Saturday Morning Reflection ~ October 31, 2009

Good Morning everyone and welcome to Trick or Treat day also know as Halloween! I must say this month flew as quickly as those colorful leaves flew to the ground. So happy Saturday.

Two special requests here.......

1. Be safe, drive much slower, stay more alert and don't take any chances that the other person / child won't look for you. They may not drive safe and stay alert! More than ever!

2. Have fun, but watch out for each other as the kids trick or treat, take a flash light, wear reflective tape on your clothes. BE SAFE!

I posted in my photo section some photo's yesterday from a trip to the local lake here in Irwin, PA.

I hope you enjoy them. I enjoyed taking them.

Started taking pictures and learning about photography a few years back. I use a Cannon Rebel XSI and two different lenses as of now. I want to do more but as of yet.... Ya know lots to do in this world.

So enjoy and let me know what you think!

So todays post is a quick reflection as usual from a past post here on Gather. One that may not have received many views. Hope you enjoy the read this one is from May 5, 2009.

Smile for your health

A smile is contagious, it is a fact, when you are around other smiling people you are drawn to them.

Ever go to a funny movie and leave feeling better, from top to bottom your body reacts in a positive manner. A smile and laughter is proven to be good for your health, mind, body and soul.

People who have an illness have been shown to recover quicker and respond better to treatment when they have a sense of humor and a positive outlook.

We have all heard that laughter is the best medicine.

Here is an article that talks about the smile and the effect on Type 2 Diabetes.

A smile makes us look better, it makes us more attractive, more appealing to others.

We all go through struggles in our life but if we can focus on the positive and what is going right in our life how much better we will feel.

The Gratitude Journal is an excellent tool for this. Every day, or every night write in your journal and list all the things your grateful for, what is right in your life, what is good at this moment. Try it, what do you have to lose, you just may gain a smile.

What is your favorite comedy of all time? Do you own it? How often do you watch it? When you need it a good movie can be a lifter of the spirit.

We all need that, we all want that. A lift in our daily routine, a smile can change the way we see things. It is and will always be that simple act that can change your state.

The purpose of our home on the web at

www.makemesmileonline.com is simple.

Teach others how to make a difference in their own life and the lives of others.

Join our cause, register, its free and loaded with resources and tips and you get information that you can use to lift the spirit of yourself and others.

Power Action Thought for today -- Number 172 Own a few movies that make you laugh and when you feel a little blue take the time to watch one.

Take the time for yourself, focus on what is good, write everyday something that be grateful for.



So. what can a smile do:

A smile can heal.

A smile can encourage another.

A smile can lift a burden or answer a prayer for someone.

A smile can end an argument and dissolve tensions.

A smile can bring humor.

A smile can bring a smile back to the giver.

A smile can and will make someone's day a little bit better.



Make this day, today the best day of your life.

Till next time, Smile !!! :)

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing Into Friday ~ October 30, 2009

Welcome to Friday everyone! The weather is very nice in Pittsburgh today and were ever you are today.

I hope you enjoy your Friday Flow it is like the fun part of a roller coaster the climb before the sudden descent. Friday is the climb and the rest of the week is the standing in line. It is not much fun but necessary if you want to get on the great ride.

Listening to the new Creed Album 'Full Circle' I just downloaded it and Rain and Away in Silence are awesome.

So I need to make my trek down to Shadyside this AM and my girl friends doctor appointment. While she waits to get it I usually drive over for coffee at the local Crazy Mocha coffee shop and you may remember it as the place with the Goat drinking the coffee as their mascot. Do you ever feel like a goat until you have your first cup? Can't say I do but I have felt like a goat for other reasons growing up in my younger years.

So thank you for your comments over the last four days. My four part series on the Heiarchy of needs concept and the 4 human needs. I like to call them the 'S' series

Survival ~ Security and Semblance of Order ~ Sense of being Love and belonging ~ Self esteem and significance

If you missed it just go back and thanks again for your comments!

I also want to comment here that to me the power of our thoughts and what we believe we have, what we believe we can achieve is so important in life.

If we limit our selves with defeating self talk or self belief we limited our experiences.

We control our thoughts.

We control our feeling.

We control our actions.

We control the very destiny of our outcomes in life.

The purpose of make me smile online is to educate and entertain you the reader the power of the smile. The web site has resources that can feed your spirit if you open your spirit up.

So I hope you enter today with a sense of love, belonging and significance!

If you don't then maybe the reflection in that mirror should dig a little deeper into your insight, your beliefs and thoughts about yourself.

So enjoy your day..... Be blessed and give thanks for another day meant to share, meant to enjoy and meant to learn!

Till next time...... Smile !

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ October 29, 2009

Happy Thursday everyone! Hope you have a great day with success and happiness!

We all should have gratitude of what we have accomplished. We all have had rocky times in our lives.

Times when we can look back with admiration for what we climbed over or went through and survived at the other end.

What does not kill you only makes you stronger.

Today is part 4 of our discussion and thought of our basic needs that makes us all who we are.

As I promised you last Thursday I wanted to write some of my thoughts on our basic needs and how the power of a smile and the very essence of gratitude can not only sustain our basic needs but help in their development.

In 1943 Abraham Maslow’s paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ was written and included his theory about the hierarchy of needs that we all have. The goal of this post is not dissect or go into much detail of what each need is about, but to rather highlight them and explain my mission to share the power of the smile and the importance of gratitude in ones life.

Self esteem, significance and becoming a greater part of the whole

So we covered thus far the basic survival needs and our need for security and semblance of order and yesterday went over the need for love or belonging. Today the last part of the basic needs is having the self esteem and feeling significant.

We all have the desire and need to be respected. Some of us earn it each day with parenthood of our children, some with our grand children. We learn to share our lessons of life and engage their spirit to communicate our history and what made us who we are today. We enjoy the process of shaping and molding a life and giving a direction to hopfully make their life easier and more productive than even our own.

Some of us gain significance through donation of time to a local charity or volunteering our services to someone in who has a greater need.

Look at today's trick or treater and even the adult seasonal party. We dress up and look to engage others with our costume and hopefully earn a sense of pride for a costume well done and for our children a large supply of treats for their efforts.

The need has always been to feel respected for our existance and efforts. We all want to feel that we contribute and become a great part of a whole. Whether it be at church, a school committee, visiting a nursing home, or maybe just planting flowers and a garden to share with co workers or neighbors we all want to give to more than just ourselves.

Our self esteem is fed on these things but the true esteem comes from the basic knowledge that

You are special, there is only one you ~ Fred Rogers

When we begin to acknowledge this and understand how we Make the Difference in our lives and the lives of others. Then we begin to 'Get it'.

Getting the fact that we have control, our smile, our beliefs, what we think about and talk about shapes and molds who we truly are at that moment.

Those of us who surround ourselves with the power or prayer, daily devotions and belief that there is the power of God directing our daily actions have proven to ourselves time and time again that we are here for a purpose greater than we can sometimes know.

At Christmas time, quickly approaching, we all know the movie with James Stewart called 'Its a Wonderful Life'. This 1946 classic where an angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed. Every year we watch it and it all reminds us that each of us has made a difference just by treading through life and becoming part of its outcome.

Remember this quote from the movie from time to time:

Clarence: [In book inscription] Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.

How true indeed!

We all can look back and admire what we have built for those around us. Which is a whole lot better than looking back and feeling pity for what could have been.

One of my favorite sayings of all time is The past does not equal the future.'

It can shape our future but in the end we mold and make our future by what efforts we do in the present. Our future is the outcome of what we all do right now.

The smiles we share!

The doors we open for others!

The little random things that we do out of kindness for others that turn out to be huge in their hearts and minds.

Take time to search your heart and find all the things you have done over the years which have impacted others in a positive way.

Take time to search your son or daughters eyes and admire their admiration for the time and effort you give to them. Become part of their life, their goal planning and setting and help shape their 'wonderful life'.

If and when you take time to do these things I assure you step by step your esteem, your sense of belonging and purpose will expand. It can not help but expanding by the ripples your life will make in the waters of others.

So taking stock in what God has given you, giving thanks for what you have been blessed with, and taking time to share a smile. Not a bad day, which will lead to a better life. For you, for those you love and for the random person you meet along the way.

We make the difference.

A quote from Willy Wonka:

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Write your song, dream your dream and begin today to share your smile!


Enjoy your day everyone! Enjoy your smile and pass one on! You will make a difference.

Till next time...... Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

Some Wednesday Wit ~ October 28, 2009

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope your week is going well and yes the half way point is here! Some of us call it over the hump day and this week we have only days to trick or treater day.

Ok so before we go too much further the only wit I leave you with kind of ties in .

Knock Knock

Who's there?

Love

Love who?

I love you too! : )

So....... LOL

How are you celebrating the holiday and what candy or treat or tricks are you passing out?

Today is Part 3 of on our Basic needs Today is a discussion of love and belonging.

As I promised you last Thursday I wanted to write some of my thoughts on our basic needs and how the power of a smile and the very essence of gratitude can not only sustain our basic needs but help in their development.

In 1943 Abraham Maslow’s paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ was written and included his theory about the hierarchy of needs that we all have. The goal of this post is not dissect or go into much detail of what each need is about, but to rather highlight them and explain my mission to share the power of the smile and the importance of gratitude in ones life.

Love and belonging

So we covered thus far the basic survival needs and yesterday security. Today the next important need within Human nature is the need for love and the feeling of being part of a larger group, parenthood, community, friendships.

We have all gone through parts of our life when we felt alone and perhaps anxious.

The social networking craze on the Internet is proof that people want and even need a feeling of belonging. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Gather all have shown increasing growth that allows people to share the important and even frivolous but never the less important to social structure.

The need for love is so important and strong Robert Browning was quoted as saying:

~Take away love, and our earth is a tomb.

Mother Teresa put it this way:

~I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts,

there can be no more hurt, only more love.

Many for sure have felt the sting of love lost, love misplaced and even misguided but indeed the search goes on until you find that one true guide to tag along with you through life.

Love can be found in many places, in the flower garden in spring you can see love blooming all around you.

It can be found in the reflection of a babies eyes that look at you with awe and wonder.

Love can all be found in a written poem, streaming with the flow of gentle flowing words that touch our soul.

Love must always be aroused with a sense of your understanding of you however. Love can be hard to find if your lacking gratitude and joy with oneself.

The human challenge is to find love in ourselves, to love we must first find the will to love any situation that we fall into.

Not love in the sense of no matter how hard the road is I love it, but love in the sense that no matter how hard the road is I know that I can easily be loved even if only by me. That you are a kind and gentle spirit with a heart wide open not cut off because of hurt or worry.

The ability to smile at oneself is perhaps a gift but it can be learned and with practice will shape and mold our emotions.

The basic needs of survival and security are felt when they are not being met quickly with a sense of panic and fear. The need of love and belonging and love when not met are felt with loss and emptiness.

We all can over come this feeling with just a simple act of understanding our spirit our true direction and desires.

What is it that we want? What is it that we can acquire right now?

To reach out from ourselves and touch others with a phone call, a joke, or just a simple sincere smile!

No one can or should feel alone and empty the smile and the sense of gratitude can refuel and energize the soul. We just need to let it. With the smile we just need to give it.

Tomorrow is part 4 of 4 and we will look at the human need for self esteem, significance and becoming a great part of the whole.

Have a great day everyone!

The project and outreach of ‘Make ME Smile Online’ is simple.

Teach others the power of the sincere smile with education, practice, and entertainment. All we need now is you.

All we need is love! That was a song was it not?

Enjoy your day everyone! Enjoy your smile and pass one on! You will make a difference.

Till next time...... Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

NOTE: A new edition to MMSO click on the link above and you will be taken to our new format for the daily blog on Make ME Smile online. With this we added a bit of music on our music player. We also added a new video player which shows some of the videos we have added over the last 7 months. I hope you enjoy it. I have enjoyed putting it all together.

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ October 27, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone today is a day that I write about giving thanks and what I am grateful for today. So my big three are today:

Family ~ a girlfriend and daughter and son that love me for who I am.

Life ~ another year gone by, hopefully a little wiser and a little more patient.

Friends ~ my Gather and Facebook friends and those at work. I thank and wish all of you a great week!

May you all have good things to share with others. May you all have special people in your life.

Today is Part 2 of on our Basic needs Today is a discussion of security and semblance of order.

As I promised you last Thursday I wanted to write some of my thoughts on our basic needs and how the power of a smile and the very essence of gratitude can not only sustain our basic needs but help in their development.

In 1943 Abraham Maslow’s paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ was written and included his theory about the hierarchy of needs that we all have. The goal of this post is not dissect or go into much detail of what each need is about, but to rather highlight them and explain my mission to share the power of the smile and the importance of gratitude in ones life.

Security and Order

After the basic survival need the next important need within Human nature is the need for a sense of stability and order.

In the area of employment and job security, ability to be treated a certain way at work with our safety concerns met and issues handled fairly. Imagine if you will the early days before the union when it was not only dangerous to go into the mills and coal mines you did not know if you would have a job depending on your boss’s mood. Times were different, harassment of all kinds and bribery and threats ran rampant.

The area of certainty that when you go out to your car the engine when turn over. When your driving the faith that we have that the other person will stay on their side of the rode is not even thought of we just feel certain that they will.

The need for basic health insurance is a big debate at this time in history and dominates the news. Many people have insurance through work or their spouse’s employment. However millions and millions every year have none. No form of catastrophic insurance even for the worst case scenario. This not only has costs for the family but for the health care system which raises cost each year to cover charge offs that the uninsured can not pay. The need people feel for basic protection is a need we who have insurance don’t think of.

There are many other security and order needs here are just a few more:

Police and fire protection

Our borders from terrorists

Life Insurance

Natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, etc

These we often take for granted. Imagine if you will a small child in Somalia, who in this war torn country not only has to fear for their safety but wear their next meal is coming from. Imagine their sense of gratitude each night when they go to bed alive and fed.

It is hard to imagine. But very real, in places all over the world.

So plant firmly in your mind, in your reality all the things we take for granted as we go about our day. The safety net that our Armed forces and local police surround us with.

The J-O-B that we go to everyday and grumble about. No some jobs do have serious problems that still remain but sometimes the problems lie with us. How we perceive our world and how we walk within the framework our responses makes all the difference.

A smile placed within our hearts that travels to our mind and lands on our lips can make all the difference. In fact it may just about be the turning point to someone’s day.

Gratitude feeling that sense of thanks to God for all that secure world that we embrace everyday. Yes we have loop holes with in our lives. They are not perfect but nothing is perfect in this realm.

So next time you want to grumble, complain, whine do so with a fraction of time leave the rest of the fraction for the boy or girl in some third world country longing for their sense of security and order.

Tomorrow is part 3 of 4 and we will look at the human need for love and belonging. Have a great day everyone!

May all of you find peace, joy and love today!

That perfect smile is just a mirror away!

Till next time Smile! Make a difference in someone’s world and pass one on!

www make me smile online dot com

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your day is a great one filled with smiles and good memories.

As I promised you last Thursday I wanted to write some of my thoughts on our basic needs and how the power of a smile and the very essence of gratitude can not only sustain our basic needs but help in their development.

In 1943 Abraham Maslow’s paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ was written and included his theory about the hierarchy of needs that we all have. The goal of this post is not dissect or go into much detail of what each need is about, but to rather highlight them and explain my mission to share the power of the smile and the importance of gratitude in ones life.



The Basic Needs of Life



We all have basic needs of survival, needs like:

Air to breathe

Water and Food to maintain our body functions

Sleep which enables us to re-energize our bodies



We can say here and almost all would agree that with out those conditions being met life as we know it would be difficult if not impossible.

Yes, there are many degrees of enough. Enough sleep and enough food can be a variable of course. But judging by the super size of food packaging maybe it can be said we do not get adequate amounts of sleep. Myself included on the food and sleep statement.



So with all of this said, gratitude at this level should be easy. If your reading this your alive, probably rested and have at some level access to a computer and the Internet.



Much of the world does not have adequate food or water and they definitely don’t have a computer or the Internet. So we should be able to be thankful at this point.



Gratitude is without question an important factor in being happy. Happiness is a factor in having a smile on our lips. The two almost go hand in hand.



Without gratitude we will not appreciate the fact that we are alive, with air to breathe, food to eat and water to drink. We should be very grateful. We should be able to look in the mirror and smile.



God created the resources to sustain life. It is our hope at Make ME Smile Online that you can always have enough. Enough of the basics in life things like air, food and water and sleep of course.



Prayers of thanks come from my heart each morning. I have said it before that often we pray for things. Pray for substance. If we pray with thanks in our heart and gratitude in our words we shall perhaps accomplish more than a gentle and kind heart but the most basic need of all.

Wisdom of a life enjoyed!

Part 2 is Tuesday and the discussion will be on the need for some sort of security and semblance of order in our lives.

The need to have certainty in our life.

Till next time.......Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ October 25, 2009

Good Morning and I hope your Sunday is a special one.

Ok so I tried this again. LOL

Wow this was not easy..... My friend shared these with me in an email. They would not embed into the post. Then I crossed them over to MMSO and Blogpost. Then I found that they did not cross over.....ugh.....

The never give up attitude, never ever ever give up or give in.

So here they are and I hope you enjoy them.

Smiling for the camera

What a pose huh?

This one is like "really" when is this over?

This one is like "why would you carve this one I can just jump out of it"

This week I start the series how the basic needs can be enhanced by the simple power of the smile and gratitude. I hope you come back starting Monday and I hope you have a great week!

Till next time.... Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ October 24, 2009

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope your day is a special one. Only seven days to Halloween and the march of the trick or treaters. I don't get any here, we live on a road where it would be a workout just to get to our house by foot and there are too many developments in the area that siphons away the walkers and cars.

But my daughter Tori still put out the decorations, lights and hanging things and yard things. Candles and hanging things inside. It looks very cool and I will say here she did a great job!!

Very creative girl! I don't know where she gets that??

So today in searching through my reflections I wanted to share two funny video's one that is posted on MMSO (Make ME Smile Online) and the other I found last week and wanted to share with it. I hope it makes you laugh and smile. It did me and it has some light hearted moments that you may even mark them as your favorites.

The Internet has so many resources. Gather dot com is one that I come here to post my mission to share the power of the smile and educate others about that the immense importance of gratitude in ones life. Not just on Sunday but everyday!!!

The state of our being is much depended on the state of our mind and feelings about oneself!

Yes read that and put in your reality check book. We all should have that in our front of mind.

What we feel and how we talk to ourselves inside our head makes the real difference about how we will grow in gratitude and joy.

Think about this when we touch a hot stove once in our lives we have a respect for a hot stove because we felt pain from the heat.

We know that it can hurt us and the ones we love if we don't use care. Thats how we feel about it and thats how respect it. But we still use it, cook with it, make our meals and teach others to not touch the hot stove.

How we feel about that stove and the potential pain from using it does not stop us from using it anymore does it?

No. We respect it, and use it with care.

The same way we should respect and use our feelings about oneself! The state of mind and respect of ourselves are crucial.

Ok so I went off the Saturday Morning Reflection path. Sorry about that.....

The video's and the smile...... Here we go... Hope you enjoy and laugh a little today!

And this one

Hope you have a great weekend!

Till next time.... Smile and enjoy your day!

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing Into Friday ~ October 23, 2009

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Yes the weekend is here perhaps for many the most anticipated time of the week. Time that will be spent with friends, family and our faith.

So as we flow into Friday I wanted to thank all of those who commented on yesterdays post. I wrote a post about the basic needs of all of us. Some wrote about how they are in a place or have come from a place in their recent past when the basic survival needs were a struggle.

Some maybe of you or your neighbors may be in a place where the basics are not being met or maybe just barely.

We all have come from times in our lives when we trudged through, worried had stress and felt on the edge because of tough times. Myself included. It was not easy but two quotes come to mind that we have all heard.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

~Friedrich Nietzsche quote

~~~~~~~~~~~

There but for the grace of God go I

~ John Bradford

~~~~~~~~~

Those quotes just about sum up many a struggle. The basic need to survive makes us all creative in some shape or manner.

The biggest tool I have had is the one called prayer. I believe in giving my burdens and trusting in God to led me out. When we put our problems and worries with God we take that burden off of our shoulders and allow for more creative and calming methods to appear.

I have said it before the emotion of worry is perhaps the most debilitating emotion to our spirit and soul.

It has been once said that worry is like a rocking chair you can feel motion but you are going nowhere. Just back and forth.

Action no matter how small is key. Some actions have a price, some actions only take a phone call or a step in that direction.

Resources and local churches are out there for almost any situation.

The only need we must never allow to fade is the need to act, to inquire and to ask.

No amount of pride should ever be put in front of being helped or assisted. Then once we are back on our own feet we should pay it forward to help another in crisis.

Simple words for tough times but we all need to be aware of them. Pay close attention to those around you. Pay close attention to those who not only need a smile and a kind word but maybe just need some advice.

No one wants a hand out, but sometimes we all need a hand up. To be lifted in spirit is perhaps the greatest lift of all!

I hope you enjoy this weekend. Take time to watch and listen for your fellow man or woman. Take time to offer encouragement and don't forget to offer hope along the way!

Till next time..... Smile!!!! Share your resources no matter how small to another.

May God Bless you all this weekend!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ October 22, 2009

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope everyone has a great day filled with smiles! Smiles for you and that stranger you pass in your travels today.

Life is very basic when you think about it.

Yes there are many layers to it but it really comes down to simple needs that we must feel that we all have.

The needs of survival of ourselves and family.

Basic needs such as food, air, water, clothes and safety.

The needs of safety for ourselves and family. Financial, health and short and long term confidence.

The needs of being Social. For example friendship, being part of a community, love and intimacy.

The need of having esteem, notably self esteem. Example being able to respected by others and ourselves.

The last need of having dreams, goals, wants, things we want to achieve.

Those are the basics and when we look at each one they are what each of us wants for ourselves and those we care about.

Next week I am going to talk about these and how the simple act of gratitude and the smile can have an affect on each and every stage of the basic needs.

I hope you enjoy it. But for now I just want you to reflect on these over the rest of the week. Take a close look at how your needs are being met or what you can do to maybe adjust your focus on ones that are lacking.

Thanks for all of your comments and views yesterday during the Wednesday Wit. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did sharing them with you.

I pray each morning and give thanks to God for the meeting of my needs. I pray not for things, I pray with thankfulness. My health, my safety is in his hands. Yes I have free will not to do things that are dangerous to my health and safety. But we all have the necessary wisdom to know the difference.

Enjoy your Thursday!

Enjoy your smiles that you give yourself!

Make a difference by passing some along to others today.

At the checkout at the grocery store. The stranger who holds the door open for you. The lady who passes you by on the sidewalk.

May those who you come in contact see the light that shines within your spirit.

May your light shine bright today!

~~~~

Till next time.....Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

Some Wednesday Wit ~ October 21, 2009

Good morning and Happy Wednesday to all of you! Some of you read in the afternoon so for those of you hope your day has been great so far. Today is Wednesday and I wanted to thank those who share comments and a joke in last weeks version.

So with my morning coffee on my right and Sushi on the left, yes I love sushi in the morning for breakfast.

It is easy to eat, somewhat filling and easy clean up.

So lets start with the Wit with out any delay. Hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~

Q: Hear about the new sushi bar that caters exclusively to lawyers?

A: It's called, Sosumi.

~~~~~~~~

Q:What's better than a talking dinosaur ?
A: A spelling bee !

~~~~~~~~~

Children's Comments on Love

(a laugh maybe and it will make you think and smile)

When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toe nails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love. Rebecca age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth. Billy age 4

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other. Karl age 5

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs. Chrissie age 6

Love is what makes you smile when you're tired. Terri age 4

Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK. Danny age 7

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. Bobby age 7

If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate. Nikka age 6

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day. Noelle age 7

Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. Tommy age 6

Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken. Elaine age 5

Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. Mary Ann age 4

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. Lauren age 4

~~~~~~~~~

Q. Why is blue bird sad?

A. Cause its a Blue Bird!

~ shared by my daughter Tori

~~~~~~~~~~~

A woman and a manget into a car accident. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them is hurt.

After they crawl out of the wreckage, the womansays, "Wow, look at our cars - there's nothing left! Thank God we are all right. This must be a sign from Him that we should be friends and not try to pin the blame on each other."

The man replies, "Oh yes, I agree with you completely."

The womanpoints to a bottle on the ground and says, "And here's another miracle. Somehow this bottle of Scotch from my back seat didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this Scotch and celebrate our good fortune."

Then she hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it, and chugs about a third of the bottle to calm his nerves. He then hands it back to the woman. The womantakes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The womanreplies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A guy walks in for his interview.
The interviewer asks, "Whats the first thing you notice about me?"

The guy responds, "Why, You don't have any ears."

Interviewer: "Get out! Send in the next guy."

2nd guy walks in for his interview.

The interviewer asks, "Whats the first thing you notice about me?"

The guy responds, "Why, You don't have any ears."

Interviewer: "Get out! Send in the next guy."

This guy on the way out says to the 3rd guy "What ever you do, don't say anything about his not having any ears - He'll kick you right out."

3rd guy walks in for his interview.

The interviewer asks, "Whats the first thing you notice about me?"

The guy looks at the interviewer intently for a few seconds and responds, "Why, you wear contact lenses don't you."

The interviewer says, "That's impressive that you're so observant. How could you tell I wear contact lenses?"

3rd guy "Because you don't have any damn ears to hang glasses on."

~~~~~~~~~~~

With winter coming here is some things you can learn from your snowman

Wearing white is always in style - even after Labor Day.

Getting outside in the winter is good for your health.

It's fun just to hang out in your front yard.

We're all made up of mostly water.

Accessories don't have to be expensive.

Don't get too much sun!

If you're a little bottom heavy - hey, that's okay!

You know you've made it when they write a song about you.

If you look down and can't see your feet - you're probably not very active.

Sometimes sweating too much can have disasterous results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is it! Hope you enjoyed and hope you have some to share just add them in the comments.

Till next time....share a smile with someone today!

Yes you can make a difference!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ October 20, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone! I want to first say thank you for the increased traffic to MMSO. The ME in Make Me Smile Online is really you. Thanks to all of you for the kind comments on here as well. You have placed many smiles on my face and heart and I hope you know that it is noticed and I give thanks for you every day as well.

Many times your comments go very deep to my inner spirit and it transfers energy to my thoughts and gives me the energy to feel even deeper gratitude.

I hope every time I hit the submit button that just one soul gets what I am trying to share.

IF that happens then I feel that my message helped at least one.

And if one maybe there has been more.

So today as we all give thanks here are my three,

1. My family, who every day loves me and gives me a strong desire to get better not just for me but for them. Even my dogs Bella and Bear give me so much joy when I come home. A dog gives so much love to you and needs so little in return.

2. My love of music. Music can soothe the soul, inspire the soul and give so much to the listener. It can motivate or sedate. I enjoy just about all forms, acoustic or classical. My favorite song at this point is The Fixer by Pearl Jam. Great lyrics and a strong musical edge. Now thats my favorite for now it can change.

3 My gather friends. Like I said earlier I appreciate all of you. Your comments always inspire and transfer energy to me.

So what about you? What gives you gratitude this Tuesday?

I leave you with this video, I hope in inspires, gives you energy and puts some self talk in your mind that flows with you. It is best heard with headphones to get the full effect. Very visual and under 4 minutes. Enjoy!

Hope you watch it when you need that extra something.

May you feel Great today!

Till next time..... Smile!

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ October 19, 2009

Good Morning everyone and welcome to Monday! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Hope it was everything you wanted it to be no matter what the weather was. Other than something like a baseball game or something depending on decent conditions everything else is manageable.

Don't let outside forces dictate how you feel or how you handle your day. We, yes all of us need to control our mood by starting each and every day right. Our mood is based only on what we allow it to be based on. Not our spouse, our best friend but by us and only us.

A quote that fits here:

“The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular moodof happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change, for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up”

Charles Morgan quotes(Englishnovelist, 1894-1958) Happiness must be allowed to grow from within. Our thoughts come from within and no outside force should ever be permitted to dictate our level of joy and gratitude. Each and every morning we all have habits. Mine are as follows. Turn off the Alarm, a long stretch, a quick trip to the bathroom, breath enhancement, just to be destroyed by coffee and then breakfast. My prayers and moments of gratitude and then I let my mind focus on my keyboard and the fingers begin to type. I copy and paste to 2 other sites. Blogger and Make ME Smile on Line and then forward to Facebook and Twitter. Then I get ready for my day at work. Thats my routine but nothing is more important than the prayer and gratitude that I send out each morning. It starts my day more than any coffee could ever do. Your smile that you share with your self on that trip to the bathroom is another important thing. As your thoughts control attitude your smile controls your face and eyes. Your cheerleader in the morning is you my friend. You must start your day off with a few words of encouragement. So as you start your day off today, take a moment and think about anything that you may be doing that detracts from your mood. What thoughts are you thinking? What self talk are you hearing ? What do you say to yourself in the mirror? You are special and created for purpose, don't ever forget that. “Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.” ~Fred Rogers quote So with that have a great day everyone! Till next time..... Smile! www make me smile online dot com

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ October 18, 2009

Happy Sunday Everyone! A day that has so much promise to it. Many of us have plans on this day with our faith, family and friends. Enjoy your day with whom ever you share it.

Today I wanted to share all of you Our Mission Statement at Make Me Smile Online. Everyone even you should have a mission statement.

What you want to accomplish in this life.

What is your purpose.

There have been books written on purpose and what we should or how we should direct our lives.

This is our mission statement.

Provide a place on the Internet to promote, share, develop, entertain and educate its visitors and members that the simple yet powerful result of happiness the "Smile' can change the broken hearted, the lonely, the sad and help to change not only their world but the world of others.

One Smile at a Time!

Our goal to develop an online community to help and conquer the stress that this imperfect world produces.

The human spirit that we know can and will produce idea's, inspiration and energy that will carry it through these tough times.

One Smile at a Time!

I do believe that there is much stress in the world. So many are out of work, out of patience, or just plain misguided.

Our mission at Make ME Smile Online is one of guidance. No we can't solve problems only bring about a new way of looking a things. A view of gratitude for what we have. A view of a smile shared by another. A focus on what we possess within us.

On our mission statement page we post a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. As it reads on our mission statement.

Our belief and our focus of Success

To laugh often and much;To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.This is to have succeeded.--- Ralph Waldo Emerson

If we can focus on this quote to define our state of success then maybe we shall fine joy and gratitude a little easier.

I try to focus each day on a theme of what can we do to improve.

How can we use our resources we have now to show gratitude.

Why humor is important in our lives to no only laugh but to sometimes laugh within our spirit.

As we go about our day, our week, our month please consider Mr Emerson's quote of success. If you also can walk with that mind set in your heart and soul how much better would our world be?

If you can have gratitude in your heart and mind daily how much better would your world be.

Make ME Smile Online has a vision of sharing the basic principle of a smile. The power of a smile to share and entertain. To educate and enhance lives of not just others but yours.

The ME in Make ME smile is really all about you the reader, the viewer.

So if you get the chance stop on over, pull up a chair, enjoy the view of humor, of quotations, of challenges to the mind and heart. IF you get the chance stop on by. IF you like what you find take the time to add it to your favorites. IF you want to join please do so. It is free, We also have a forum page that is just waiting for you to let us know what makes you smile. What music, what movies, what quotes, what jokes you have to make you smile.

Take the time to visit.... our address is www.make me smile online dot com

Our audio version of our thoughts each day can be found at the following address, http://makemesmileonline.blogspot.com/

On Gather our address is www smileonline dot gather dot com

You can also reach us at facebook or twitter at the following addresses.

http://www.facebook.com/victoryakin

http://twitter.com/Smileonline

Till next time take the time to smile! : )

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday morning reflection October 17, 2009

Good morning everyone and welcome to Saturday !!

First I want to thank you all for your recent comments and visits to the new formatted MMSO (Make Me Smile Online). I hope you have found the site easier to the eye and follow.

Saturday I usually post a reflection from prior posts.

But as I type this on my Iphone at 1 am in the morning that would be difficult.

My Internet went down and after all the troubleshooting with my ISP cable provider we had to schedule a service appointment for Sunday.

Sigh!

Still smiling as my finger pounds this out.

Still filled with gratitude that I am still able to type this out via the iPhone.

Still inspired to spread both to all of you.

My inspirational point is this today. No matter what if you belive in your cause, your purpose, your mission will be fulfilled.

You have the power, you have the will if you only plug onto your heart.

Your joy and passion awaits all you need to do is take aim and run towards it.

Till next time......smile. : )
www make me smile online dot com

Where the ME is really YOU!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone