Words of Wisdom from Monkeyville

"My grandmama was a wise old soul
Took me by the hand not long ago
Said, 'Son, what's your hurry, boy slow it down
Taste the wild honey, listen to the sound
Of the wind that's blowin' through the trees
Rivers flowin' to the sea
Yeah they're all headin' home just like you and me
Life's for livin' child, can't you see?'
These are the days we will remember
These are the times that won't come again
The highest of flames becomes an ember
And you gotta live 'em while you can..."-K. U.

Happy Birthday to K.U.

The Gift of Freedom

"The Gift of Freedom 2005" is almost here....

Letters from Home Program has over 3,000 soldiers for this upcoming mailing on NOV 13 (this is the most we have ever done!!) and they are expecting to receive our wonderful Christmas packages filled with messages of PEACE, FRIENDSHIP, LOVE and SUPPORT. With that, we NEED YOUR HELP. It takes a tremendous amount of letters to be able to give each soldier a variety of Christmas cards and messages that you care...that they are not forgotten.... Our goal is to have 15,000 cards by Nov 10!!! Can you help us out...We are currently at 4,000 and have 2 weeks left.

Please tell anyone and everyone to help out this cause...Mail them to
Letters from Home Program
6631 Ridgway Jbg Rd
PO Box 125
Johnsonburg, PA 15845

Visit the link at the right to read about the Letters from Home program and other items that could be included in a care package.

Ouote of the Day- "Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." -anonymous

Fly Strips and Milk

After a crazy Monday morning trying to get the kids out the door on time and get myself to the school where I was to volunteer, I felt like my head was spinning. I still had to make it to the store to pick up a couple items and I chanted the list in my head like a mantra….fly strips ( I seem to have a fruit fly problem in the kitchen!) and milk….fly strips and milk....fly strips and milk. On chaotic days like this one, I often find myself asking “Is this all there is? Fly strips and milk?!“ I keep imagining that I am just doing these mundane tasks until my real life starts. I am one of those moms who doesn’t work. I manage the kid’s schedules and activities, do all the grocery shopping and cooking, do all the laundry, all the cleaning, budget and bills, find time to volunteer several days a week at the kids’ school and yet somehow that isn’t considered working? And I find myself left with fly strips and milk! Then one day I was talking with a friend who has been extremely ill for over a year. I went to sit and visit with her and she said she felt so bad that all she did was lay in her home hospital bed and sleep all day. She couldn’t do even the most basic tasks like cook for her family or get the laundry done. And she said she missed those day to day tasks, the tasks that make up everyday life.

Later, I was reminded of something I hear often when I volunteer to help with art projects at the school. I hear the teachers commenting on how “it’s not the product, it’s the process.” Meaning it doesn’t matter how the project turns out as much as what you experienced through the process. It doesn’t have to be a perfect outcome, because it’s more about the journey itself. I am guessing that applies to life as well. While it’s sometimes a revelation to me that anyone would consider laundry to be paradise, it’s something to consider, nonetheless. Dryers breaking down and phones ringing off the hook and kids screaming and dogs barking…those are sometimes the things that make up the journey. And while hectic and mind boggling, they are most likely the things I would miss the most in the end. Things like fly strips and milk.

Quote of the Day- "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our 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 that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes." -Charles R. Swindoll

FYI-Fly strips DO work for fruit fly problems! Hooray!!

Our New and Updated Site at Heritage Makers

Look at us now!! Please take a look at the new and improved Heritage Makers site-use the link to the right. And you can try it out for 30 days free!! No strings! Now it is easier than ever to tell your stories, past, present and future using the online publisher. As a consultant, I will be happy to walk you through the easy process. I have seen other products out there that are similar to ours. But for virtually the same prices, Heritage Makers offers you so many more options for creativity-the choices are endless. And one very unique difference is that Heritage Makers is about the story..YOUR story, YOUR heritage, YOUR life...in words and pictures. Take a minute to see what we have to offer you!