Brainstorming and Problem-Solving

Hello again!

This next video is about brainstorming and problem solving using the scenario of setting up for Zoom calls and video production.






I mentioned the UBeesize  Phone Tripod. It cost me $21.99 on Amazon and can also be used for cameras. This is not an affiliate link, just a courtesy to y'all if you are interested!

After I made the video, I realized I could not only trim the length of the video, but I could also resize it right on my phone! I hadn't known that before. I had shot the video in horizontal mode, but made it more narrow before uploading it to YouTube. When I embedded it here on the blog, I also changed the width in the HTML code.

While the video covered how I worked through the aggravations of setting up my physical space and phone for Zoom calls and making videos, the general concept is brainstorming and problem solving. I didn't go into too many details on this process, but the main gist is to:

• stop and think of what is bothering you (what problem you need to solve)
• brainstorm for possible solutions (even if they seem silly)
• consult with others (those who know you and/or those who know the topic)
• check websites or other sources for information
• assess the alternatives and choose the option or combination of options which looks best
• try it, reassess, and shift to something else if that doesn't work

You might also find these links helpful.

• The Goals Gatherings (more extensive section on Brainstorming near the bottom)
• Pull It Together and Push It Through: How to Get It Done When You Think You Can’t

• How Do I Juggle It All?

These are the two most recent videos in my practical encouragement series.

• Time--and Time Again! (a look at chronos and kairos time)
• Talking About Time! (a simple framework for time management)

Lessons for Me at 56

Lessons for Me at 56

I turned 56 last weekend! My birthday wasn’t much hoopla coming the day after my daughter’s wedding and a few days after a near miss with Hurricane Dorian. I enjoyed going out to lunch with four of my kids, and tomorrow night I’ll have a belated birthday dinner with another daughter’s family. Besides that, I think what I really enjoyed was all of the Facebook greetings from friends and family near and far. I also loved editing and uploading wedding photos. I'll do a blog post with those later, when the professional ones are officially in. The picture at the top of this post was at my friend Sunny's house after she did my hair and makeup for the wedding. Love it!

I’m learning so much at 56. I always do, at any age. I don’t ever want to be closed off, stagnant. I always want to be able to say, “This Mom grows up!” like the title of this blog. So, in that spirit, here are some things I’m personally musing about. Let’s start with what I posted on FB in the wee hours of my birthday:

It’s midnight and officially my 56th birthday. Here’s my thought tonight: figure out what you think is a worthy goal, what’s really most important to your life. Then go for it - and try to work all the other things around it. I think you may be amazed at how everything can fit together with prayer, planning, preparation, patience, and partnership. Another thing: situations can change for you unexpectedly, serendipitously. Be open to new possibilities, new goals, new adventures. We can’t always see the end from the beginning. What we can do is choose to move forward through little and big decisions every day.

When we are living authentically, we are free to take risks and offer ourselves outward. We can walk with joy and confidence. I loved the sermon that Father Tom preached the day after my birthday. He stood near the pulpit holding a fish bowl with water, a fake plant...and no fish. His kids had recently had a beta fish in it, but beta fish don’t play well with others. So they live by themselves in a little glass bowl until they die. And too many of us are just like that, isolated and self-protective within the walls we build to keep others out and keep our own stuff to ourselves. We need to get out of the bowl and experience the abundant life that God intended for us as his disciples - giving ourselves away for the kingdom in the big world outside our doors.

I wish I'd gotten a picture of my pastor with the fishbowl, but maybe this will get the same concept across. I took my daughter to the zoo the other day. We were in the herpetarium building with the reptiles. Turning the corner to the copperhead snake enclosure, I was so startled to see this instead: a man with a paintbrush in this hand, sitting wedged in behind the glass, working in rather cramped quarters. Good thing there was no snake in there with him, but I'll bet it felt good to get out of there and go on with his day!

Just that morning, I'd taken my teen son to school and stopped at Red Bug Lake Park on the way home. I love to get out in nature and see the beauty of God's handiwork along the boardwalk and the pond there. Such infinite variety, all dwelling together in the same habitat. We humans, though so different from one another, dwell together too. Thinking of this, as well as Tom's sermon, I know we are all created for connection in some way. Yet each of us connects differently due to our own unique personalities. This can be so tricky, but we can learn to respect the dignity and liberty of others, to value and honor them in a way that’s good for them and good for us. It takes patient communication to clear up mixed signals and work out misunderstandings.

Imagine then, how I was struck by these sentences yesterday morning when I read Dallas Willard’s Knowing Christ Today as an assignment for my seminary class Gospel Catechesis:

"We may wish to be loving—to be kind and helpful in our relations to those near us. But we do not trust love, and we think it could easily ruin our carefully guarded hold on life. We are frightened of the world we are in, and that makes us angry and hostile, and contempt makes it easier to harm or disregard the good of others…. It takes little intelligence to know that to live in love is the morally good and right way to live. But entering into and growing in love—actually being it and doing it in the context of real life—is quite another matter. Many misunderstandings of what love is have to be worked through before one can come to peace in it. Evil has a vested interest in confusing and distorting love. Above all, one has to find by thought and experience that love can be trusted as a way of life... Love is not God, but God is love. It is who he is, his very identity. And our world under a God like that is a place where it is safe to do and be what is good and what is right. Living in love as Jesus defines it by his words and deeds is the sure way to know Christ in the modern world. On the other hand, if you are not reconciled to living in love as the center of your life, and actually living that way, any knowledge you may have of Christ will be shallow and shaky at best.” 

And so we love sincerely, even when it means putting ourselves out there not knowing what will happen next. We can genuinely care for others, open our hearts and hands without agenda or expectation. We extend ourselves in friendship. We make the connections, even when it’s complicated. 

Can I tell you how much it means to me that others have done this for me? That others are willing to stay in it with this quirky middle-aged single mom of many: listening well, making space, offering their insight and inspiration with integrity - that is such a gift. I don't always get to see people face to face, but phone, email, Facebook Messenger, and texts all work well enough for me when I can't talk in person. I love the ongoing conversations, a little snippet here, a little snatch there, that turn into so much. 

My sister, dad, teen and adult kids, and several sweet friends have all blessed me just in the past few days. My friend Karen messaged me this morning that she was giving me a Spiritual Middle Name: Resilience. I'll take that! 

Resilience! Yes!

A few days ago, I jotted in my journal some encouraging thoughts related to resiliently navigating through life.

Let your life unfold in God’s time. Enjoy the process. Life is like a game of chess. (What I meant here is that we lose some pieces of ourselves, and move around in unexpected ways, sometimes feeling cornered. We may or may not even win this match. But still we play. Which brings to mind another phrase that’s been rattling around in my mind: “Play hard or go home.”) 

Whatever happens, real life holds incredible blessings better than any fairy tale. You can live in God’s embrace. 

You will learn and grow into genuine maturity. You will earn trust and respect.

You have so many things to do in life right now, and some of them will prepare you for the future in the areas where you are not yet ready.

Your life is incredibly complicated. Honor that. Identify the obstacles that are keeping you from moving forward with your goals, and start to dismantle and disentangle them. It needs to be done anyway.

In what ways are you prepared to sacrifice? What are you willing to cut back or give up to reach your goals? How do you prudently practice self-care? How do you need to change your habits?

Keep praying boldly, with an open and devoted heart, fully yielded to God.

Take the long view. Your life is an epic novel, not a short story. 

And that last one is so true. I don't know what's coming in the next chapters of my life throughout and beyond my seminary years. It may be beautiful. It may be painful. It may be both at the same time. Bittersweet.

My sweet mother had been planning a trip to Europe with my father, and wanted to be able to travel comfortably. So she had back surgery in 2013, but died from a  MERSA infection that she contracted in the hospital. I miss her so much. I determined to live my life well, and do some of the things she loved to do. A few years later, I traveled to Switzerland and Paris with my daughter when she was presenting at a mental health conference in Geneva. My mother had also taken each of my first eight children on a trip of their choice when they were around 12 or 13. My ninth child was ten when Grandma passed away, but I promised him he'd get a "Grandma trip" anyway. He finally flew to New York City this morning with one of his travel-loving older sisters. I drove them to the airport and then stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way home just because I love their gift shop. I can always find something there to beautify and inspire my day. I bought this candle and mug as belated birthday presents for myself. For all things I can give thanks! I can enjoy every little thing and I am clothed with strength & dignity so I can laugh without fear at the future. Can I get an amen to that?

Thanks for reading this! I'd love to hear what you think!

You might enjoy posts I've written on my other blogs recently, as well as several of my poems related to the themes in this post.

Recent posts:

• Travel 2019: Maryland, Pennsylvania, DC, Virginia - spending time with my dad and sister in MD, organizing and attending a reunion for my mother's family in PA, falling off of a waterfall, touring the Museum of the Bible in DC, and visiting my aforementioned friend Karen in VA
• Simple Woman's Daybook, September 2019 - a hurricane, a wedding,  starting my new seminary semester, and decorating for autumn all in the same week!
• Give Me Ears to Hear, Eyes to See, a Heart to Love - enjoying the beauty of another nature path and simultaneously musing about caring for those who have been abused instead of loved
• How Do I Juggle It All? - confessions of the crazy single mom of 10 who home schools, works, goes to seminary, and tries to tame the messes 

Related poems:

• Your Kindness Gave Me Courage
• Pilgrimage and Jubilee (from my 50th birthday)
• Disentangle 
• The Harp in the Willow
• Shimmer and Shadow
• This is Where I Am in Time
• Lift Up Your Head and Laugh

Grace and peace and love to all of you,

Virginia Knowles

www.ThisMomGrowsUp.blogspot.com

Wild and Free: My Rambling Introduction to a New Study Group

Dear friends,

On a Sunday morning over a week ago, I sang in the hymns and worship choruses in church and felt uplifted and refreshed in my spirit. An hour later, I stood in my kitchen trembling with PTSD. I had only been looking for something healthy to eat when a cluster of memories whispered to me, suddenly triggering sadness for the past and fear of the future.

My first impulsive thought was to find a box of donuts and eat every one of them. But I didn't. I had no donuts. I didn't even have any chocolate. And anyway, I knew that sugar would be an ineffective escape from anxiety. Instead, I needed a way to fully face and then safely process my feelings. So first I ate a little chicken salad on whole wheat and tried to breathe. I managed to pull myself together a little for the moment.

Driving my son to his friend's house a little later, the overwhelming feelings welled up again into quiet tears. My son turned to me with a questioning look, laid a warm hand on my arm, and offered words of comfort before we arrived. 

Alone again in my van, I sobbed. I could not go home just yet. Mama needed some time to herself to clear her head. Mama had a Barnes & Noble coupon. Mama was going to the bookstore.

~*~*~

I'm flying to Switzerland and France with one of my adult daughters soon (she's a grad student presenting a paper at a mental health conference), so my first stop in Barnes & Noble was the travel section. I already had tourist guide books, but I picked out a tiny French phrase book to help me on my adventures. The very thought of our upcoming trip brought joy to my heart.

Then I wandered around the Christian inspiration section and browsed through several books. Maybe one could help me focus my thoughts and soothe my soul. This one here looked interesting, right where I was at in life. I could have bought it then, but didn't. I wanted to keep looking. At least I snapped a picture of it on the floor for future reference. (You can click on the title below to see my affiliate link at Christian Book Distributors.)

Wild and Free: A Hope-Filled Anthem for the Woman Who Feels She Is Both Too Much and Not Enough by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan







Next I went to the bargain section and found another cheaper book to buy on the same general topic as Wild and Free. Reading that one later at home, I wasn't impressed. I knew I should have spent the extra money and bought Wild and Free instead. More on this later! Stick with me to the end here, OK?

My final stop in the bookstore was the huge magazine section that had hundreds of different titles. I decided to try a little personality experiment. I walked around and took note of what appealed to me. Sports? No way. Cars? Guns? Fishing? Nope. Fashion? Celebrities? Nah. Gourmet cooking? Not so much. These just aren't me. 

Who am I?

I am a Christian. A mother of 10. A nurturer. A reflective thinker. A blogger. A poet. A longtime home school mom. An artist. A nature photographer. A beauty lover. A home creator. A penny pincher. A peacemaker. An advocate/activist for women's and children's justice issues. An adventurous soul. A wanna be world traveler. Don't box me in. I'm WILD AND FREE. That's all part of how God wired me. 

So what magazines there reflected these facets of who I am? These are a few of the dozen I actually picked up to look through.

Artful Blogging: I blog. I love art. I try to make my online space attractive with pretty photos. Yet words and ideas are the main focus of my blogs. I put it back, along with another one on blogging as a business. Maybe in the future. Not now.

Home: Why yes, I love my home. You probably know from reading this blog that I'm always puttering around trying to make my house prettier and more practical. Yet this magazine was full of complicated projects that didn't interest me and that I would never get around to doing. I put it back too, along with some other homey magazines. 

Womankind: Hmmm. I love being a woman. I want to see women empowered for life in the real world. This one had an intellectual flavor and featured women around the globe. I figured it could be very enlightening for me to broaden my perspective. I nearly bought it. I looked at the price tag. I put it back. 

Hey, most of these magazines are pretty expensive. For $10-$20, I'd usually just buy a book instead. 

I did buy this one magazine - life:beautiful. I've read a few issues of it before. It's Christian. It's pretty. It's got a variety of articles on inspiration, health, recipes, home decorating, crafts, and community service ideas. And it's only $5. I brought it home and enjoyed it. I'll pass it along to a friend when I'm done with it. Let's spread the joy, eh?

After over an hour at the bookstore nourishing and tending my soul, I had settled back into peacefulness and hope, unshackled from my sadness and fear. My mind was stimulated to think of bolder solutions. I could breathe and think and embrace my life again.

But this story isn't over. It isn't just about me. 

It's about all of us women.

It's about being WILD AND FREE.

I mentioned the book to my oldest daughter, a busy working mother of four. She decided to order it for my birthday. It arrived last night, and I snatched it from the mailbox just as I was leaving to take a teen to a sports physical. I flipped through it in the doctor's office and read several pages that night at home. Yep, right up my alley. I could really use this book in this season of my weird life.

On a whim, I posted a photo and synopsis of it on Facebook. 

On a whim, a local friend suggested getting some ladies together at her house for a study group on it. 

Then another friend across the country wanted in on the fun, so on another whim, I mentioned the possibility of an online study in a private Facebook group. A friend who had moved to Japan then quickly jumped on board.

A day later, we now have eight members of the group with more still considering the opportunity. We're in the "getting to know you" stage now, and we'll start our actual study on September 24 when everyone has their book.

These are precious Christian women who, like me, have often been made to feel like they are both too much and not enough. Most of them don't know each other at all. We're each in unique circumstances, but each of us has perspective, comfort, and good cheer to offer to one another. We want to be set free from unrealistic expectations and legalistic assumptions that Christian women so often face. We want to move beyond the hurtful memories and hindering habits that hold us back. We want to venture into the vast wildness of our faith, to be bold enough to step forth into all that God has for us as his liberated and empowered daughters. 

This isn't about me. It's not even about us as a group. It's about being all that God has called us to be so we can reach out with healed hearts and healing hands to a world that is hurting like never before. Blessed to be a blessing.

I can't wait!

~~~ Virginia

P.S. We still have room for a few more women to join our group. If you are interested, message me on Facebook. 

Related posts:

• The Puritans, The Quakers, and Little Old Me (Reflections on A Measure of Light)
• Women's Voices Rising
• Moving on from Broken - My Church and Life Transition Story
• For All the Faithful Women (Strength in Hymn)
• Wonderful Words of Life (Strength in Hymn)
• Pilgrimage and Jubilee
• Lift Up Your Head and Laugh
• Your Kindness Gave Me Courage
• "It Became to Me a Dark Thing" (A Poem)
• The Holy Wild
• Wisdom from Letters of Direction by Abbé de Tourville
• Beauty for the Soul at the Morse Museum

Visions and Values

Dear friends,

It's a new series: Visions and Values!

In my last post, I included two photos of my "Virginia's Visions and Values" board and promised to write a little about it. While I'm at it, I'm going to use it as the springboard for a new series. I've got lots of stuff to share over the next couple of months. I've had it bouncing in my brain a while, and now it's time to get it on the blog. 

I've been meeting with Christian therapists on and off for several years. For quite a while, we were focusing more on solving the most pressing problems I was facing. More recently, we turned a corner to more of a life coaching approach of planning and progress for the future. This is encouraging and empowering for me. 

One of the assignments that my therapist gave me a couple of months ago was to make a vision board. I had heard of them as a means to motivate people toward their big goals in life. Many people include pictures of the things they want to obtain through their work and wealth. 

Mine is a bit different. I bought a three panel folding display board from the dollar store. I thought about it for a while, and decided I didn't really want pictures on my board. I am totally a word person and many of my visions are non-tangible anyway. I still wanted it to be visually appealing, so I pulled out my set of colorful permanent markers and got to work.

I started in the middle with a big heart filled with words describing what values I want in my life: reverence, compassion, wisdom, integrity, hope, diligence, wonder, creativity, joy, justice, peace, faith, patience, courage, inspirations, responsiveness, and responsibility. What we do flows out of who we are. I've got a long way to go, but this is what I want as my strong core.

At the bottom of this middle panel, I wrote three practical areas which need the most work for the foreseeable future: family, finances, and health.

I chose to do the left section on what I already love to do by myself or with a friend. This gives a clearer picture of my unique personality, lifestyle and giftings.

Finally, the section on the right lists my Future Dreams, which are mainly extensions of my present life. 

Yep, I want to travel as much as I can. Maybe I'll never get to tour Europe in person, but I can browse through pictures on-line or in books. I could take a virtual tour of the great art museums. And I can continue to take trips with my kids up the east coast to see my family, visiting historic and scenic places along the way. On the home front I seriously want a sweet little cottage when all of my kids move away. I actually have a file in Evernote describing my dream cottage in detail. There is a time to get specific! 

But again, most of my vision for the future as well as the present is about who I am and how I affect other people.

It's not like I'm doing anything spectacular. Since I'm in my fifties with multiple physical disabilities and my kids still need me so much, I'm not planning on launching any new lucrative career. I will likely be going back to work part time in about a year. For now, I'm taking care of my family and my home, trying to be a good steward of my time and resources and health, and seeking to make a lasting impact in my spheres of influence. I have a lot of on-going challenges in my life, but I'm taking this step by step with confidence.

~*~*~

I brought the board in to my next appointment. I think my therapist was surprised to see that I hadn't printed out any pictures to go with my goals, but she understood once she took a good look at it. Weeks later, we're still talking through it, especially those three practical work areas of family, finances, and health. I'll share some of this in future posts, and include pictures of some other visual aids that I've made to remind me.

I find that the simplicity of these visual reminders (all near my bedside) is even more motivating than the detailed list of goals that I made at the start of 2015. (I didn't follow through on big chunks of it. Too complicated!) 

I am a rather fluid ADD mama with five of my ten children still living at home. I need a lot of flexibility and spontaneity in how I move forward in life. However, I also still need some structure to keep me on task and out of trouble. I keep current checklists for upcoming stuff in the gTask app, which also lists the events in my Google calendar app.

With this more simplified interactive approach, I pause each morning when I wake up to glance at my visual reminders, check my To Do list in gTask, and think: What am I going to do today to move forward into my future? Before bedtime, I check all of this again and think: How did I do today? What progress did I make?

Think about what you would put on your own visions and values board. Give it a try! It doesn't have to be fancy!

I look forward to sharing with you some of the other tools I'm using to develop my visions and values.

In the meantime, you might want to take a peek at the Move Forward series I wrote last year. I reread it recently and it was good to be reminded of some of the concepts and practical ideas. It's amazing how much I can forget if it's not right in front of me. Here are some of the posts in that series.

• Move Forward in Pain and Weakness
• Move Forward When Life is Hectic
• Move Forward: Build Habits for the Future
• Move Forward Within a Loss
• Move Forward by Letting Go
• Move Forward, One Day at a Time

You may also like these posts on productivity:

• Just a Few More Things to Do...
• Pull It Together and Push It Through: How to Get It Done When You Think You Can’t

God bless!

Virginia Knowles

Autumn Brunch with Caramel Poached Pears (And a Side of Grumpy Mom)

My daughter Lydia turned 21 last month, but since she's been away at UF, we didn't celebrate as a family until Saturday. There were only 15 of us, since one daughter's family was out of town. I loved holding my newest grandchild, Lyla, who is only a month old.

I had decided on a brunch menu, especially since I'd seen a recipe for Earl Grey Poached Pears in Southern Lady magazine. Then one of my other daughters reminded me that Lydia doesn't really like tea, so I left the Earl Grey out and made a caramel sauce. I halved ten Anjou pears and cored them with a melon ball tool, which made nice neat curves. Then I cooked the pears in about five cups of water with a half cup of honey, a half cup of white sugar, and several hearty dashes of ground cinnamon and ginger. When the pears were soft, I took them out and arranged them in a large serving bowl. I poured about a cup or two of the cooking liquid into a smaller pan, and whisked in about a half cup of caramel sauce. Then I simmered it until it was thick enough to pour over the warm pears. Yum. I added Earl Grey tea to the remaining cooking liquid to drink later.

I also fixed up some homemade waffles, which we served with caramel sauce, chocolate chips, whipped cream, strawberries, and syrup for topping choices.

The main dishes were a sausage & egg casserole and chicken apple sausage links. I also made a smaller casserole without sausage for a vegetarian daughter. Then my daughter Julia brought Cracker Barrel style hash browns. 

We also enjoyed two bottles of sparkling juice from IKEA (ligonberry & apple and pomegranate & apple), as well as some orange juice. Quite enough food for all of us, and then some!

Can I be honest? I wanted everything to look pretty and taste delicious for my family. Unfortunately, little frustrations added up and not everything got done the way I wanted, or even at all. I overcooked the casserole (and most of it is leftover in the fridge), we never did slice the fresh pineapple, and I spilled the salt and pepper when I was trying to pour them into the cute little pumpkin shakers.  My beautiful new autumn table cloth apparently shrank when I washed it the first time and was several inches too short for the table. It was also wrinkled when I took it out of the drawer, and I didn't have time to iron it. The vacuum cleaner wasn't working, which left the living room floor a mess, but I didn't find that out until everyone had congregated in there. A few of the kids weren't as eager or quick to help as I would have hoped, though they did do most of what I asked. I barely had time to take a shower. It's a good thing everyone else was running late!  Then when we were finally serving the food and sitting down to eat, I found a wet bath towel on a side table in the dining room. 

It was the last straw. I snapped. I had to leave the room to even try to regain my composure, with the help of one of my daughters. I think I was over tired and had a lot else on my mind in addition to my unrealistic expectations, but that wasn't an excuse to take it out on others. I had a good chat with one of my sons that evening, and he was quite understanding and helpful in talking it out with me. I did apologize to everyone at the time and also later in a Facebook message. Always good to know they still love me!

So anyway, there's that. Something to think about as I plan for Thanksgiving. The people and the warmth of hospitality are more important than the food and decorations.

At any rate, the pears were great. I'll hang onto that memory and definitely try that one again.

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles 

This post is part of my Autumn Grace 2015 series.

See also:

• Autumn Decorating 2015
• Reclaiming Our Real Dining Room
• Reality for Easter

The Power of a Smile

My smiling scarecrows make me smile every time I pull up in front of my house.

And it makes me think of the power of a smile.

A smile and a kind word can change the course of a day.

Starting a morning for a sleepy child: "Good morning, sunshine!"

Defusing a conflict. A softened face, a warm smile, and, "Let's start this over, OK?"

A wave and smile across the street to a neighbor or even a stranger. You never know what a difference it will make.

A smile and a thank you (along with their name - people love to hear their names spoken kindly) to a store clerk or one who is sweeping the aisles and stocking the shelves. 

To the scraggly homeless precious one on the street corner, a welcoming smile and a warm word, along with a sandwich and a cup of coffee.

To the struggling teen an understanding smile and a, "What can I do to help?"

A smile can change someone's or whole life. You just might be the missing link to joy.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. –Phyllis Diller

A smile confuses an approaching frown. – Author Unknown

A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.” – Denis Waitley

If you’re not using your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.” – Les Giblin

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. –Lee Mildon

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile. – Author Unknown

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.” –Charles Gordy

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home.” – Author Unknown

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.” – George Eliot

A laugh is a smile that bursts. – Mary H. Waldrip

Smile – sunshine is good for your teeth. – Author Unknown

The shortest distance between two people is a smile. – Author Unknown

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” –Mother Teresa

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. –Washington Irving 

Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. – Charles Reade

A smile is the universal welcome. – Max Eastman

Keep smiling – it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to. – Author Unknown

You’re never fully dressed without a smile. – Martin Charnin

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. – Janet Lane

All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile. – Chris Hart

If you would like to spoil the day for a grouch, give him a smile. – Author Unknown

Smile – it increases your face value. – Author Unknown

Peace begins with a smile. – Mother Teresa

A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it. – Author Unknown

Most smiles are started by another smile. – Author Unknown

A smile is something you can’t give away; it always comes back to you. – Author Unknown

A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give. – Author Unknown

It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring to the most important muscle of the body… the heart. – Author Unknown

(Quotes found here.)

And it's been said, a smile can save a life! At Australia's worst suicide spot, one man saves lives with a kind smile and a cup of tea

So smile already!

Virginia

This post is part of my Autumn Grace 2015 series.

See also: Your Kindness Gave Me Courage

Simply Spring Series Recap and Links

Hello friends!

It's almost the official start of summer, and I just finished out my weekly Simply Spring blog series! Now for your clicking pleasure, I've got a recap, photo, and links for all 14 posts.

#1: Pretty and Practical at Home

This post introduced the Simply Spring series, as well as the Pretty and Practical theme within the series. It's everything like home decorating, chalk art, encouraging my kids to be responsible, keeping the van clean, keeping my garden alive, and more.

#2: More Pretty and Practical

Like the previous post, this one is another smorgasbord of little things decorating and organizing, with lots of links to other related posts, and even a music video.

#3: Pretty and Practical Again

Round three of the little household stuff! Dishes, carpet care, my word stones, decorating, gardening, and lots more!

#4: Reality for Easter

I got the living room decorated just in time for Easter, but that doesn't mean we had a picture perfect holiday. I tried to keep things simple, but there can always still be a lot of stress, right? It's a good things Easter isn't about perfection, but the hope of redemption!

#5: Calm, Creative, Cheerful Courage

More chalkboard art, a little inspiration, and how I'm using Google Calendar and doing finances on Mint.

#6: Refresh Retreat and Trades of Hope

Photos and inspiration from a ladies' retreat in scenic Mt. Dora, a peek at compassionate entrepreneurship, and another music video!

#7: Even More Pretty and Practical

Reaching out to our homeless friends, getting inspired by biographies, exercising my injured back, culling my book collection, storing my stuff, solving problems, and most of all, not comparing my house to someone else's!

#8: The Merry, Merry Month of May

Family news, kids' chores, and more!

#9: Mother's Day and Meltdowns

More real life confessions, a family picture of all 18 of us, as well as a lot of encouraging motherhood links for when times get rough and my favorite 1950's motherhood essay. Enjoy!

#10: Pretty and Practical Continues

I'm still dreaming of living in a simple little cottage someday! But in the meantime, it's real life daily stuff like birthday parties, preparing to sell used books, switching out curtains, and trying to keep my current home pretty and practical!

#11: Americana and Bird Decor

I decorated my hallway in Americana and my living room with a bird theme. It's all about being creative, looking for deals, making do with what I already have - and enjoying my liberty!

#12: Trades of Hope

What is a Compassionate Entrepreneur? How can we truly help families living in Third World poverty? Click over and find out!

#13: My Butterfly Kitchen

Back to decorating! I've got the butterfly thing going on in my kitchen now! And I've got some purely practical kitchen organizing and cleaning stuff to share, too.

#14: My Bedroom and Bathroom

My final Simply Spring post! I close out the series with a bit about decorating and organizing my bedroom and bathroom. It started with the curtains, but it certainly didn't end there! Take a peek!

There you go!

Have fun!

Grace and peace,

Virginia