Daily Ramblings – Free Writing Friday – Memorial Day Weekend

Tags

Armed Forces, free writing, Friday, Gratitude, History, Homage, Memorial Day, Thanks, Tribute, Weekend

Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms and way of life. It is a solemn day, and is typically a day where cemeteries are visited, speeches are given, and homage is paid around the world to all of the men and women who died for the freedoms many countries enjoy today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

Arlington cemetery is an awe-inspiring cemetery, where many of our fallen heroes are buried. There are also many cemeteries in the Pacific Islands, Normandy France, and even parts of Italy. Wherever we fought, there are those that are buried there and celebrated by the local townsfolk, whose lives were transformed by the young boys who died fighting in their towns and backyards.

Many of you have relatives who served, who died, or are currently serving in one of the Armed Forces today. You know how special this weekend is.

Happy Memorial Day, all.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Free Writing Friday – Happiness

Tags

family, Friends, Gratitude, Happiness, Helping Others, intrinsic, Love, Service

I read an article in Nice News (Here’s the link: https://nicenews.com/culture/what-happiest-people-have-in-common-survey/). The article was about a survey that sought out things that people who designated themselves as either pretty happy or very happy across the United States. They found that friendships and involvement in the community were key factors. Interestingly, happiness was not due to a person’s wealth.

I have found over the years that happiness is a state of mind. I am the person who decides to be happy or sad. It really is an intrinsic thing. At least for me. The folks who I know that are only happy when things external to them make them happy, are not happy at all. They are unhappy if the weather is bad, their job is not working out, or some other external thing. They chase happiness only to find out that what they thought would make them happy–didn’t.

I am very happy with my life. I have the privilege of helping out my folks and spending time with them in their senior years. I have a great wife. I have awesome siblings. I am also very happy when I get the opportunity to teach others, play games with others, and serve others when they need some help. When I do for others, my happiness increases dramatically. It’s a feeling that can’t be bought. It is like a wave of love comes back when you give of yourself to someone else. It’s hard to explain.

If you’re unhappy, cultivate happiness by just being happy. I know this may seem like an insurmountable task, but it really is just that simple. We decide to be happy or sad or angry or guilty. It is all a state of mind.

Well, that’s all I got for today, folks. I hope all of you have a terrific Friday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Oprah Winfrey

Tags

Character, failure, Gratitude, inspiration, Integrity, Oprah Winfrey, Women's History Month

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

Oprah Winfrey

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

Oprah Winfrey

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.

Oprah Winfrey

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.

Oprah Winfrey

There aren’t many people who do not recognize Oprah Winfrey. Here’s her Wikipedia link to learn even more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Have a great Wednesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Sunday – The Gift of Life

Tags

God, Gratitude, Heart, Life, Love, Power, Simple Things, spirituality, Sunday

We have the greatest gift there is: the gift of life. And what we do from here on is up to us.

Sri Harold Klemp-Love—The Keystone of Life

Life is what we make of it. Some go through life feeling like everyone is against them, that they don’t get any breaks, have no luck, etc. Others, regardless of their circumstances find beauty in the simple things, know that all is taken care of, and are grateful for all life has to give.

One life is more interested in power, while the other is more interested in love. Can you guess which is which?

There is a blogger I follow that puts up the most wonderful pictures of trees in here area. There is another blogger I follow that takes pictures of her morning walks and all the wildlife that happen to be available for a photo op. These pictures are what they see. I can tell that both of these women look at the world with love. Each blog we visit opens up a special part of that person’s heart. People write and speak about what they love. Another blogger I follow is very crafty, she has all kinds of travels throughout the year, depicting the various projects she is working on, and all the things she does with family, her dogs, and her art. It is a treasure to share in each of these women’s experiences.

Have you ever taken a walk and then instead of looking at the broadness of the landscape, taken a moment to crouch down and look at something very small, like a dewdrop on a blade of grass? I often wonder if that dewdrop captures all of the landscape around it like a wide-angle lens?

Some days I wake up and all is right with the world. It is hard to explain, but you can just feel the love come in from everywhere and everything. There’s a story of a young Indian boy who lives in absolute squaller. He is happy and running about the large piles of garbage in his neighborhood. A man walks up and asks, “Why are you so happy, running around in the garbage and the dung?” The boy replies, “God is everything, even the garbage and dung I play in.” The wisdom in this story is wondrous.

Living a life of love means we simply live our lives, without trying to exert our will on anything to make it different than what it is. We don’t try to tell others how to live their lives, we simply live and be ourselves. A life of love is a life of gratitude–gratitude for all things that are and nothing more.

Here’s a question for you to think about: Do I live a life of love or power?

I hope all of you have a wonderful Sunday.

May the blessings be!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Thanksgiving Countdown

Tags

Christmas, family, Friends, Good Food, Good times, Gratitude, Happiness, Holidays, New Years, passion, recharge, Relaxation, Thanksgiving

Ooh! Pumpkin pie, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and all the rest await! It’s going to be a great Thanksgiving this year, like every year. I’ll be making the final grocery run tomorrow and I always end up getting more than we need.

I’m not much of a football fan, so I don’t watch the games, nor do I watch the parades. I used to when I was a kid, but now, I just enjoy hanging out and doing whatever. I’ll be doing a little gaming, reading, hanging out with the family, and eating a truckload of food, on and off all day long.

I decided today would be my last posting for the year, other than my holiday postings. I was going to continue all the way to the end of the month, but decided it was time to just shut things down for the rest of 2022. It’s been a great year, folks.

I’ve made some great friends here, that I would not have met anywhere else. So here’s a shameless plug for their blogs, in case you are interested:

https://kmallan.com/ – K.M. Allan is an Australian YA author. Her Blackbirch series is terrific. If you’re thinking of writing a book, she provides all kinds of tips, tricks, and real-world experience writing and publishing a book. She mailed me a copy of her first book, which was not cheap, and I so appreciate her.

https://tierneycreates.com/ – Enjoy crafting? Check out this blog for anything related to quilting, travel to cool places, and even some postings from one of her creations. Her husband is also quite the craftsman.

https://joannaoftheforest.wordpress.com/ – If you want some great pictures of the outdoors and enjoy reading articles that are happy and interesting, you’ll want to check out here postings.

I consider all three of these bloggers friends, because they always respond to my blog postings and we have had some interesting interactions.

Well, folks. I hope all of you have a terrific holiday season and get some time with friends, family, and your favorite hobbies. I’ll be doing what I love–gaming, reading, and writing. I’ll also be making some decisions about some daily postings that I’ve done this year, that I may change up, just to keep things fresh and help me explore new areas that I have not dove into before.

Happy Holidays, folks.

See you in 2023!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – The First Thanksgiving

Tags

Call of Duty, Contentment, Grateful, Gratitude, History, Holiday, Thanksgiving, Warzone

I found this video on YouTube liked it. I always try to pick short videos to respect your time. There were others that were an hour + if viewing. I like watching videos like this and so many others, depicting the first Thanksgiving. Obviously, there are a lot of perspectives on Thanksgiving nowadays.

I choose the perspective of giving thanks for what we have. Cherishing what we have is a terrific way to look at our lives. Think about the access to information, music, entertainment, and so many other things. In most cases these are free or inexpensively priced. I’m grateful for my health, my family, and for all the good in my life.

I am grateful for the ability to make friends with people all over the world. I have a friend who is an author in Australia. I have a blogger friend in South Carolina and another in Colorado. I met all of these people online and they are just terrific people that add value to my life, by exposing me to their stories, their point of view, and their talent.

So, as we get closer to Thanksgiving, take a few moments and count your blessings. Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be about what is described in the above video. It simply is a time to take account of what you have in your life that is good. When you concentrate on these things, you naturally feel better.

Well, that’s it for today, folks.

Here’s a shameless plug for Call of Duty MW2. The new Warzone 2 will be coming out tomorrow and it looks absolutely sick. Water mechanics are in, new vehicles, a huge map, and all kinds of new game play, including DMZ, which should be really cool to play. They’ve also added proximity chat, so that means you can communicate with opposing teams and even join them! HUGE!!

Well, now I’m done.

Have a great Tuesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Thanksgiving

Tags

Bombeck, Conant, Grateful, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Thoreau, Van Dyke, Ward

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.

William Arthur Ward

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.

Erma Bombeck

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.

Henry David Thoreau

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.

Henry Van Dyke

My most memorable meal is every Thanksgiving. I love the food: the turkey and stuffing; the sweet potatoes and rice, which come from my mother’s Southern heritage; the mashed potatoes, which come from my wife’s Midwestern roots; the Campbell’s green-bean casserole; and of course, pumpkin pie.

Douglas Conant

You probably noticed that I’m deviating from my normal one author them. I’ll be collecting quotes from everywhere that are related to Thanksgiving this month. I hope you enjoy them!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Sunday – The Power of Gratitude

Tags

comfortable, Content, Contentment, Eckankar, Grateful, Gratitude, Happy, spirituality, Sunday

Happy Sunday!

Gratitude is one of the acts that can bring us huge rewards. Gratitude brings us to a place of contentment where we realize we have enough. We’re okay. We have enough clothes. We have enough food. We have a comfortable living space. We have a reliable way to get around.

Here’s another free e-booklet from ECKANKAR that discusses the spiritual aspects of Gratitude. Enjoy!

Click to access The-Power-of-Gratitude_ebooklet.pdf

#Free booklet

I hope you enjoy this one.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

May the blessings be!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Counting Our Blessings

Tags

Blessings, Eric Hoffer, Grateful, Gratitude, Monday, Mood, motivation, Simple Things

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

Eric Hoffer

I have touched on this topic before, but thought it was appropriate to attend to it again. The topic: Gratitude Journaling. We all know that much of our motivation is tied to our attitudes and moods. What better way to cheer ourselves up than to write down all the things we are grateful for. The really important ones are those things we take for granted.

Expressing gratitude for a warm bed, a roof over your head, plenty of food, and good health are good ones to start with. Another thing to think about are the people in your life and how they bring you joy. When was the last time you wrote down how grateful you were for your significant other? It’s so easy to get mired in the day-to-day doldrums and monotonous schedules we gravitate to just to make a living.

Starting a gratitude journal is pretty easy. You write down a date and write down 2 or 3 things you are grateful for. Try to think of different things each day. If you have to repeat, no problem. The key is to just spend a few moments thinking about how good life really is, when you think about it.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Thanks!

Tags

Blogging, Contributing, Friends, Funny Friday, Gratitude, Readers, Reading, Sharing, Thanks

All, I’m taking a little break from the funny videos today, to express my thanks to my readers and all the new followers of Daily Ramblings. When I started blogging in 2016, I had no idea what this was about. Now that Daily Ramblings has been up for a while, I am still amazed by the folks on this platform. So much talent!

It is also terrific to peer into your lives, for a few minutes each day and see what you are up to. The pictures you post, the stories you tell, the neat “finds” you share, are all a wonderful part of this special place.

I hope each of you have a terrific weekend. Thanks for reading, sharing, and following. This has truly been a positive blessing in my life and I look forward to many more years of contributing, sharing, and learning.

Until next time…

Dave