ABC of life

A friend sent this to me today:

A B C
A--Accept Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
B--Break Away Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
C--Create Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
D--Decide Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
E--Explore Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.
F--Forgive Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
G--Grow Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
H--Hope Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
I--Ignore Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
J--Journey Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.
K--Know Know that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L--Love Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.
M--Manage Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.
N--Notice Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.
O--Open Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.
P--Play Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.
Q--Question Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.
R--Relax Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.
S--Share Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.
T--Try Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
U--Use Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value. Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.
V--Value Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.
W--Work Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.
X--X-Ray Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.
Y--Yield Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.
Z--Zoom Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

Feeling old!!

I know the saying 'time flies past quickly the older you get' but I'm not that old (well I don't think so) but time is just whizzzzzzzzziiiinnnnngggg past. I was reminded of this fact only this week - that to some members of society I am old.

I went on a school outing to the Victoria & Albert Toy Museum and I was responsible for five 6 year olds. As we wander around the museum to my horror I discovered many toys that I used to play with as a child - I did feel old. On pointing out a pair of roller skates to my young charges that I proudly owned as a child - they responded by collapsing on the floor in laughter.

Now own up - who remembers stickleback bricks, etch-a-stretch, punch & judy shows, fuzzy felts? well let me tell you gently that they all appear in the V & A Museum as 'toys of bygone days' - now do you feel old too?

A WOW moment

working out the codes for the url links!!! my youngest brother says I should get out more!!

www.myspace.com/judykate
www.myspace.com/barkingriverside

I should get out more - but I just love dialoging (if there's such a word) with people even if I can't see them.

Local History is not boring!!!!

I've joined the Creekmouth Preservation Society and I am proud to be member number 53! but why have I joined? because I am interested in the lives of those who have gone before me - they way they lived, worked, their social lives and customs etc.
Creekmouth, until the floods of 1953, was a small community on the Thames Estuary -The village was built, just below the riverbank, in the 1850s by Mr John Bennett Lawes, primarily for the workers of his factory, Lawes Chemical and Fertiliser Company, although many of the tenants worked on the river as lightermen and watermen.
There were 50 cottages built in two rows with a ‘backways’ between them other than 1 pub (The Crooked Billett) and school building now occupied by a company - there is no evidence that village ever existed and yet when the Princess Alice sank and over 800 people lost their lives it was the villagers of Creekmouth that rowed out and brought the dead and living back to shore but other than a plaque by Barking Barrier no-one would know that.
Everyone, however, is aware of the Thames Gateway and in a nearby location near to where Creekmouth once stood there is going to be built a new estate - Barking Riverside - consisting 10,800 dwellings over the next 20 years. History is not boring or irrelevant but allows us to be aware of how we have arrived to where we are today. SO PLEASE join up with your local history society and don't let your precedessors be forgotten - learn from them.
www.creekmouth.net

Friendship

Sharon & Ernie have just left having had a meal with us in our home. Sharon and I first met when we were 16 at Redbridge Tec then, having completed our secretarial course, we went our separate ways - only to be reunited 2 years ago after nearly 25 years. We now meet up roughly every three months for meals in each others homes and this year we are even taking our holiday in the same location. We then discovered that Ernie and Nigel (my husband) actually lived at different ends of the same road when they were young boys . Life can be so funny at times.

For Sharon and myself -it's good to have a friendship that spans time and years but is just as important to me now as it was when I was sweet 16.

Inspiration

I read this today on www.prayerfoundation.org and it inspired me - a poem attribued to Mother Teresa and believed to have been found on the wall in her home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.