Category: Great Stories

Sharing KISSES

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This is the PERFECT video to share for RAK week…I think random acts of kindness need to be shared every day, so watch this video, buy some Hershey’s kisses and share them with strangers, friends, neighbors, roommates, people who look like they need a little love…care…and SHARE.

I also thought this would be a great place to put the wonderful story of the Hershey Kiss creator, Milton S. Hershey. His story is one of hope, inspiration, perseverance and the difference one person can really make. enJOY his story.

MILTON S. HERSHEY

In addition to leaving us with America’s most iconic chocolate bar, Milton S. Hershey left behind a legacy of goodness. It’s a story of persistence, spirit, compassion, selflessness and purpose. 

Milton Hershey made his mark as a successful confectioner, philanthropist and innovator. But Milton was by no means an overnight success story, nor did his achievements come without their hardships. 

Born September 13, 1857 on a farm near Derry Church, a small Pennsylvania community, Milton Hershey was the only surviving child of Fannie and Henry Hershey. Frequent family moves interrupted his schooling and left him with a limited education. He only completed the fourth grade.

Following a four-year apprenticeship with a Lancaster candy maker, he established his first candy making business in Philadelphia. That initial effort failed as did his next two attempts in Chicago and New York. Returning to Lancaster, PA in 1883, Hershey established the Lancaster Caramel Company, which quickly became an outstanding success. It was that business which established him as a candy maker and set the stage for future accomplishments. Mr. Hershey, a man with steadfast convictions and an insatiable curiosity, turned his story from rags to riches by persevering, eventually selling his caramel company for $1 million to devote all his energies to making chocolate.

Learning About Chocolate Hershey became fascinated with German chocolate-making machinery exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. He bought the equipment for his Lancaster plant and soon began producing a variety of chocolate creations. Hershey sold the Lancaster Caramel Co. for $1 million in 1900 in order to concentrate exclusively on his chocolate business. Three years later, he returned to Derry Church to build a new factory. There he could obtain the large supplies of fresh milk needed to perfect and produce fine milk chocolate.

Excited by the potential of milk chocolate, which at that time was a Swiss luxury product, Milton Hershey determined to develop a formula for milk chocolate and market and sell it to the American public. Through trial and error he created his own formula for milk chocolate. In 1903 he began construction on what was to become the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant. The facility, completed in 1905, was designed to manufacture chocolate using the latest mass production techniques. Hershey’s milk chocolate quickly became the first nationally marketed product of its kind.

Using equipment purchased at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Milton Hershey began experimenting with boiled milk, sugar and cacao beans in an effort to create affordable milk chocolate that could be mass-produced. In a few years, he perfected his recipe and by 1903 was breaking ground for a new factory in the town that bears his name.

Unlike other industrialists of his time, Milton Hershey’s vision of a company town expanded beyond the brick-and-mortar walls of his chocolate factory. He built homes, parks, schools, public transportation and infrastructure, enriching the lives of those around him. His wealth was accompanied by a profound sense of moral responsibility and benevolence.

When he and his beloved wife, Catherine, realized they could not have children, they founded a school for orphaned boys. His dream had grown far beyond acquiring wealth for his own benefit: “One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy.” In 1918, long before his death, Milton Hershey endowed the school that he and Catherine started with his entire fortune.

-taken from hersheypa.com

Video of his life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp4z8o1ioJA

Hope these videos and stories brighten your day. Now, go out and buy some chocolate and SHARE SOME KISSES. xoxo

Overcoming Obstacle Stories

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I LOVE stories of people overcoming obstacles, but I think there is a greater impact when it is a name everyone recognizes. Hollywood has a lot of great stories about people who overcame obstacles and the challenges that help them rise and keep going. enJOY.

Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the famed Eiffel Tower, was terrified of heights.

Roger Moore (James Bond) cannot pick up a gun without uncontrollably blinking.

Walt Disney, who gave the world Mickey Mouse, was indeed, afraid of mice. He was also fired at one point for “lackof imagination.”

The world famous minister, Joel Osteen, sells out places like Yankee Stadium and speaks live to 40,000 a week who visit Lakewood church every Sunday (the mega-church meets in Houston at the former Compaq Center). Osteen says the week before his first sermon in 1999 marked the worst days of his life. “I was scared to death,” he says. At the time he knew very little about speaking or preparing a message. In fact he was perfectly content to sit behind the video camera during his father’s sermons. When his father passed away, Osteen’s wife and family encouraged him to take the stage. Osteen did not overcome his fear for a long time. The conversations he heard didn’t help. “I overheard two ladies say, ‘he’s not as good as his father.’ I was already insecure and—boom—another negative label.” Words, he says, are like seeds. If you dwell on them long enough they take root and you will become what those words say you’ll become—if you let them. Osteen says negative labels—the ones people place on us and the labels we place on ourselves— prevent us from reaching our potential. (taken from forbes)

Albert Einstein– didn’t speak until he was four years old. He failed his college entrance exam.

Steven Spielberg had dyslexia that created struggles in school with learning, so because of his grades he was rejected multiple times by USC’s film program– You read that right. One of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, the man who brought us “Shindler’s List,” “Jaws,”“E.T.” and “Jurassic Park” couldn’t get into the film school of his choice.

Jim Carrey had to drop out of school at 15 to help support his family. His father was unemployed and the family had to start living in a van.

In 1985, Carrey made an audacious decision: He wrote himself a $10-million check for “acting services rendered,” dated it 10 years in the future, and kept it in his wallet. Call it a coincidence, but in November 1995, Carrey found out he was cast in the movie “Dumb and Dumber” for — you guessed it — $10 million.

Charlize Theron witnessed her mother kill her father when she was 15. “I don’t believe in charmed lives. I think that tragedy is part of the lesson you learn to lift yourself up, to pick yourself up and to move on.”

Tom Cruise Nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards; As of 2012, Cruise is Hollywood’s highest-paid actor. Fourteen of his films grossed over $100 million domestically; twenty have grossed in excess of $200 million worldwide. He grew up in near poverty. The family was dominated by his abusive father, whom Cruise has described as “a merchant of chaos.”; He was beaten by his father, who Cruise has said was a bully and coward: “He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life–how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him.”

Richard Branson (Virgin) has a lifelong dread of public speaking. When he launched Virgin in the early 80s, his mentor, entrepreneur Freddie Laker, told him he had to make himself the public face of the company. “I remember thinking, ‘That’s easy for you to say,’ because I was utterly terrified,” says Branson. The Resolution: Branson relies on a slew of mind games to get him through his numerous speaking gigs. He forces himself to imagine he’s in his living room, chatting with pals. He spends weeks writing and rehearsing seemingly off-the-cuff speeches. And he relies heavily on videos and Q&A’s to shift attention elsewhere. Branson’s methods have been so successful that now he delivers speeches on—you guessed it—“The Art of Public Speaking.” (taken from lifereimagined) 

A little something more about Richard Branson– is the fourth richest person in the United Kingdom. He owns the Virgin group of brands, including a record label, an airline, and the mobile phone company. He also owns an island in the Caribbean.

As a child, though, he performed poorly on tests in school and struggled with dyslexia. Teachers and authority fi gures assumed he wouldn’t go very far, but Branson defi ed the odds, and attributes his success to his people skills – proving that street smarts can take you far. (masterschannel)

Today we know Emily Blunt as a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild winning actress. With several hit films under her belt, including the acclaimed A Quiet Place, Sicario, and the Girl on the Train, Emily Blunt is one of England’s most successful actresses with an estimated net worth of $110 million dollars.

But her glittering career almost didn’t happen. As a teenager, Emily developed a stutter so debilitating she could barely hold a conversation. So severe was her stutter, that she never even considered a career in acting. Her parents took her to speech coaches and relaxation coaches, but nothing worked.

“I was a smart kid, and had a lot to say, but I just couldn’t say it,” said Emily in a 2009 interview. “It would just haunt me.”

But that all changed when a kind teacher encouraged her to try out for the school play.

“One of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle.”

Audrey Hepburn faced many obstacles in her life that she overcame to attain greatness. As a child, Hepburn never had it easy. At the young age of eight, her father abandoned her family. The outbreak of World War II. Audrey and her mom moved to Holland where they thought they would be safe. Unfortunately, it was far from that. The Nazi invasion began and they lived in very harsh conditions. Audrey was deprived of food and warm shelter. She suffered malnutrition and other serious health issues. Looking back as an adult, Hepburn described the experience as a fearful, depriving event, yet she viewed it as a great learning opportunity. “Being without food, fearful for one’s life, the bombings–all made me appreciative of safety, of liberty. In that sense, I learned the bad experiences have become positive in my life”

Taylor Swift Once Upon A Time, there was a girl named Taylor. When she sat down to eat lunch in her school cafeteria, the girls she’d once called friends stood up and moved to another table. They had cast Taylor out of their clique because instead of going to parties with them on weekends, she’d stay home and write songs on her guitar. The outsider landed a development deal with a record company and moved with her parents to Nashville. She would go on to become the first artist since the Beatles—and the only woman—to record three consecutive albums that spent six or more weeks at number one. Taylor Swift is still writing songs and once told a Nebraska audience, “What does it matter if you didn’t have any friends in high school when you’ve got 15,000 of your closest friends coming to see you in Omaha?”  -taken from Oprah, The Power of Quirk

Sylvester Stallone Iconic actor, one of most successful actors; wrote and starred in three-Oscar-winning (ten nominations) Rocky, which became a franchise; starred as iconic John Rambo; got steps of Philadelphia Art Museum named after him

Complications his mother suffered during labor forced her obstetricians to use two pairs of forceps during his birth; misuse of these accidentally severed a nerve and caused paralysis in parts of Stallone’s face. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin an accident which has given Stallone his snarling look and slightly slurred speech.

Sweet story about him & his best friend: Sylvester Stallone, the actor best known for his role in Rocky, just shared the most beautiful tribute to his dog Butkus. The 70-year-old writes: “When I was 26, totally broke, going nowhere VERY fast, owned two pair of pants that barely fit, shoes that had holes in them and dreams of being successful were as far away as the sun… But I had my dog, BUTKUS, my best friend, my confidant, who always laughed at my jokes, and put up with my moods, and was the one living thing that loved me for who I was!” Already grabbing a tissue? Wait, cause it gets even sweeter. 1971 was a tough year for Stallone and his doggie. “We were both, thin, hungry, and living in a flophouse above a subway stop, I used to say this apartment had… Hot and cold running roaches.”

“When things got even worse I had to sell him for $40 in front of a 7-Eleven store, because I couldn’t afford food, then like a modern day miracle, the screenplay for Rocky sold, and I could buy him back, but the new owner knew I was desperate, and charged me $15,000 … He was worth every penny!”

Simon Cowell had a failed record company. By his late twenties, Cowell had made a million dollars and lost a million dollars. Cowell told The Daily Mail in 2012, “‘I’ve had many failures. The biggest were at times when I believed my own hype. I’d had smaller failures, signing bands that didn’t work, but my record company going bust, that was the first big one.” Even after such a momentous loss, Cowell picked himself up and became one of the biggest forces in reality television, serving as a judge for “Pop Idol,” “The X Factor,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “American Idol.” Forbes has estimated his net worth at $95 million.

Michael Jordan—Considered by many as the greatest player of all time. Cut from varsity basketball team in his sophomore year.

Lady Gaga was dropped from her first record label.

Harrison Ford was told by an unknown Hollywood executive that he didn’t possess the star quality needed to become successful in the industry.

Shakira was told she sounded like a goat because of her vibrato range. When she tried out for choir, the choir teacher even went as far as telling Shakira she had a bad voice and refused to let her join the choir during school.

You may have already heard some of these stories, but they are always a good reminder that everyone goes through hard things. No one is exempt from challenges. We all have a journey. Make it a great one! -H

GREAT Stories

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I LOVE a GREAT story, so I hope you enJOY this collection of stories I found online. There are so many stories that instill hope, motivation, following dreams, pursuing passion, overcoming obstacles. Stories are the essence of our beings. They make us who we are. They share the life lessons one can learn from and pass along to encourage another. May we always seek and find the treasures in the stories that swirl all around us. Let us grab them and cherish the feelings they leave us with. We will always fly a little higher after reading a GREAT story. enJOY.

Emily Blunt

Today we know Emily Blunt as a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild winning actress. With several hit films under her belt, including the acclaimed A Quiet Place, Sicario, and the Girl on the Train, Emily Blunt is one of England’s most successful actresses with an estimated net worth of $110 million dollars.

But her glittering career almost didn’t happen. As a teenager, Emily developed a stutter so debilitating she could barely hold a conversation. So severe was her stutter, that she never even considered a career in acting. Her parents took her to speech coaches and relaxation coaches, but nothing worked.

“I was a smart kid, and had a lot to say, but I just couldn’t say it,” said Emily in a 2009 interview. “It would just haunt me.”

But that all changed when a kind teacher encouraged her to try out for the school play.

“One of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle.”

Eric Yuan

You might not have heard of Eric Yuan, but you’ve definitely heard of the conferencing platform he created: Zoom. At the start of 2021, Zoom had a market valuation of more than $16 billion and it employs more than 2, 500 people.

But were it not for Eric’s tenacity and determination, it might never have happened. Born in China, Eric was heavily inspired by Bill Gates, and wanted to join the tech boom of the 1990’s. But when he applied for a U.S visa he was denied over and over again.

“The first time I applied for a U.S. visa, I was rejected. I continued to apply again and again over the course of two years and finally received my visa on the ninth try.”

He quickly rose to the rank of vice president of engineering at Cisco, and shortly after he founded Zoom.

The Kid Stays in the Picture

By Fran Lostys

He was no scholar, and his classmates teased him. Rather than read, the kid really preferred running around with a 8 mm camera, shooting homemade movies of wrecks of his Lionel train set (which he showed to friends for a small fee).

In his sophomore year of high school, he dropped out. But when his parents persuaded him to return, he was mistakenly placed in a learning-disabled class. He lasted one month. Only when the family moved to another town did he land in a more suitable high school, where he eventually graduated.

After being denied entrance into a traditional filmmaking school, Steven Spielberg enrolled in English at California State College at Long Beach. Then in 1965, he recalls, in one of those serendipitous moments, his life took a complete turn. Visiting Universal Studios, he met Chuck Silvers, an executive in the editorial department. Silvers liked the kid who made 8 mm films and invited him back sometime to visit.

He appeared the next day. Without a job or security clearance, Spielberg (dressed in a dark suit and tie, carrying his father’s briefcase with nothing inside but “a sandwich and candy bars”) strode confidently up to the guard at the gate of Universal and gave him a casual wave. The guard waved back. He was in.

“For the entire summer,” Spielberg remembers, “I dressed in my suit and hung out with the directors and writers [including Silvers, who knew the kid wasn’t a studio employee, but winked at the deception]. I even found an office that wasn’t being used, and became a squatter. I bought some plastic tiles and put my name in the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C.”

It paid off for everyone. Ten years later, the 28-year-old Spielberg directed Jaws, which took in $470 million, then the highest-grossing movie of all time. Dozens of films and awards have followed because Steven Spielberg knew what his teachers didn’t — talent is in the eyes of the filmmaker.   -rdasia.com  https://www.rdasia.com/true-stories-lifestyle/inspirational/how-famous-people-achieved-their-dreams

[Side Note: I have always been a big fan of him. Love this story. Spielberg just did a movie that depicted some of his childhood that was very interesting to see. It gives you a better sense of him as a boy and his creative directions. It was a bit slow, but very real in the sense of seeing another side to him and his journey. The movie is called, “The Fablemans”]

“You’re Studying Dirt”

By Fran Lostys

Dr. Judah Folkman keeps a reproduction of a 1903 New York Times article in his archives. In it two physics professors explain why airplanes could not possibly fly. The article appeared just three months before the Wright brothers split the air at Kitty Hawk.

In the early 1970s, Folkman proposed an idea in cancer research that did not fit what scientists “knew” to be true: that tumors did not generate new blood vessels to “feed” themselves and grow. He was convinced that they did. But colleagues kept telling him, “You’re studying dirt,” meaning his project was futile science.

Folkman disregarded the catcalls of the research community. For two decades, he met with disinterest or hostility as he pursued his work in angiogenesis, the study of the growth of new blood vessels. At one research convention, half the audience walked out. “He’s only a surgeon,” he heard someone say.

But he always believed that his work might help stop the growth of tumors, and might help find ways to grow blood vessels where they were needed — like around clogged arteries in the heart.

Folkman and his colleagues discovered the first angiogenesis inhibitors in the 1980s. Today more than 100,000 cancer patients are benefiting from the research he pioneered. His work is now recognized as being on the forefront in the fight to cure cancer.    

“There is a fine line between persistence and obstinacy,” Folkman says. “I have come to realise the key is to choose a problem that is worth persistent effort.”

Inspiring Stories of Famous People Who Achieved Their Dreams

World’s Fastest Indian

Burt Munro’s Dream made into a movie,  The World’s Fastest Indian, Anthony Hopkins plays the true story of New Zealander Burt Munro, a man who never let the dreams of youth fade. After a lifetime perfecting his classic 1920 Indian motorcycle, Munro sets off from New Zealand to test his bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

With meager funds and scarce resources, but a heart full of hope and lofty dreams, legendary New Zealand motorcycle racer Burt Munro resigned into his shelter in 1948 to soup up his motorcycles, saying “I’ll never give up until I’ve had a good run.” He kept true to his words, as he later emerged to have even more than just a good run. Munro returned to the track as a speed monster. Spurred on by his awesomely modified motorcycles, he set and reset several speed records on some of the world’s most famous tracks. Notably, while the Indian Scout remained his most iconic motorcycle. Raised on a New Zealand farm . Got bored, so he started tinkering and was very excited about the biking industry. Started working on bikes and then crushing records.

I hope these stories have inspired you to have an even brighter day!

Peace. Love and Light to you. -H

Looking for the GOOD in all this

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GREAT MESSAGES OF HOPE…so much GOOD.

I just LOVE Bindi. She has been through challenges and continues to inspire and guide in goodness. She is a great role model for many. LOVE the work she does.

The outspoken wildlife warrior posted a quote written by ‘Walk the Earth’ writer Nikki Banas on her Instagram page. ‘If you only carry one thing throughout your entire life, let it be hope,’ the 21-year-old shared.'If you only carry one thing your entire life, let it be hope':  Bindi Irwin has shared a message of 'hope' with her Instagram followers amid the coronavirus pandemic

‘Let it be hope that better things are always ahead. Let it be hope that you can get through even the toughest of times. Let it be hope that you are stronger than any challenge that comes your way.’

PRINCE HARRY & MEGHAN – “These are uncertain times. And now, more than ever, we need each other,” their post read. “We need each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone during a time that can honestly feel quite scary. There are so many around the world who need support right now, who are working tirelessly to respond to this crisis behind the scenes, on the frontline, or at home. Our willingness, as a people, to step up in the face of what we are all experiencing with COVID-19 is awe-inspiring. This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit.”

“We often speak of compassion,” they continued. “All of our lives are in some way affected by this, uniting each of us globally. How we approach each other and our communities with empathy and kindness is indisputably important right now.”

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PEOPLE DOING WHAT THEY CAN to make a positive difference during these challenging times.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/9ca7a6f9-eead-40f9-8b08-219e597e365a

 

THANK YOU MSN for your GOOD NEWS section!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news.

You can always find GOOD stories here.

Here are some of my favorite stories to inspire from MSN

Restaurant regular stuns staff by tipping $9,400 to help. On the reciept, the patron wrote: “Hold tip to pay your guys over the next few weeks.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/restaurant-regular-stuns-staff-by-tipping-dollar9400-to-help-with-coronavirus/ar-BB11jMOJ

One man’s birthday GoFundMe raised $16k in 18 hours to help Milwaukee restaurants during virus. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/this-mans-birthday-gofundme-raised-dollar16k-in-18-hours-to-help-milwaukee-restaurants-during-coronavirus/ar-BB11qTS7

 

Student delivering groceries for free to the elderly. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/this-student-is-delivering-groceries-for-free-to-the-elderly-during-coronavirus-outbreak/ar-BB11qnxu

People are also donating funds. A search on the GoFundMe website for “coronavirus” brings up more than 6,000 results, many for Italian hospitals. One campaign for the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan has raised more than 4 million euros ($4.47 million) via the site.

So many other great stories that I am sure change every day—cards to nursing homes, Penguins taking field trips, Property owners tell restaurants to pay staff instead of rent, etc. There are so many good stories if we seek after them.

CHINO High records their concert from home after they could not perform. Very COOL.

LOVE the resilience of this beautiful world. 

A BEAUTIFUL tribute to Italy—a country that has gone through so much

Just great!!

 

“God Winks”

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god-winks-squire-rushnell

I fell in love with this term when I heard it a little over a year ago. What a gift for our lives. If you think about little coincidences within your life, you cannot miss the sweet “God winks” that sparkle throughout your life. Just think about it.

I recently had a sweet God wink moment, in fact, it was a couple weeks ago. Every year my daughter and I find gently used stuffed animals and dolls & we clean them up, my daughter has knitted scarves for them, we write a loving card, add some candy & turn unloved toys into magical gift bags for kids in need. It is a wonderful tradition that we have done for years. Usually, we drop our gift bags at our local Walmart for their BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) tree. They have always happily taken them, so my heart ached when I called to see if they were doing the BACA tree this year and they told me it was replaced by Toys for Tots that only take brand new items.

My daughter and I were going to put the gift bags of 30 + Beanie Boo’s together but had nowhere to take them.  That same day I went to the dollar store to buy the cards to put with the toys. As I was checking out a woman and a young boy were placing items on the checkout counter. I glanced back at them and said, “It looks like you guys have found some fun stuff.” The woman smiled and motioned to the stack of coloring books she was purchasing & explained that she has a high-functioning autistic son who drives a bus for young special needs kids. I had an AH-HA moment!! I smiled so big & explained to her that I was in need of a place to give these gently used toys & thought it would be a perfect situation for her son (and other drivers he may know) to gift these kids our gift bags. She was soo excited and knew the kids would LOVE it! IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE. IT WAS A GOD WINK. We exchanged numbers.

The following week my new friend, Denise and her son came by to pick up the boxes of Beanie Boo’s. Her son was so excited to see the kids’ reactions. We were all genuinely happy for this beautiful gift of the holiday season. I then looked at Denise and told her we had probably seven other larger stuffed animals if she had anywhere to give them. She explained that she had another daughter with special needs who had been awarded, “Miss Inspiration.” She beamed & said, “I will have my daughter put on her crown & we will hand them out to kids at the hospital or something like that.”

Our hearts were happy!! We all hugged and exchanged loving appreciation. Strangers who came together in a God wink. It was beautiful.

A few days later I got a sweet image from Denise. It was a cute picture of her daughter in her crown doing good at the Deaf and Blind School. It was wonderful!!

People come into our lives & we can easily miss a sweet conversation, a service situation, a new friend…slow down and look for those doors that open. There are God winks in all you do. Notice the little things, smile at someone in line, open the door for someone, look for someone who is alone, share your gifts and talents, be kind in all you do.

God is looking for a way to smile down and wink at you in all you do.

May you have a blessed holiday season. Be Love. Bring Peace. Give Hope. Do good.

Peace and Love to you.  -H

PS if the term God Winks makes you curious, I first heard this term from Squire Rushnell. He has a huge series of books that have lots of neat stories about “God Winks.” I LOVE a good coincidence and true stories just make my heart smile. These would be a good any time read. Enjoy!!

Greater GOOD videos

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After having such a stressful and daily mind bog of ‘what if’ situations, you walk away feeling a sense of gratitude, a new perspective on ‘what could have been.’

I cannot tell you what a relief I feel of the gifted outcome I received last week. Even in such a heart sinking month of unknowns, I look now and know what a gift it is that I am not sick. Such a gift makes you look at everything you want to do, everything you want to aspire to do, everything you know you can now make time for & say YES! NOW, I look at the day and say, “I could be going to the doctor each week and getting chemo and not able to get out of bed because of treatments.” NOW, I feel even more alive. It makes you want to be more on purpose and to find those things that make your heart swell and move you in a direction of doing for the greater good.

So, today, I am going to gift all of you with a variety of story videos that I have posted (or not posted yet) to inspire you. We need inspiration. We need good stories.

Enjoy!!

“I have a process: You commit and then you figure out how you are going to do it!”  -Mick Ebeling

 

“I learned from my parents that you have to get pleasure out of what you’re doing, or don’t do it,” he told Earth Island Journal in 2012. “You can be in the wrong craft. That is why I got out of making stuff that nobody needs. … Everybody’s destiny is what it is. I just feel lucky that I somehow escaped from the confines of the business class. … I feel so fortunate that somehow I managed to break out of that world and get to do something that really had more meaning. It’s like David Brower used to say – to pay my rent for living on the planet.”

 

“Some people collect antiques or baseball cards, for me I like to collect experiences and soak in as much as I can.”  -Erik Weihenmayer           LOVE THAT!!

 

I love his story because he came from humble beginnings, followed his heart and has helped create jobs, restore hope and do good things. I have read his book and feel he is a good man & I don’t even drink coffee. haha. Interesting fact: If Howard Schultz gave up after being turned down by banks 242 times, there would be no Starbucks.

“I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see and pursuing that vision.”  -Howard Schultz

 

I just posted these videos not too long ago, but they are so worth watching if you have not seen them. https://yourhappyplaceblog.com/2018/01/24/the-difference-one-can-make/

 

I hope these videos inspire your day!! Be inspired. Life is too short.

-Peace and love to you today.  -H

 

Holiday Spirit & Giving Ideas

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Wow!! The Holidays are upon us and it is a wonderful time of spreading cheer, goodwill and heartfelt gifts.

I thought it would be fun to share a few ideas, a couple great stories, gift giving ideas and more. Enjoy! Enjoy the season of giving. It’s all good.

christmas-gifts-christmas-gift-decorations-christmas-gift-ideas-2014-christmas-gift-ideas-pinterest-christmas-gift-ideas-to-make-christmas-gift-ideas-for-mom-christmas-gift-ideas-for-gir“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.”  -Pierre Corneille

GREAT GIFT IDEAS:

‘Twelve Days’ or in this case ‘Twelve Dates’: Every year I try to do a ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ for my parents and my husbands parents. Each year I try to come up with little things they could do each day or every other. I include stories, links, recipes, activities, etc. This year I did ‘Twelve days of Picnics” because life should be a picnic!! Right?  Each ‘picnic’ was a date night of asking each other questions, recipes for a meal together, a gift or activity. Little things to bring two people together. I think when you can make a gift for someone it tells them that you care & took the time.

A Good Read: One of my favorite books this year was Squire Rushnell’s ‘When God Winks at You.’ It is a compilation of stories that illustrate how God speaks directly to us through the power of coincidence. It is a great read. I am going to put one of the stories down below, so don’t miss it.

A way to calm: My daughter has found out how powerful the art of coloring can be. This would be a good gift for anyone, but especially students or people who work in high stress situations. Coloring seems to calm the mind. My daughter started coloring before taking a test & has noticed how well it calms her mind and prepares her to focus. There are many types of adult coloring books, so it is NOT just a kid gift. Get coloring.

Something personal: I think you can put meaning to anything. I bought a bunch of tiny, silver pine cone charms & added them to some ribbon & put a quote that says ” Since the Pine Tree remains green all year, it is a symbol of Eternal Friendship.” I made it to be a book mark for a couple of my friends who like to read.  Write a love note to someone you care about or make a special card that you leave on your loved ones pillow each morning or night for twelve days before Christmas. You could also do something similar for your kids & leave one in their stocking each day & they can read them before bed. You could also make a little photo book of highlights from the year & give them to family or friends. There are so many ideas you can get personal with. Just put some heart into your ideas & the love will shine through.

You can also ‘search’ my blog & find other Christmas traditions and holiday ideas. I have posted MANY over the years. Hope there are some ideas that get you excited. Yay!

 

045c0bf22bcff82025d1dc18d9cda104MAKE IT FUN! Every year I try and get the little cousins together & gift them with a fun party for the holiday season. This year I am hosting a ‘Grinch Party’. I am having all the kids come dressed like Whoville characters (crazy hair, crazy hats, stripes, etc) & bring a crazy gift for a fun exchange. I am going to gather them in a circle & make them sing the silly Whoville song while passing gifts. It will be funny!! We are going to play some fun games & watch the movie. It should be super fun!!

I couldn’t help add this cute chalk idea. Get creative. Make a fun family card. Make a special gingerbread house. This year we bought a gingerbread trailer to decorate because my husband is living in a trailer for a few months while he is away. Make your own ornaments, build ice castles with balloons. Check out this link http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-ice-sculpture-for-kids-of-all-ages/

Make things fun & memorable.

 

pond-town-christmas-lights_f3d882cd-5056-a36a-0ba8bf7ba2cedcb8MAKE MEMORIES: My husband is still living in another state and we only get to see him once a month, so our time is very cherished. He just came home for a few days & we knew we needed to pack in some holiday cheer, so late one night (around 9pm) we jumped in the car & drove 40 minutes to one of our favorite places to see holiday lights. It is a pond that lights up about 30+ floating, light trees that mirror & reflect such beauty. We all held hands & walked around the pond. Cherished memories are priceless. Even though it was late we were sure happy we went.

 

Solutions--1020x200--More-Ways-to-Give_1GIVE: Every year my daughter and I love fixing up ‘groovy girl’ dolls that are in great shape & may just be missing a dress, skirt or scarf. We find them at thrift stores, add some holiday flare, add a note of Christmas cheer & send them to a holiday toy drive. My daughter literally knits scarfs, skirts, dresses, hats, etc for the dolls & they turn out so cute. Use your talents to do something for someone else this holiday.  Here is my other post on good places to make items to give, service ideas’ etc. https://yourhappyplaceblog.com/2015/11/10/give-because-we-have-been-given-much/

 

how-to-revive-your-lovelifeLIFE IS TOO SHORT: Enjoy each day. My husband had an employee come in for work and never leave. She had been employed there for ten years, so she had some great friends. She went in to work & had a brain aneurysm that took her from this life. It can happen that quickly, so cherish each day, kiss those you love, and offer kindness to all those you meet. Make each day count. You never know. This holiday season embrace the chance to be with those you care about.

 

A COUPLE GREAT STORIES to share with your family this holiday season: taken from Squire Rushnell’s book (noted above) Here is a story to help us remember that we are always surrounded by a divine LOVE.

450872979When God Winks at You is the story of Ken Gaub. Ken was going through a period of uncertainty with his ministry. In the 1980’s is family did an entertainment ministry that they would take to churches, schools, and the back roads of America traveling fifty-thousand miles a year. On one trip, a couple of his sons were driving. They kept in touch between the cars with a CB radio. One son told the other to stop at an exit. While his family went to a diner, Ken decided to take a walk. He walked by a gas station and an empty phone booth. The phone began to ring. Ken stopped and looked around, but the phone kept ringing. He thought it might be for the attendant or an emergency. Because he thought it may be an emergency, he picked up the phone. An operator on the line said it was a person to person call for him, Ken Gaub! He thought it was a joke, but continued. The operator repeated that the call was for him. Ken went ahead with the call. On the other end of the phone was a woman named Millie who had seen him on The 700 Club. She remembered his name and wrote it in the suicide note she was writing. When Ken asked her how she got the number, she said it just came to mind while she was writing her suicide note. Ken explained where he was, but then explained how God was watching over her, that her worries were temporary, and God was the only answer and she would find peace thru Jesus. After a few years, Ken met Millie face to face performing on the road. Today, Ken is still on the road.

*****

il_fullxfull.1092511228_su6kANGELS IN THE BARN by Joan Wester Anderson (She has many wonderful Angel stories that are in numerous books by her)

The after-Christmas snowstorm had blanketed a wide patch of rural eastern Pennsylvania, and Chris Clark Davidson probably should have waited until the roads were plowed before she, her mother and her two small sons attempted a drive. But Chris’ grandmother lived alone more than 100 miles away and couldn’t get out to the store to buy groceries. “We’ll be fine,” Chris assured her mother. “We’ll take that shortcut that we use all summer.”

However, Chris had forgotten how narrow the short-cut road was, especially with drifts piled high and wind blowing snow across the fields. When another vehicle roared around a curve. Chris swerved and skidded into a snow bank. The other car kept going.

The wheels spun uselessly as she tried to pull out. “Mommy, are we stuck?” toddler Philip asked from under his blanket in the back seat.

“Looks that way, honey,” Chris admitted. They had only seen that one car since they’d turned onto the shortcut. How long would it be before someone came along? How long before the freezing temperature invaded the car’s interior? And why, oh why, had she worn stylish open shoes instead of warm boots?

Chris got out, her almost-bare feet plunging into a high drift, and looked around. Lord please send us some help, she prayed. Then she saw it—a silo and barn roof about a quarter-mile away. “Mom,” Chris leaned in the car, “I’ll walk down to that barn and see if anyone’s there. Keep the kids warm.” Her mother nodded, her face worried.

The journey was incredibly cold and by the time Chris pushed open the barn door, her feet were icy. A welcome blast of heat greeted her, along with the mooing of heifers in their stalls. It was a working dairy, clean and well organized, with a shiny window fan circulating the air. Although she had passed it during previous times on the short cut, she had never really taken a good look. Now, she realized with joy, there were young male voices coming from behind a stall.

Maneuvering around the livestock, Chris followed the sound and came upon two farmhands in overalls and flannel shirts, kidding and teasing each other as they pitched hay. They stopped and smiled when they saw her, and quickly she explained the situation.

“Stay here!” one said, tramping past the cows, grabbing his jacket and going out the door. A moment later, Chris heard a horn honking in front of the barn. There he was, driving a blue pickup truck. “Get in!” he shouted.

Chris hesitated. She didn’t know these men, and her family, down the road, was vulnerable. Yet, there was something so merry about the men that she couldn’t feel afraid. She and the other farmhand scrambled into the pickup and bounced down the road. There was the car, her toddlers bundled up and Mom waving. The driver roared across the field, spun in a wide circle and screeched into position behind it. “Way to go!” his buddy yelled.

Chris gripped the seat. “Do you always drive like this?” she asked, only half-joking.

The driver shrugged. “Well, it ain’t our truck.”

Within minutes the men had freed Chris’ car, and she opened her purse to reward them. But both backed away. “It was our pleasure, Ma’am. Just drive safely.”

Not like you, Chris grinned as she pulled away. But their happiness was infectious, and they were wonderful guys.

Chris didn’t realize just how wonderful until several weeks later when she and her mother decided to make a return visit to her grandmother. Since the snow was almost gone by then, the shortcut was safer. “When we get to the barn, I’d like to stop and let the guys know we made it to Grandma’s that day,” Chris told her mother. But when they pulled up in front to where Chris had climbed into the blue truck, she could hardly believe her eyes.

The barn was vacant, shabby, with paint peeling and door hinges hanging loose. Bewildered, Chris wiped away a heavy film of dirt and cobwebs on the milk house window and peered inside. Where were the heifers, the floor littered with fresh manure? Even the fan was rusty.

“You couldn’t have seen any farmhands or cattle there,” the woman at the next house told Chris. “No one’s worked that property for years.”

Chris got in the car. “Am I crazy, Mom?” she asked, bewildered.

“No.” Her mother was firm. “This is definitely the place.”

Then how….?  Suddenly Chris understood, and like the shepherds at that first Christmas, she was filled with awe. Her angels had worn blue jeans and flannel shirts instead of white robes. But they had delivered the same timeless message to her and to anyone willing to listen. Fear not! The Savior is here! Alleluia!

See more of Joan’s stories at http://joanwanderson.com

Have a beautiful holiday season. Best wishes sent to you & your family.  -H

GREAT STORIES about finding fortunes

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616x510$4 PICTURE holds $2.4 MILLION DECLARATION

A collector who spent $4 at a Pennsylvania flea market two years ago for a dismal painting because he liked the frame now finds himself the possessor of a first printing of the Declaration of Independence.

The discovery was announced yesterday by David N. Redden, head of the book and manuscript department at Sotheby’s in Manhattan. Mr. Redden described the document, found behind the painting when the collector took the frame apart, as an “unspeakably fresh copy” of the declaration. “The fact that it has been in the backing of the frame preserved it,” he said. Of the 24 copies known to survive, only 3 are in private hands, he added.

Mr. Redden said the unidentified owner bought the painting, “a dismal dark country scene with a signature he could not make out,” for its gilded and ornately carved frame. He told Mr. Redden that he discarded the painting, which he disliked. When he realized the frame was crudely made and unsalvageable, he said he got rid of it also.

“But he kept the declaration, which he had found behind the painting,” Mr. Redden said. “It was folded up, about the size of a business envelope. He thought it might be an early 19th-century printing and worth keeping as a curiosity.”

Recently the owner showed it to a friend “who became quite enthusiastic and urged him to look into it further,” said Selby Kiffer, an Americana printing specialist at Sotheby’s “At that point he called us.”

“The discovery of any first-printing copy of the declaration, even a fragmentary one or a poor copy, would be exciting,” Mr. Kiffer said. “But on this one, the condition is beyond reproach. It was folded up when we first saw it — the way the owner said it was in the painting, less than one-tenth of an inch thick. I had to agree with him it was just as well that he kept it that way.

“There has been absolutely no restoration, no repair. It was unframed and unbacked.” Only 7 of the 24 copies are unbacked, he said, which increases their value.  -taken from nytimes, 1991 article

I just saw this story on Mysteries at the Museum & they mentioned that the print went for $2.4 Million (highest auction item ever)

 

horton1ART ANYONE?

If you’re not an art connoisseur, it looks a lot like a bunch of squiggly lines on a page. But to an expert, it’s a stunning find – an original Jackson Pollock, an American painter and an artist considered a master of abstract expressionism.

How this painting came to be on display and up for sale in a local Toronto gallery is the stuff of legend. You may remember the unbelievable story surrounding a woman named Teri Horton, a retired truck driver who loved to frequent thrift shops around North America. When she entered one of them in California in the 1990s, she spotted a picture lying unused in a corner, a piece of artwork that no one seemed to want.

She hated it but thought it was funny. And she was going to buy it for her depressed friend. And she brought it to the counter and the lady said it was $8 and Teri said she’s willing to pay $5, she doesn’t love her friend that much. They were planning on drinking some beers and throwing darts at it. But a friend of hers was dating an art teacher and he looked at it and said ‘you very well may have a Jackson Pollock on your hands.’

And she came back with the statement ‘Who the F is Jackson Pollock?’ And it all began from there. That statement became the name of a 2006 documentary featuring her story, including her struggles to prove her five buck painting was really the masterpiece many claimed it was. It was finally authenticated and now there’s no doubt about its value.The painting has since been assessed as being worth a stunning $50 million, surely the greatest flea market bargain in history.   -taken from Oddee.com

 

magnolias-on-gold-velvet-cloth-1890One day, an employee at a tool-and-die company in Indiana spent $30 for a few pieces of used furniture and an old painting of some flowers and decided to strategically hang the picture to cover up a hole in the wall that had been bugging him.

Some years later he was playing a board game called Masterpiece in which players attempt to outbid one another for artwork at an auction. Much to his surprise, one of the cards in the game featured a painting of flowers that looked a lot like the one he had on his wall. He found that his painting was similar in style to the work of Martin Johnson Heade, an American still-life artist best known for landscapes and flower arrangements.

He asked the Kennedy Galleries in Manhattan, which handles many of Heade’s works, to take a look at his painting. They verified that the piece of artwork covering the hole in his wall was a previously unknown Heade painting, since named Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth. In 1999, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston purchased the painting for $1.2 million dollars.  -taken from Oddee.com

 

MORE If you liked these stories, here is another link to many other thrift store finds that were incredible treasures. Wow!  http://boredomtherapy.com/incredible-thrift-store-finds/

GREAT STORIES to keep you going

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Sometimes I think we all have little dreams that are seeds that continually strive to grow within us, fighting for us to help them push through to the surface of our lives. We get caught in the ‘busy,’ the time stealers & forget that we have hidden dreams that want to find their wings.

Lately, I have been feeling like my  life has been lots of different directions without any true purpose, so I have been trying to tap into more creativity.  There is something about stopping and asking yourself what you want to accomplish & then seeking to find a little seed within & nurturing it to grow.

We all need that. Take a minute and ask yourself about a forgotten dream, an unrealized goal, a little part of you that tugs internally.  What is it saying? What is it desiring of you?

Here are some great stories about people who have tapped into something they desired to do & where it led them. Enjoy.

e46123b5cd2ab5774c0e9ff1d97928f1GRANDMA GATEWOOD

Even now, six decades later, Emma Gatewood’s story still resonates.

Grandma Gatewood, as she became known, was the first woman to hike the entire 2,050 miles of the Appalachian Trail by herself in 1955. She was 67 years old at the time, a mother of 11 and grandmother of 23. She’d survived more than 30 years of marriage to a brutal husband who beat her repeatedly.

Gatewood hiked the trail carrying a homemade knapsack and wearing ordinary sneakers — she wore out six pairs of them in 146 days from May to September. She  brought a blanket and a plastic shower curtain to protect her from the elements, but she didn’t bother with a sleeping bag, a tent, a compass or even a map, instead relying on the hospitality of strangers along the way and her own independent resourcefulness. She’d sleep in a front porch swing, under a picnic table or on a bed of leaves when necessary, and she ate canned Vienna sausages, raisins and peanuts plus greens she found on the trail and meals offered by strangers.

Her story, as author Ben Montgomery describes it, is one of “overcoming hardship and finding yourself and finding peace.”

Her story doesn’t stop with that first hike. Gatewood returned to thru-hike (hiking straight through in less than 12 months) again in 1957, making her the first person, male or female, to successfully tackle the Appalachian Trail twice. Gatewood said the second time was so she could enjoy it. She completed the trail again in 1964, doing it in sections, becoming the first to hike it three times.

In 1959 she headed west, walking from Independence, Mo. to Portland, Ore. as part of the Oregon Centennial celebration. She left two weeks after a wagon train, but passed it in Idaho. The trip covered nearly 2,000 miles and took 95 days.

Emma Rowena Caldwell was born in 1887 on an Ohio farm, one of 15 children, the daughter of a disabled Civil War veteran. She traded the hard life of the farm for marriage at age 19 to Percy Gatewood, but life didn’t get any easier.

For more than 30 years, “she put up with being married to a stubborn, ignorant, hard-fisted man who beat her over and over again,” Montgomery said.

Then one night he broke her teeth and cracked a rib, nearly killing her. A sheriff’s deputy arrived at the house, and arrested Emma, not Percy. She spent a night in jail until the mayor of the small West Virginia town where they lived intervened when he saw her blackened eyes and bloodied face.

She managed to get a divorce — unheard of in those days — and raised her last three children alone.

Sometime in the 1950s she saw a “National Geographic” magazine article about the Appalachian Trail. Her daughter, Lucy Gatewood Seeds, has said in interviews she believes the fact that no woman had yet hiked the trail presented a challenge to her mother. An obituary quoted daughter Rowena saying her mother stated, “If those men can do it, I can do it.”

Gatewood attempted the trail in 1954, starting in Maine, but broke her glasses and gave up, determined to try again. She did the following spring.

You can read more about this amazing woman in Ben Montgomery, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, wrote “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail.” Published in April 2014

This was taken from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2015/01/05/grandma-gatewood-survived-domestic-violence-to-walk-the-appalachian-trail-alone-at-67/?utm_term=.8d57d9a04be8

 

TAYLOR

Once Upon A Time, there was a girl named Taylor. When she sat down to eat lunch in her school cafeteria, the girls she’d once called friends stood up and moved to another table. They had cast Taylor out of their clique because instead of going to parties with them on weekends, she’d stay home and write songs on her guitar. The outsider landed a development deal with a record company and moved with her parents to Nashville. She would go on to become the first artist since the Beatles—and the only woman—to record three consecutive albums that spent six or more weeks at number one. Taylor Swift is still writing songs and once told a Nebraska audience, “What does it matter if you didn’t have any friends in high school when you’ve got 15,000 of your closest friends coming to see you in Omaha?”  -taken from Oprah, The Power of Quirk

 

Here is a video I made a couple years ago that I thought would fit perfectly into this topic. Enjoy

 

Seek something you need for your life and push through to do it!!

Enjoy your day!  -H