July 31, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
Seems I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like I’m the one who’s in control, so I’ve hung on very tightly, fearing what could happen if I were to let go. Always felt that my beliefs shouldn’t impinge on what you might believe and had an attitude of “Live and Let Live”. Truly, not a bad one, but I didn’t feel responsible or strong enough to share faith, let alone to feel its existence in my life. One great thing about getting older, and yes, there are a few things that are great about getting older, along with experience and time, comes wisdom.
Today’s task is to seek the wisdom, find the faith, and hang onto that, knowing that with faith, EVERYTHING is possible. The only other option available if you don’t choose faith–is fear. And, I’m sorry, but that choice scares me. How ’bout you?
So, today, take a leap, choose faith, not fear. I dare you! Think you’re tough enough to take the challenge? I know you are! And so am I! Faith can move mountains. Faith can climb mountains. See you at the top. I’ll be waiting for you there. Don’t let me down. If you are already wiser than I, you are indeed my hero and I’m ready to learn from your efforts. Fill me in. I will be giving extra credit today if you choose to share the message with just one person–or many. As always, the choice is yours. You are the Best and good things are coming your way. And today will be filled with a choice to be happy, no matter the circumstance. Have faith. I have faith in you! Make me proud!
July 28, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
Today’s challenge is to be really tough on yourself to be patient. Everyone wants instant gratification–and yes, we want it NOW! Customers want product NOW! We want a reward for hard work NOW! We want success NOW! We want to lose that weight NOW! We want to be in shape–NOW! But all of these prizes take lots of small steps to achieve. Remember, Rome wasn’t build in a day.
Think you’re tough enough to take the challenge? Think you can keep striving toward your goal day and day–even if some days you only achieve baby steps–other days a giant step? Must admit I want it all NOW and I get frustrated when I don’t see a change from day to day. Let’s take a minute to think back to a year ago. How far have you come? Are you a better person? Do you appreciate every day? Do you share your wealth, whether it’s money or resources or talents? Have you made a goal and charted a path to achieve it? Or more than one? Does your life have balance? Time for all the parts–career–family–friends? If you can say yes to any of these questions, you are indeed my hero. And if you can say that you have reached a goal, you are my hero! You are the Best and good things are coming your way. And today will be filled with plenty of opportunities to continue on the path you’ve started or a chance to renew your goals or make some new ones. Take my hand! Let’s get going–NOW! Make me proud!
July 25, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
Tastes change immensely from childhood to adulthood. Every fall when I was growing up, we went to my Grandmother’s house for a clam bake. Clams and chicken and corn-on-the-cob were my favorites. Okay, maybe I only ate just one clam early on–kind of reminded me of bubble gum and I could make it last all day. I now love clams, though clam bakes are unheard of where I now live. Rather sad to my way of thinking and perhaps a tradition I’ll need to start in this area. I know it would catch on quickly. Great food, good company, and lots of fun!
Every Sunday after church when I was growing up, we would go to the Chinese restaurant and we children would always have our favorite Chinese food–bacon and eggs–can’t believe those parents of mine told me bacon and eggs was Chinese. Real Chinese food is now one of my favorites, whether we go out for it or pick it up and bring it home. I’ve eaten Chinese food with chopsticks, but never right out of the box.
I’ll admit that it took me a long time to get used to pork and sauerkraut–a New Year’s tradition to bring you good luck for the year. I did like the applesauce, however. I now enjoy pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and applesauce on occasion. Never have gotten to like the taste of beer or wine all that much. Reminds me of drinking vinegar–and in case you didn’t know it, I don’t like sour foods or sour people or sour faces. Some things haven’t changed from then til now.
Going to McDonald’s for a hamburger and fries became a weekly tradition on Friday nights when I was growing up–and nothing was super-sized, and my Dad did get lots of change back. I’ve sworn off the drive-thru’s these days in the hopes of living lots more years to see and enjoy my grandchildren and enjoy watching them try new taste-treats. My Mom made sure we had a varied life as far as opportunities to try new and different foods and my Dad’s rule was that you had to try everything, but that you didn’t have to like everything–a good rule and one I’ve carried over to my girls.
So, today’s challenge is to remember to try new things, whether it’s food or opportunities or sports or challenges. Think you’re tough enough to taste an oyster or stuffed grape leaves, garlic or a hot pepper? How ’bout a new hobby or tennis or a new board or card game or a book on a topic you’ve never explored? Whether you choose to take a baby step or a giant leap, the choice is up to you. I will be giving extra credit today if you choose to try two new things or get someone else to join you in this endeavor. Now if you are already living life on the edge and trying everything new that you can, you are indeed my hero! You are the Best and good things and tastes and adventures are coming your way. Take a bite!!! Make me proud!!!
July 24, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
Don’t you wish you had the wonderful memory of a 3-year old? If you’ve ever read bedtime stories to children, you will understand what I’m talking about. Children seem to have a few choice books that they request you read to them–OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Been there? Done that? I think everyone has. There are still some children’s storybooks that I could recite to you even today without the book in the hand. How ’bout you? Where the Wild Things Are! Good Night, Moon! Sound familiar? To me too! And yet, while you get pretty good at reading them over and over again, you sometimes get a little bored and tired and try to shorten the story by skipping a page or two.
Now, your children can be half asleep, (you can sometimes hear them lightly snoring), but when you skip that page, they stop you and make you go back and start where you made the fatal error of not seeing that two pages were “stuck” together. I even had a silly dog puppet named Smedley that read stories to my girls just once–and became a staple of every book after that. If you remember Huckleberry Hound from the cartoons I grew up with, you’ll have an idea of how Smedley spoke. He was supposed to have a slow southern drawl, but the best effort I could muster might have been lacking just a bit. I tried my best, but I don’t claim to be a very good impressionist. Thank goodness my girls weren’t very tough judges.
And when I was tuckered out, Daddy would sometimes offer to save me the trip upstairs to tuck in the girls. Now, lucky me, my girls would “let” him tuck them in, but they then insisted on ”saving” me the top cover. Never did get that break. You know that tucking process is a scientific one and has to be done “just right” or you’ll never get to sleep, right? There’s lots of things in this life that I’m not good at, but I am a professional “tucker inner”. And for those occasions where it’s not possible to fall asleep after even the best tucking-in efforts, there is the magic kiss on your forehead which causes instanteous slumber–sometimes while I was still doing the kissing.
Today’s task is to remember the importance of taking the time to create some memories for the loved ones in your lives. You might not realize the importance of what you do each and every day until you hear the somewhat grown-up children discussing their memories of storybooks and Smedley, magic “sleep” kisses and you. Think you’re tough enough to take challenge? Give your time! It’s priceless and the memories you create will be invaluable to the children–and to You! You are the Best and good things are coming your way. And tonight, I wish you a great story at bedtime, someone to tuck you in, and a magic kiss on your forehead. Good Night, Moon!
July 23, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
“Do what you can–with what you have–where you are.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
Can we talk? You know you can trust me with your secrets. What is it that you dream of doing, of being? Come on–don’t be bashful. I promise–I won’t tell anyone. And if it’s important to you, do you practice it now? If you have a dream of being an actor, a writer, a chef, a magician–whatever it is, take some time today to work on it. Write something–a little bit every day. Take a class. Read a book. Watch a DVD or listen to a CD. Meet with someone who does what you’d like to do and ask them some questions. What’s keeping you from the dream? Think it’s too much work to get there in a day? How about getting there a day at a time–step by step? Start in the direction of your dreams.
Today’s task is to take a minute to think about where you want to spend your future or your off-time hours. I challenge you to take a minute to write down the dream and slide it into the back of your wallet. In your head, it’s just a dream, but on that piece of paper, it takes shape. Don’t have any idea how you’ll get there? Take just one step in that direction, and I promise, slow but sure, day by day, you will get closer–visualize and say what it is you want to do (like I said–to start, it’s just you and me or just you and the bathroom mirror). Take a chance. Be brave. Have courage! After all, courage is being afraid, but doing it anyway. Think you’re tough enough to join me in my quest to live the dream? I know you are–and so am I! Here’s to your bright and shining future–and mine. Take a step. Don’t waste a minute. I’ll see you there. Don’t make me wait. You are the Best and good things are coming your way. Make me proud!!!
‘The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” ~Abraham Lincoln
July 15, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he
handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and
tangled Christmas tree lights.” ~Unknown
What is character? What is integrity? Are you strong enough to act exactly the same whether someone is watching you or not? Do you allow some simple things to affect your mood, your spirit, to make your day turn sour? Would you let a few raindrops spoil your parade? Don’t think I allow the weather to affect my mood on any given day. True, some days, it makes life a bit more difficult, especially if you’re traveling, driving or flying. Don’t do too much flying myself, but somehow, when I do, I always seem to be the one whose luggage gets more of a vacation than I do. Let it spoil my trip? No way! I’ve learned to be flexible on even the toughest of occasions, though I might fall apart for just a moment or two (or three), but then I get on with my life.
Now, I’ll admit to winning against the rain and against even the lost luggage, but can we talk about tangled Christmas tree lights? They are, indeed, the very worst thing I can imagine. And who determined that since they didn’t put the lights away right, it was MY job to fix the problem? That’s just wrong! Think I’ll have to make sure my schedule is free the next time the decorations are being put away. Lots easier to do it right then.
So, today’s task is to take a minute to look at the situations that you allow to affect your mood, your spirit, your behavior. Are you a man or a woman filled with great character and integrity? Are you someone who takes a bad situation and makes it better–or takes a bad situation and runs with it–making everyone around you miserable listening to your ranting and raving, whining and complaining? Think you’re tough enough to do it right? I know you are. You are the Best and good things are coming your way. And just in case those Christmas lights should happen to be tangled up when you find them this year, just thought I’d mention the great pre-Christmas sales. Meet me at the store. I think luggage might be on sale, as well. Sure hope it’s not raining. What do you think? Make me proud!
July 8, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
“I shall pass through this life but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature. Let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.” ~Etienne DeGrellet
Did you ever notice that when you get sick–really sick–like in the hospital sick–it suddenly puts all of your priorities in order? Real quick, too, huh? Suddenly, those important tasks that you just HAD to do don’t seem so very important anymore, do they? Been there, too. Done that, as well. But it seems that it doesn’t take us very long to get back to the normal routine of our lives and get so busy that we forget what those real priorities are. Don’t forget them! Every minute is precious and we need to make the absolute best use possible of each minute!
So, today’s task is to do the things that you mean to do, when you get a minute. Those minutes never come. Do the things that you mean to do NOW! Take the time to talk to people, friends, family, and even people you don’t even know. You never know when that opportunity may cease to exist. You can’t go back in time and make up for those lost opportunities. Be kind! Be gentle! Be caring! Offer your assistance! Offer your time! Offer your heart! You won’t be sorry–and neither will I. As always, I’d never expect you to do something that I, MYSELF, wasn’t willing to do. You are the Best and good things are coming your way. And today will be filled with plenty of opportunities to do it right! Don’t waste a minute! Make me proud!
July 8, 2008 - Posted by Anne- 0 Comments
NEED I SAY MORE? Probably not, but this quote was in one of the silly, but funny emails that one of my friends passed on to me. It’s like chocolate! How could we resist it. And how very true–we’ve got the only chocolate in the milky way–maybe we haven’t looked close enough–that Milky Way sounds like chocolate to me.
When Valerie was little, we used to tease that she was an alien from another planet, because she always came up with the most unusual ideas and did crazy things that just made us smile. One day, Bob said something about her being from another planet, and her tiny voice piped from in the other room, “We come in peace.” If you’re going to be an alien, Valerie is exactly the alien everyone would want you to be. Now that I think about it, I’ll have to ask her if chocolate is found on the planet she came from. Maybe not–maybe that’s why she stays here.
Today’s task is to remember to use the planet’s resources wisely. Don’t waste them. Our children and our children’s children will be without if we can’t do a better job of conserving and renewing the resources that we have. You are the Best and conservation is coming your way–except when it comes to chocolate. Think you’re tough enough to take the challenge? I know you are. And today will be filled with plenty of opportunities to explore the world and beyond–and go in peace. Make me proud!
Don’t forget to order some copies of those Anne Brentar books–Now available at amazon.com. Type in brentar and you will find both Coffee with Anne and Find the Key to your Success. The perfect gift for anyone you care about and a great gift to yourself, as well. Or better yet, buy them 2 at a time–one for you and one to pass on to a friend! You won’t be sorry! They’re going to be the Christmas gift to send! Order early!!!
