Wednesday Wisdom

BANK ACCOUNT!!!

What are you saving these days?

This is an AWESOME story... my friend sent it to me this week... I think you will enjoy reading it. The advice in it is something we should all remember and incorporate it into our hearts and attitudes.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly,even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind.

I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account.

You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing.

'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

(I will give you the 5 rules he listed and then put in my two cents worth under each rule)

1. Free your heart from hatred.

When I was 7 my father ran off with a teenage girl throwing our life into shambles. We became the scandal of our small New Mexico town and my mom and I were thrown into poverty. From that day on my mom had to work very hard for very little wages. I was left alone much of the time because she could not afford a sitter. I hated my father for doing that to us. I hated seeing my sweet mom work so hard for so little. I hated not having a father to be there for me like most of my friends had. I had a cold spot in my heart that bore down on me with a heavy weight.

My mom wisely told me that I needed to forgive my father. She said that I should feel sorry for him for making bad decisions....she said that it was sad that he was on a path that would only bring him grief and that he was missing the joy of being my father... she said that I should pray for him. She said hating him only added to my grief. She said that I was too good a person to carry hate in my heart.

It took me a long time to be able to take her advice..... in fact I was an adult before I could forgive him..... but I did... and when I did it was such a blessing to me. It was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. My mom was so wise and she was right. A loving heart has no room for hate.

2. Free your mind from worries.

Do the best you can and then give your worries to the Lord and trust He will guide your life. God's timing is not the same as our timing. It is sometimes hard for me to be patient and trusting but I know my Heavenly Father loves each of us and He is there for us. I can lay my burdens at His feet and He will take my yolk upon Himself and support me.

3. Live simply.

My son David served his mission for the LDS church in Argentina. My daughter Erin has been going to Ghana Africa for years working with the deaf children there. Both Erin and David have commented about how happy the people are in those countries. People who are poor and have almost nothing compared to our American standards are so happy and content. I think that we can learn a lesson from them. We don't need things to make us happy.

We just need to love the Lord and our fellowmen and live simply within our means to be happy.

4.. Give more.

The best way to overcome our sorrows is to give service to others.

I know from experience that when I have had the greatest reasons to grieve comfort came when I was able to reach out to others in their need. Service is a blessing to the receiver and the giver. A while after our baby died my mom told me to wipe my tears and look for others who needed love and help. It was great advice. It gave me my life back.... and I started smiling again.

5. Expect less.

When we concentrate on what we can give, instead of what we can get, we are much happier people.

...

I think these 5 rules are good advice. I am glad my friend sent them to me I will try to follow them.

I am happy today....

I got to have a video call with my sweet Argentine friend Luis.

My son David met Luis while he was on his mission to Argentina.

Luis came as a boy of 17 to visit us in the states and stayed with us for a while.

We love him and I was so happy to get to speak to him face to face. His blog is in Spanish but if you go to it you can click on a link on his sidebar for the English version. Go visit him. He is serving as a full time missionary for his church. He is not of my faith but he has great insight to share with you.

I also got to visit my friend Sil this week and instance message with Marie.

I am blessed.... and I have decided to be happy today.

I wish you a happy day too.

Love, Lura