Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ 02/28/10

Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to the last, the very last day in February 2010. Ok, is it just me or did this month seem to last forever. Goodbye February hello March. Yes I know that March may come in like a lion but hey the saying goes it leaves like a lamb. Todays mantra is as follows:

Spring in 19 days, short and sweet February is over-

Here comes March right around the corner-

So what will it bring another storm or two -- Maybe

But spring is closer and we can savor that truth atleast for now.

Sunday, time to start a new. A new week, a new way to start our visions for a better month.

I hope indeed you take time to plan out your March. What do you want to accomplish?

What do you want to plan this year? Seeds for a better garden? Seeds for a better life?

Seeds for a better body? Seeds for a less strife? You are the planter and yes you will get to nurture and one day sow what you reaped. Plant carefully and nurture what you have with love.

We have much you know. We always have hope and dreams but dreams and hopes with out action is a formula for empty promises.

Take action, take steps to make your days, weeks and months in 2010 better.

True we can't make the weather go away, it will stay with us as it will. We can plan to tolerate it with more grace and maybe a smile. Even if the smile is one of disbelief and wonder it is better that a growl or a stressed outlook of denial.

Make a difference, choose to focus on what you can change, even if that change is within only you. Oh by they way....often only the change of ourselves is often what we have control of only in fact.

I want to share with you a quote about focus by Guan Yin Tzu:

Don't waste time calculating your chances of success and failure. Just fix your aim and begin.

Something to think about today, just fix your aim and begin......

On another note, I wanted to share with you a group that indeed is focusing on what many have experienced in their treatments in hospitals and in nursing homes. The focus is on fixing and educating the growing numbers of Healthcare-Associated Infections or HAI for short.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.

The web site is haiwatchnews.comand its focus on being a resource for the consumer and health care organizations.

HAI Watch is your resource for collateral and supplies to help keep your organization aware of the importance of healthcare associated infection prevention. The following guidelines on hand hygiene in healthcare settings and other tips are available now, but keep checking back. New HAI awareness tools will be added on an ongoing basis.

A quick video from their web site:

This link has been added under the resource link on Make ME Smile Online. (The ME is really all about YOU).

The power of each and everyone of us to make a difference is within each and everyone of us. Stand up and take back control of your life, plan, execute and decide today to make that difference.

Till next time....Smile and share that smile with another today!

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ 02/27/10

Good Morning everyone and I pray you all have a happy Saturday.

Another shocking story has hit this morning an 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit Chile and was as CNN reports 1000 times stronger than Haiti's.

Please send your prayers up to this country and to this hurting world. Without a doubt many Tsunami's will be hitting the coast of near and far countries. A total of 64 dead as of the latest news.

As far as local news we have another 4 to 6" of fresh snow on our ground the snowiest month in history. The sixth worst snowfall in recorded history for overall accumulation.

This snowfall has brought to Pittsburgh a new term 'Urban Skiing'.

A whole series of videos on Youtube highlight some local teens skiing on the local terrain.

What a great day in Pittsburgh huh? At the very least for some.

So the mantra today:

Spring in 20 days we all are looking forward to giving spring its praise.

20 days till spring in wait we hope

for the snow to melt slow so we all don't float.

Sending prayers above for all that hurt

God protect us all as we watch for the next weather alert.

The local scene has made much of us wonder when will it end. I hope you remain safe. I hope your smile does not fade and if it starts too, your gratitude for life and family and friends will keep it safe, a smile sends energy out into the world that does not melt snow so much. But it warms the heart.

A Saturday reflection from my first post here on Gather. The whole reason for the web site Make Me Smile Online. (The ME is really all about YOU) Enjoy from April 09, 2009.

Make Someone Smile..... Today!

Your mission should you choose to accept it.

Little things we do matter, they leave a mark in the mind of others. On the "Our Mission" page I published within it a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson regarding success.

The last part reads -- "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded", what a statement. Easy way to make your mark don't you think.

We interact daily with people our coworkers, our customer's, and complete strangers as we pass by on the way to our next task. It is so easy to smile and you don't really even know the impact it may have on another.

Last week I went to a bakery purchased 3 pastries, chocolate éclair I think, and had them write with yellow icing "Smile". I shared our mission on the way and the project and paid the $8 and went on my way. I took them into work that day and shared them with a few coworkers and just watched. A simple act and watched as they smiled and enjoyed. Success, for those few minutes they lit up, and my little mission, accomplished.

PS. the lady at the bakery counter smiled too.

So with that it comes down to our next power action thought for the day:

Number 45--Do the unexpected not for any reason just because.

Watch the result and know you have just succeeded. You made another smile, lifted a spirit and changed a moment. You just made your mark on that minute of that day.

This is not rocket science and yes it takes a little effort, but doesn't anything worthwhile.

Today is your day, should you choose to accept this mission you will be rewarded.

These messages will not self destruct at anytime in the near future

Our Good News Section has moved,

Just click on the Good News and you will be redirected..

Till then Smile!! :)

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing into Friday ~ 02/26/10

Happy Friday everyone and I hope you enjoy the day and we are another day closer to spring. Yes we did get some more snow overnight and it is still snowing here but this too shall pass.

Our mantra for today:

Spring in 21 days, yes three weeks to go and yes we have more snow.

Three weeks till the spring pushes the winter blues further away -

2010 the winter of was a challenge and tough what more can you say-

Spring 21 days away-

With out a doubt this storm shall pass. Life does throw challenges in our way. But it is how we face them, how we look at them that matters most.

Sometimes its all about faith.

Last night I had the chance to share a concert with a friend. The concert in Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. The show Roger Daltrey and Eric Clapton. So many great songs from this show here is the list from the Eric Clapton performance.

The concert had many great moments and one song I wanted to share with you today. The video is not from the concert but the words last night were there last night and just wanted to share them with you. Enjoy

The lyrics for Running on Faith

We all run on faith, each and everyday in so many ways. With our prayers to God above we give thanks. To our children for their safety. To nature for its continued beauty. But if we are to accept things by faith we have such a responsibility to walk with faith and help make our world better with actions.

We all run on faith, our smiles can help

get us to that destination.

Our smiles can make a difference.

Our smiles do make a difference. Keep Running on Faith and love will come over you.

Till next time......Smile and share another with someone you care about.

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ 02/25/10

Happy Thursday everyone and yes the white stuff called snow will be falling today 3 to 6" will fall over the next 2 days. Without any delay our mantra for today:

Spring 22 days away, some snow is on its way today-

Soon we will see some budding trees-

Snow won't you just go away please. Please.....

So I hope you have your gratitude journal close by. This time spent alone with your thoughts is what makes that shovel or scrapper a little more easier to use.

Giving thanks, showing appreciation for what good things we have in life is truly what it is all about. Joy and smiles come in all shapes and sizes. A smile from a mirror in the morning, a smile from a small child during the day and smile of a baby asleep can make the heart fill with joy.

What are you grateful for today? What plans do you have for your flower garden this year.

Take a look at your yard now, imagine where and what you have to plan this year do you almost see the bee's buzzing around doing their magic? You can almost feel the heat on the top of your shoulders.

A quote about some spring flowers:

God loved the flowers and invented soil. Man loved the flowers and invented vases. ~Variation of a saying by Jacques Deval (God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.)

and

Awake, thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

and lastly

Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson,

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

A few words of wisdom I hope you enjoy. So the next time you see those dandelions all over your yard in pockets know that the earth may just be giggling with you. Kind of makes you smile right now.

Today enjoy it.....Tomorrow explore it....Right now live within it!

Till next time..... Smile and dream big!

www make me smile online dot com

A Wish on Wednesday ~ 02/24/10

Good day everyone and Happy Wednesday to you all! Next week being the first week in March I will return with a little 'Wit' for you but today it is a little wishing. Our mantra for spring today:

Spring just 23 days to go - A wish for walks along the fields of wildflowers, walks along the lake so wide. Waves hitting the shore and sand underfoot. Spring just 23 days to go how we just love to watch snow melt away. 23 days to go.

A few months back now I remember the trip to the local lake here. Watching people enjoy the sun, the sound of the water and geese looking for food.

My wish is that never will we complain about the heat of summer, the grass that needs cutting.

This winter should put so much into perspective how we truly miss the green grass and the flowers of so many colors. The birds that perch within our trees that sing with so much grace. These I wish for today.

A summer afternoon, laying in lounge chair by the pool, or maybe in a hammock under a tree.

A summer evening with good friends on a porch sipping ice tea.

These I wish for today.

What are your wishes this Wednesday?

Before I go much further thanks to all of you for your kind comments and following me on this journey of gratitude and smiles. Thanks for your sincere words and idea's on what makes you grateful and happy. Your visits and comments mean so much and fuel my soul to carry on with you all here and Make ME Smile Online.

Wishing on Wednesday...... I hope you take time today and bring back a little spring and summer into your day today. I hope you commit to not complaining when the heat starts to rise, or the grass needs to be trimmed. Remember there are plenty of us that understand that seasons come and they go and the most important idea is that we should enjoy each moment that we have and perhaps focus on what we have at the moment, this very moment that can make us smile.

Share your wishes today with another.

Till next time .... Smile and wish, spring is on its way!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ 02/23/10

Good day and happy Tuesday everyone. A great day to give thanks for what we have been given in our lives. Gratitude is perhaps the best way to keep our hearts in tune with nature and the positive energy that surrounds all of us.

First today's mantra for spring:

Spring in 24 days another day for some rain it helps to melt away the snow and also some of the pain from shoveling and scraping it away. Yes we may have one more snowfall or so but seize the day and watch it melt away a little more today.

Often we look at things each day and we don't take account on how we have a impact on them. Strangers we meet at a coffee shop, pass by in the parkin lot or local grocery store. Our look, smile, or just a simple thank you can have a impact that may just last the whole day or simply put a cascading effect.

We just don't know.

So take the time today not only to give thanks and gratitude for those in your life who make a difference for you, but give thanks that you can make a difference in the lives of another with a simple quick smile, a thank you or any other random act of kindness that you may think small.

Today give thanks for those who made that difference in your life each and every day. Your children, your partner/spouse.

Each day we face challenges but each day we also have the opportunity to change the ebb and flow of our day with just making the difference of another.

The old saying what comes around goes around. It is so true, when we place positive energy in the lives of others it flows back to us. Try it today. Better yet try it for the rest of this month. Only 6 days to go right? What do you have to lose?

Positive energy sent out to others. Your project this week.

Send a smile, send a thank you in person today.

You will make a difference in someone's life and maybe yours as well. Count on it!

Till next time...... Smile and share another with someone random today.

www make me smile online dot com

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ 02/21/10

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope your weekend has been a great one and hope you had the chance to share you smile! Yes another day closer to spring and our mantra today:

Spring only 26 short days, the ground is cold

but our thoughts abound

and soon we will see a Robin Red Chest return to our sight.

Wow do you really think has has taken a return flight?

So here is some thoughts this Sunday. A day to share with your family ideas, hopes, dreams, faith, and promise. Share your smile along the way!

This week will come to a close as the final week of February is here.

How has your month gone for you? If your in the Northern USA you indeed saw much snow, ice and frigid temps and with out a doubt a challenge to just stay warm and safe. My thoughts to you, March is on the way. Yes it will come in like a lion, roar a few storms but these shall pass, the worst maybe over.

March, the third month of the year. Chinese call this year the year of the tiger. Sounds about right thus far.

We need to become the tiger. Focused, hungry and enabled by our very existence to be the hunter instead of the hunted.

We need to share the vision, our vision with our family. Share our dreams, our hopes, our goals and unite others to help us to reach those goals.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Yesterday is gone, maybe not forgotten but to dwell upon has no value for your future.

To dwell on the past only allows it to take apart piece by piece moment by moment your energy and focus to make your dreams come true.

Focus on today and your new opportunities that lay ahead.

Your past is indeed the past.

Your future has yet to be written. Write with passion and love.

Till next time....... Smile and share a smile with another!

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ 02/20/10

Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to the weekend! Yes the day looks to be another with no snow here. Wow, 2 days in a row.

The mantra for today:

Spring with only 27 days to go and yes another day with above freezing high's another day to just smile and sigh!

Less than 4 weeks to that day when spring will be a new.

So another Saturday to reflect on the week past. The olympics have given us great memories already. Just a little too much white stuff outside to really get into it I guess.

So what are your plans this weekend?

What good things have you to reflect on?

What plans have been made, what smiles will you be sharing?

Saturday is always a great day. This Saturday should be no different. Enjoy this day with your family. Do something special at the dinner table today. Here are a few suggestions.

Ask everyone what are they grateful for in their life right now.

Ask everyone what happened this past week that looking back was very special to them and why.

Today I wanted to share with you a post from last May the date May 7, 2009 the topic:

All you know

A friend of mine shared with me a pearl of wisdom and I thought I would take it a step further. The pearl of wisdom, “You don’t understand all you know”.

In life we face many challenges, many road blocks and many opportunities, sometimes we have trouble knowing which are which however. Yes sometimes they are all the same.

A quote about challenges.

“I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don’t work out, that’s when I’ve really learned.” Carol Burnett

Another quote by Carol Burnett I really liked…..

“You have to go through the falling down in order to learn to walk. It helps to know that you can survive it. That’s an education in itself”.

Today we all face many challenges and couple that we learn many more ways to fall down, but I always believe it is how we react to adversity that matters.

A smile can lift you and others above just about anything. A smile can strengthen you, enlighten you and help others even when they don’t even know they have been helped.

You see sometimes the waves of a smile can reach the shore of the person who received it with out them even knowing.

Sometimes even the simplest gesture of kindness can lift that person to pass it on and they didn’t even know your gesture sparked theirs.

Sometimes we know but understand this Sometimes what we know we really don’t understand.

Life is a mystery and we don’t know all of the keys to unlock them all. But one key I know works almost always is the key of the smile!

So enjoy life, even when you think you don’t know how the solution will come or from who or where or when.

Just breathe, slow down and listen to heartbeat of life.

Remember, You don’t understand all you know.

Till you do and until next time.... Smile : )

www make me smile online dot com

Flowing into Friday ~ 02/19/10

Happy Friday everyone and the weekend is almost here! The mantra for today of course would be:

Spring on its way 28 days we all say and hopefully the snow will start to melt away!

Yes spring is on course will old jack frost give up and move back north. So this weekend we may have some warmer temperates on their way.

When I say warmer I mean up to a balmy 36 degrees on Sunday. Yes there is a chance of more snow Monday but cross those fingers and toes it could be rain for us near Pittsburgh.

The flow of your day that what the Friday post is about. How does your day usually flow? How is your moods during they day? Full of hope and promise or discouraged and fear.

A quick quote on the word fear by Rosanne Cash:

The key to change is to let go of the fear.

How true the statement. When we let go of worry, when we let go of the fear we begin to flow towards the possibilities of hope and promise of a better day.

So try to get in tune with your emotions today, your mood and make your day, your Friday flow a better way to a brand new day!

Have a great Friday and till next time..... Smile!! :

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ 02/18/10

Happy Thursday everyone and yes it still looks white outside and we may get a few more inches today. Lets all put our prayers and positive warm energy together and welcome spring to our happy homes. Our mantra for today:

Spring, 29 days to go lets get rid of all this snow!

What about those olympic games last night. Shaun White is amazing and the Michael Jordan of snowboarding. What skill and fearless in his approach to the sport and dedication to the practice to make his run so strong. Good Stuff!

So what are you giving thanks for today?

What makes your sense of being full of gratitude?

We all have challenges in life. We all face troubles but without that base of gratitude in our life we are left to uncertainty and a sense of gloom.

Share with yourself and keep that gratitude journal. Write down each morning what you are grateful for this day. Keep it fresh. It does not have to be every day but make it fun to do instead.

Review your notes throughout the week when your feeling a little blue. It will warm your soul and give you a fresh perspective.

Its your actions today that will prepare you for a better tomorrow.

Have a great Thursday and till next time.....Smile and make a difference.

www make me smile online dot com

(Thanks to our new member #32 Ivona from Macedonia. Welcome to Make ME Smile Online, where the ME is really all about YOU).

A Wish on Wednesday ~ 02/17/10

Happy Wednesday everyone! 30 days to spring! So yes I understand looking out the window and at the weather map that maybe just maybe we will have snow on the ground and it will be cold 30 days from now. Ok, baseball will return and yes they may have a game postponed due to snow. I know this and it seems very possible. But we can wish can't we?

Some quotes on that word wish as we get started. This one from the late Jim Rohn.

“Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.”

Many times in life we want to have things go by smoother and easier. We long for the simple life. Life is never simple and it really is how you perceive it. One person can have a different picture of what is while another person has a different idea of what is happening. The key is your perception and how does it fit into making the situation better.

Another quote from Henry David Thoreau.

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

Read that statement again if you would. Walk through the snow so deep outside, does the physical path take form or is it just footsteps. Redo that step again and again. Does a path start to form? You bet. No think of the mind and the pathway of idea's and thoughts and actions that we send to our body. Does that pathway run deep, those addictions, habits good and bad. Are they just going to go away with one "walk through"? No hardly it takes those new thoughts to be thought over and over again.

Tomorrow is Make ME Smile Online's 11 month anniversary and I have enjoyed every "walk through and step" along this journey. I have to renew the domain name and spend some funds on the next year of our walk very soon or it would just turn to a bunch of files on my hard drive. With out a doubt I will make that payment and carry on, the journey of the smile and the power of the smile to me is too important.

To educate and to entertain others about gratitude and making a difference to urgent especially when there is so much pain and heartache going on in this world. The mission is too great.

If you choose to join us here at Make ME Smile Online, membership is free.

If you choose to contribute anything to the cause please go to the Store of MMSO and make a contribution it can be $2 it can be more. This money will go to the repurchase of the domain name for this year.

Either way I appreciate your comments, your visits and I hope you choose to spread your smile around.

Spread your gratitude with yourself and those around you.

Take time to plan your day or someone will plan it for you.

Take a moment to pray for those in need.

Take a moment to pray for those that hurt.

I wish for your joy and happiness today.

I pray that inside the warmth of your heart will melt away any snow that surrounds your soul.

Till next time......Smile and make a difference!

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~02/16/10

Happy Tuesday everyone! 31 days till Spring! That looks good does it not? So most of the snow went to our north last night. We still will have snow today but not nearly as much as they had spoken of earlier yesterday.

That is something to be grateful for. This storm shall pass!

A few quotes as the storm rolls on by.

First an Irish blessing:

“May God give you...For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”

and from Robert H. Schuller

“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.”

How grateful it is to understand the meaning of these quotes.

To have a trusted friend.

To understand that storms do pass.

To trust in the power of prayer and the Lord above not for protection but for calmness from fear.

“The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but deliverance from fear”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trust in the future.

Trust in your abilities to weather the storm.

Trust in the reality that storms never last forever,

your rainbow awaits.

Till next time....Smile and allow your storms to pass!

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ 02/15/10

Good Day and Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend was a special one, lots going on with the winter olympics, Nascar's super bowl the Daytona 500 and the best holiday for those in love Valentine's day! Great stuff!

So how many days till spring 2010? Click here to find out:

Days to Spring the countdown

Yes, by now you know that we are expecting another 4 to 6" in the Pittsburgh area over the next 30 hours. How the snow of 2010 had added up. Think of it Vancouver is short on snow for the winter olympics, go figure.

So today is another day to start your week off right. What does not kill you only makes your stronger could be the slogan for winter 2010. Get out the shovels, the snow blowers and the rock salt and put on a happy face.

What is the use of complaining right? The truth be told snow is filling our soil with nutrients so we should have a great garden this year. The thought of spring flowers and trays of veggies at the local home improvement store. What a picture huh? Thought I would share with you this spring video. Enjoy it!

As it finishes use the music and images to help you visualize some warmer weather and shred some of the snow that lays on your yard. It works even for the moment and puts you into a more resourceful state. Plan your flower garden, or imagine friends over to enjoy the warm spring and summer. The clock is ticking make the most of your day.

Wishing you the very best this Monday! Smile spring is coming and yes this too shall pass!

New video up on www.makemesmileonline.com Hope you enjoy it.

Till next time......Smile and think spring! Coming soon to a yard near you.

www make me smile online dot com

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ 02/14/10

Happy Sunday everyone and Happy Valentines to you all! If your in a relationship or even if your not I hope you take the time to understand the power of love. Love should not just be reserved for another it should be set aside for oneself.

To love oneself even before we love another is perhaps what many relationships lack. If you don't love yourself, love who you are and what you contribute to this world how can you love another. For we all begin each day with self, we go through the day with ourselves and when we lay our head down on that pillow or final resting place for the day we end it with self.

So how do we accomplish this love for ourselves.

Lets start with our vision of self. How do we view ourselves?

Next how do we treat our body and our mind? Why do we do harmful things to the one gift that God has given us all? Our body is our temple and all that goes in or comes out should be reserved for the best.

What do we think about? What are we determined to allow to flow from our thoughts?

These are all questions that we have to ask ourselves. So this Valentines day take the time to look within. Understand oneself and our motives that we carry with us.

The self talk, the visualization of ourselves and the very food and product that we put into our stomach, lungs and spirit.

Enjoy the day with your loved one. Enjoy the moments that you together have shared this past year since Valentines '09 and make sure that the next 52 weeks till 2011 are the best yet.

Some quotes for the day to reflect on. I hope you enjoy.

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown

~~~~~~

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Author Unknown

~~~~~~~~~

Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely. ~M*A*S*H, Hawkeye

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

The last quote I pondered on and my insight to this one is not for those who don't have a partner to say they are in love with. The quote is for you to ponder if you ever find that person who finds little or no love for oneself.

Don't let that person ever, ever, ever be you!

Enjoy your day and I hope this little video brightens your Valentine Day 2010! Enjoy:

Happy Valentines day all !

Till next time.....share a smile and share some love today and everyday!

www make me smile online dot com

Saturday Morning Reflection ~ 02/13/10

Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to the weekend! Yes it is still cold, blustery and snow abounds here in western Pa. I took a few minutes last night to watch the winter olympics last night only to find out that Vancouver has problems with not having enough snow and warm temperatures. Go figure huh?

This week has been a tough one for many for the family of Jennifer Daugherty who trusted one to many and because of her kind nature lost her life in way that is hard to understand or fathom.

Her story if you have facebook become a fan by clicking here.

Keep your prayers with this family.

It is often hard to fathom why someone feels the need to kill or worse yet torture another human life.

What causes that person to do that? Why? How?

I write this post and handle the affairs of Make ME Smile Online for the 99% of people who want to be happy, want to share a smile or just want to enjoy their life a bit better.

We can't and we shouldn't focus on the 1% of the population that just is not in touch with human rights or human needs.

We can be nice and share a smile but to spend to much time wondering why and how they do the things they do wold waste valuable time of our own. Prayers and our own intuition will provide enough to keep them at a distance.

The following post is a reflection of a post that I wrote back in May of last year. I hope you enjoy it. From May 28th, 2009.

Breaking down walls

Life is a journey, sometimes we forget this simple statement. We often go about our journey with good intentions in our heart and mind. Then we run head long into the wall.

Walls we always seem unable to climb over, run through and often they discourage us. Sometimes we feel that our smile is not getting through. We get that 'why bother' feeling and we let that affect our smile and we feel like giving in, even to ourselves.

So what should we do? How do we break down that wall and show that person we really care? We want them to see us for what and who we are. So what should we do?

Nothing!

Wow, how about that?! Let me explain what I mean by nothing.

Be yourself, show what you have to offer to them. Be kind, and don’t change what you bring to the table. Why should you let the wall your running into change your smile? Change your happiness?

You shouldn’t!

No one person should have the power to make you feel bad about yourself, your efforts and deny your ability to share a smile! To try to make a difference!

Don’t ever, and again I mean ever, give another person the ability to take away your smile.

Would you ever go back for seconds on a spoiled piece of meat? Would you? Do you think it will change if you will it to? No you don’t.

I am not saying give up and run away from the wall.

I am not saying give up and quit trying to be a positive force in their life.

I am saying that don’t beat yourself up over the inability to make an impact in their life. Maybe just maybe your next smile might just make the difference.

Let your joy shine like a beacon in their darkness. Let your joy be a continuous reminder of your spirit, and your love.

Having said all this there is a difference, a big difference, in a wall we have hope in, and in wall that is solid and stable than in a wall that is physically or emotionally beating you down.

Don’t try to justify. That is not a wall that is a raging earthquake, a volcano that at any second can hurt, burn and destroy your body, spirit and the spirit of your loved ones.

Run, don’t walk to the nearest exit. There are enough resources out there some even on our web site. Click here for our resources we have posted.

I repeat run don’t walk to the nearest exit. You may wonder what is on the other side of that door, you may worry about the how of it all. But don’t worry about the why of it all!

Till next time, stay true to yourself and smile! : )

Flowing into Friday ~ 02/12/10

Good day everyone and welcome to Friday! I hope that this weekend has much more traditional themes that we can embrace with joy and love.

Saturday is the Daytona 500, some would call it NASCAR's Superbowl.

Sunday is Valentine's Day where we enjoy time and gratitude with the ones we love.

Spring is also another day closer, I really smile when I say this.

Thanks for all your kind comments about yesterday's video and theme on gratitude. One person can really make a difference and there is no reason why that one person can't be you.

I wanted to share with you a few thoughts today on why I think the word flow is so fitting for Friday. Everyday is a flow but for many the end of the work week comes with Friday. We also plan a little more for ourselves and family because many are off for the weekend. So are thoughts flow towards that goal as well. Many fun plans are thought of on Friday and even it is just going out with friends Friday night can be a welcome sight.

A few quotes on how life is an ever-flowing stream of action, thoughts, energy that we all can tap into to enhance our lives and the lives of other.

The quotes to think upon today are these:

First by Wayne Dyer:

“Everything in the universe has a purpose. Indeed, the invisible intelligence that flows through everything in a purposeful fashion is also flowing through you.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Some people spend their entire lives reading but never get beyond reading the words on the page, they don't understand that the words are merely stepping stones placed across a fast-flowing river, and the reason they're there is so that we can reach the farther shore, it's the other side that matters.” ~Jose Saramago

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

“When you put your hand in a flowing stream you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come” ~Author unknown

Everything has a purpose!

Everything is here for a reason!

Just like you have the ability to exist with good you also exist with greatness!

Tap into your greatness! Tap into your energy and the energy of the world around you!

The river flows, the river of greatness tap into the flow.

Till next time.....dream big and smile!

Enjoy the video and enjoy your Friday.

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Thursday ~ 02/11/10

Good Morning and Happy Thursday to you all I hope your day will be one filled with smiles and gratitude. Thanks for all your kind comments and visiting my daily here on Gather. Also thanks for your visits to Make ME Smile Online (.com) where the ME is really all about you. I hope you have enjoyed the new video on our home page.

Gratitude to me can be summed up in this quote:

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.

~ DAVID STEINDL-RAST

The most important realization we can make and educate our children is this skill of having gratitude in our lives. The sun as it rises and the moon that sets play a key role in our life.

Just as a gratitude educates our soul to understand that we not only make a difference but we make our emotional states to either help ourselves or do harm.

Can one person make a difference? Check this video and understand that one person can make a great difference. Enjoy the video and understand that we all can share with each other the great skill of sharing gratitude with others.

Make a difference today!

Make a difference that will last for many tomorrows.

Make a difference in your childs life. Share with them the gift of understanding Gratitude.

Till next time.... Share a smile!

www make me smile online dot com

A Wish on Wednesday ~ 02/10/10

Happy Wednesday everyone! Another day closer to spring, closer to running your fingers through fresh dirt and potting soil. How we all long for the beautiful budding flowers and trips to the home garden stores and put behind us the snow and shovels that we are held in our hands now.

As you pray today this very morning pray for those who can't read inspiration because the power is out. Pray for those who respond to emergencies the police and fire that no matter what the temperature and conditions respond they must. Their wish is for spring as well.

Stores abound both inspiring and tragic. The tragic story of a young 8 year old who was digging a hole in a snow drift and fell in head first unable to move and passing into God's arms and leaving parents and family in so much sorrow. Send your prayers out to this family.

A story about a 28 year old Haitian who after 27 days is found alive, 27 days alone and hurting and so unsure about his fate. Found alive yesterday how happy this mother is to be able to hold her son's hand once again.

Our lives are so very fragile, understand that everyday we must remain diligent not only for ourselves but for others in our circle of influence. Watch over your family, your children understand how they must feel after so much uncertainty and breaks in their routine.

My daughter is home again, another day home from school does she love it, you bet but inside I know there is a longing to be back in class, on the bus laughing with friends.

So today I wish for everyone to take the time to watch over each other a little closer.

Today share an extra smile, a laugh, a compliment to another fragile soul.

Will you make a difference? My first guess is YES! A hundred times over your smile, your kind act will not go without impact. If not at that very moment maybe later in the day.

Make a difference. Share a kind word, a smile. Pray an extra prayer. Watch over your children at play just a little bit longer and know that each second, each minute we are closer to that first day of spring.

May your smiles be received with more smiles.

May your prayers rise up and and may your days be brighter.

Till next time.....Share that smile first with yourself and then another.

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ 02/09/10

Happy Tuesday everyone and yes its a day to give thanks. Sure, guess what we survived the blizzard of 2010. Yes we are going to get some more snow today and Wednesday. But we have the East coast toughness to get through this.

How many days till spring you ask?

Countdown to Spring (click here)

So other than that here are my top 3 things to be grateful for in my life.

1. My Attitude. Yes I give thanks to my parents for this. Oh they had some faults but they taught me so many things about not giving in or giving up.

That a smile will always start your day off with the right tone. I thank God for giving me that lesson learned.

2. My desire to read and learn new things. Yes much of my time not on Gather and Facebook I listen and read about getting stronger and better in the area of joy, positive attitudes, mental toughness. Do I still have faults and flaws in this area? You bet but each day and each new thing that I learn I place that into a new habit.

3. My faith in God. Yes I believe with all my heart that we are created not cast down by a monkey. I believe in the power of God to empower us to do the right thing. I believe in the free will that we all have. That God does not cause or create tragedy but he allows us to know what is right and wrong through the Bible, his written word. So many people ask why and how could Katrina happen, or war, or floods and famine. They happen many times out of our own disregard for nature, laws of cause and effect. We learn many times that one person a mad man can create so much havoc. We all need to be watchful and mindful of what we can do to create greatness and good in our life. We have that power we just need to unleash it.

So those are mine. What our yours?

Have a great day today and I hope you stop by and visit the new home page for Make ME Smile Online. It's new, fresh and let me know your thoughts on it.

Till next time......Share that smile and share that gratitude.

www make me smile online dot com

Giving Thanks on Tuesday ~ 02/09/10

Happy Tuesday everyone and yes its a day to give thanks. Sure, guess what we survived the blizzard of 2010. Yes we are going to get some more snow today and Wednesday. But we have the East coast toughness to get through this.

How many days till spring you ask?

Countdown to Spring (click here)

So other than that here are my top 3 things to be grateful for in my life.

1. My Attitude. Yes I give thanks to my parents for this. Oh they had some faults but they taught me so many things about not giving in or giving up.

That a smile will always start your day off with the right tone. I thank God for giving me that lesson learned.

2. My desire to read and learn new things. Yes much of my time not on Gather and Facebook I listen and read about getting stronger and better in the area of joy, positive attitudes, mental toughness. Do I still have faults and flaws in this area? You bet but each day and each new thing that I learn I place that into a new habit.

3. My faith in God. Yes I believe with all my heart that we are created not cast down by a monkey. I believe in the power of God to empower us to do the right thing. I believe in the free will that we all have. That God does not cause or create tragedy but he allows us to know what is right and wrong through the Bible, his written word. So many people ask why and how could Katrina happen, or war, or floods and famine. They happen many times out of our own disregard for nature, laws of cause and effect. We learn many times that one person a mad man can create so much havoc. We all need to be watchful and mindful of what we can do to create greatness and good in our life. We have that power we just need to unleash it.

So those are mine. What our yours?

Have a great day today and I hope you stop by and visit the new home page for Make ME Smile Online. It's new, fresh and let me know your thoughts on it.

Till next time......Share that smile and share that gratitude.

www make me smile online dot com

Monday Morning Wisdom ~ 02/08/2010

Welcome to a new week! Happy Monday everyone and first off congratulations to the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl Champs! How proud New Orleans must feel, how many parties still must be underway.

The city of New Orleans is built on the term resilience. They have suffered thru the Katrina Hurricane. The have suffered through many a scandal. Not many years ago the New Orleans Saints fans wore bags on their heads and call the Saints the Aints.

How proud the city must be. Congrats!

We all can learn much from the following quotes and study our own habits and Monday morning quarterback our results. How could we have done this or that better. What personal plays should we have run. The quotes are as follows:

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.

~Japanese proverb

and

"It is said an eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with the words,'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! "

~ Abraham Lincoln

Storms will come in go in our lives, some daily and some last a little longer but it is our ability to bend and not break that will make all of our difference.

Katrina came and left so much death and destruction on our soil.

Much of it has never been rebuilt. It is the hope of this writer that the spotlight will not only shine bright on the people of New Orleans and that shiny trophy but the light will also shine on the work that remains in and around that city of champions.

Long live New Orleans, its people and their pride!

Till next time......Smile and share that smile with another today!

Make a difference in someone's life!

www make me smile online dot com

*NEW video on our Home page (Enjoy) : )

Some Thoughts on a Sunday ~ 02/07/10

Happy Sunday! Ok, for me and I hope for others it is. We are home, electric is on and heat is running. We came home around 9am this morning and fed the dogs and let them out. Then we turned the water back on and shut off the facets. So all seems to be back in order.

Oh yeah the trees are hanging low and there is still some worry that they could cause a power problem. I pray that they do not. We shall see.

With out a doubt this has been the most snow and ice in such a short period of time in my memory. I hope and pray that all is well with you and your families.

My thoughts always flow and sustain on the power of a smile. We went to Denny's for breakfast this morning and through al that is going on the waitress who's name was Bonnie was very efficient, polite and wore a smile even though she was very busy. With only one coffee machine working she did her best to keep her section with coffee. She showed the power of the smile as she went about her duties.

My other memory was the desk clerk at the hotel in Greensburg, the Sherton Four Points. The girl behind the counter was very kind and actually showed that she cared about my excitement of returning home to my heat and electric.

We all in our lives face adversity.

We can face it with a positive attitude or an attitude of anger and why me.

Life happens and so does the waves that we swim with or against.

A recent meeting that I attended recently at work talked about such a thing. The talk was much about what we allow people to dump upon us.

For example we all know that we should and hopefully do look at our glass/cup as 'half full' not half empty. It is a more positive way of looking at life.

But the point that is about to be made even if your cup is half full do you allow other people or circumstances to fill it up to the top with junk and garbage that will just bring you down.

The cup a styrofoam one, get one, write your name on it. When someone starts to dump on you, put you down dump it out. Clean it out with your hand. Don't let another person place their negative emotions on you.

Two quotes I want to share by Eleanor Roosevelt she is quoted as saying these:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

and

“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events;

Small minds discuss people”

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I wish you the very best this Sunday and I hope you enjoy the week to come.

Till next time.....Smile and lighten up your day and another's

www make me smile online dot com