#161 "Two Thoughts Make One" by Susan Pearl

One person told me there are two kinds of people---the "givers and takers",
Another person told me there are two kinds of people---"the "haves and the have-nots",
I thought maybe the "haves" are "haves" because they are "takers" from the "givers" and the "givers" don't have a choice but to become a "have nots" because after awhile there is no more to give.

#160 "A Fan" By Susan Pearl

It is nice to have a fan,
Who accepts me for who I am,
No make-up, no glitter, no pretend,
No promises that I have a key to unlock the power within,
Or a pretense that I know how to release the potential and someone's worth,
My fan and I live lives that are not in awe of each other but stay 'down to earth".

#159 "Remembering" By Susan Pearl

Remembering:

The love that has gone before us,
The courage that has gone before us,
The sacrifice that has gone before us,
The hope that has gone before us,
For life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
And freedom for all.

With pride, respect and appreciation for those who served this call.

#158 "Easy To Please Theory" By Susan Pearl

I was watching an interview with a dog trainer when the interviewer asked this question,
"Of old dogs and young dogs which are the easier to train"?
The answer was brief and suprising to me.
The trainer answered by stating,  "It doesn't matter.  All dogs train the same if they are willing to please."
Now, I'm no dog but this thought was new to me and I couldn't help but apply the principle of the trainer's statement into other areas of life.
I think that a person can be 'conditioned' for certain behaviors if that person is willing to please.
I think needing approval or valadation has something to do with a person's willingness to please others..
And I think if the willingness to please others, if left unchecked, can lead to a life time of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who think nothing of using the willingness of others to their own selfishness with no regard to anyone else but to themself.
Such relationships usually terminate when the person is no longer willing to please others.
This can open the door to a new life of having acceptance by others.
Acceptance for who a person is and not for what that person can do to please another.
This would be a much better and healthier relationship and mutually beneficial to both. 

"Another Rhyming Tip" By Susan Pearl

"Sea" is where a sunken ship might be.
"See" has two "e's" looking back at me.

#157 "Rhyming Tips' By Susan Pearl

"Meat" is the food we eat.
"Meet" is the people we greet.

"Sail" is what we do on the sea.
"Sale" is when we save money.

"Here" is a place that is near.
"Hear" is a sound from near or far for our ear.

"There" is a place that is a little bit far.
"Their" is for people who own something like "their car".
They're" is a short way of writing "they are".

#156 "Time Change" By Susan Pearl

I have reached a point in life where a weeks seem like a few days and  months seem like a few weeks.

Time is fleeting, fleeting, fleeting
Like meeting in a garden of fire flies
Knowing this will only be for the twilight time
And then fleet until we meet again.
My heart is beating, beating, beating
So I meet this moment in time
And look forward to each twilight
Then on to a new day's sunshine.
One after the other they come and go,
And each meeting is fleeting so.

#155 "Right Conditions And Kite Flying By Susan Pearl

In a field with no power lines in sight I flew a kite,
With my back to the wind, I held up my kite over and over again,
Until the right conditions were in place I knew then it was time to run fast with the wind in my face,
The wind raised the kite high and now it was time to unwind the string and let it fly,
With my cylinder of wood wrapped with string I turned the wood and had the kite fly as high as it could,
Once the sting was to its end with ease the kite flew high in the stong stready breeze,
The kite was so high like a dot in the sky,
It was exciting to see it in the air far away on that beautiful day,
I staked my wooden cylinder into the ground and watched the kite dart around,
And now all I can say is,  "What a day, what a day, what a day!"
   

#154 "Non Collapsable Peace" By Susan Pearl

To have a non collapsable peace a person has to buid their life on strengths.
Weaknesses can not rule our lives or our life will collapse time after time.

#153 "Temptation" By Susan Pearl

When I was a child of five, one of the bigest temptations for me this time of year was the luring sight of a dandelion standing in the yard with the fuzzy circle top.
The dandelions that had gone to seed looked like fuzzy bubbles on the end of a slim stem.
I knew we didn't want to spread the dandelions but I couldn't resist picking the slim stem and blowing or scattering the fuzzy seeds all over the yard as far as the wind and I could take them.  I just couldn't resist doing this as a child of five.
I think the important part of life is to grow and as we grow what used to be a temptation to us will become no longer a temptation.
I can walk through the yard now and I don't feel compelled or prone to pick and or even see with fascination the scattering of the fuzzy seeds.
So it is in life, as the things that used to be a temptation to me and held such a thrill no longer hold my attention and in fact I wouldn't even walk across the street to see or be a part of them.
In fact I don't even notice them now.
Feeling hurt was a big temptation for me at one time in my life.
I felt hurt by what others had said or what they had done and their actions affected me.
Now the actions of others are still there but I don't notice those actions or pay attention to them.
I have outgrown the temptation and I no longer experience the hurt just the same as I no longer experience a fascination to pick the whimsical dandelion going to seed.

#152 "Change / Adapt" By Susan Pearl

I was listening to a lady tell of how she had lived ten years with something she really didn't like. 
When she was asked, "Why she didn't change it?" she responded, "I guess I adapted to it."
That brought to me the thought if there are things that have beeen adapted to by family systems rather than face change. 
The avoidance of change can bring about adapting to things the way they are.
The acceptance of change can also bring about adapting to the way things are.
Either way "adapting" is a big part of living with things that need changing or living with a change in itself.

#151 "Fine" By Susan Pearl

Time and time again,
Over the years
I have been asked
How I am.
And time after time,
I have replied,
"I am doing fine."
But "fine" really
Isn't what it used to be,
But it still is "fine" with me.
Yes, the definition of the word "fine"
Has changed for me over time,
And, now,"fine" just isn't
What it used to be.
But it really is still "fine" with me.
So "fine" is revelant,
What was "fine" to me then,
Is a different "fine" to me now.
And what may be "fine" for one,
May not be "fine' for another.
But that's all "fine", too,
Because "fine" is really more about
Where you are in life
And what you are going through.

#150 "Perfect Word" By Susan Pearl

There was a couple that moved to our area and they just seemed to be over zealous,
They were not extreme or radical but they were over zealous, over energenic, over ethusiastic and over doing.
I thought that there has to be a word to describe people like that but I couldn't think of the perfect word.
One day I was visiting with an older gentleman and for some reason we were reminising about people we may have both known over the years.
For some reason the couple that were over zealous, over energenic, over enthusiastic and over doing were mentioned as a couple we both may have known.
The older gentleman said he had known them and thought they were a little "overboard".
That is the perfect word to describe people who are over zealous, over energenic, over enthusiastic and over doing.  They are a little "overboard".

#149 "The Unfurling" By Susan Pearl

Sometimes things can come at us from all directions at the same time.
Emotions can be felt from different directions,too.
Sometimes we may not understand it but all this is needed for the unfurling of a moment of healing.
The hurts, disappointments in life can take time to overcome and this time allows for a loosening process,
Until a peace comes and finally unfurls a freedom from those entangled emotions.
This new found peace then waves us on.

#148 "Own Set" By Susan Pearl

I listened to the emotional words of a daughter telling that she and the other brothers and sisters were not able to give the 24 hour needed care to their elderly mother.
She said "I talked to the family and we all decided that each of us have our own set"--at that exact moment she got chocked up and could not continued until she had her composure.
I sat there knowing she was going through a very difficult time and the words "own  set" just seemed to hang in the air until she continued.
She cleared her throut and excused herself politely then said,  "All of us have our own set of problems."
The word "set" to me means more that "one".  It was a moment when I realized no matter who we are that each one of us has our own "set".  We have our own set of problems, our own set of good things, and it is our own individual personalized set.  No two people are the same but in another way everyone is the same because everyone has his or her own "set".

#147 "Full" By Susan Pearl

I'm beginning to think that if a person is so "full" of himself or herself that there really isn't any room left for the feelings or proper placement of other people with having any kind of priority of others or proper respect.
I'm beginning to understand that it wasn't me that wasn't good enough to have the respect and placement of respect I deserved--it was them who couldn't give it to me because all of that room had been already been given to someone else--to themself.
Now, that I know better, what I need to do is to remember this and not take anything persoannly when it comes to arrogant and ego driven people.
I wish other people the best in learning this lesson in life because it is a very hard lesson to learn, especially for people who are sincere to others and committed to hold others worth and dignity in a place of priority. Such sincere people wouldn't think of having it any other way.  They have room for sincerity because they are not completely "full" of themselves.

#146"Energy Abound" By Susan Pearl

If change brings energy than we, ourselves, should be a source of an energy that will constantly abound,
Because we, ourselves, are constantly changing, in one way or another, from birth until we are in the ground.

#145 "Our Promise" By Susan Pearl

We have made a promise to our adult children.
Our promise goes like this:
We promise not to have more than we can maintain,
Or to not want more than we can do or keep up.
The reason we made this promise is because we are at a time in life when sizing down is around the corner.
It is our desire that our adult children enjoy life and not be burdened by our excessiveness or stubborness to accept change.

#144 "The Call" By Susan Pearl

"For the good of all"  is the call,
Respect for human rights and dignity for all,
But it comes with a price that is very high,
An ongoing price that has to be scrutinized:

I thought I held the key to release a person from captivity,
When the key would not open the door, I physically bashed the door over and over again,
Finally, the door became open.
I said, "Come, I have set you free".
The reply of inquiry surprised me,
The person posed these words, "What's it to you what I say or do, I didn't ask for you help."
I left knowing that "We should never do for others what they can do themself."

#143 "Passing Lane" By Susan Pearl

The clock is ticking,
The moments are flitting from present into the past,
Why does it all go by so fast?
Like a car that never has to stop for gas,
As the present to the past flitter,
Shows us its back bumper sticker,
Which reads, "This, too, will pass".

#142 "Stack 'Em Up" By Susan Pearl

Several years ago I heard the expression,"It's not how you lay 'em down, it's how you stack 'em up".
I had not heard that expression before so I decided to write song about it.
Here are the words to that song:

Saw a friend the other day,
Thats's when I here him say - "It 's not how you lay 'em down it's how you stack 'em up".
And a new thought came through,
Like out of the blue,
That I could have a break through, if only I knew how "to stack 'em up".

Cause when life takes a toll,
It will also show
What we need to know "to stack 'em up".

You've got to stack 'em up and back 'em up those things you know to be true,
You got to have things in line and speak your mind for that break through,
Over and over again some people repeat their past,
For others it gets old real fast,
And they build on what they know will last-they "stack 'em up".

Take two people and have the same situation,
Both are going to get burned,
But for one there will be a lesson learned.
That one will take what is known to be true,
And build on that for a new break through,
Saying "It's not how you lay 'em down it's how you stack 'em up".

So I saw that friend again today,
He asked me, "Are you stacking 'em up the right way?"
I said, "Yes, I am and you can, too,
Why, we can have that break through if only we know how to "stack 'em up'.
Cause it's not how you lay 'em down -it how you stack 'em up".


*(Personal note: I hope some day to have the ability to sing songs I have written on my blog.)

#141 "Frequency" By Susan Pearl

The word 'frequency' means different definitions,
But sometimes those different definitions can go together hand in hand,
For instance 'frequency' means 'often',
The more and more we do the same thing then the more frequency this thing is being done by us.
'Frequency' can also mean a radio wave length,
We have to be on a certain frequency to receive a certain station on the radio.
So here goes applying the two words into one thought--The frequency to which I listen to the same radio program frequency determimines how seldom I may listen to a new and different frequency on the radio. 
Sometimes a frequency check involves more than fine tuning the same radio station but a frequency check would involve checking and realizing the frequency that we are doing the same things over and over again each day.
Therefore, maybe, if we change the frequency that we are doing the same things over and over then we could, also, be changing in some way the frequency of what we are tuned into doing each day.

#140 Depth By Degrees" By Susan Pearl

In my opinion,
To the degree of the obsession will be the depth of the control,
To the degree of the control will be the depth of domination,
To the degree of the domination will be the depth of the suffering,
To the degree of the suffering will be the depth of fear,
To the degree of fear willl be the depth of anxiety,
To the degree of anxiety will be the depth of obsession.

#139 "Thankful Thought" By Susan Pearl

My knight in shining armor,
Is the Kansas farmer,
Who pledged his love to me.
And we have worked side by side raising our family.
Believing we served a noble call,
Of giving love and goodwill through it all,
My treasury is my memory of time well spent with family and friends.
And I would do it again,
I am so thankful for the life I live and knowing the love of a true good man.

#138 "Intimidation Brings Isolation" By Susan Pearl

Ever since I learned that emotional isolation is a form of abuse I have become very sensitive to the isolation of others.
A person who has feelings of intimidation said those feelings are best described as the  feelings of not belonging or not fitting in.
It is like a person having his or her face pressed up against a window and watching through to living a full life and feeling separated from the ability to so.
This emotional isolation can come from feelings of intimidation, feeling of not being worthy, feelings of not being good enough and feeling bad about one's self in different ways which can bring about a form of fear.
To overcome these feelings a person has to become confident.
Confidence is the break through that can overcome feelings of intimidation and counteract the emotional isolation that the feelings of unworthiness bring.
Some people do emotionally isolate others and do put other people down.
It is not something that we need to do to ourselves.
It is best to be kind to one's self and be confident in one's self and that will stop the feelings of intimidation and emotional isolation.

#137 Grammar Time Tip" By Susan Pearl

I love the English language.  I think it is a beautiful language. I would like to share a few tips that have helped me understand the use of the language.
"Sound Twins" are words that sound exactly alike but mean dfferent things.
Example:  "hear" and " here" are sound twins.
If it has anything to do with sound by the use of our ear the correct word is "hear".
Notice the word "ear" is contained in that "hear" that indicates sound.
Example, "I hear the music."
Now anything else is "here" which designates a place.
Example:  "Please bring it here."
"Here are the papers."
"The weather is nice here."
"Sound Twins"--"Sound Twins---"hear" and "here" are  "Sound Twins".
Example:  "I came here to hear the speaker."

#136 "Always Will" By Susan Pearl

Today is Mother's Day.  My mother passed away in 2002. So it has been nine years now since her parting.
A very wonderful person was with me at a hard moment of missing mom (she preferred to be called mother).
The words that were shared by this wonderful person were unexpected to hear.
This wonderful person had known the grief of a mother's passing so I think that helped her know just what to say to me as I cried out in grief.
I was in the back seat of a car and the very wonderful person was in the passenger side of the front seat.
Suddenly, I began weeping and crying out loudly, "I miss Mom".
To my surprise the wonderful person kindly turned and reached a consoling hand to me in the back seat saying the words, "And you always will".
This person knew exactly what I was feeling but she went on to say that it is important to keep going and live life.
This person was an outstanding example of doing just that with so much life and energy and help given to others.
So, today, if anyone has recently lost a mother and is saying emotiionally, "I miss Mom", I would like to say to you, as it was said to me, "And you always will".
Life goes on and these nine years have passed with a lot of beautiful happenings.
I am grateful that these words were shared with me and I would like to share them with others on this day.

#135 "Vivid Memory" By Susan Pearl

It truly is amazing how a vivid memory from over fifty five years ago has been such a teaching tool for me in life.
A person explained to me, when I was the young age of seven years old, the meaning of art.
The person told me that true art is something that every time you look at it you can see something different.
Over the years I have frequently noticed that I can suddenly see something new in a painting for the first time that has been there all the time.
I think as we grow older we notice different things than we did when we were younger.
Maybe that is part of why we can see something new in an old painting that we have enjoyed for many years.
Maybe different times of life that we are going through help us to have a new insight of something in the painting.
For instance, if we are going through a difficult time we may notice what resembles a difficult aspect of a painting that we hadn't ever seen before.
Maybe instead of the beautiful forest we now see a small barren area beside the forest and we would think nothing of beauty could grow there.
During a happy time we may imagine a barren area in the painting of a forest to be the perfect spot for a picnic. 
And we enjoy the diversity of the scene and the contrasts.  We recognize that the contrasts bring a wonderful balance into the work of art.
I am so glad that person took time that day to explain to me as a little girl looking at a painting the meaning of true art.
I think. in a way, that life is a true work of art and at a very young age I was told about an ongoing process of seeing newness in life and the depth of its true beauty. 

#134 "Some Don'ts" By Susan Pearl

Don't spread yourself too thin.
Don't forget you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself,
And don't feel guilty for doing so.

#133 "Taking Root" By Susan Pearl

Today I heard someone say the expression  "that's when it took root".
For some reason I thought about that statement.
I also remembered being told once that with a tree whatever the size of the tree is above the ground there will be a comparable sized root system below the ground.
It makes sense to think that the bigger the problem the bigger the hold of the problem.
It also makes sense to think the bigger the honesty the bigger the hold of truth.
In my opinion, good characteristics, solid principles, high standards can "take root " in our life the same as other things.
The "taking root" of favorable qualities brings strength and durability in times of tests and trials.
I hope I can plant a better way inside of myself and watch it take root.
It would work towards a greater good and to the benefit of all.

#132 "Enabling" By Susan Pearl

I don't always know what is right but I do know when something is wrong.
Several new words have emerged into conversations of today.
One of those words is enabling or 'to enable'.
A lot about this subject of 'enabling' has been written and a lot of education has been publicly shared about 'enabling'.
In my opinion "enabling' someone is to nuture an  environment setting for that person to be dependent on the enabler (the one doing the enabling).
A perfectly capable person is not independent and lives a life dependent on others or with an addiction with the support of others.
Other new words can come into play such as 'dysfunctional'.
Another word that is used now more is the word 'co-dependent'.
It is good to understand and have information on these words.
The more people are what they should be the more the ones who are not what they should be will start to stand out.
Like I said I don't always know what is right but I sure know when something is wrong.
'Enabling', 'co-dependency'are not healthy teachings for a family to incorporate as life style.

#131 "Resistance" By Susan Pearl

I thought I was in the process of designing a perptual turning wheel.   Then someone who knows a lot more about these things than I do said that I wasn't allowing for resistance.
There is air resistance and, also, there is friction resistan.  Actually there are a lot of different kinds of resistance.
I guess this new thought got the wheels turning in my brain to think of some of my sincere efforts in life that had been met with resistance. I hadn't allowed for resistance.  I just thought it would be a smooth operation but, instead, it had been met met with resistance.
So back to the drawing board for my designs realizing the force of resistance is a fact of life.
Also, I will continue sincere efforts I truly believe in and know that these efforts will be met with resistance.
Resistance is a fact of life -- it is a reality--just like gravity.
The real design would be to have resistance to work in our favor.  Like slowing us down from going to fast and taking time to reevaluate. 

#130 "Marriage" By Susan Pearl

Marriage has been a topic of conversation for quite some time.
Statistics show what the current statis of marriages are presently..
People talk about the current statistics.
I would like to share a few thoughts on marriage.
In my opinion, I was taught to have a successsful marriage at the very start, at the exchanging of vows, there needs to be three things present at that exact moment to begin a successful marriage.
The first thing present is that both participants need to be there of their own free will.  No one should be getting married out of any other reason other than really wanting to be there to and not under any pressure to do so from outside forces.
The second thing that has to be present is truth.  The couple has to be truthful with each other.  There should be no deep dark secrets or hidden current spouses.  The couple stands before each other on their wedding day in truth.
Then the third thing that needs to be present on the wedding day is true sincerity.  That each word of the vows spoken is sincere.  When the person promises to foresake all others the person shoud be sincere and will really do that and live a life of putting their spouse first and foremost.
I think that parents should truly not want to have any control in their childrens marriage and the parents should also be sincere about their intentions and conduct their lives in respect of the marriage.  This thought also applies to friends respecting the marriage.  The couple has to be truly sincere about their love for each other.
In my opinion, if those three things are in place at the moment of the marriage I think the marrriage has things in place for success.
Many times the behavior of one of the spouses shows a lack of one of these thrre things later in the marriage but after closer examination that part was also missing at the actually time of getting married.
Time will tell if the marriage starts out with full sincerity, full truth and with being in the marriage freely and willingly.

#129 "Love and Hate" By Susan Pearl

Is there really a fine line between love and hate?
It seems like love and hate should be miles apart and not be separated by a fine line.
The only way I can describe the fine line between love and hate is that a person may start out an endeavor with love.  Love for the good that the endeavor will bring for the future generations.  Love of wanting to preserve what is of value and true meaning.  Love is the motivation.
Then the test of this endeavor comes and the opposition may be cruel and without conscience.
It can happen that the endeavor that was once founded on love can become an endeavor now based on hatred for the opposition.
Endeavors fought out of love or endeavors fought out of hate can be the same endeavor.
That is how close the fine line between love and hate really is and in some circumstances the line of separation is so very fine that it becomes a matter of conscience to keep it an endeavor out of love.
Yes, there is a fine line between love and hate. An awareness of this is necessary to know who, how and when such a fine line is crossed.