May I Help YOU?

Gommy had the opportunity to speak with someone this week who was going through a 'bad patch' in his life. He is an AA member and had been doing very well for the past ten or so months. He had worked his way though a program and was almost finished and he had also worked his way up to managing a department where he worked. He was 'intent' on doing well and staying sober............then in just one unfortunate momemt...........poof.......it was all gone.....Back to 'Square One'. That got Gommy to wondering why some of us 'shoot ourselves in the foot', when it would appear that what we really want is to be happy. When Goms started really thinking about it further.........it became clear that he had been darker and quieter than usual the last few times Goms saw and spoke with him. There were 'red flags' that Goms should have noticed but in my 'Bob and Weave' mentality of not getting anything on me....I mistakenly overlooked the signs that may have helped him 'run off the road' (of life that is).

We all have times that we feel sorry for ourselves...'self-pity' is just the ego getting in our way. The ego is a cover-up for self-pity. The more egotistical and puffed-up you are, the more you are feeling sorry for yourself that things aren't the way you wish they were and you make yourself more important than you are (in your own mind anyway). There is a saying by the Native American Indians Ojibwe that goes, "Now and then I go about pitying myself and all the while my soul is being blown by great winds across the sky."


This ties in to feeling so sorry for ourselves that we cause ourselves actual pain. I told my friend that he would have to go back to a time in his life that someone made him feel he was worthless.....or made him feel very insecure about himself. Then he would have to retrain himself to stop the 'monkey-talk' he tells himself all the time to change his perspective of himself. What you have to do to retrain yourself is when the 'self-hate talk' starts in your head is to step outside of yourself and observe "IT" and say to "IT" ...."There goes my brain....misfiring again....SHUT-UP!" Then, switch that emotion immediately and think of something very pleasant that made you feel happy or fulfilling like your childs' sweet face, a time you fell in love and what that feeling felt like, or an accomplishment that made you feel very fulfilled....That is how you break the egos' ability to make you do something foolish that will bring you back to being unhappy and doing something that makes you 'shoot yourself in the foot'.


You must have a respectful awareness of your actions and responses to adverse situations. Don't let your ego distract you from doing what makes you feel good. Be respectful to yourself! You deserve to be happy. Disconnect from your 'monkey-talk' the moment it starts. If we were all as respectful to ourselves and our spouses or significant others as we were to strangers....WOW....wouldn't that be nice????? We can do it. Just think before you respond to a negative event or argument. Let your spouse or S.O. let off steam when they are tired or upset about something. Remember that you are just a sounding board to their aggravation and if you just listen and do not respond.....they will usually just fizzle out and realize they are treating you unjustly and will feel sorry for it and apologize....maybe not right that minute, but later on if they are at all aware of their surroundings. If you are with a jerk............never mind.....((*o*)).....But like another Native American saying goes, "No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves." Meaning, it is fruitless to fight when we are supposed to be 'one'....right?


So, if anyone out there in blogland is going through a rough patch.......Goms hopes this may have helped you in some way. Have a great day guys....Goms is going for a walk on the beach and have some more aha moments for myself to enjoy!!!! Hugs and Mush.....

Happy Birthday Mother

Yesterday was my husbands' (Grandpa Mike) mother's 85th birthday and we were fortunate enough to get to visit with her in Cocoa Beach with Grandpa Mikes' sister Cathy and her husband Rick. Mary Anne (Grandpas' Mom who the family calls 'Nana') has been feeling poorly lately and it was so good to be able to visit with her and Susan (Grandpa's sister who lives with Nana). We are finally all in the same state and even though we live a distance from each other, it's easier to visit more often now that Grandpa and Gommy have moved back 'home'.

Nana wasn't feeling much like doing or going anywhere for her birthday but we talked her into trying to spend the night in the motel-resort right across the street from where they live. It was a suite of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room and living room. This made it easier for all of us to be in the same building so we could eat a birthday dinner with Nana and have birthday dessert together. We explained that if Nana didn't feel up to it, we would bring her right back to her home after we ate dinner and celebrated with cheesecake (Nanas' favorite dessert) and coconut cake (Cathys' favorite dessert) instead of birthday cake.

The resort was right on the beach and we sat on the balcony and talked about old times and different memories each of the siblings remembered and just enjoyed the 'full moon', the sounds of the ocean, the sweet salty smell of the wind and watching the resort cats scurry below looking for something to eat...... and just plain enjoying each others company. It seems that most people don't do that anymore. If there isn't a TV on, they don't know how to interact with each other. We talked of Grandaddy Billy and how we missed him since he died. And we swore we could all see his face in the big full moon and felt he was with us, celebrating Nanas' day.

I told Nana that I had been thinking, while we were driving up to see her earlier in the day, that I am now just about the age she was when I first met her. Boy....where does the time go? It makes you appreciate your agility, good health and all around quality of life when you realize how quickly we do age.

We have so many good memories of times spent together for special occasions like birthdays and holidays. But it is never quite the same when your parents are no longer around to celebrate those times with you. They are the glue that holds families together and when they are gone.........the siblings and extended family just seem to drift apart like a boat that has become un-moored from a dock.

Gommy would like to thank Nana and Grandaddy for the many happy memories over the past twenty-five years. We had some really good times and those memories are a treasure. They never missed a birthday, graduation, christening, holiday or any other special occasion, even if their child lived in another state. They made the trek and their being there added to the specialness of the day.

So, here's to Nana (and Grandaddy, wherever you are)......you are loved very much and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us and all that you are.

Gommy would also like to thank Susan (Grandpa Mikes' sister) for being such a wonderful daughter to Nana and Grandaddy all these years. Susan has always lived with Nana and Grandaddy and she is a remarkable woman. We love you too Susan.....thank you.

Everyone who still has their parents for this upcoming holiday season should say a special thank you that they are blessed with the opportunity to still have their parents with them. May you enjoy your upcoming holidays and recall all the holidays gone by and tell your Mom or Dad how much you appreciate all they did for you. Now that you have a family yourself, you can see what it entails to make everything 'seem' to go seamlessly......Not so easy is it? When we were children and young adults, we took everything our parents did for us for granted and didn't even think of the sacrifices they made for us so that we could have a nice childhood. As we have families and children of our own, we become very aware just how hard it can be to raise a family and we find that we are now the ones doing the sacrificing......So take a minute to think about all you have to be grateful to your parents for and give them a little 'thank-you' some time......They will appreciate it. Gommy loves how my Tracey tells me how much she appreciates me. That is really all we as parents really live for now anyway, isn't it?

Toodle-oooo boys and girls in blogland. See you next time- Hugs, Gommy

Ode to Terry and Tiffany

Today is seventeen years since my beautiful Terry Alan Pribisco and Tiffany Ann Pribisco were taken from us in a car accident. The loss is too profound to try to explain in words, so as their mother, if you will allow me, I will merely share some wonderful memories I have of them and of our brief, but awesome time together.

Terry was my first-born and a very social and busy boy. He even started walking early (around ten-months old) and he never slowed down after that. Gommy was a young mom in today's estimation (22). There are pros and cons to having your children while you are still relatively young, but Goms is happy she did have her children so young so I am now able to enjoy and still have a viable relationship with my grandchildren, i.e. having the stamina to chase after them and even the ability to pick them up. And now Terry's children are 18 & 17 and Goms can still relate to them (well, sort of) in their teen and young adult years.

Terry was a beautiful child and he grew up to be a very handsome hunk of a man....I know I am prejudiced, but several people over the years have told me the same thing so it can't be all bias. Terry had an incredible sense of humor and I miss sharing so many belly laughs with him on so many levels. Terry was a hunter when he was a young boy, just as his father was. His father Terry, taught hm how to use a shot-gun (for hunting purposes) at the early age of eight and when he turned ten, big Terry (that's how we differentiated between them) bought him his first 410-gauge shotgun. We lived in a small rural town in southwest Florida and it allowed Little Terry (L.T.) to hunt at his leisure....He would bring home quail, dove, squirrel and other critters he had killed and ask me to cook them for him. Of course I did, because I didn't want to encourage him to kill just for the sake of killing. Goms never ate any of the game he shot because I didn't grow up in a hunting family and never acquired the taste for it. Everyone used to tell me that the game they killed tasted just like chicken and Goms always answered, "I'll just have the chicken then!" Terry had quite an arsenal of guns in his lifetime. My mother (Grandma Katie) even bought him two Civil War Calvary guns for his collection. Big Terry was quite a hunter himself and all of his guns went to L.T. when he died in a car accident nines years before Terry and Tiff died. Terry was only 12 years old at the time, Tracey was 11 and Tiffany was 8.

Terry had a kind heart and was very protective of me as his Mom. While growing up, Terry was the kind of child that never talked back to me. He did, however, still do what he intended to do if it mattered enough to him....What is that called in psychological terms? Passive-aggressive. Whatever it was, it sure made it easier to be his parent because we didn't have any screaming meemie fights. Just the repercussions of what he decided to end up doing. Mostly, the things he did were just tolerable things that teens do that their parent would rather they didn't. All in all, Terry really was a good kid.

When Terry graduated from high-school, he decided on his own, to go into the Army. As his mother, I worried that he was going to have to endure quite a bit of verbal abuse from his Sgts. Goms worried for nothing because Terry excelled beyond any wildest imaginations. He not only became a memer of the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army, as an ace paratrooper, he later went on to become a decorated member of the esteemed Airborne Ranger division of the Army. Little Terry's gun expertise was rather impressive and by the time he did make it to Army Airborne Ranger, he had earned several certificates as a 'sharpshooter'. I guess that 410 shotgun his Dad gave him as a kid was just the beginning. And by the way, Little Terry turned to be a gorgeous 6ft. 2in specimen of a man. His nickname in the Army was "Biscuit". You always get a nickname in the Army and because his last name was Pribisco.....you get it?.....Nabisco? "Biscuit" is what his buddies called him and that is what he called his son when he was born.

Terry was not afraid of anything. He even raced motorcycles in his leathers (pink ones at that) at break-neck speeds around a track. I saw him once doing a wheelie on University Drive ( a very busy street in South Florida) and I almost had a heart attack. But, that was my boy! Fearless was his middle name. The wheelie incident would be a good example of him doing something a parent would rather he didn't.

When Terry became a father himself, you would have thought he invented 'fatherhood'. He carried his son, Terry III, around as if he were the 'Hope Diamond'. You could actually see the love oozing out of his every pore for his son. He was soooo very proud of his little boy. Sadly, Terry never got to see his amazing and beautiful daughter Megan. She was born three days before he died. He and Tiffany were actually on the way over to see her when the crash happened. The officer told me that there were several baby gifts and a stroller strewn all over the accident site. I know Terry would have oozed that same love for his baby girl as well, if he had ever been given the opportunity to see her.

Terry was very accomplished for his young years. By the time he died at twenty-two, he had become a paratrooper in the Army, had dropped down over Saudi Arabia and other Middle East targets and he was chosen (because of his elite training) to be a guard at the DMZ in Korea. When he eventually became an Airborne Ranger, (one of the most elite branches of the Army in training and endurance) he wore the beret, wings and tattoos with the pride they demanded. As I went through his belongings, I found several honors and letters of mention of his bravery and accomplishments. He had never mentioned any of this to me (or his sisters as far as I know). Terry just wasn't a braggart. I have since been contacted by some of his Army buds who have espoused Terrys' great character to me. They have told me that Terry was a friend and a man of honor and they felt their lives were made all the better for knowing him. There can be no higher accolade in the world for a mother to hear about her child. I love you Terry and always will....you are missed every day of my life, more than any words could ever say and you will always have a special place in my heart.

Now for my sweet, wonderful, amazing Tiffany. Tiffany was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside... and she was a very beautiful girl. Tiffany was only 17 when she died but she was an 'old soul'. I always said she was old beyond her years. It was almost as if she had been here several times in many other lifetimes and had just gotten better each time. I take comfort in thinking that she was just 'finished' here on earth and it was her time to go. She couldn't improve any more than she had....so why stick around?

Just as an example of how special Tiff was.....I still get cards and gifts on Tiff's birthday and on the anniversary of her death. Her high-school art teacher, Ms. Carla Stiles, has never forgotten one year since Tiff died, to send me a card and a little something to let me know she misses and still loves Tiff to this day.

Tiff was the kind of person who lit up a room. She had a smile that was infectious. She taught me to never keep a compliment to myself....meaning that if someone looks especially nice, or is wearing something flattering, or their hair looks pretty....tell them. She always did that herself and it made me realize how one little compliment may just 'make the day' for the person you are saying something nice to. We can learn from our children as well they learn from us.

Tiffany was very vocal and animated (her Dad fondly called her "Jabber-Jaw' when she was little). Tiff had her own distinct style about her at a very young age and she was always 'put together' very well. Tiff loved clothes and shoes, as do many teens, but Tiff just seemed to know how to put it all together just right. She could do things with her hair that even I couldn't do....and I am a licensed hair dresser! While she was still in high-school, Tiff decided to go to nail tech school. That wasn't her chosen profession, she just wanted to make some good money while she was still in school. So, on her own, she did indeed go to nail school, got her license and went to work in a salon. With her artistic talents, she could paint the most beautiful and smallest artwork on the nail bed of patrons that you could ever imagine. With her personality, she had many clients who requested just her and they all loved her. One Christmas, she painted Christmas lights on each of my ten nails and they looked as if they were connected by little electric wires from one nail to the next. Another time, she painted Minnie Mouse on one of my nails and the likeness was amazing. She even painted on the little polka dots on Minnie's dress! She made much more money at her job than she would have slinging burgers somewhere. Tiff would have been graduating with honors from South Broward High School in just a few months when the accident happened. The school even gave me her diploma, posthumously, at a special awards ceremony and there as a whole section dedicated to Tiffany in the school yearbook.

Even after 17 years, people still share wonderful stories with me about Tiffany. People have reached out to me that I don't even know that knew Tiff. They relate wonderful times they had with Tiff. As her Mom, I already know how great she was, but it is always special to hear. One friend told me she still keeps a picture of Tiffany in her house and has told her own daughter how special Tiffany was. It can be very frustrating to speak with someone who didn't know Terry or Tiff because words can't describe what awesome people they were.

When Tiff was only about 4 years old...the song "You Light Up My Life", by Debbie Boone was popular and Tiff would put on her pink chiffon nighty and pretend it was a ball-gown and use her "Mr. Microphone" and belt out the song....and she was pretty darn good too. I heard that song not too long ago come on the radio while I was driving and I had to pull over to the side of the road because it made me so emotional and it brought me right back to that sweet little voice singing to her Mommy and anyone else in the 'playroom' who would listen. You could very well say that Tiff surely did 'Light Up My Life'. I love you 'Spiffy Tiffy'. Always have.....always will!

So, one might ask...why would two such awesome people have been taken from us? I have asked myself that so many times over this 17 years that I can't even count the times. Losing them has made me search in ways I never would have searched for answers before. By search I mean for more meaning in my life and meaning in life in general. I have wondered over the years how a beautiful soul such as Terry could have done all the daring and dangerous things he did in his 22 years, just to die in a Honda Prelude. And I have asked the same question about sweet Tiff....why a kind, sweet, smart and generous girl could be snatched from us before she had a chance to do all the wonderful things I know she would have done in her life. But, like I have said before....they must have just been finished here. There wasn't much more they could have improved on. But as I have also said so many times before.....I am grateful and feel honored to have had the privilege of being their mother. But I have to admit that I do feel their loss is like the 'phantom limb sensation', where when a limb has been amputated from you, but you still feel it is a part of you. Terry and Tiff many have been 'amputated' from my life.....but they will always be a part of me. And if anyone wonders if I would give up having Terry and Tiffany in my life so I didn't have to go through the hurt of losing them.....the answer is a resounding ..NO WAY! You see, I remember every wonderful moment I ever spent with them and I cherish those memories and I will for as long as I live.

So, thank you to all my readers out there in blogland for allowing a mother to sing the praises of two very wonderful children. It has been too long since I have enjoyed this sort of bragging about my sweet Terry and Tiffany...And this would be a very good time to remind you all to kiss your own babies and hold them tight. We only have them for a very short time as it is....and when they are taken from us too soon, it leaves an empty place in your heart forever. So, make sure you savor every second you get with your own children because we only get a precious but slender sliver of time with them and remember this wise and heartfelt advice from Gommy....

DON'T BLINK!!! Bless you all and your families as well....Hugs & Mush, Gommy

REPUTATON OR CHARACTER???

Happy Sunday boys and girls.....Today, Goms wants to speak about a persons' reputation and/or character. Gommy recently received one of those email blasts that tell you a joke of the day or a quote or some advertisement.....and the one blast that struck Gommy this morning was one that Goms hadn't thought much about before. Both words were kind of interchangeable to Goms previously, but after thinking on it a bit more, it became evident that they can be totally opposite of each other in meaning. The two terms were; reputation and character. Reputation is what other people think of you ( and it can be good or bad) and character is what you think about yourself and how you conduct your life. Gommy thinks character is much more important than reputation. Like Goms has said before; 'what other people think of you is none of your business'.

Our reputation usually precedes us by what we have accomplished or sometimes, what we have done that isn't always something we can be proud of. Most of us do strive for a good reputation. But you can also acquire a 'bad' reputation by doing things that you or your family wish you hadn't. It is hard to live down a bad reputation. Goms thinks this may be that sadly, people sometimes prefer to believe the bad about us rather than the good for some stinky reason.

A persons' good character, on the other hand, cannot be bought or made up by lying about our good intentions or deeds.....it can only be earned by the way we conduct ourselves. Having a good character requires that we look into our 'proverbial' mirror and be pain-stakingly honest with ourselves about how we roll....(how's that for some up-to-date lingo for Goms? LOL) Character is partly taught to us by our parents and partly developed as we learn how things, circumstances and people should be treated. A person of good character would not take advantage of anyone, would not lie, would not cheat, would not....you get the picture....But a person of good character would.......be considerate of others, be honest with your spouse, friends, co-workers and bosses, show gratitude for a favor done and for all the blessings we have. A person with 'good character' actually cares about their 'reputation' and would not purposely tarnish it by doing anything that would reflect on their character in a harmful way. My mom had a way of saying things that could be harsh, but she was always honest to a fault.....she used to say about someone that wasn't of very good character....."They aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell!" Now, that may be pretty brutal but that is how mom expressed herself....

Sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. People have a tendency to lie to themselves and others when it comes to giving themselves a break or a free pass.....(meaning, it is easier to lie than to admit to wrong doing). It is much harder to do the right thing at times and that is what good character is all about. You can always tell the mettle of a person by how they handle adversity. It is easy to be 'all that and a bag of chips' when things are going rosey...but if you can handle yourself and others with respect when things are 'circling the drain'......that is the mettle (in the position of being incited to do one's best) of 'good character'. Many people are of the mindset that if they are going down, they are bringing everyone with them.....how sad. Just admit when you do wrong and man-up or woman-up to the wrong doing and Goms guarantees you will feel much better about yourself the next time you have to look in that mirror...


Gommy had the honor of helping Grandpa Mike and NFL great Jim Kiick at a charity golf benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital yesterday. Grandpa and Jim Kiick are two people with great reputations but more importantly, great character. They both give tirelessly of themselves to help people and in this case, sick children. Jim Kiick gave a speech yesterday that demonstrated his 'good character'. He said that just as in the game of football, life is a team effort. He said that all the accolades he receives are wonderful but he could not have accomplished all he did in his football career without the rest of the team. (sic) And aren't we are all on the 'team of life' and shouldn't we all be pulling for each other instead at each other?

So, here's to everyones' good reputations and good characters......We are all a work in progress and if we continue to strive to take the high road....we'll get a lot less dirt on us and our reputations in the process...Good luck boys and girls everywhere and just continue to try to do the RIGHT thing.....Hugs and Mush, Gommy

"Heal Thyself"

Hello boys and girls. Goms was thinking how many times we hear something but it doesn't click in our minds until we have an 'aha' moment of our own that puts it in perspective. Funny how nothing is too important until it falls on our own doorstep, isn't it?

There are two very special people in Gommy and Grandpa Mikes' life that are seriously ill right now and we don't like it one little bit. It is never pleasant to face the reality that we are all going to leave or be left by people who mean so much to us. But what it does do is make us realize how important the people in our lives are and how every day that we are given is so important and how we shouldn't squander any of our days here on the planet or with the people who we will miss when they are gone.

Then Goms got to thinking about the Proverb in Luke 4:23, that says "Heal Thyself". But how do we heal ourselves? Well, the moral of that particular proverb is to attend to ones' own defects, rather than criticize defects in others. We can start with finding the 'spirit' within ourselves. To know if you are in touch with the spirit within, you will get the 'feeling' of your spirit when you are loving, or you are being creative and when you are happy.

The happy part is a process. There are actually 'happy hormones' that your body secretes when you ARE feeling happy. They are serotonin and dopamine. Those hormones are given to people with depression because they are re-uptake inhibitors to make them feel less depressed. Seretonin is even associated with self-esteem. Then the opiates your body secretes when you are in touch with your 'inner spirit' are the ones that make you feel high, like when you are running or exercising or having a sexual experience. And finally, the oxytocin is the hormone that makes milk come into a mothers' breast for feeding her baby..... but now they have found it is also produced during a sexual orgasm. And an added bonus......while all this is happening, you are actually regulating your immune system. So, if you internally induce a feeling of euphoria, you are healing yourself.....hence, the proverb 'Heal Thyself' is being honored. WOW...that is quite a lot going on just by getting in touch with your spirit. So don't think it is a bunch of hocus-pocus to get in touch with your spirit. We all have a spirit....we just have to get in touch with it more often.

One way to get in touch with our own spirituality is through our relationships. There is a theory that people we love and people we hate are all a mirror of ourselves. That is the paradox. We were attracted to people we are in a relationship with by the traits that we have of our own but we wish we had more of and likewise, people with traits that we dislike and have negative connotations are also traits we have ourselves and are a mirror to our inner 'us' as well. If you put all the traits you like and dislike in a circle.....you will find yourself right smack in the middle of the circle. You don't have to take Gommys' word for it....it just is. If we can just admit this fact...we can learn from it and be all the better for the learning.

So, as a fun and enlightening experiment, write down the traits you like and dislike in a person and you will find (if you are honest) that we all own both sets of traits. We can improve ourselves by working on the traits that are unpleasant.....Good luck....Have to go now..... UMMMMMMMMM, Gommy has some work to do!!!.....Hugs & Mush.....Goms

Here's to a Happier YOU!

It's Sunday again.....thank you God....and this is the first day that it really feels like Fall.....at least in South Florida! Fall is the beginning of the lead-up to the Holidays and it is so exciting to know that most people are going to be nicer to each other pretty soon......too bad we can't have that holiday feeling all year. That would certainly be nice, now wouldn't it?

Gommy thinks that the real reason everyone (well most everyone) is nicer around this time of year is that most people are finally on the same page. There is actually a feeling of happy anticipation in the air....a feeling of great expectations.....a feeling that friends and family are really going to get along this year and have a wonderful time together. It reminds Goms about the saying, "Lessons come from our journey, not our destination." (sic) We seem to be in this self-imposed and/or handed down anticipation of 'visions of sugarplums'..... and that really is what we all do want....but somehow it gets all murky when we get to the 'destination'.

Maybe this year we can try to remember that a 'happier you' actually starts and depends on YOU. Maybe you have to come to the 'party' with a different perspective this year if you truly want a happy, merry time. Remember that it is easier to change yourself than to change others. Now, Goms doesn't mean you have to change the core of you....just try to change the way you respond to the situations and celebrations and all the people involved. If you go thinking you are going to have a terrible time because sister Sue is going to be there and she always hogs the show.... or your mom or your mother-in-law is going to show disapproval about how you discipline your kids, or grandma is going to give you some 'old-fashioned' gift that you hate..... you will probably be right....But you can adjust your attitude before you get there and make yourself 'transparent', so it allows any of the unpleasant feelings or unwarranted advice that you usually grab and take 'inside' you ... pass right through you... and voila'....you won't be affected at all. It is a choice. That reminds Goms of a joke about gifts....someone said, "Remember, it's not the gift that counts....it's the receipt." Funny, huh?

Sometimes expecting everything to be perfect is the reason for the letdown after the holidays. Nothing and no one is perfect....remember; 'Perfect' is the enemy of 'Good Enough' and good enough should be GOOD ENOUGH! We are Blessed in so many ways in our life that to be disappointed by an occasion or a gift is really just being a spoiled brat.....sorry, but that is the truth...

So......boys and girls, how about trying to look forward to this holiday season and realize everything won't be 'perfect'....but it can be pretty darn 'good enough'......Start working and practicing on being a 'happier you' right now and you might actually have a nicer holiday this year.....

Hugs & Mush- Goms

Growing Older Isn't ALL Bad

Gommy wants to share something a 90 year old woman from Cleveland, Ohio wrote in a local paper and it says volumes about getting older and all the good things and wisdom that we learn as we age.....Goms has tweaked some to her liking:

1. Life isn't always fair...but it is always good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. The family and friends that you have
taken time with will.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree on some things.
7. Cry with someone. It is more healing than crying alone.
8. It's O.K. to get angry with God.....he can take it.
9. Start saving for retirement...... with your first paycheck.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up your future.
11. It's O.K. to let your children see you cry.
12. Don't compare your life with others....you have no idea what their journey is about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret.....you shouldn't be in it.
14. Things can change in a blink of an eye....but don't worry....God never blinks.
15. Take a deep breath...it calms the mind.
16. Get rid of anything in your life that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
17.Whatever doesn't kill you....really does make you stronger.
18. It's never too late to have a happy childhood...but the second one is up to you.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy nightgown.....don't save it for a
special occasion......today IS special.
20. Prepare...........then go with the flow.
21. Don't wait....be eccentric now.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
24. Frame every potential 'disaster' with, "In five years will this matter?"
25. Forgive everyone - everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals most everything.....give time TIME.
28. However good or bad a situation is...........it will change.
29. Don't take yourself so seriously...........no one else does.
30. Believe in miracles.
31. God loves you because of who God is....not because of anything you did.
32. Growing old beats the alternative.
33. Your children only have one childhood.
34. Stay on the right side of the sod....
35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
36. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
37. No matter how you feel..... get up, get dressed and get out.....
38. Yield.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile, and got to see everyone elses'....we'd pick ours.
AND MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL!!!!
40. Life may not always be tied in a pretty bow....but it is still a gift.

Hope you got something out of some or all of these gems...Have a great day boys and girl. Hugs & Mush, Gommy