  And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships.  It’s because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people take for granted.

I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life.  I don’t look forward to future adversity, however I know it will come.  And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strength to help me overcome, and once again triumph.

I hope for everyone, that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.

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ALSO SEE:

Empowerment

Forgiveness

Kindness

Love

Happiness

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The One Thing We Need To Start Doing When We Go To Get Our Yearly Mammogram.

THE ONE THING WE NEED TO START DOING WHEN WE GO TO GET OUR YEARLY MAMMOGRAM. — by Catherine Morgan

We all already know we need to get our yearly mammograms. None of us “want” to get it, but we get it anyway because we all know how important early detection is in breast cancer. And, for you women not going that should be: Bad girl! You go and get your mammogram, if the rest of us have to do it, so should you.

I’m NOT going to get into all the reasons we (women of course) need to get a mammogram, that horse has been beaten to death a long time ago. I want to talk about something that we need to do when we get our mammogram, something that the doctors and technicians don’t tell us to do. I’m warning you now, this is going to be hard for most of you.

Let me start off by telling you that I had my mammogram today. It was what they call a “diagnostic” mammogram, as opposed to the normal yearly “routine” mammogram. You get a “diagnostic” mammogram when they have found something that doesn’t appear “normal”, also when you are diagnosed with breast cancer, or following-up after a surgery or biopsy for breast cancer. I know “cancer” is a scary word. But, we need to get over it. We all know people who have had, or in my case, who have died from cancer….It’s not a four letter word that we can’t talk about. We actually do need to talk about it. So, to get back to my story; which is also NOT about cancer.

I was sitting in the waiting room…..Did you ever get in an elevator with four or five other people and feel uncomfortable by the total silence? Well that is kind of what it is like in most mammogram waiting rooms, only you are there for much longer than the standard elevator trip. This was my forth visit to this particular waiting room, in a year. Each time between two and eight other women are sitting there in various stages of the process of getting a mammogram. Some fully dressed with forms to give to the technician, some waiting in their little hospital gowns for the technician to give them their mammogram, and some waiting for the doctor to say it is o.k. to leave or that they need more films. It’s an eclectic group to say the least, and for some reason we all sit in silence. Why is that? We may not have anything in common besides getting a mammogram that particular day, but we are all women….Why don’t we talk to each-other?

The last time I was in this waiting room, I was feeling really stressed and scared. I would have loved it if even just one of the women would have talked to me. Not about the mammogram really, just about anything at all, just to pass the time. This time when I went in, I had no intention of breaking the “code of silence”. But, I had a cough, and I wanted the people in this somewhat small area, to know that I wasn’t sick that it was just my asthma acting up. You know how it is now-a-days, we don’t want to be too close to anyone who might be “contagious”, in this case especially if you might be in the room where someone could be getting treatment for cancer already and their immune system may be compromised. So, I did it. I spoke. I told the four or five women in the waiting room the reason I was coughing. Essentially, breaking the ice.

A few moments later I noticed the women across from me had a very pretty pair of shoes on. So, I just came right out and told her that I thought so. Then the women with nice shoes and I began to talk, and before you knew it all of the people in the waiting room were making “small-talk” with one and other. For the next hour or so people were coming and going, and all were being engaged in some sort of communication with each-other. I even found out the proper way to cook Mahi Mahi, and I had been wanting to know that for some time (really). Anyway, we talked, we cried (no, not really), we had our boobs squished (yup), and passed the time in a more interesting and less uncomfortable way than usual.

That brings me to THE ONE THING WE NEED TO START DOING WHEN WE GO TO GET OUR YEARLY MAMMOGRAM. Start talking to each-other, get to know the woman sitting next to you in the waiting room, even if it is just for a few minutes. It will make the time pass more quickly, and maybe reduce yours’ or anothers’ stress about being their in the first place.

So, just try it. Let me know how it works out by posting a comment. Spread the word that it is now o.k. to talk in the waiting room. If you are really daring….Try talking to someone in the elevator too!

BE THE CHANGE

Choosing Happiness — by Catherine Morgan

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

Are you making significant life decisions from a place of fear or anger? Most of us do. When we make choices and respond to people and situations in our life in reaction to fearful and angry emotions, we are choosing unhappiness. From the little responses and decisions in our life, right up to the big ones. So, who cares? Why does this even matter? I genuinely believe we all want peace in our lives. Peace on earth would be great too. The saying; “Be the change you want to see in the world”, suggests that by making positive changes in our own lives, we contribute to a wave that can flow from us, to our family, to our communities, and to the world. It is such a sweet thought. Even if you don’t believe that minor changes you make in your own life can make a difference in the world, there is no doubt that the way we feel emotionally greatly affects our overall personal happiness. How are you feeling about; love, life, family, your job?

If we all just took a little stock in our daily reactions, and paid attention to our responses and decisions, and most importantly noticed when we are responding from a place of fear or anger. If we did this, we could then choose to take more time before we respond to such things, and think them through a bit more. Why is this important? Well, it’s important because once you realize what you are doing and how it affects your life, you can then take the steps to make changes that bring you to a more happy and peaceful place. When you catch yourself reacting out of fear or anger, take a minute to think about how you would react to the same situation from a place of peace or love. If you can’t do that, at least try to find a “neutral” feeling and respond from there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is an easy thing to do. It is by far, the harder thing to do. But, just try it. Start out by choosing one aspect of your life (ie: work, family, husband, etc.), and consciously decide to take fear and anger out of your decision process and out of your reactions. See how it makes you feel. You will be happier, and the people around you will be happier too. This is because when you react to someone in anger, they will most likely respond back to you in anger. Of course the opposite is also true. If you respond to someone in a kind way, they will most likely respond back to you in a kind way.

Did you ever respond to someone in an angry way just because something else had made you mad? Did you ever wonder how your reaction may have caused that person to react to the next person they encountered? It’s a vicious cycle, but luckily it works both ways. It seems to me, that we are all being a change that can be seen in the world. The question then becomes; are the changes we make affecting the world for better or for worse?