Smile

All Because

Motherhood

Don't We Just Love Our Husbands?

Look For Moments

Love

Life is Like an Old Time Rail

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.

Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Laugh

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” ― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

 

Our Sixth Sense: Humor

An article I found by Chuck Gallozzi says:

"Our five senses are not enough for ideal living. We need to use our sixth sense: our sense of humor. 

Humor isn't about merely telling jokes; it's the way we view the world. We can be sincere about life without taking it so seriously. We can laugh about our mistakes and pain. 

Louis Kronenberger explains: "Humor simultaneously wounds and heals, indicts and pardons, diminishes and enlarges; it constitutes inner growth at the expense of outer gain, and those who posses and honestly practice it make themselves more through a willingness to make themselves less."

Child Like

We are told in the scriptures to be more "child like."  What is one thing children do a LOT (at least mine do)?  Laugh. When is the last time you had a good hard belly laugh?

The many benefits of laughter

Laughing is good for your body, mind and soul. I don't remember where I found the following benefits of laughing but I had to share them.

1. When you make fun of yourself, you dis-empower those who would make fun of you and disarm possible confrontations.

2. Laughter dissolves tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief, and depression. Like crying, laughter lowers inhibitions, allowing the release of pent-up emotions. After a hearty bout of laughter, you will experience a sense of well-being. Simply put, he who laughs, lasts. After all, if you can laugh at it, you can live with it. Remember, a person without a sense of humor is like a car without shock absorbers.

3. Medical researches have found that laughter boosts the immune system. The study of how behavior and the brain affect the immune system is called psychoneuroimmunology. Though still in its infancy, this science is rapidly gaining much attention as mankind strives to understand the mind-body relationship.

4. Laughter reduces pain by releasing endorphins that are more potent than equivalent amounts of morphine.

5. Humor helps integrate both hemispheres of our brain, for the left hemisphere is used to decipher the verbal content of a joke while the right hemisphere interprets whether it is funny or not.

6. Laughter adds spice to life; it is to life what salt is to a hard-boiled egg.

7. Develop your sense of humor and you will find you are more productive, a better communicator, and a superior team player.

8. Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you share your sense of humor, the more friends you will have.

9. Humor brings the balance we need to get through the turbulence of life comfortably.

10. Laughter is even equivalent to a small amount of exercise. It massages all the organs of the body, according to Dr. James Walsh.

11. A sense of humor can help you accept the inevitable, rise to any challenge, handle the unexpected with ease, and come out of any difficulty smiling."

More Quotes

A Laugh is a Smile that Bursts ~Unknown

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~E.E. Cummings 

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. ~Author Unknown

Let's all learn from the example of little children and remember to laugh every day and not take life too seriously. Laughter IS the best medicine.

You Are Not Forgotten

"As a child, when I would look at the little forget-me-nots, I sometimes felt a little like that flower—small and very insignificant. I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father.

Years later, I can look back on that young boy with tenderness and compassion. And I do know now I was never forgotten.

And I know something else. As an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim with all the certainty and conviction of my heart and soul—neither are you!

You are not forgotten.

Sisters, wherever you are, whatever the circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love."

—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf


Note: Photo came from http://sxc.hu/.

Forget Not the Happiness That Surrounds You

Yesterday President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint, spoke to women all over the world.  I felt that a lot of what he said went perfectly with the theme of this new blog, "See the Good." You can watch the entire talk here: http://lds.org/general-conference/watch/2011/10?lang=eng&vid=1180453706001&cid=7


President Uchtodorf used the forget-me-not flower as a metaphor for his talk. He said that although the flower is small in size, and easily unnoticed among larger flowers, it is still beautiful and vibrant.  He used the five petals of the forget-me-not flower to represent five things we should never forget. The one that I'd like to talk about in this post is, "forget not the happiness that surrounds you."

Forget not the happiness that surrounds you:

Using an example from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, President Uchtdorf described how one of the characters, Willy Wonka, hid golden tickets within chocolate bars, promising to reveal wonders to five people who discovered the tickets.

President Uchtdorf said, “In their anxiousness, people began to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket.”

"So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket — the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about."

Whatever a “golden ticket” may represent to each person, President Uchtdorf warned to not put your happiness on hold as you wait for a future event, or golden ticket, to appear.

“The lesson here,” he said,” is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us.”

I love the quote on my kitchen wall.  "Happiness is a journey, not a destination."  And another in my living room, "Enjoy the journey."

Toward the end of his talk President Uchtdorf stated, “You may at times feel a little like the forget-me-not—insignificant, small, or tiny in comparison with others.”

He continued, “I hope (the forget-me-not) will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet.”

May we remember to see the good in the little things, for they have a beauty and a joy of their own.


Note: These photos come from http://sxc.hu/.