ATTITUDE

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and
> >makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a
> >nursing home today.
> >Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
> >After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
> >she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
> >As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator,
> >I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet
> >sheets that had been hung on her window.
> >"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
> >just been presented with a new puppy.
> >"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."
> >"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.
> >"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
> >room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...
> >it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ... "It's a
> >decision I make every morning when I wake up.
> >I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed
> >recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer
> >work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
> >Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day
> >and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my
> >life.
> >Old age is like a bank account ...
> >you withdraw from what you've put in ..
> >So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
> >account of memories
> >Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.
> >
> >Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
> >
> >1. Free your heart from hatred.
> >2. Free your mind from worries.
> >3. Live simply.
> >4. Give more.
> >5. Expect less.
> >
> >FAMILY
> >
> >Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the
> >company that we are working for could easily
> >replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel
> >the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour
> >ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise
> >investment indeed, don't you think?
> >
> >So what is behind the story?
> >
> >Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
> >FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
> >

Desiderata

(Author: Max Ehrmann, Copyright 1952)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.