Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ December 31, 2009

Happy Thursday and Happy New Year everyone! On the east coast we have less that 17 hours!

Yesterday I shared some wishes for the new year. I hope you had a chance to visit the post and I hope you think with deep thought and consideration over them.

We can make a difference, a difference with a smile, a kind act, being polite, being tolerant and having compassion for our contacts which we meet each and every day.

Albert Einstein was once quotes as sayin:

A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

In this quote I feel that if we all reflect on the greater sum of all the parts that make this world so abundant. Things like the awesome nature of a snowflake, a sunrise, the wind that whistles through the branches of the tree. We will then understand that we are the keeper, the caregiver of nature and each other.

We all have so many desires, needs both basic and elaborate however when we really look outside of the box and try to show compassion not just for close family and friends but each other and nature we then see the true gratitude that this stage called life has to offer.

Another quote that I wanted to share by George Washington Carver he stated:

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all of these.

It has always been said that if you can never put yourself in another man or women's shoes and understand the journey that brought them to where they are now. In fact when we look back over 2009 and the years that came before we can wonder how our shoes brought us to where we are right now. We can in fact amaze ourselves with what we can overcome and how we can do the 'right thing' when we really need to. The human spirit in ourselves is alive and well when we give it the credit it really deserves.

Little things like a smile in the morning in that mirror and a simple audible I am able to do anything I put my heart and mind into. I am a child of God built with perfection.

Say that in that mirror and watch how your spirit rises. Because its all true.

Little things like having a heart of gratitude for family, health, friends, and the wealth that each one brings not to our checking account or wallet but to our very ledger of life. The most important balance we can all carry and never really fall into the red side of the ledger.

Little things like showing compassion, being polite, sharing a smile with others how far will that go in the race of life. Try it, feel it, believe in it and you will find a healthy dose of love starting to bubble in your heart.

Thats what it is all about my friends. This year has been magical for me. The posts that I have typed out at this table I hope have made your life a bit better I know it has for me.

Your comments, your kind emails have truly been read and noticed and I thank you.

Many times as my fingers just pound away at the keys in front and after I put the last period at the end I get a bit teary eyed as the mix of words and thoughts that flow are often from a part of my spirit that I know not of. I can only say that with my prayers and thoughts of gratitude a higher plan of spirit flows through and I often just pen my name to the post but the words are often typed with just unknown but trusting pace.

I am glad this was a year that I picked up the baton and ran with this message. I feel it is so very important in the time we are all in.

A smile can truly change a moment of grief. A kind word can truly change a moment of anger. A bit of empathy and compassion can inspire a soul to not only carry on but to grow.

With that I wish you all a Happy New year.

I will next be happy to type 2010. A year for all to grow and prosper and just become a bit more gentle not just with each other but with ourselves.

Till next time......... Smile and share it with another. See you in January!

www make me smile online dot com

A Wish on Wednesday ~ 12/30/09

Happy Wednesday everyone! It is only 1 day 40 hours well never mind just click on the link to get you update via time and date dot com.

Click here for actual countdown clock EST

So enjoy the countdown. My post today I wanted to title again

'A Wish on Wednesday' as I hope we all turn our rants and complaints and whines into at the very least a wish for the new year.

Here are some of mine.

I wish that everyone can learn to be more compassionate and tolerant. We are a nation of one. We are a people that together for a cause of peace and love can accomplish any goal or task put in front of us together.

I wish that no one not a child or an adult should ever have to be hungry or homeless. We are such a rich nation filled with so many resources no one with a will mind and body should ever go hungry or homeless.

I wish that everyone that reads this shares it with one person and everyone gets the simple idea of sharing a smile, a kind word, a random act of being kind and polite. These simple acts can make a difference in so many lives. The simple concept of having a gratitude in ones heart and a common resolve to enhance life and not take away from its purpose. A purpose to help, and make better.

I wish that everyone clicks on Make Me Smile Online (see link below) and that everyone reads 'Our Mission' page and especially the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote on the meaning of Success and not only reads it but takes it to heart each day.

I wish that we can learn that God was and is and will always be a God of Love and did not create hate, war, death, anguish but gave us all a Free Will to carry on and live by certain principles or not but not without any consequences. God does not take the life of an innocent child, God not did not allow Nazi Germany to take lives of innocent people. God creates people, gave us life, gave us light and also gave us dark. Evil exists but it never is from God's hand.

I wish that everyone this season takes time to pray and give thanks and meditate on peace, tolerance, acceptance, love and harmony with not only each other but our resources.

Lastly, I wish that everyone takes that wish, that new years resolution and turns it into a expectation. Where we don't wish for it we make a effort, and take a stand and not just hope anymore. But expect and responsibly make a position for peace, and basic human needs are met.

We need to care more about what are country is doing than 'Balloon Boy's Dad'. We need to be more vocal at the polls and to our leaders than to be at a sporting event. If we are to make things better worry about that homeless child, or that child that may just be at the end of their rope than to worry about the latest reality show or daytime drama.

We are a nation of innovation and strength and together we can make a difference.

One Smile at a time.

One kind deed at a time.

One moment of resolve at a time.

We can make a choice and a decision to act with responsibility towards these wishes and many other noble causes.

One wish at a time. One expectation at a time. One realization at a time.

Till next time......Smile and share it with someone who just may need it.

Visit us at www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ December 29, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone and yes we are only 2 days away from a New Year! No real plans here just a quiet night, good food, a little bubbly and probably Dick Clark on the TV. Is he really still doing that. Seems like forever ago when I first watched him so many years ago with my Mom and Dad.

We talked about some things we could do next year that will help us focus on gratitude, and making a difference first in our own life and then in the life of others around us.

I spoke of the word resolve as in making that decision to have no other decision and to resolve to focus on what can make me better, stronger, happier in the new year and future year.

This leads me into the statement:

If you ask a better question you will get a better answer.

What I mean here is so many times we stumble and don't really know how to fix the situation we are currently in. We either do nothing and stay troubled, or we do too much to fix it and cause wide and expansive ripples that cause other problems.

Why? We react to our situation. Doing nothing is a reaction true? You bet. Doing nothing is a choice we sometimes make for various reasons. We don't want to make trouble for someone or we are too lazy to change. We are afraid of failure or we fear change. The very change we want we fear because 'what if it don't go right'?

So how do we fix these fears? How do we get from point A (where we are now) to point B ( where we want to be)?

My thoughts on this are these. As a child we had so much wonder and imagination we just did. Of course we made mistakes, fell, and stumbled along the way and we had a support system to help us when we failed. They were are parents. Since we have grown as adults and have heard the word no I can't do that thousand's of times we have altered our belief system in imagination and wonder. Sad huh?

Many of us continue that tradition today with our own kids. Worried about things that could happen to our kids when they have not even happened yet. We inherently protect because this or that could happen and we worry about worst case scenario for our kids.

This brings me to a thought and a practice to work on today and this year.

Ask a better question you will get a better answer.

If we take the time to formulate our thoughts and trials and tribulations into better questions instead of dreary one way statements we will get better answers.

For example:

So many bills so little money is a problem we often all have. We worry about this or that and consume our thoughts over when and how the next bill will be paid. Often we spin our wheels until we have little traction to move forward. So the question on the table often is for example "Why is it always so hard to just get by?" can easily be changed to a statement of I have always been resourceful in the past to get to this point, what can I do right now that will help me earn more so that I can continue?

Do you see the difference. One question is focus on the lack we feel and the pain we are in.

The second question focuses on what we have accomplished (grateful) thus far and the present moment not the future uncertainty (worry) of the situation.

Practice it, think of your questions that you ask yourself each day.

Resolve that this year will be different and better than the past years.

Pray with thanks for the resources we do have, like family, a roof over our heads, a computer with a connection to the web that gives us with a click resources to help.

Take five or six minutes each day to write in a gratitude journal your 3 things that make today such a blessing and express what your currently grateful for.

Ask better question of the current situation that you seek a better answer and solution.

Tomorrow we will talk about taking some time to reflect and how reflection can help us understand the waves in our life that are flowing us down the river of life and how we can prepare for the crashing waves that are coming for all of us. Don't worry crashing waves can be fun, ever go to a water park?

Till next time.... Smile share it with yourself and then others it just may be someones difference maker today.

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ December 28, 2009

Happy Monday everyone and welcome to the final week of 2009!

How grateful we all must be for that. A very tumultuous year it was, filled with famous people passing on, icons and legends, scandals galore, a new president and a very active media.

Being from Pittsburgh it also meant a couple of parades for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Steelers both won the trophy in their own league crowing them at least for this year the very best.

So what about this year for you? Good or bad? What would you make better next year?

One thing that happened this year for me was the launch of my project at Make ME Smile Online (where the ME is really all about you). March 18 to be exact and April 5th 2009 on Gather. The project has been very satisfying for me and although it is still in its infancy well if I help just one in some small way I feel that I have succeeded. Membership is free and more to come in 2010 so why not pay me a visit at www dot make me smile online dot com.

So yesterday I spoke of resolve as in what do you resolve to change in 2010.

What plans are you preparing now so that they are clear and you can not and will not break them.

Think of this way when we decide to do something we do it. Driving to work we decide that we have to go and we do. We can decide not to go of course but that is another story.

Resolve to make a difference this year. First for yourself, and then for others. Share that smile with yourself first thing in the morning. Give yourself that self talk pep talk and let your self know that you are meant to succeed today. Right now, today is the best day for you to start this. Not Jan 1, 2010 today December 28, 2009.

Next resolve to take time every morning to pray, I know some of you may do this already but pray to give thanks, pray for what God has provided you, the snow, the sun, the ability to understand and discernment. Pray not for things because in away you already have access to things. We are all free will, free choice agents in life. We lack for nothing, we are the music makers, we are the dreamers to take a line from Willy Wonka. We have the ability to do anything we put our focus and drive too.

Next resolve to give thanks and start a gratitude journal each day for like 5 minutes take the time for yourself to write down 3 things you are grateful for and why. Take time to focus on this simple task. Gratitude is perhaps the one single thing this world lacks. If every child was raised with the simple education of gratitude and compassion we would wipe out hatred, bigotry and selfishness.

Resolve and commit to planing out your 2010 right now. Take action right now. Make a difference right now. You can and if your tired of getting the same result you have been getting in your life, or you just feel things can become better then try it. Your worth it.

You were designed for greatness. What separates you from anyone who has accomplished success. A plan, yeah and effort you bet. Knowledge? Yeah ok I will give you that but if you think knowledge from failure just going out and doing it with a plan and not giving up if you fail that is the knowledge most have gained.

How many times did Abraham Lincoln fail? Look it up.

How many times did Edison fail with the light bulb? Google that one.

How many times did you son or daughter tumble before they learned to walk?

Did you ever say hey thats it don't take another step we have tried that before. See what happens you fall lets try something different now. No, with a little laugh you didn't so why should you quit if you fail at something.

Make a change! Share a smile! Live with purpose! Resolve that today will be a great day for you. Make yourself a little bit better this year.

Till next time, take the time to smile and have a great week!

www make me smile online dot com

Click on the link above, browse around and if you like what you see join us it is free and share that smile with others.

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ December 27, 2009

Happy Sunday everyone! How this year has flown by and yes we have only 4 days till the new year is upon us. What have you planned for the new year. For sure it will be full of challenges and will have untold realities ready to unfold before us. But will they unfold before us by happenstance or will they flow under our will and direction. What path will you choose?

What have you resolved to change this year? What direction have you chosen for your self and decided that this year will be different because I choose it to be different.

I have said it before several times that we are in charge of our vessel. We have been given free will by our creator and his son has died on the cross to save us from our sins.

But in the end we are in charge of our destiny.

We hold the key, and we put in either in another persons hand or pocket or we hold on to that key firmly with our own hands. We then place into the vessels ignition and turn it to start the engines in our soul to roar. We guide it with our spirit and mind and body to either higher ground or misguide it into the harsh waves of untold realities.

This is your choices.

Do the same thing you have been doing and get the same results.

Or, do something different with a plan to improve upon your situation.

That is reality, your reality.

Start your day, every day with a simple prayer of thanks to our creator.

Start your day, every day with a short 5 or 10 minutes to write down in your journal what you are grateful for today.

Start your day, every day with a quick smile in the mirror and look into those eyes and understand that you are in control.

Yes there are some challenges that go beyond our comprehension illness, severe unemployment, family challenges that befall us.

However how we react is the key to how we steer our vessel. No one would steer our vessel into the rocks but sometimes if we do nothing that just may be the direction we take.

Start today and resolve that this day along with 2010 will be different. If nothing else you will face each day with expectation and gratitude not just hope and default.

Till next time share that smile with you and resolve to share it with others.

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ December 26, 2009

Good day everyone and Happy Saturday the day after Christmas!

I trust you had a blessed day yesterday filled with joy and laughter.

In reading twitter and Facebook and here on Gather I read many positive comments. On Facebook another nephew was born to one of my friends. Congrats to Kim. Christmas day babies have to be the greatest gifts don't you think?

By the way if you happen to have a Facebook page hit my name up and friend request me.

I would love to know more about you and share a little life along the way.

Just search Victor Yakin there are a couple of us. Mine is the one with a close up of my smile and eyebrows. LOL.

So today is the day after all together now .... sigh........ Feel better?

Today is another day of shopping an returns for some. I have no returns today so I don't think I will venture out to the stores. I do have a couple gift cards with my daughter so when she gets back from Texas on the 3rd of January (yes I miss her) we may go out then.

Today is the day after and I am sure by now the gift wrap and boxes are disposed of and I am sure the egg nog punch bowl has been emptied. The cookies sure there are many more of them.

So next up? 5 days till the new year thats it. We will talk about that as we get closer to the big day. We are going to talk about resolve instead of resolutions. We are going to go deeper into why we break our resolutions and how we can expect to follow thru this year instead of hoping.

So today lets just reflect on the gifts, the smiles and the hugs. Lets just remember the laughter and the scents of Christmas. Today is for reflection and for that so important thing we call gratitude. Take time to pray to God and thank him for all the wonderful moments you got to share yesterday. Take time to thank him for your health and another day of joy.

This is your day, another day that God has delivered to your in basket your alive and well.

What are you going to do with it? Give thanks, give smiles and give love.

Not a bad way to start out the 26th of December is it?

Till next time...... Smile and remember to

share that smile.

www make me smile online dot com

Click on link above to become a member its free and so are the smiles found inside.

Flowing Into Friday ~ December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas everyone! By now many of you are cleaning up the gift wrap and snacking on cookies, or maybe just soaking all of it in. The weeks and months of preparation were well worth the smiles, the giggles and the laughter and the screams of joy!

So I hope all the sweaters fit, the toys worked and the batteries were there. LOL

I hope that the troops abroad feel our prayers and well wishes for their safe return.

I hope that the homeless find a meal and shelter this day.

I wish for you and your family a very Merry Christmas and the best of everything this day offers.

Make sure you take time to send up prayers of thanks and send your gratitude out into the world.

Make sure you take time to send out smiles when you return anything that was not just right.

Send out smiles that will trigger a smile, pass it on!

Send out gratitude thoughts that will trigger more gratitude.

Expect that they will make a difference because they really do.

Expect great things for your day because you have a much better chance of receiving that if you expect it.

This is your day! Enjoy it!

This is your life, impact it!

Make a difference! Share and have a great Christmas everyone!

Till next time enjoy your smile with another!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ December 24, 2009

Happy Thursday everyone and yes only one, did I say one day to go. Way to time sensitive but I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! The picture of the wrapping paper flying and the little eyes of our children when they see the special sight on Christmas day is priceless.

It truly is not the gifts that matter its the spirit and the amount of love that you share with your family. As we get older don't we all realize that. How did our parents do it?

So enjoy your cookies, your pies, your family conversation.

Take the time to sense all the great things that happen. The smiles and the laughter and the hugs will abound.

Take the time to enjoy the holiday music and the memories from past Christmas's.

Take the time to pray (as we should every morning) and give thanks for the real reason for the season. That was the best gift received for all us the birth of Jesus Christ.

Take time to enjoy the flow of life and try not to eat to much. But hey is that not what the New Year is for. We will talk more about those resolutions in days to come.

Lets all sit back, have fun for now and please have a very safe and Merry Christmas to all!

Enjoy....

Hope we / you can make this wish come true for those around you!

Make the season of love and the season of giving all year round.

Some gifts are very free like the gift of a smile. Lets make this wish come true.

Make a difference and stand firm on the season of giving.

Till next time Merry Christmas and a very special smile for you..... : ) !!

www make me smile online dot com

looking for members in the fight against the blues! Its free and so are the smiles join us!

A Wish on Wednesday ~ 12/23/09

Happy Wednesday everyone! Only two days left to Christmas, the holiday shopping just started for some last minute buyers. I can only imagine how many homes are filled with the smell of fresh baked holiday cookies with the background of holiday music. Enjoy these days and embrace and cherish the memories let them linger with you the whole year.

I felt led to step away from the Wit on Wednesday and wanted to share some wishes for this Christmas season. You can pick one or a few that you want to hold close to your heart this season and year. They are in no particular order but I do hope you let your mind flow with them.

We can make a difference we just need to ask how. Ask better questions of yourself and you will get better solutions.

There is some hurt in our neighborhoods today, not even speaking of the world hear lets just go past that to a smaller sample, past the country, past the states, past the cities just our own circle of influence you can see the homeless, the lonely, the sick, the worried. How do we fix this? How can we make a difference?

We can share our resources and time, a few dollars to the Salvation Army, to the food bank, yes my wish is that we ask better questions and look for better solutions. The coats that don't fit anymore, or we don't wear can you spare some room in that closet?

My wish is that we acknowledge that we can make a difference and that we look for more ways to do just that.

The resources we have the knowledge and power in this world can indeed be astounding and amazing. A wish that we would develop a program to teach children from the age of five acceptance and compassion for each other, for those different from themselves and teach them each day, in some fashion what empathy really means not with words but actions.

I read an article in the Washington Post from October 8, 2009 written by a Valerie Strauss and she wrote a nice piece where it looks for answers in the education system. The article goes on to explain a project/experiment where a they took some 7th graders who were behind in school and at risk to getting on the road to dropping out. They gave them a job to tutor first-graders. And in their words here:

“An unbelievable thing happened,” she said. “The entire group went through high school.”

How did it happen? The students sharpened their own reading skills in order to teach the first-graders, and in the process developed enough self-confidence to realize that they could be successful at school.

My wish is that we all step back and take a close look how teaching compassion and acceptance with empathy can make a difference.

My other wishes this holiday season are the normal ones peace on earth, families reunited, the hatred put out by the firm handshake of love.

Wishes like a cure for cancer, heart disease and a wish that any child would not have to suffer from any crippling sickness. That a child where ever they are can go to school with out being bullied and that no child would go hungry.

My wish for you that you celebrate this season and look around you for ways to share that smile, enhance the gift of laughter, make a memory that will last forever.

Change a life, make a river out what can I do today and not that's to big for me.

Indeed we are a nation, a community of smart intelligent people. What can you and me do today to make a difference.

As Michael Jackson so eloquently put it Make that change..... I leave you today with that video and may it inspire you in some way. Enjoy.....

Have a great day....

Till next time.... Smile and Make that difference!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ December 22, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone! A great day to give thanks, you all know by now I like to take Tuesday and Thursday to give thanks, but you probably already guessed that giving thanks everyday only enlightens your life as well as your day. However it is my hope that those who may have a shorter term memory with all of life's challenges take this time on these two days.

I can only be hopeful right?

This is Tuesday of course with only three days left to Christmas.

How are those cookies coming?

How are the wrapping of the gifts? Do you wrap as you go or do you wait till Christmas eve?

So what are you grateful for today?

Here are mine today and I hope you share your top 3.

1. Grateful for my upbringing the time that my family and extended family took to show me what is right in the world and all the good things that can be if we only let them.

2. My girlfriend Missy who goes through life with challenges of her own but still takes time out to love and watch over Tori and Bear and Bella with a smile.

3. My daughter Tori and son Troy who I love both very much. You grow each day and you inspire me to be all that I can be with the smile and joy that you both bring to my life.

So thats mine.... I also included this video to remind us all that we should give our troops are very best Christmas greeting enjoy and have a blessed Tuesday!

Thank you and may God Bless you all!!

Till next time.....Smile and share that smile with the one who just may need it most!

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ December 21, 2009

Happy Monday everyone! Only 4 days left till Christmas! How great is that! Christmas is a great holiday no matter how old or young you are.

I know it can be hard for those with loved ones gone either those who have passed on or those who serve in our military or some other capacity where they will not be home for the holidays.

My father passed away in 2002 and I know it was very different at Christmas that first year, however I tried to understand the ebb and flow of life and death. I believe that he still looks in from time to time and his spirit lives on within my journey on this terrain we call home for now. I do pray for anyone that misses their loved ones, I pray for their peace and comfort and gentle understanding that their loved ones are in a better place. They are alive in your hearts and mind and you take a piece of them with every action you take.

I have a strong belief in God, I can't fathom for a second that this world was created by anything but our God. When you look around at all of its uniqueness and wonder in awe at all of its splendor and really look a the details that we have before us, how awesome our God is.

The season of Christmas of course is a gift from God in the from of our celebration of the birth of Jesus. It was/is a gift for all seasons of course any time of the year and any hour of any day. We just need to call out in prayer and be thankful for what God has given us.

God is not responsible for sickness, acts of rage or murder. We over the generations have created disease with improper diet, placing of harmful chemicals through drugs or environmental. We over time have fired shots into each other whether by gun or words or deeds. We have all contributed as we are our human, filled with free will to design our day.

How will your day be designed?

How will you spend your time in prayer? Giving thanks or asking for intervention?

Yes I do believe in the power of prayer! I do believe in energy that flows through and around us based on our words and needs, some call it karma I call it energy.

What we send out in words and deeds many times comes back in words and deeds towards us. The law of attraction is indeed a true power that flows around all of us.

God designed this world, and us to be perfect in every way, but he also designed us to have free will to eat the apple in the original garden of eden or to worship and meditate on his word in daily actions.

How will your day be designed?

Till next time.....smile and design your day with love and gratitude!

www make me smile online dot come

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ December 20, 2009

Happy Sunday everyone! 5 days to go till Christmas! Hope your weekend as been a great one thus far! I hope your holiday plans are coming together.

I also hope you get to enjoy the snow in some way. The east coast especially more east got snowed upon in a big way. Two feet in some area's. Snow balls and snow angels should be planned along with shoveling.

Enjoy the moment!

So not to many plans here, my daughter has her Choral concert today. She is excited about it as I am.

We also are planning are Christmas dinner today as on Wednesday Tori, my daughter will be flying to Texas to be with her Mom and brother over the Christmas. I will miss her but I know she will enjoy her stay with her Mom.

I am a big believer in the power of prayer, gratitude in the heart and a smile on your face.

All 3 have very important and special powers in ones life. Another important part is to focus and expect good things to happen to you. Focus and expectations.

Think of it this way when your walking to the kitchen to get something to eat. You do a few things don't you. You walk in a certain direction, you focus on where the food is and you have a certain expectation that when you open up the pantry or fridge it will be there.

Ever do to the fridge or freezer and have the expectation to have that special leftover or ice cream and find that your favorite son or daughter or spouse already finished it? What does that do to your focus?

Such is life, so goes the focus and the expectation in any matter you can either alter your focus and plans, for example go to the store and get more ice cream or alter your expectation and decide on something else. But is it not better to do that than to dwell in disappointment? Yes, life is too short and whatever your focus is on go into that focus with the flexibility and attitude that you can make the best out of any and I mean any situation.

Enjoy your Sunday....enjoy your attitude of gratitude!

Till next time....smile!!!

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ December 19, 2009

Happy Saturday everyone! Welcome to the weekend! The last shopping weekend of 2009 with Christmas just 6 days away.

Well here in Pittsburgh it snowed. We have probably about an inch right now and we are expecting 4 inches at this point maybe more.

Sleds will be out snow balls will be flying. A fun season and the first real snow around here!

I hope your day is a great day with what ever your plans entail and great holiday memories are made.

That is what I write about on Saturday, reflections what we can look back upon that will enlighten what we are about to embark upon today. Memories and reflections always should enhance your life and never tear down.

Look at this way, life is a series of waves and with the ebb and flow of life so goes the waves.

Some waves are gentle and we ride them to new heights and some are more intense and we need to keep our balance and body surf them with more grace. Waves can be helpful we just need to be prepared for the rough waves and keep our attitude going with the wave and not against them, fighting them. The are hear, the waves of life so we may as well just get used to it.

With that thought our life's reflections are meant to educate, entertain and enhance our todays. We should learn from the past, what worked, what did not. So what if things did not work out, the past does not equal what your future holds.

Failure is not a finality it is a lesson to be learned for your next effort.

My memories of life are different of course than yours and just let me explain one thing your upbringing your past Christmas's are like sign posts for your roads today. But if that signpost points to a direction that you don't really want to go down, your the captain of your vessel a vessel created by God, perfect, with love, energy and purpose!

Find your smile this morning share it, find your prayer, pray it. Pray with gratitude for what you have experience, the waves, the life that has flowed through your heart and mind.

Find your spirit and enjoy today, the season and make a difference!

You can you know every day in so many ways. Even with just a single smile!

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

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing Into Friday ~ December 18, 2009

Happy Friday everyone and next week at this time well you know....the culmination of the Holiday Season with Christmas, only 7 days away. We are ready for the day here. The tree is standing tall and the lights shining bright.

I spoke yesterday of gratitude and it importance in having a balanced focus in life. I believe it is a very big part of a joyful life.

Every child at a very young age should be taught how important gratitude is, I think we would have less stresses in adult life if we learned this fact early on.

The other part of a balance and joyful life is the word expectation.

Not meaning always expecting more as in greed or demand. But expectation that you can make a difference or that this day will be a great day filled with joy and happiness. When we expect the good to show up in us it almost always will. When we expect to find the good in others it will shine more brightly than if we are always skeptical in what another intentions are.

Yes, I understand that there is bad in the world. Just turn on the news and you will see plenty thats what sells. What I hope to expose, as if did not already know is that what we focus on, whether it is expectations of a great day or a wonderful visit with family is often what we will get. If we are looking for just survival of the day or just getting by or wondering when the next shoe will fall then we will often find that as well.

Expectations are key to getting what we truly want in life. Gratitude will keep you in a state of balance and joy and expectations will get you to a place where you truly want to be.

I hope your Friday is a blessed day....one filled with great expectation and joy!

Till next time.......... Smile and share that smile....make a difference with someone today!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ December 17, 2009

Welcome to Thursday everyone! Hope you have a great Thursday and yes we are down to 8 days before Christmas. My favorite coffee at my side here this morning, no sushi though I will have to fix that for tomorrow.

Gratitude is a very important part of my life.

With gratitude we focus on what we have and not on what we don't.

We focus on things that have meaning and not on things that have little.

Family and tradition, our values and most importantly faith in our creator.

When we pray at the table with dinner at hand we give thanks and say grace for the things that empower us. We should pray these things every morning to allow the saving power of God to give us focus on what we so abundantly have.

The spirit of Christmas will always and should always be one of giving. The most abundant person is the one who has gratitude in his spirit and heart.

When you have that type of spirit and seed planted in your heart no one can derail you.

You are a gift to your family. You are a special force in this world. We all are.

So enjoy your day, give thanks for what we all have. The smile, our family and our faith.

May your holiday season be filled with much love and the gift of giving!

Till next time....share that smile first with you and then others. Make that difference today!

www make me smile online dot com

Some Wednesday Wit ~ December 16, 2009

Welcome to Wednesday everyone! Only 9 days to go and in many ways the rush is on for that last minute holiday gift. Fruit cakes are waiting on those shelves for that last minute what do I get for ...... fill in the blank.

What are those little green things in fruit cake anyway...... Just kidding....

So how about some Wednesday Wit.....

What goes Ho, Ho, Swoosh, Ho, Ho, Swoosh?

Santa Claus caught in a revolving door.

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Where does mistletoe go to become rich and famous?

Holly - Wood.

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Who is never hungry at Christmas?

The turkey of course he is always stuffed.

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Rule for Dogs at Christmas

1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.

2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.

3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.

4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:

a. Don't pee on the tree

b. Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree

c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree

d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don't rip them open

e. Don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree

5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part:

a. Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans

b. Don't eat off the buffet table

c. Beg for goodies subtly

d. Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa

e. Don't drink out of glasses that are left within your reach

6. Likewise, your humans may take you visiting. Here your manners will also be important:

a. Observe all the rules in #4 for trees that may be in other people's houses. (4a is particularly important)

b. Respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house

c. Tolerate children

d. Turn on your charm big time

7. A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the middle of the night.

DON'T BITE HIM!!

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Uses for that Holiday Fruit Cake

1. Bury them in the back yard for future archaeologists to discover.

2. Give them to your son for a science project

3. Hang on to it to find out if there REALLY is more than one Fruitcake that’s making it’s rounds every year.

4. Use it to hold up a broken table or chair leg.

5. Mash them down and use for mortar when building a log cabin.

6. Use as exercise stepping block for step aerobics.

7. Makes a wonderful dessert for Road Kill Cafe fare.

8. Use them to pave the freeways with. Just place them on the road and run a steamroller over them.

9. Use them as fillers to repair the river levees with! They last indefinitely and are so dense, water can never penetrate them.

10. Last and probably least, try eating it! Hey! It’s one way to get rid of it!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great Wednesday everyone hope you have a great day!

Till next time.....Smile it will brighten up someones day!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ December 15, 2009

Happy Tuesday everyone! Yes a little warmer than the past few days at least here in Pittsburgh. So the countdown to Christmas continues only 10 more days.

So how are you doing heading into the holidays? Christmas shopping almost there or are you like me the last minute bargain hunter. I hope you enjoy the season!

This is a very special time to be grateful.

Gratitude for the season, family get togethers, good food, good deserts.

So much to be thankful for.

Without a doubt there are people who for the first time can't be with their loved ones.

Maybe they have passed on to a better place or maybe they are in the armed services.

Trust that they are with you in spirit.

I lost my father in 2002 and I still believe in my heart and soul that he watches over me. There is comfort that they are not hurting anymore and they are indeed in a better more perfect place.

So what travel plans do you have this season?

Or are your travelers coming to you?

I live in the town I grew up in but I do remember those days when a 5 hour drive or 8 hour drive when I lived in Delaware was par for the course at the holidays. But it was so refreshing to wake up and know that you are with family, the smell of the coffee seemed to be better, the baked goods in the over, the smell of dinner. The games of rummy or UNO! Great fun and great memories to boot!

I am very grateful for those days!

So enjoy you Tuesday and like my Sunday poem stated 10 (3minute) session of exercise won't cure everything but it will sure help you with all that egg nog and holiday cookies.

It also helps with the Holiday stresses.......Enjoy your day!

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

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ December 14, 2009

Good Day everyone and Happy Monday to you! Only 11 more days till Christmas part of that 12 days of Christmas yesterday (I hope you enjoyed it!) was 11 smiles to share.

It is the firm and ever lasting belief at Make ME Smile Online that a smile can be a very powerful expression.

Think about the following for just a second.

A smile can be contagious!

A smile is usually reflected back!

A smile can make other people wonder what your up to or how can they be so happy!

A smile can start your morning out when you look back in that mirror!

A smile uses less muscles in the face than the old sour puss frown ever would.

A smile from a small baby who does not know any stresses other than hunger or a dirty diaper can make anyone smile anytime of the day!

A smile, your smile has powers that you don't even really understand. Use it first every morning when you awake on you.

Use it next on your friendly canine friend see if they can 't read your smile.

Use it next at work or at the bus stop and share the power of a simple smile.

I hope you will visit www.makemesmileonline.com it is free to join. Lots of resources from brain games to jokes, to good news, to daily bible verses.

Free and the first 500 members will receive discounts when we do offer product. You will be the charter members of something very special and dynamic. A site that will empower, educate, entertain and offer so much more. So visit us and enjoy the simple power of the smile.

Till next time......Smile and share a few

along the way!

www make me smile online dot com

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ December 13, 2009

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope your Sunday is a special one and now we have only 12 days till Christmas! So yes on this Sunday I thought I would put down a new version or my version at least of the 12 days of Christmas.

These 12 days are gifts to you or at the very least to our selves.

No music background sorry but here we go......

My 12 days of Christmas for all of you!

On the 12th day of Christmas I thought I would give to me 12 minutes daily of what I am truly grateful for.

On the 11th day of Christmas I gave to me 11 smiles to share broad and wide to light the way.

On the 10th day of Christmas I gave to me 10 (3 minute) sessions of exercise you have to start some where right?

On the 9th day of Christmas I gave to me 9 minutes for Gather or Facebook ( I know good luck with that!).

On the 8th day of Christmas I gave to me 8 oz of Christmas Cheer you pick the beverage I choose Carmel Vanilla flavored coffee.

On the 7th day of Christmas I gave to me a 7 foot Christmas Tree decorated with all my favorite bling.

On the 6th day of Christmas I gave to me 6 more minutes on Gather and facebook I missed it as I was away.

On the 5th day of Christmas I gave to me 5 holiday cookies all my favorites. (only 5) I know good luck with that too....

On the 4th day of Christmas I share 4 words with everyone I could see "Have a Merry Christmas!

On the 3rd day of Christmas I used 3 words the most sweet to be shared "I love you!"

On the 2nd day of Christmas I used 2 prayerful hands to thank God (Thank you Jesus!)

On the 1st day of Christmas I used these words to start each day "I was designed to be happy and to make a difference so it shall be!!

May you all have a blessed and happy Sunday!

Till next time.......Smile and give the gift of a smile, well placed, well designed and given to make a difference!

www make me smile online dot com

(27 members and growing would you be number 28? or maybe 29? its free to join!)

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ December 12, 2009

Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to the weekend there are only 13 days left to prepare for Christmas, the cookies, the meal, the cookies, the gifts, the wrapping, the cookies oh I said that already.

Christmas cookies are the best are they not? What's your favorite?

Here are a few of mine in no particular order:

Nut Horns

Carmel kissed Chocolate Crackies

Sugar cookies with all the colored glitter

Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies (the gooier the better)

Oh the memories of my mom baking cookies for days and the variety. Good memories and a little reflection of Christmas's gone past.

I also remember the Christmas music, Bing Crosby and White Christmas, lots of country tunes at the holidays.

One that I share here I saw many years ago and wanted to share it again with you today.

I hope your reflections over the years will take you back to 2009 Christmas. I hope you have all the smiles and joy this season that you can handle. So this year make your memories, make the difference in your family's holiday.

The video with Bing Crosby and David Bowie and little drummer boy:

Enjoy the day everyone!

Enjoy the power of the smile!

Enjoy the gratitude in your heart for the season and for the reason!

Till next time...... Smile and Merry Christmas 13 days away!

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing Into Friday ~ December 11, 2009

Happy Friday everyone only 14 days till Christmas wow how the time is flying! It is cold this morning 16 degree's with a windy punch on top. But hey it is Friday after all and as we all flow into it we might as well enjoy the season.

No snow here in the Pittsburgh area and as we all get ready for weekend fun lets not forget the reason for the season.

The birth of baby Jesus and all the great things that came with that birth in that manger.

Also here in Pittsburgh a memorial and funeral service for Officer Michael Crawshaw who while in the line of duty, to protect and serve us all, he was killed as he waited for back up. A local Penn Hills officer he served his community since 2007 and he will be missed. Please as you send up your prayers please add prayers for family and friends. When such a senseless act happens we all stop in disbelief. The Pittsburgh area mourns and we all should be very thankful for all emergency responders as they face more than we all ever would in our line of service and work.

So as we flow into Friday lets all give a second to understand the gift of life and the gift that we all possess that comes unwrapped and everyday stares us in the face as we look back from that mirror. That reflection, that smile on your face represents another gift from above. Embrace life, make no mistake about it we all have the unknown day and time when our life will cease. What will your legacy be? What have you left behind? What trail have you blazed so another's life may be easier and gentler as they travel down that path?

The quote that follows I try to share on Make ME Smile Online's mission statement. If we all just once a month maybe try to read it, share it and more importantly live it what a better world we would have. For ourselves and for others.

The quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

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

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Live each day with the thought that you can make a difference.

Live each day with a smile no just on your lips but in your heart.

Till next time...... Smile and Have a great weekend everyone!

www make me smile online dot com