Magical

Over the weekend I was at a church rummage sale and the group that put it on must have worked very long and hard as the articles for sale were placed out on long tables, clean, neat, organized and priced for sale. I hope they were very successful. I found my way to the books and was lucky to find a few westerns for my neighbor Jim, although I did send him over a book on true stories about ship wrecks which I hoped would keep his mind occupied for a week or two. There were a couple of my favorite story tellers and one small hard back book called "The Dash". I smiled and picked it up and held it for a second, then opened it to scan. It was like meeting an old friend as I receive e-mails almost daily from Mac Anderson and his "Simple Truths". It is an inspiring and wonderful way to start my day. Basically he sells books and writes a few. The pictures are worth the price of the book and the DVD is a boon for you to replay the stories, especially when you feel the need of a quiet reminder that life is for living. The back cover of this book has a quote by Joseph Epstein, "We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents, or the country of our birth. We do not, most of us, chose to die: nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within the realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live." That is what "Dash" is all about. It starts off talking about a man who spoke at the funeral of a friend and referred to the dates on her tombstone. He talked of the dates on the stone, one for her birth, the other for her death and the dash between the dates was really the most important as it was the time she lived. It is a beautiful book with a beautiful message and I wish I could share it with all of you.




We have a tendency to forget that today is all we have. and how we use our day is our own choice. There is not one person who has reached 'old' age that will tell you that life is a bowl of cherries, it is more like a bowl of pits as the good stuff is gone and all that is left are memories . . . but don't get maudlin, memories are good for us as we can sit back and relive some of the best times of our lives and even some of the worst . . . a time to share those memories so pickup that sharpened pencil, or pen, and start a journal of your own. It doesn't matter if you cannot spell, punctuate or have the correct syntax . . . what matters is how you are using your DASH.



So today, the start of your new week, put on your thinking cap. There has to be a list of things on your mind that you want to do, so prioritize your priorities and whittle them down to size, think about what makes you feel good about yourself and fill your 'dash' with love and laughter. There is no guarantee it will be easy, but you have the power to try and make it so. I'm off to light a candle or two, hunt for a real true juicy tomato for my salad, find a piece or two of that puzzle on my dining room table and later I think I'll take my daughter Patricia out for some fish tacos . . . a good way to use up some of my 'dash' . . . and, although I am not a bookseller or want or need to push "Simple Truths", I cannot see where it would do anyone any harm to find their way to positive thoughts, so, if you find you are in need of a 'hug' go to, www.simpletruths.com. Hugs to all.