Patrick Henry Hughes is the answer~

Thanks for guessing, Cathy!!  The previous poem I posted is by Patrick Henry Hughes. This young man was born blind with a tightening of his limbs that put him into a wheelchair quite young.  He is a wonderful poet, musician and attends college.  I just found this partiuclarly amazing!!

See if you can guess who wrote this?

Any day I'm vertical
is a good day"
...that's what I always say.
And I give thanks for my health.

If you ask me,
"How are you?"

I'll answer, "GREAT!"
because in saying so,
I make it so.
And I give thanks
I can choose my attitude.

When Life gives me dark clouds and rain,
I appreciate the moisture
that brings a soft curl to my hair.

When Life gives me sunshine,
I gratefully turn my face up
to feel its warmth on my cheeks.

When Life brings fog,
I hug my sweater around me
and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery
that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.

When Life brings snow,
I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue,
relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.

Life's events and experiences
are like the weather—
they come and go,
no matter what my preference.

So, what the heck?!
I might as well decide to enjoy them.

For indeed,
there IS a time for every purpose
under Heaven.

And each season brings its own unique blessings...
and I give thanks.

Doesn't TIME seem to be the most valuable?

When Benjamin Franklin was a boy, he traded all his money for a friend’s whistle. And he enjoyed the whistle until he learned it was worth only a fraction of what he’d paid for it. Immediately the whistle lost all its charm, and Ben was greatly annoyed at having made such a foolish mistake. But he learned an important lesson that day: not to invest more than something is worth.

Years later, when he saw a man neglecting his family for political popularity, or a miser sacrificing friendship for wealth, he would see what the man was missing to pursue the wrong ideals and say, "He pays too much for his whistle."

In Benjamin Franklin’s time, just as now, many people were proud of their appearance, their lavish lifestyle, and fancy homes. He would watch them go into debt to maintain the image of wealth and would once again decide they were paying far too much for their whistle.1

Today we might see people working overtime to buy all the latest toys and electronic gadgets. Long hours away from home could mean that their families have every enticement, but a better gift might simply be to spend time with them.

The most valuable treasures and the greatest satisfaction can usually be found close to home, in the people and loved ones around us. If we’ve been chasing fame and acclaim instead of building lasting relationships, we can stop in our tracks and make a course correction. What guides our daily actions? Are the things we seek really worth the sacrifices we’re making?

Thoughtfully consider your course and your priorities, and then resolve to invest time in what matters most. Then our actions will align with our values and we can rest assured we won’t be paying too much for our whistle.

1. See Benjamin Franklin, "The Whistle,” in Brander Matthews, comp., The Oxford Book of American Essays (1914), 4–6.

PJ's are a good thing~

Labor Day included the labor of FLU!!! yucky..........Friday after work, the chills, okay lay on a heating pad and watch a movie, well that turned into many movies through the night and into saturday - which turned into every fun thing that comes with the stomach flu!

Later on I found out Kel & Stacey were sharing the same moments ( smile )

Anyway, today is the day after Labor Day and it's great to be alive and feeling sooooooo much better!!!