If you want to be happy, believe in Jesus Christ. What a marvelous opportunity we all have to light the world through celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I mean it when I say, believe in Him! Learn of Him and know him! Enjoy the most beautiful video depicting His birth, and share it with others who could use more joy and happiness in their lives. Watch it over and over and share it with your children, your family and friends to light their way this Christmas. If you truly want to be happy, then believe in Him. Enjoy, “The Christ Child” a new video about the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christ Child
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Monday, September 30, 2019
If you want 2 be happy, then give something away.
When I first heard the term, "If you want to be happy, give something away," my first, knee jerk reaction was .... it would make a person happier to keep it instead of giving it away. You'll have to understand that I was about 8 years old, and my Grandmother shared this story at Thanksgiving during our family Thanksgiving program. It became a family story that we would use for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for many years, I really didn't quite understand the concept of giving away.
Years passed, and I grew up, got married and began having children of my own. I wanted to instill in my children, traditions and especially holiday traditions. When Thanksgiving rolled around, I drew on my childhood memories of my Grandmother telling the story of how an old man made the entire town happy by giving something away, and by doing so, it made him happy as well as all the people who caught his vision and passed on the giving.
For years and years, I had thought that someone should write this story into a book, so finally in 2013, I took the message from my Grandmothers story, and elaborated on it, and wrote a Family/Children's book called, "If you want to be happy give something away". A publisher snapped it up and the rest was history. Unfortunately for me, the publisher went out of business, and that was the end of that. Everyone who read the book expressed that they thought the message was great and how they were going to incorporate it into their own family traditions.
This little book inspired this blog you are reading right now, and I want to share the rest of the story. My story, like I said is an elaboration of an old English Story that my grandmother had clipped out of some magazine in her childhood. There is a lot more history behind the story, that I won't elaborate on but as a grown-up, I came to love it just like my Grandmother. Its all about living a life and growing to understand just how happy serving others or giving away things, can make.
Since writing this book, I have come up with what would be a fabulous Hallmark movie or even a Downtown Abby type British Drama, that would really interest those of us who like to step back in time, to where things were much different, and where the aristocracy reigned. Its fun to look into the homes of the romantics where the women wore long flowing dresses, and had maids to clean their homes, and even attendants to dress them and do their hair. A time of hosting grand occasions, balls, and marrying into Aristocratic families. Anyway, my book is set in that time period, and it
tells the whole story of the main character as a child, born into a wealthy and titled family, yet because he was born with a physical disability, he was ignored, even by his own mother, and eventually his brother gained the birthright that should have been his. He survived, tolerated his childhood however his life wasn't the happiest until he had grown into a young man. He was in need of a new suit of clothes, so went into the village tailor's shoppe and noticed the tailors daughter working behind the partially drawn curtain.. This moment was what turned around his miserable and unhappy life. She was who set him on a course that lead up to the events in my book. This was his beginning of a new life of learning the true source of happiness, which he wasn't privileged even comprehend, living in his family home.
There's a lot more to this story, and I have the whole story, even the title... I just need to find someone who is interested to make it into a movie or mini series.
My life has been molded by giving parents. Parents who didn't have much but what they had they gave. My mother gave her children music, talent, and taught each of us, important life skills. My father worked hard to provide for our family, and we never knew how humble we were because we were rich in the things that mattered the most. Every year for Thanksgiving, my father would take the money he had saved up and buy 10 Turkeys to give away to widows, and families who needed them. We didn't know that we needed them because there was always a 24+ lb turkey dressed and baked, sitting on our Thanksgiving Table along with all the fixings. The same for Christmas, we weren't without. We were happy and I know that my mother and Father were happy too, for all they were able to give to those who were in more need than we were.
My father died in 2001, and my mother died just this past year of 2018, just after Thanksgiving. Little did we know that their frugal living provided an unexpected inheritance that they were able to pass on to their children. It wasn't insignificant for them, but beyond that, the best inheritance they passed on was the gift of happiness, and knowing from how happiness is gained. It's not from the getting but from the giving. I could go on and on, but will close with, "If you want to be happy, give something away."
For years and years, I had thought that someone should write this story into a book, so finally in 2013, I took the message from my Grandmothers story, and elaborated on it, and wrote a Family/Children's book called, "If you want to be happy give something away". A publisher snapped it up and the rest was history. Unfortunately for me, the publisher went out of business, and that was the end of that. Everyone who read the book expressed that they thought the message was great and how they were going to incorporate it into their own family traditions.
This little book inspired this blog you are reading right now, and I want to share the rest of the story. My story, like I said is an elaboration of an old English Story that my grandmother had clipped out of some magazine in her childhood. There is a lot more history behind the story, that I won't elaborate on but as a grown-up, I came to love it just like my Grandmother. Its all about living a life and growing to understand just how happy serving others or giving away things, can make.
Since writing this book, I have come up with what would be a fabulous Hallmark movie or even a Downtown Abby type British Drama, that would really interest those of us who like to step back in time, to where things were much different, and where the aristocracy reigned. Its fun to look into the homes of the romantics where the women wore long flowing dresses, and had maids to clean their homes, and even attendants to dress them and do their hair. A time of hosting grand occasions, balls, and marrying into Aristocratic families. Anyway, my book is set in that time period, and it
tells the whole story of the main character as a child, born into a wealthy and titled family, yet because he was born with a physical disability, he was ignored, even by his own mother, and eventually his brother gained the birthright that should have been his. He survived, tolerated his childhood however his life wasn't the happiest until he had grown into a young man. He was in need of a new suit of clothes, so went into the village tailor's shoppe and noticed the tailors daughter working behind the partially drawn curtain.. This moment was what turned around his miserable and unhappy life. She was who set him on a course that lead up to the events in my book. This was his beginning of a new life of learning the true source of happiness, which he wasn't privileged even comprehend, living in his family home.
There's a lot more to this story, and I have the whole story, even the title... I just need to find someone who is interested to make it into a movie or mini series.
My life has been molded by giving parents. Parents who didn't have much but what they had they gave. My mother gave her children music, talent, and taught each of us, important life skills. My father worked hard to provide for our family, and we never knew how humble we were because we were rich in the things that mattered the most. Every year for Thanksgiving, my father would take the money he had saved up and buy 10 Turkeys to give away to widows, and families who needed them. We didn't know that we needed them because there was always a 24+ lb turkey dressed and baked, sitting on our Thanksgiving Table along with all the fixings. The same for Christmas, we weren't without. We were happy and I know that my mother and Father were happy too, for all they were able to give to those who were in more need than we were.
My father died in 2001, and my mother died just this past year of 2018, just after Thanksgiving. Little did we know that their frugal living provided an unexpected inheritance that they were able to pass on to their children. It wasn't insignificant for them, but beyond that, the best inheritance they passed on was the gift of happiness, and knowing from how happiness is gained. It's not from the getting but from the giving. I could go on and on, but will close with, "If you want to be happy, give something away."
Thursday, September 26, 2019
If you want to be happy, then learn how to forgive
A friend of mine gave me some what she called "unsolicited advice." I wish I could remember the circumstance for this advice, but it was something I have never forgotten. She said, "God made our shoulders round, so things could roll off, and not have to stack up." This has gotten me through a lot of challenges that life has offered to me. The more we let problems, hurts, and more stack up, the more we are weighted down. It is so much better for us to learn how to forgive and forget, because it is the only way to live and be happy.
So my friends, if you want to be happy, then learn how to forgive. Enjoy!
Katie G
If you want to be happy, SMILE... even if you have wonky teeth!
A few years ago, I made up a cute poster and post titled, "If you want to be happy, then Smile." I thought about this just today and revisited that poster, and I wanted to add a little dialogue to it.
There are a lot of reasons why people don't smile. My own husband, as he aged, didn't want his teeth to show, because they had begun cracking and chipping, and he didn't like to show them. When he'd smile, it would look like a half hearted effort to smile, with a closed mouth. I missed his smile, and I realized he was hiding his teeth. I could commiserate with him because all while I was growing up, especially during Junior High and High School, I would do my best to smile and hide my very crooked teeth.
I had a very wonky tooth, and it was right in the middle of my mouth. My parents were of humble means and couldn't provide braces on my teeth for me, so I did all I could to not show them. I remember in my older years in grade school, a friend and neighbor of mine, got braces on her teeth. Then another got braces on her teeth, yet I needed them more than both of them put together, and never got them. I remember at times pretending I had braces, by twisting a wire paper clip into the arch shape of braces, and putting it in my mouth, pretending I had braces. This is how badly I wanted and needed them.
When I got into Junior High, I was pretty shy, but eventually I got over that shyness, and nobody seemed to be focused on my crooked teeth but me. Then High School came, and I tried out for Cheerleader and made it, and nobody said a word to me about my crooked and wonky tooth. I still figured out a way to smile, without my teeth showing to the point that my crooked tooth wasn't noticeable. I smiled that way in all my class photos, and all was well until my mother entered me into the Miss Teenage Utah Pageant. I just knew that I would be judged negatively for my crooked teeth, so I spent hours and hours practicing how to smile, looking head on, turning my head to the side and worked hard at disguising the fact that I had a very wonky tooth. All went well the
days of the pageant, until about 10 minutes before I was to go into my judges interview. I was ready, until one girl came up to me and asked me why I never got braces. She said that she got them when she was younger, and it really helped and her teeth were much more wonky than mine. She went on and on, totally destroying the confidence and good energy I had built up, about being in front of the judges, and ran into the bathroom to have a good cry. It only took her few thoughtless words to destroy my confidence. I knew I should have had braces and would have had so much more confidence in myself, if I felt my smile looked better.
I guess fate played a dirty trick on the girl who made me cry, because she didn't even place in the Miss Teenage Utah contest, but I did. I won first runner up to Miss Teenage Utah, and First runner up in the Speech contest... "What's right with America". You should have seen my dad's face when it was only myself and the queen, standing up in front of the spectators and supporters. He said he didn't know how in the world he and Mom would make it to the Miss Teenager USA in Georgia, if I had won. I came home with a trophy almost as tall as myself and I have to say that this gave me a confidence boost. I did enter a couple other contests, and consistently won 1st runner up.
Two of the contests, I was given a copy of the Judging sheets, and I will never forget what I read from one of the Judges. He said, "If she had straight teeth, she would have been queen." Another contest, the comments were..."Teeth need straightening, but only two more votes would have made her queen. I knew it was true, but I had no control of getting my wonky teeth fixed. My hopes were that one day, I would get my teeth fixed, and would live happily ever after.
Some years later, I met and married the man of my dreams, my Prince Charming, and my knight in shinning armor. A few years later, he told me that I should make an appointment with the orthodontist for braces for my teeth. You'd think I had won the lottery, and he knew how much it meant to me to get my teeth fixed, even though he loved me in spite of them. I got braces, as a married woman, when I had several children. I had to wear them for about 5 years, but I wore them proudly, as a badge of honor and was so happy when it was finally time to take them off.
One of the first things I realized was that I could smile a full smile, and not have to cover up my teeth. I also realized that it was a big sacrifice for my husband to make so I could rebuild my own self esteem. I also realized that beauty is only skin deep, and instead of focusing on what got me to win 3 contests, my inner beauty was what was being judged and not my teeth.
Now to wrap this up.... and back to the beginning of my story, my dear husband had much more issues with his worn out teeth. He'd joke and say his teeth were horse teeth, and through he joked, I knew he was disguising how he really felt, because I had been there, and done that. It was time, and he needed to smile a big smile and feel good about himself too. We made an appointment and to make a longer story shorter, he got 12 of this teeth crowned, and they look great. He feels so much better about himself too, and I have noticed a definite change in him. She smiles a whole lot more.
It wasn't just about teeth in both of these stories. Both of us overlooked the imperfections in each other and loved each other, no matter how wonky or worn our teeth were. This made our love grow even stronger, because we each put a smile on the others face, one that wasn't disguised, but a big toothy smile.
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