Happy 7th Day of Xmas

This is where I'm not. My Ellen friends are freeeeeeeeezing in Times Square tonight and having a v. fine time. I am in my jammies, having successfully failed to get a timely post on this last day of 2008. I'm going to eat gluten free mac 'n' cheese, have some tea, and have a movie fest with Mum. It's a rockin' night! :-) H.

6th Day of Christmas

On this 6th Day of Christmas, I offer the word penultimate. It means second-to-last.

e.g. Today is the penultimate day of 2008.


I'm looking back at 2008 and I'm ready to say goodbye and welcome 2009. I don't really do resolutions. They seem to have a built-in failure to them, like you're not really expecting to have them work. Look at all the gyms on Jan. 1st. To quote U2: nothing changes on New Year's Day.

Years ago, Doug O'Brien had a newsletter in which he said something like,
Instead of resolving to do something different, perhaps you can resolve to feel something different. Food for thought.

What are you feeling that you want to let go of now?
What do you want instead?
How will you begin to make that happen in 2009?

Happy 5th Day of Xmas

Today I forgot until I remembered that I have a blog. Mostly when I reference my boss-friend John Morgan, it's as the philosopher and author of Grasshopper Notes. However, today I've been v. busy getting together interviews with radio stations as we start our seminars next week.

STOP SMOKING FOREVER

OR LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF.

It's pretty amazing to see a room full of die hard smokers throw away their cigarettes at the end of 2 hours-- cheering. Yes, CHEERING!!! The weight-loss seminar doesn't have as dramatic an ending, but the results can be v. dramatic. Both are life-changing & life-enhancing. Click here for the seminar schedule, and give yourself the gift of health, on this 5th Day of Christmas.

Day of Rest: 4th Day of Christmas

I've been working on a blog calendar. This is for December: a photo of my Christmas bay window last year with some ornaments I made. Light dusting of snow outside, with pretty lights inside. LOVEly.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas . . .

give a house. You may remember Mum's Habitat adventures in Hungary. Habitat for Humanity is another teach-to-fish organization. AWESOME. Check them out. :-)

Mum's Habitat friend, Jack, literally gave the shirt off his

back.

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas

The 12 Days of Christmas isn't just a song, there really are 12 days. I like this idea because it spreads it out. How was your first day? Merrie? Let me tell you what I did yesterday--wait, back up to Christmas Eve Day: mild weather, perfect for . . . cleaning out gutters? Really, Mum? This is how we're celebrating? Hehhhhh . . . . here's a little tip about gutter cleaning: if you wait until it's been freezing, then the gutter stuff comes out in convenient, icy chunks and it goes relatively fast. I also split my first log for the woodstove. First and last. Now I know I can do it if I have to. My Pioneer Sister is a regular lumber jack with a real ax. We used some wedgey-splitter thingie. Yeah, I'm a wimp.

On to Christmas! It was another mild day and Mum was looking out the window. You know what would be good to do today . . . .

Really, Mum? Wash the cars? That's how we're celebrating Christmas???

But we decided to have a Bones Fest. She made a big pot of veggie soup (YUM!) And then, THEN! Mum stabbed her hand getting an avocado pit loose. That's all right, I'll be fine. Just a minor flesh wound. And she wanted me to stitch it up. But then she found some steristrips from 1978 in her first aid tackle box. Once I knew she was OK, I immediately called Brother D to make fun of the situation.

When we were growing up, he cut his finger and Mum stitched it up at the kitchen table. When Brother D winced in pain, Mum told him to "think of England." So of course, that was the first thing he said, after recommending super glue. We didn't have any, but apparently it works v. well, tho it stings. Well, just think of England.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Mr. Bailey

Favourite movie of all time.

My first memory of this movie is when I was 8 and I was getting over a cold. I don't know where the sibs were, but Mum & I were watching this movie and I was drinking lemon-honey tea and she was giving me a foot rub. I loved the whole concept of this movie, that you could have an alternate ending--a redo, to your life.

Buffalo Gals about to get wet tonight!

I don't want any plastics and I don't want
any ground floors . . . .

I can quote this movie by heart.

George: I see it still smells like pine needles around here.
Mary: Thank you?

I love the old-movie-proper-diction accents:
Mary's mother: Marrrry, Marrrry! Who's down there with you?
Mary: It's George Bailey, Mother!
MM: George Bailey?! What's he want?!
Mary: I don't know? To George: What do you want?
George: Me? Nothing. I just came in here to get warm.
Mary: He's making VI-O-lent love to me, Mother!

Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life:

The power of one person.
You can touch hundreds of lives and your influence ripples out. You never know what impact you may have on a person. You can be a George or a Mr. Potter. The choice is yours.

You can have plans for your life, but in the meantime, your destiny awaits.
George wanted to build skyscrapers. He wanted to travel. He got to build homes for the people of Bedford Falls. He thought himself a failure because his idea of who he wanted to be didn't match up with who he thought he was. The desires in your heart can manifest in more than one way.

You are part of a community
Your friends, family, co-workers, strangers at the store. We're in this society together.

When disaster hits, ordinary people become heroes.
Natural, bank, whatever. There are angels everywhere, waiting to give and be of service. Not just the Clarences-in-Spirit, but people. There is a saying that God doesn't have hands, so He uses ours. We see the best of humanity when we are tested with adversity. It is our calling to be of service.

LOVE wins and life happens.
What do you want, Mary? Do you want the moon? Here, I'll lasso it down for you.

Observations from someone else give new perspective.
Clarence was able to point out all of George's accomplishments where he saw none.

When you know the truth, it doesn't matter what other people gossip about.
You know it's all over town that you've been giving money to Violet Bick, says Mr. Potter to George. It doesn't matter, he knows the truth. Now wipe off the thank-you lipstick from your cheek, George.

On this first day of Christmas, I'll leave you with:
Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls.
Merry Christmas, one and all!