"Some Anniversary Thoughts" by Susan Pearl

 I'm no Cinderella story,

An earthly prince I may not ever meet,

I haven't danced 'til the dawn of morning,

Still the promise of love I keep.

My knight in shining armor is the Kansas farmer who pledged his love to me.

We have had a good life together and we have been very happy.

Soon we will have our 58th Wedding Anniversary.

We knew our love was stronger than anything that would ever come against it.

We believed it when we began and believe it now, a love that stays lit, 

No matter how hard the going gets,

We still see each other as life's most wonderful gift.

Two ordinary people with an extraordinary love.

Hand in hand we'll go on knowing what will be, will be,

Me and the Kansas farmer who pledged his love to me.

"Stack 'em up" by Susan Pearl

 On lunchbreak at work a lady peeled an orange each day and stacked up each piece of the orange rind on top of each other. It made for a very easy clean up.

One day a man walked by and tapped her table saying "It's not how you lay them down. It's how you stack them up".....this led me to write this song:

Had a thought the other day,

When I heard a friend say,

"It's not how you lay 'em down, it's how you stack 'em up".

And the thought was new, like out of the blue,

That I could have a breakthrough-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 find and know to be true,

You've go to put them in line all the time in what you say and in what you do.

Reach high for an opportunity to find another new truth to see,

Stack 'em up for that "breakthrough".  Remember, it will be.

It's not how you lay 'em down, it's how you stack 'em up,

Cause when life takes a toll it will also show, what we need to know,

----to stack 'em up, and up and up and up and up!!!

"Seeing Another Day" by Susan Pearl

 We had a thunderstorm pass over during the middle of the night this week.

It started out by sounding like distant rumbles.

Then little by little the thunder became louder and closer until-

Ear piercing thunder claps were directly over head.

Slowly but surly, the sound began to be less and less until, once again, it was a distant rumble.

A thunderstorm can carry a lesson about life,

That lesson is, "IT IS TEMPORARY". It will move on!

Our feelings will change---give it time.

It is not realistic to think a time of terrible upheaval will last and be that way forever.

IT IS TEMPORARY! It will not last and it will pass.

Our feelings will change and be based on current facts, 

    feelings of  hopelessness, helplessness and being overwhelmed will leave.

It just takes time, "IT IS TEMPORARY" , "IT WILL PASS" , "IT WILL NOT LAST!"

Live this truth and look forward to seeing another day.

" Sixty-Seven Years of a Creative Impact" by Susan Pearl

I took time (pearls take time) to listen to a local news report about a workshop for teachers.

I noticed a container filled with new freshly sharpened colored pencils on a table and some blank papers laying beside it.

I thought, " Oh good, more pictures to be drawn by children."

"More pictures to be enjoyed and proudly displayed on the refrigerator held in place by decorative magnets."

Then I remembered a creative moment I had as a small child.

A volunteer lady helped me with it.

She supplied a magazine picture of a skier skiing down hill.

The picture showed the backside view of a skier skiing down the steep snowy slope. 

We glued the picture to be the background of an opened cigar box.

Then we filled the box with sugar.   The sugar was white and glistening which made it appear to be an  immediate extension of the snowy ski slope and the placement of a very small mirror-

     WOW! ---the mirror instantly looked like a beautiful finger lake.

She had cut some tiny sprigs off an evergreen tree and we stuck the sprigs into the sugar-

     transforming the sprigs into tall evergreens around the finger lake and dotting the landscape. 

We left an area with just snow (sugar) to line up and be an extension of the sky slope in the picture.

Then it was like magic ---I noticed the tracks in the snow made by the skies in the picture and I had a creative idea come to me.  It was exciting, it was new---it was something I had not seen before but I knew it should be and I knew I could do it.

   I took two fingers and made two ski tracks across the sugar to connect to the tracks in the picture and HOORAY! YA! It happened!! We had a 3D picture!!!! It had motion! We were on that snowy ski slope----it was a very inspiring moment in my childhood.

I don't know if the volunteer lady ever knew the what huge impact she made in my life                              that day, sixty-seven years ago. 

     

" A Brighter Day on the Way " by Susan Pearl

 Two lovers on a journey---a journey in time.

Two lovers on a journey-- they're going to make it just fine.

Each of them learning more together than they ever could learn apart,

Two lovers on a journey with one great love of heart.

She looked into his eyes one starry night and said,

"Whatever comes my way I know I have the strength within me to make it through. 

He said, "Yes, you do. my dear, Yes, you do."

She whispered lovingly in his ear, "I know I learned this from you."

It was a rough day when he went to work at 7:00AM and was home by 8:00AM.

His voice broke as he said, "The factory is closed. They gave everyone a notice." 

He held her close and gave her a tender kiss then said, "I know, without a doubt,

  I will find work again. I believe it will all work out. 

I've got a hope filled thought and I know hope will see us through. 

I learned a this kinder, calmer way of thinking from you. 

They embraced each other saying, "We will live to see a brighter day.

 A brighter day is already on the way."

" The Cycles of Love " by Susan Pearl

Love Shows--------Love Nurtures

Love Knows--------Love Sees Reality

Love Grows--------Love Gives For the Good of All

Love Sows---------Love Spreads Acts of Kindness

Love Goes---------Love is Forward and a Positive Motion

Love brings forth everything we need. 

Love Shows-------Love Nurtures 

Love is Bigger than Anything and Love Cannot be Contained.

Love Continuously Flows From One Generation to Future Generations.

"The Puppy - Cane Showdown is on" by Susan Pearl

A very dear friend recently received a surprise gift from her husband---a puppy! 

This puppy has been very busy, fun and into everything. 

One evening the rambunctious little puppy was shaking and attacking a toy,

The vibrations in that area made a cane that was leaning against the wall change position.

The cane slid over several inches to rest in the corner of the wall. 

The motion of the moving cane startled the puppy.

The puppy growled and barked at the cane.

What makes this story so endearing and funny if that to this day-

The puppy, now several months old, still barks at the cane.

Sometimes something can bring new life into a home and life becomes fuller --

in a good heartwarming way. ....filled with unexpected laughs.

"WOOF" ----"WOOF" -----at that naughty cane------ that startled sweet little puppy.

The showdown is on.