Hail to the Veterans

For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This nation will remain the land of the free

only so long as it is the home of the brave.

Elmer Davis

The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace,

for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

General Douglas MacArthur

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.

Jose Narosky

{In war, there are no unwounded hearts.}

Alone, alone, — all, all alone;
Alone on a wide, wide sea.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Ancient Mariner, 1798

I can no other answer make, but thanks, and thanks.

William Shakespeare

And each man stands with his face in the light of his own drawn sword,

ready to do what a hero can.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Poems Before Congress, 1860

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?

George Canning

But this Veterans Day, I believe we should do more

than sing the praises of the bravery and patriotism

that our veterans have embodied in the past...

We should take this opportunity to re-evaluate how

we are treating our veterans in the present.

Nick Lampson

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all.

By uniting we stand; by dividing we fall.

John Dickinson

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

and

may God bless us, one and all

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If you haven't take the opportunity to sign up for my 1000th post blogiversary quilt giveaway, be sure to click here.

BIG Blogiversary and a Birthday Boy!

A week from today, I will celebrate my 1,000th-post blogiversary. This feels like a significant milestone, so I want to mark the day by reaching out to all of you who visit and comment here at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse. I value not only your readership but your friendship, and I appreciate both more than I can say.

Because mere words won't get the job done, I've decided to express my thanks through a giveaway...and I've given the prize quite a bit of thought. This 1,000th-post gift needs to be meaningful, something that represents the way I feel about the cool people who populate this little piece of the blogosphere with me. If I could offer all of you a hug, I would, but teleportation (sadly) is beyond my reach. Therefore, I will be presenting each of two winners with a handmade quilt, the closest thing to a hug that I can still send through the mail.

Pictured below are the quilts I have purchased for your prize-winning pleasure...one homespun and the other flowery. The first name drawn will (of course) choose first. (I'm glad you have to make that choice instead of me...I'd probably have to flip a coin.)

Okay. Let's get down to details. To enter (ie. to get your name in my big red bowl for the drawing), all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and be (or become) a follower. Easy, right?

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, November 16th, at 11:59 PM. The two winners will be announced a week from today (November 17th). Good luck everyone! And thanks again for being such GREAT readers.

I also need to shout out to my grandson Jeremiah,

who is 10 years old today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE!

(Kinda good-lookin', ain't he?)

click below for more B posts

No Regretro

I wanted to write a few words about gratitude today and ended up thinking more about my relative lack of that quality. Not that I never feel it, because I do––just not at the level (or with the frequency) my daily experience merits. It's true. Every time something traumatic happens in my life, the one thing I immediately realize is that I wasn't grateful enough for my circumstances as they existed before. Without fail, my appreciation for the status quo was out of sync with the quality and enormity of my blessings. In other words, I didn't realize how good I had it...until things got worse!

Needless to say, retroactive gratitude is a bust. Getting the best bang for your thankfulness buck means staying in the moment. Finding joy in the goodness of today is sweet. Grieving that lost goodness tomorrow? Not so much.

With that in mind, I submit the following list of things I am grateful for today, right now, this minute:

1. a Heavenly Father who listens to and leads me

2. a husband I would choose all over again

3. children who make me proud every day

4. adorable grandkids

5. extended family members and strong roots

6. enough close friends to fill my needs

7. enough really good friends to need me

8. the chance to serve a congregation of young adults

9. financial security

10. a comfortable, cozy home

11. beautiful, peaceful surroundings and 5 senses to enjoy them

12. good health for me and my loved ones (or good enough health)

I'll stop with an even dozen, but I could go on indefinitely. We are also blessed with spiritual gifts, and these enhance the quality of life immeasurably: intelligence, talents, curiosity, sense of humor, the ability to give and receive love...Again, I could go on forever.

This year, I will focus on being grateful every day and not in retrospect, enjoying life in full measure and mindfulness––from the small, steady things to the large, life-changing ones––complete with frequent stops to smell the roses (ever blooming) in between.

Lessons from My Grandkids

And you know what?

I think that...just maybe...

I've found one!

(photos of grandkids by tendershootz)

click here for more happiness

A Recap and a Thinking Cap

Last night, we filled a couple of rooms with young adults for a televised fireside by Boyd K. Packer. (We even lit our first two fires of the season to set the mood.) It looked as if Elder Packer's wise words on the subject of repentance were enjoyed by all, and I loved the opportunity to chat with everyone later.

The members of my husband's ward are great company, and we feel lucky to serve them. What's more, they make our empty nest a little less empty! Okay, a LOT less.

Today I plan to put on my thinking cap and get a bit of that Christmas mojo workin'. First, I'm gonna figure out what on earth we're giving everyone come December 25th. Next, I'll dive into my annual Christmas Eve story.

Happily, my very talented nephew is already writing a yuletide tale for our program (yes, he owes me!), but instead of using that as permission to bow out this year, I'm surprised to find myself wanting to dash one off anyway. It seems writing an annual tear-jerker has become part of my personal Christmas tradition. And to think I thought it was a chore! Who knew?

One thing's for sure. I will keep mine short so our family members won't OD on story-time. Maybe I'll even rhyme the thing to provide a change of pace...or make it a kid's one. (Hey, could be I'm getting some mileage out of this thinking cap already!)

;)

Reflections in Red

It's Saturday Centus day. I'm off to the temple again, so here's a quick stab at pairing Jenny's picture with a plot. In a hundred words, no less. And no more, either!

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Reflections in Red

Gazing out on all that red hair reminded Maggie of her own babies, Irish to the core and crowned to make of “carrot-top” an understatement.

“But carrot tops are green,” a voice insisted. Sean. He sounded grand, even in memory. Why did the darlin' boy not call more often? Ah well, it made each holiday the brighter, hearing from him.

She stared until the colors ran together…orange, red and gold as autumn…black, to shade her mood, at once bereft and with the passing years, accepting. How had they grown and slipped away so soon?

Sprinkling tears and faerie dust behind them.

∞§∞

The Road to a Good Friend is Never Long

Daily readers may have noticed I was MIA on Wednesday.

I spent time with a very dear friend, talking to our hearts' content.

Here's where we whiled away the hours.

And later, here.

The thing is, I can tell Linda anything.

Not only because I trust her not to share it.

But because I trust her to understand it.

Such a friend is a very good thing to have.

=)

Appreciating Autumn

Autumn is a feeling,

and it takes you for a ride.

It puts you in the driver's seat

and welcomes you inside.

Fall paints as many colors as

a rainbow, bright and bold,

and teaches you to find what's true

in orange, red, and gold.

It shows you what you're made of,

and the harvesting feels good.

Hard work is never wasted

when you've done the best you could.

To reap a great reward brings joy

and deep reflection, too.

The heart remembers all is well,

and love belongs to you.

As seasons come and seasons go,

every end is new.

=)

photos of grandkids by tendershootz

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