The rainbow rule

The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.

~ Pat Clifford

If you have a child(ren) in your life, then be sensitive to the fact that time won’t wait for you to find time to spend with them. Make a daily effort to spend time with your offspring so they can grow up in a way that you want them to grow up. Children are directly effected by how much effort we put into their lives. This effort comes from your commitment to make the time to help them become people you will be proud of and who will be proud of you for all the time you give to them. The best use of your time is the time you give to others; so make sure you give more time to the ones you bring into this world than those who don’t matter as much to you in the end. Put children before your work so they can enjoy the many colors of the rainbow and more importantly, your colors.

What it means to be “A Man”

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master,
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Happiness comes from you

“Happiness is mostly a by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.”

~ Dr. Benjamin Spock

“Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.”

~ William H. Sheldon

Happiness is wonderful to attain and obtain in life which is why Thomas Jefferson declared the pursuit of happiness a “certain unalienable right” in the Declaration of Independence. But it seems that many people today think that happiness is something that we get from others by how they perceive us. Or, they base their happiness by what they see in the media, movies and lifestyle trends.  No matter how the world defines happiness, the only thing that should matter to you is what makes you happy. Spending time with your family and friends doing simple things together, gardening, reading in the park, enjoying a trip to a far away place, writing a book, helping others, treating yourself to something nice, or daydreaming are just a few ways that you can find happiness in your daily life. So, stop listening to what everyone else tells you what happiness is and just try to enjoy all the things you do in your life. Then, you will know what true happiness is and gain lasting fulfillment in your life. Smile and define your own happiness!

Teach your children well

“There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.”

~ James Truslow Adams

Learning is a daily, lifelong task. What we must learn to survive and succeed is essential for a fruitful life. How to live is what we get from our nature and nurture environments. How to earn enough money to survive in this incredibly competitive and expensive world comes from parental nurturing, friends, public educational system, and the “school of hard knocks.” Make sure to teach your children well by educating them in how to live and how to make a living, so they are fully prepared for a chance at a successful life.

Mommy dearest

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while,
but their hearts forever.”

~ Unknown

Mother's Day flower

Today is the day that mothers from all over the world are recognized for their unending love and care for us all. Make sure and tell your mother or guardian that you appreciate all they have done for you. It’s the least we can do to those who brought us into the world and raised us so that we can enjoy this thing called life.  Happy Mother’s Day Mom. I love you!