FRIDAY'S FAVORITE QUOTATION!

Friday's Favorite Quote for Friday, December 29th -the last Friday in 2006!

As the New Year approaches, and we think about change and personal transformation, this favorite quotation from Maya Angelou comes to mind:


We delight in the beauty of the butterfly,
but rarely admit the changes it has gone through
to achieve that beauty!


May your journey to personal change be one that challenges you to be your BEST self!
God Bless! Love, Linda

WALKING, WALKING, and WALKING SOME MORE!!

Recovery from an injury is a slow process!

If you are impatient, this may seem like an eternity as progress comes in inches, not in feet or yards.

I am working SO hard at recovering my full strength and mobility after shattering my ankle.

Six months ago I was newly in a cast, and I often still had to use crutches.

The cast came off in mid October, and I started intense physical therapy.

We have five flights of stairs in our home and going up and down them multiple times a day was agonizingly painful and dangerous, as my footing was unsure.

There were times when I read about the athletic accomplishments of others that I felt side-lined and almost ashamed that there was so little I could do.

BOTTOM LINE: I DIDN't GIVE UP! Hard work, guts, and determination pays off- in recovering from injuries and in every other area of life!

I may have other illnesses or injuries down the road, but with hard work I can give it a shot at coming back at full strength!

Giving up is not an option I can live with!

Today I can walk ten blocks at a time without stopping and keep up a pretty healthy pace as I walk at the mall twice a week!

I just got back from doing TEN blocks in the freezing cold (and I do mean ffff..rrr...eeee...zzz..ing... cc..ooo...l...d), and I am THRILLED and GRATEFUL to be walking, walking, walking!!!!

VACATION FROLICS!!!!!

I am SO thrilled to have a break and be on vacation!

The first part of this "winter retreat" was filled with Christmas delights! I LOVE Christmas because it is filled with family fun and traditions and reminders of my faith and joy in the birth of Jesus! I LOVE Christmas because it's a reminder of what can happen when you view the magic and majesty of life through the wonder of a child's eyes! A few of the best 2006 Christmas moments for me include:

Going to Anna Seppa's Christmas choral concert- the beauty of those angelic voices and the majestic Church setting still remain in my memory.

Trying to find "just the right gift" for my loved ones.

Going to Zac and Kayla's Baptism on December 10th at Crossover Church! What an important and life-changing moment for these two special grandchildren. Looking over and seeing the tears streaming down Ryan and Amy's faces really touched my heart! Being there with family and three sets of grandparents and all of their parents there was such a perfect Christmas moment!

Getting dressed up in Christmas glitter, going out to Azteca for lunch and then to the NUTCRACKER BALLET with Jessi and Emma! I anticipated this event all year long, got the tickets in September, and LOVED every moment of doing this with my daughter and her daughter! Seeing Emma watch the magic of this ballet will stay with me forever!

Taking hours and hours to decorate our tree with an "old-fashioned" Christmas theme.
Our tree is decked out with old photos of my parents, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, and family photographs, past and present! The day before Christmas eve I even put roses (with water tubes) in the branches!

Drawing my own Christmas card, spending hours in pen and ink and watercolor pursuits, with the final drawing showing Santa by a Christmas tree "checking his list! The list had the names of my grandchildren on it! Then it was glitter time!!! Each card was individually "re-colored" (after being color copied by Kinkos) and GLITTERED!! Kayla, my grandaughter, helped me with that! What a hoot!! Too much work you say? Not work at all for me! I get lost in drawing and doing art, and it revives my spirit! Put on Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby..I am as happy as a clam at high tide!!

Having lunch with Amy and Jacob and then heading to do some shopping! Seeing Jacob hop up on Santa's lap was amazing and a memory I will store in my heart!

Going to Ryan's 6th grade class at Riverside and doing an "art" Christmas project with his kids! We got wooden ornaments at JOANNS (one of my favorite craft stores :))
and Kayla and I had a blast in Ryan's class as the students made ornaments for their parents! He is an AMAZING teacher! What fun!

Celebrating Christmas at Clinkerdaggers with my dear friend Sharon Hartnett! The decorations there are wonderful and put me in a Christmas mood!

Having time by the fire drinking coffee with Bert as we laughed and remembered Christmas moments when the boys (Chris 45 and Erik 42) and girls (Jessi 29 and Amy 27) were little!

Going out for Thai food with my grandson Zac is a fun tradition we enjoy! It's a one-on-one time to catch up!

Seeing Charlotte's Web with Amy, Kayla and Jacob was so much fun!! That story holds SO many lessons!

Going to Jacob's Christmas program at Montessori and seeing him as a reindeer singing his songs..it warmed my heart! How fun to hear him say to his teacher "My WHOLE family is coming to my program"!!

Talking to Emma about Santa's upcoming visit and seeing the wonder in her eyes as she told me about what she had asked Santa for...well it just doesn't get better than that!

Drinking coffee at Starbucks with Jessi as we shared our lives. Seeing Emma sleep peacefully in Jessi's lap brought back so many of those memories for me when I did that with Jessi!

Having Christmas dinner (with turkey and trimmings) for the Farrell family at our home! What a fun family time and seeing the presents opened and enjoyed was WONDERFUL!

Christmas morning and breakfast with Jessi, Rog, and Emma was amazing, and it was so fun to hear Emma recount that Santa had stopped at the house the night before and knew her name!!!

Listening to Christmas music, watching White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, and reading my Bible to recount the real Christmas story! All of these helped me to have a "Christmas Heart!"

The "magic moments" of Christmas go on and on, every one of them a moment to cherish!

SO WHAT ARE MY "LIFE LESSONS" ABOUT CHRISTMAS AS I APPROACH 60?

It's easy to get caught up in the pressure, stress and "I'm SO busy" state of mind that can turn Christmas from a JOY into a series of obligations. My learning has been to only do that which is meaningful to ME at Christmas time!! Throw away the imaginary "timetables"..send your cards or letters early or late or not at all. Take time for cherishing the real spiritual reasons for this season! Go and sing Christmas carols to your neighbors all by yourself, if no one else wants to go! Set aside your "adult mentality" and role model your excitement about this special time of year from the children around you!

What if you knew this was your last Christmas? How would you cherish it then?

May the wonder of this Christmas stay with you throughout 2007 and may you anticipate
all the miraculous blessings God has in store for you in 2007! Love, HUGS and God Bless! Linda

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME!

I remember as a small girl singing the "Christmas Song". It went like this:

C- is for the Christ child, born on Christmas day

H- for herald angels in the night

R- means our redeemer

I- means Israel

S- is for the star that shone so bright

T- is for three wise men, they who traveled far

M- is for the manger where He lay

A- is for all He stands for

S- means shepards came

And that's why there's a Christmas Day!!!


As I approach sixty, the true meaning of Christmas for me is still found in these
profound but simple lines! I hope you and your families had a very blessed Christmas! God Bless! Love, Linda

FRIDAY'S FAVORITE QUOTATION!

Friday's Favorite Quote for Friday, December 22nd

December 22nd has a special meaning in my life. It is my parents' wedding anniversary! They were married Decembember 22, 1941 and were married 50 years, before my Dad passed away.

They loved each other, and they loved me!

Today's "Friday's Favorite Quote" is something I heard from my parents every night of my life...until I left for college. Even in college and beyond, and in the worst moments, they would look at me and say these words. Today's favorite quote is for you Mom and Dad...


Mommy and Daddy

Will ALWAYS love you

No matter what!



I miss them every day, and especially at Christmas time! They taught me about unconditional love, and I will always love them ... no matter what! One of my "life lessons" as I approach sixty is fully appreciating the love my parents had for me, their absolute devotion, and how God blessed me by allowing them to be my Mom and Dad.

OH...YOU BETTER WATCH OUT! : )

There has been a sighting on the South Hill !!!!

Neighbors are talking, children are whispering....."WHO is in that bundle of jacket, scarves and hat that circles the blocks of 12th and Thor, even before it is light out???"

Who is that masked woman(hard to tell how old she is because she is SO bundled up) who takes the same route three to four times a week?

Some Guesses At This Holiday Time?
Secret Santa? Mrs. Claus?

No...you better watch out....it's an exercising NANA! aka..Linda doing TEN, read my lips, TEN blocks at 4am this Sat December 16th.

And she's even humming.."Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why...Linda Salisbury is walking and coming to town!

God Bless and Holiday HUGS to you all! Love, Linda

FRIDAY'S FAVORITE QUOTATION!

Friday's Favorite Quote for December 15th

Dedicated to my beloved husband and life-partner Bert


when i say,

"i am
going
home"


i mean
i am going
to
where
you are.


Bert- Thank you for loving me for 25 years, for being my best friend, supporter, truth-teller, sweetheart, and the love of my life!

FRIDAY'S FAVORITE QUOTATION!

Friday's Favorite Quotation- for December 8th

EVERYTHING
is a
gift.

It's just that
some things
don't look
gift wrapped.


Have a wonderful Friday! God Bless! Love Linda

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING!!

The expression.."when the going gets tough, the tough get going" is one of the expressions I constantly heard from my Dad. He used to say it so often that it sunk into my bone marrow. Giving up and giving in just wasn't an option. Hard work and taking the risk to fail was the answer. So....Dad...even though you're no longer here...this one's for YOU!

This morning, in the dark and freezing cold, I got up early, bundled myself up, and WALKED SIX BLOCKS!! That's right..SIX BLOCKS!!

NOT THE PREVIOUS THREE BLOCKS..

SIX BLOCKS!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

FRIDAY'S FAVORITE QUOTATION!

Friday's Favorite quote for December 1st

God has understood
your tears,

He has visited
your prayers -

Be confident He
will come and
care for you.

God Bless! Love, Linda