Emelie, your news gave me joy! How wonderful for you! It is a great reminder that sometimes we just have to "postpone" things but not give up on them.

Joyful Idea!!
 

To Brenda and All,

What a GREAT IDEA, Brenda, to share all these joyful messages together in one place. First off, I am a "cat person," too, and your cat has personality that is "overflowing" with a cool attitude.

I have two furry ones, one a long-haired shaded silver Persian and the other a short-haired gray "rescued" cat, both of whom are very different, and lovable in their own unique ways.

Yesterday, I wrote on my calendar that I was grateful (also joyful) for being able to work out at the club with a private trainer (and get through it), and then having a wonderful lunch that I'd made and appreciated and finally a walk to do errands on one street (here in So. Cal., we drive everywhere. I did drive to one location, but changed it up by actually walking to several stores and it gave me a whole new perspective!).

It's great to be alive and savor each and every day.

Enjoy your times and find joy in each moment,

Vicki Z

Attitude Adjustment
 

I have a lousy cold. It's *just* a cold, but I feel wiped out, beyond listless, unable to speak (people on the phone keep asking me if they woke me up) and unable to think. I spoke to my sweet daughter Pami. She said my body is purging itself of all that is unwanted, cleaning house so to speak. So my perspective changed. I now feel joyful! And I see my ordinary struggle to get through the day as less burdensome and more in the *necessary* column, getting all the clogged areas open. You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails...

Andi http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/smi/0201e05fca/06

My biggest joy in a long time was yesterday... I had pulled off of a main street to go around the block and bypass some traffic. I haven't been on that block in a couple of years. At the end of the block when I was turning right, in front of me I saw a sign indicating that a building there had been acquired by the local stage Theater group and was being turned into a children's stage, etc... and it was named in memory of my 5 yr old niece and 10 yr old nephew whom I lost 6 years ago in a private plane crash with my brother and sister-in-law. I was floored and so touched. I stopped, started wandering around the building. The artistic director drove up while I was looking around and upon hearing my story took me in to show me what they had planned for the space. It brought me to tears, but wonderful ones. I didn't know about it since it was envisioned by their bio-dad, (ex-husband of my sister-in-law) who is apparently involved with the theater group. I have only ever met him once, at the memorial service... but even though there had been rough feelings between all of the adults back before the crash, I must give kudos for memorializing my sweet Gracie and Andrew in such a sweet way. They were one of the biggest joys in my life. My crazy gray fur explosion (Maine Kook... ummm I mean, Coon, cat) Dasher, was Gracie's cat and the love of her life. He lives with me now and colors everyday in the most wonderful nutty goofball crazy cat ways possible... Gracie was my "apprentice cat whisperer" and my brother had a t-shirt made for her that said that. I still have that t-shirt and LOVE looking at it from time to time.

Oh, Brenda.........

My joy today was my husband and I played hooky and drove down to the shore....what a splendid day! We took tuna fish wraps and fresh sliced
tomatoes...hmmm and eat them on the beach...with the beauftiful waves
rolling in. Then a swim and long stroll on the beach...it just doesn't get any better.

Each day is gift and a joy!
Jean

Jean, you and I have made reference to "the shore" before. Was it the Jersey shore you visited? Most everyone else calls it "the beach".
Anyhow, wherever it was, I want to go!!!
I settled for a friend coming over with nice cheese and a tomato and we grilled sandwiches which is one of the few things I have a taste for. Now I am wiped out from that simple exertion! But it was a great visit..

Letting Go
 

Want to share something with all of you, something someone read to me recently that I would like to share:

If you let go a little bit, you will find a little happiness.
If you let go a lot you will find a lot more happiness.
If you let go completely, you find peace.

Maryanne

Brenda
 

Wow Brenda, that is amazing. What a beautiful thing to happen when you're trying to dodge some heavy traffic. You brought tears to my eyes.

Maryanne - Nice poem - so true!
Jean - Sounds wonderful. I love the beach and am so happy that I live in the middle of an Island. I am 5 minutes away from water to the north and 20 minutes away on the south. The south is best because of the ocean - I will be doing more lunches on the beach as the weather cools. I love fall!!! Glad you had a good time and played hookie!!!
Brenda - Your post made me cry! Sometimes, a different way is the best way! You were meant to see the building at that time. I have taken to turning down different roads lately (literally), and it has been so much fun discovering new things!
Andi - try an herbal steam. If you don't have any fresh herbs, use any herbals teas you have in the house. Just boil a pot of water, pour in sturdy bowl and place towel over head/bowl to catch the steam. Breath deep!! If you don't have teas, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, lemons and/or apples work good too (any or all). feel better...
Emelie: Good for you - have a great time!!!!
Almost forgot my joy (besides being here to even write this...) Taking my daughter to the taping of a show/interview with her favorite band on Tuesday. It airs tonight, so I will relive that joy of seeing her so happy later. Seeing a free movie (the Painted Veil) with friends yesterday. Good lab work! The weather/no humidity/opening all the windows and shutting the ac's off. Driving with the windows down, the sun roof open and the music blasting. Food. Sales. Flowers. This thread and board!!! Love to you all...
Maryann

Bonnie,
Yes, it is the Jersey shore....LBI/and/Spring Lake..those are two of the
beaches....we visit.

I live in No. West Bergen Cty...and in this area they call it the shore...what area were you from?

Hugs,
Jean

Brenda,
What an uplift ! Loved your Joy - thank you for sharing.

Hugs,
Jean

This is a wonderful thread--let's keep it going! I read it all each time I sign in and it still gives me joy to read all your posts. Joy for me is living every day with my very best friend, my wonderful husband. Often we just sit (or lie) and talk and talk---you would wonder what we have to talk about at our age, but we can never seem to get enough of sharing thoughts. We have decided that our whole concept of time has changed. We used to have a very busy psychological practice where we rushed from one hour to the next, giving all we had to people in pain, sometimes not eating dinner until 9 or 10 at night. Now we are semi-retired, and we give time and energy to each other and to our large family. At first we felt guilty, not practicing our profession full-time. But since cancer and heart surgeries we have learned to take one day at a time and relish it fully. Just going for a ride is a joy because we are together. We have moved to a smaller home in a smaller city, in a senior neighborhood. We have never had such caring neighbors, and if you think a senior neighborhood would be boring, you don't know this bunch! They have at least one party a month, usually more, and they are actively involved in so many things, and so much fun to be around! Most of them are professional people who have travelled and served all over the world---I often think what a wonderful book could be written about their lives and wisdom and good humor. We are at the age where we don't worry anymore about what we want to be when we grow up---we've grown up and now we're in our second childhood and enjoying every day we are alive. Most of you are younger but your posts say you are also realizing the joy of little things and relishing every day of life. I believe we are here in this earthlife to learn the things we are learning, by whatever experiences come to us. This earthlife is the only school where we get the tests first, and then we learn the lesssons! Thank you for all that you are and share. I truly appreciate and love you. Hugs, Tricia

You are a JOY! I just love you Tricia... thank you for sharing with us. Your posts are like mother's milk for me!

Beah walking and kittens!
 

Oops that should have been beach walking!!
I feel so much joy when I walk on the beach near my home I'm fortunate I get to do this most days. The sound of the waves lapping in with the birds flying above just gives you such a sense of beauty and joy to be alive.
My kittens playing and cuddling up to me for a pet always make me smile too, for me it really is all these little things that I appreciate so much more since diagnosis:)

My joy for today was that we finally got the check from insurance for my wrecked car. The one I had been looking at was now gone, so I took my husband's pick-up and he got a mini-van.

stuff I enjoyed today
 

Okay,

As a card-carrying iconoclast, I don't like these happy- happy- joy- joy la-la land pressures to put a smiley face on living with Stage IV bc...

But today, tho quiet, was a good day, can't deny it: after 3 doses of Macrobid antibiotic, my bladder infection is going bye-bye (I thought it was a prolapsed uterus - OY! - TMI on the web!) and I don't have to pee every 10 minutes; Bruce and I just had banana-mint chocolate mudslides & chips & dip for dinner - YUM; I booked my flight, hotel & car rental to see a close cyberfriend in Austin TX in October; things are lookin' up (need-to-pee-wise) for taking the two little boys (for whom I was Child Advocate & am now just another adult admirer) to the Fiestas Patrias in downtown San Jose tomorrow - parade & music/dance performances to mark Dia de Independencia!

All-in-all, I'll take it!

Sandy in Silicon Valley

Gotta catch up!!!
 

Today's Joy: Although hubby was tired yesterday I recieved 'THE CALL". My nurse advocate called saying that the Tykerb was in and that she would stay until 6 pm to make sure I had time to come and pick it up. That little peach was suppposed to leave at 4 pm!!!!

Then on the way home, on all the highway overpasses there were old and young people picketing the war. They all had signs that said things like "Send Our Boys Home" or "Honk If You Want To End The War". Well Ed did honk and so did 60 or 70 other people. It made me cry a bit as I felt so united with these strangers.

It surely made us feel ONE with the rest of the world. Honking will not get our boys home, but it certainly let us all know we are in this together and UNITED WE STAND!!!

Please send our boys home soon, their families need them!!

Believe51

Peace Out...
 

It is a joy to read that young and old pp were out picketing the war (in Marie's post)!
I AM HONKING MY HORN RIGHT NOW. Can you hear it??? I WANT OUR KIDS HOME! I DON'T WANT ANY MORE TO GO OVER, OR BACK!! I don't know what success looks like, but I don't want to wait for it to come (which my instincts tell me could honestly take another few millennia!). I want us out of Iraq. Afghanistan is another issue. The cost of lives is enough reason for me to feel this way. But the cost in $$$$, which we do NOT have to spend, is infuriating.

Forgive my political rant. With New Orleans still in need of so much aid, w/the medical mess of Medicare denying patients all over the place, w/so many places to put our tax $$$ HERE in the USA, I cannot condone staying in Iraq.

We are in this together, and I add my horn blast to be heard by Washington loud and clear.http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/clip_art/gs...jcts/dead-signhttp://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/clip_art/pe...ps/clip1-peacehttp://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/clip_art/pe...ips/hands-clip
Andi

AndiBB@aol.com

joy in email from Andi
 

My joy came today in the form of an email from Andi, which I promptly emailed to 15 others. The love in her email reached gently around my shoulders like a warm fluffy comforter on a dark snow-filled eve. And the sky became golden and new again. Thank you sweet sister, and I, too am on the streets against the war. If human rights were the real issue, we would be in Africa, New Orleans and anywhere the call of poverty or genocide is received.

Love and much, much peace, Vickie