ALMOST SPRING AND A SUNNY SPECIAL SATURDAY

Welcome to late Saturday afternoon in my little corner of the world where the sun has shone all day and there have been little white clouds in the sky and we have been caressed by a warm and gentle breeze.  It has been a very pretty and lovely day.

I was up and cooking very early this morning so I am tired and will be heading off to bed early with a new book by a favourite author.  Life is sweet.

Tomorrow is the first official day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere and is the start of the BER MONTHS -

SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER and DecemBER

and the time when thoughts turn to special holiday times of the year.  

Our American Friends celebrate Labor Day this weekend and then will move into "Fall", Halloween and Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas.   We in the Southern Hemisphere have one more holiday before Christmas and my thoughts have already turned to Christmas and planning and dreaming.

To those celebrating Labor Day this weekend - enjoy and be safe.

I hope you are all able to enjoy a lovely and peaceful weekend with rest and good times with those you love.   My family will be celebrating Father's Day  (hence the cooking) and it is lovely no matter the reason to get together and just to celebrate life, living and love.  

Wherever you are on this weekend, take some time to celebrate your life, your family and the field of unlimited possibilities that is your life.

Take each day as it comes and enjoy whatever it brings your way - accept the challenges, step our of your comfort zone, see the little things around you and mostly be present to every moment.  Make the phone you have been thinking about, write the letter you promised you would, pick some flowers and take them to a friend.   Make a cake with a child - let them lick the beaters and share the joy of creating something.   Walk by the ocean or the river, notice the changing of the seasons, hear the singing of the birds.   All things are there and sometimes we become too busy to notice them.

Play the music that stirs your soul and sing loudly and proudly, dance in the wind, sing in the shower - find joy in the little things.

Have a wonderful weekend and I thank you for visiting The Musings of My Heart - a heart that will relish springtime and the waking world.

Love and hugs,

FABULOUS FRIDAY - OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

Good Afternoon on a lovely Spring afternoon in my lovely City of Adelaide - it has been a very pretty day with clear blue skies and sunshine.

What started off to be a day of cooking very quickly changed for me.

I did my grocery shopping and whilst in the Shopping Centre received a call on my mobile phone from Donate Life "could I help them with an interview today" - and the rest just went from there - I came home and prepared to receive a Television Crew from a local Station to interview and film regarding organ donation.

Apparently South Australia has already reached the number of donations of 2012 and we have three months to go - the purpose of this interview was to keep the momentum going and to allow the public of South Australia to see a living and healthy recipient. 

The Crew were on time and were very lovely and we did the interview and it aired tonight and I am pleased with it.   I am trying to get hold of a link and will post it here if I am able to - so that you - my support network can view it too.

I have been stepping out of my comfort zone lately - firstly speaking to the Nursing Conference and now with the Television interview - I have stepped out of my safe harbor and hopefully reached many who are uncertain about organ donation.     Please decide, discuss and donate.     Decide what is right for you, Discuss it with your family so they know, and can carry out your wishes and sign up to the Organ Donor Register to make a difficult time for your loved ones somewhat easier.

Please have courage to step out of your comfort zone and know there are those who will always support you.    Sail from your safe harbor and brave the winds that blow - the storms will pass.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a happy heart and such a thankful one too.

Wishing you a lovely Friday in anticipation of a wonderful weekend.

Love and hugs,

THANKFUL THURSDAY - A GREAT DAY

Thankful Thursday once again and it is a very different day from yesterday when it was sunny and warm.    Today is wet, cold and windy with thunder and lightening.

It has been a good day and it was a day with a good start and with a positive attitude.

Life can be grey and dreary and the only one who can change how things are going is YOU.  You are responsible for your attitude to everything and being positive is a state of mind.   Being positive is good for our health - worries and stresses can pull us down.

A positive start to a day can come if instead of rushing out of bed you just stay there for a few moments and think of all that you have to be thankful for and how blessed your life is.

Be positive about your life, your health, your family and how you spend your days.   Of course there are going to be worries and cares that are not easy to move, but those good things are still there in spite of the fact that you may be looking for a job, have problems with a child's behaviour, coping with elderly and frail parents, looking for new direction etc.

The good times should buoy you along - a holiday, a day off work, a meal you didn't have to cook, coffee brought to you when you come home, a movie with friends - all of these things should bring you joy and carry you on your journey.

Take care on your journey - life is a journey and not a destination and truly the joy is in the journey.    Friends along the way make it extra special.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart and for sharing my journey with me - each day is a thrill and pleasure.

Love and hugs,

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY - LET YOUR LITTLE LIGHT SHINE.

Thank you for sharing Wonderful Wednesday with me - it has been such a pretty day here in Adelaide.   The sun has been shining, the birds singing and the sky a beautiful brilliant blue.   There is warmth on the breeze and I believe we have turned the corner from winter and spring is on our horizon.

I looked at the sunshine this morning and it reminded me of so many things in my life - so many happy times with those I love and care very much for.

It also reminded me that I must be gracious and allow myself to shine and be who I am and to kindly and brightly try to cheer the day of those around me.

To shine in the dark corners for those who carry a burden and are sad, to support and uphold those who need my care.   I am truly reminded too that I need others to shine for me and to make me smile, to let their light into the darker corners of my life.

My messages first thing this morning brought a lovely smile and I am thankful for those.

Wherever you are on this August day - let your little light shine and to those having birthdays - shine on and enjoy the fuss and attention and celebrate another birthday - another milestone.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of my Heart and I send love and hugs your way.

IT''S RUBY TUESDAY ONCE AGAIN

The air is warmer and the sun has been shining in my Fair City today - definitely a change in the air and a day when no rain has fallen.   It is getting towards end of day now and the damp air is coming in but I am thankful for the warmth of today.

It's been an interesting day - busy and yet not much achieved - but a day when the phone has rung hot and messages come in thick and fast.

We are out to dinner with a friend for his birthday so that will be nice and I have enjoyed a warm spot in the garden with coffee and my book - nice things to do and much enjoyed.

Today it is ten years since my Father died and I miss him - I miss the discussion, the debate, the poetry and the laughter and yet I would not wish him back to watch him struggle to breathe.   I would not wish him back to have had to witness my illness and transplant - it would have broken his heart.    But, that said - I do miss him.

This photograph was taken when I was about three or four years old (a very long time ago) and was taken on Bidston Hill in Cheshire, England and I remember it like it were yesterday - I can hear his voice and his laughter and feel the rough fabric of his jacket.

It has been a nice day of remembering the good times and the special times we had together - the visits to the Market and always a gift for me - and always something special to eat.   In later years it was the coffee and the political discussion and debate that I remember - it would be interesting if he were here today to discuss our current political situation and the forthcoming election.

Each time I do a crossword puzzle I think of him and his neatly filled in grid and folded paper.  I remember walks in the snow on Christmas morning to see his Grandmother and oh so many special times.   These memories are a blessing.   It was my Father who encouraged me to discuss and debate and then when I had a varying opinion to his he didn't like it very much.  He is gone but at least I had those times and shall carry the memories with me.'

Listen to Glenn Miller and "String of Pearls"  I grew up on a staple diet of Glenn Miller but this was his favourite and is one of mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg2vtWezWbw

On this special but ordinary day - please know that you are valued and appreciated and that you do play an important part in my life.  

Thank you for visiting the Musings of a pensive heart today - pensive but a happy heart to have been blessed with these memories.

Love and hugs,

Linda 

MONDAY, MONDAY, SO GOOD TO ME.

Welcome to Monday in my little corner of the world where the sky is cloudy one minute and clear the next, the sun shines and then it goes away- weather I think typical for almost springtime.  It has been a dry day today but quite chilly at times.

Monday, Monday, so good to me.    Listen to the Mamma's and the Poppas

singing their famous song from waaaaaay back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h81Ojd3d2rY

It's been a quiet day but I have achieved much - not as much as I would have liked to have done - but there is always Ruby Tuesday tomorrow.

Arrangements are in hand to celebrate Father's Day for John and the girls are getting that organized. He is difficult to buy for so we have all been scratching our heads and trying to find something just right and I think we have come up with something.  The girls are working very hard at the moment with lots of pressure and Naomi has the added thing of study too.  

It will be lovely to get together and enjoy some easy warming winter comfort foods and mostly the joy of having everyone together.  It won't be a late night because it is Sunday and work will be calling their name early Monday morning and it will be back into the old routine.

The days are filled with news from all over the world of successful transplant surgery for some and the sad news that we lost another transplantee here in Australia late last week.    These people go into surgery with such grand hope and for many it works and at least those who don't make it have had the chance.

News like this rocks me to my core and leaves me ever thankful for my gifted life and for the wonderful man who signed the paperwork, spoke to his family and gave me the gift of life.  It really is important if it is your wish to be an organ and tissue donor that you sign on to the Organ Donor Register and most importantly that you have a deep and meaningful conversation with your family so that they can support you and make sure your wishes are carried out.

This diagram will give you a clear idea of just what organs can be donated - and tissue too.

Here in Australia you can nominate the organs you wish to donate or can merely sign the paper work which says any needed organ.

The Royal Adelaide Show will be starting soon and I shall be working there with Donate Life and those in Adelaide - come up and say Hello and introduce yourselves - I would like that very much.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a busy heart and a mind filled with so many joys.  Your joys and happy times bring joy to me and I have received photographs of thriving babies and and babies newly born, and I know there is much anticipation of holidays on the horizon and I share your joys.

Love and hugs,

SUNDAY SUNSHINE AND FLOWERS

Sunshine around in my little corner of the world this afternoon and blossom by blossom the spring begins. 

It is a very pretty time of year as the world awakes from sleeping and starts to make little buds and shoots of green and blossom - the birds were singing a lot louder this morning and there seemed to be more smiles from people.

I have shared some spring flowers with you today to brighten your day and give you an idea of the joys that surround us in our springtime.

I hope that there is Sunshine in your heart today and that you are enjoying the pleasures of a nice weekend, however you are spending it.

I am thankful for safe travels for a friend who arrived home today from her trip to England and Scotland - it will be nice to catch up with her and hear the news of her nephew's wedding.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of my Heart - a heart that is truly thankful for so many things - for friendship, love and laughter, shared messages and photographs, health and happiness.

Love and hugs,

IT'S DRY BUT STILL NO SUNSHINE. - SATURDAY MUSINGS

Good afternoon from a grey grey day in my fair City - but it has meant that some laundry has dried and other things not so well.  I have not been to the shops today which is unusual for a Saturday but I wanted and needed a day at home.    

I have two lots of soup bubbling away in the slow cookers and they smell lovely - I really do enjoy the comfort foods that come with cold winter days.

We living in days that are challenging in so many ways - we are challenged physically by our health and sometimes left with a longing for the things we can no longer do.  Our emotions are challenged when we see our children struggle or our parents aging and we have to step in and help by encouragement and physical activity on their behalf.

Political situations, locally and globally challenge us and we are sore and sick at heart when we see the way the world is going and the way people are being treated in many parts of the world.

Overcoming these challenges can be a very difficult task but such a worthwhile one.  It is meaningful for us to take a stand for the things we believe in and help win through.   I remember my earlier years and the passion I had for anti war rallies, political demonstrations and protest functions - I took part in many of them - my passion hasn't waned but now I taken the writers stance and use the technology available to me by posting of emails to Members of Parliament and Government - I don't know if they are ever read, but gosh it makes me feel good to do it.

It is gratifying to stand up for what one believes even if it means standing alone - Do you stand up for the things you believe in and take action accordingly? 

I hope your weekend is a good one and that you enjoy whatever you do. Our younger daughter has just come home from the Football where here beloved Melbourne was defeated by Adelaide -(her Father's team) - she sat with the Melbourne Cheer Squad and enjoyed that.   She is a very faithful supporter and member of the Club and win or lose she stands with them and I love her for that passion.   Her Father and Sister are both Adelaide supporters and she boldly stands for Melbourne.  Despite her team being bottom of the League she is often heard singing:

"It's a grand old flag

It's a high flying flag

It's the emblem for me and for you

It's the emblem of the team we love

The team of the red and the blue 

Ev'ry heart beats true

For the red and the blue

And we sing this song to you

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

Keep your eye on the red and the blue!"

However you have spent your Saturday - I hope you have found joy in the little things and spent time with those you love - enjoy your sport and win or lose - be fair.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of my Heart - a heart that today is finding joy in being peacefully at home and listening to my new neighbours doing work on their home.

Love and hugs,

WELCOME TO FANTASTIC FABULOUS FRIDAY

Good afternoon and welcome to Daffodil Day in Australia - a day set apart for fund raising for cancer research and using the glorious golden daffodil as a theme.    It is a day I always look forward to as I have daffodils on my desk and they are truly beautiful.  I used to sell badges and flowers on Daffodil Day but haven't got back to doing it yet - perhaps next year.

These are the daffodils on my desk:

They are bright and strong and bend in the wind and push their way through cold damp earth and dance on the wind.  I delight in seeing so many of my favourites about on this day.

Have you done something nice for somebody and they don't know about it or don't know who it was ?   It is a really nice feeling to see the look of delight on their face and to know you had something to do with putting it there.

Generosity doesn't always mean material things - some time, a phone call, a letter, a kind word or a compliment  - be generous with your thoughts, words and deeds and you will receive much joy.

Wordsworth's poem - Daffodils is really love and very close to my heart:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils. 

William Wordsworth

The last verse is my favourite....

"And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils."

Thank you for visiting the Musings of my Heart today and for sharing daffodil day with me - it is my heartfelt prayer and wish that those who suffer at cancer's cruel hand may find relief and release and that soon, very soon a cure will be found.

Anticipate the weekend with a joyful heart and enjoy whatever plans you have.  Be sure to take time out for some nurturing of self and some time with those you love.,

Love and hugs,

THANKFUL THURSDAY ONCE AGAIN

Welcome again to my little corner of the world and I am glad you have called by to spend a few moments with me and I hope that wherever you are in the world that there is some sunshine in your heart, if not in reality.   We have a very watery sun here today and long heavy showers of rain and it is cold again.

In spite of the cold and the grey sky it is still a beautiful world and last night we had a full moon which was delightful and very bright.  I love the moon in all her phases - new and crescent shaped or full and round - it is very beautiful and brings great joy to me.   I love the cold nights when the wind is blowing the clouds across the sky like velvet ribbons and the summer nights when the earth is hot and the moon is bright on the water.

We really do live in a beautiful world and the advice above is good advice - when life knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars.

Take time to see the beauty around you day or night - it is a beautiful place to be especially in the company of family and friends.

Thankful Thursday comes around quickly and there is always something to be thankful for.  I am thankful on these cold nights for my lovely warm bed and a good book to read.   Television doesn't hold my interest much although I do like a good movie, but the reality shows leave me cold and uninterested.  To each his own.   So on these cold nights you will mostly find me snug and warm and reading.   I like paper books and do not read electronically - I like the paper and the smell,  texture and the physical turning of the page.

I always buy a handbag that is big enough to hold a book and I have learned to always take a book with me to Doctors appointments because invariably they are running late.    The time wait does not frustrate me because I lose myself in my book.

Thank you for visiting today and spending a little time here with the Musings of My Heart - a busy heart today and occupied with thoughts of my talk at the conference this afternoon.

Take care, be warm, be safe and be loved.

Love and hugs,

Good Afternoon and welcome to a wet Wednesday in my little corner of the world and the sky is pewter grey and there is a bead curtain of diamond raindrops running down my window.  It is very pretty.

The days are moving by very quickly and soon we will be waving goodbye to winter and welcoming spring/summer - more exciting seasons filled with happy days and lots of little things to bring joy.

It truly is the little things that make life so amazing and I am thankful that I am aware of so many of these little things.

There is not a day goes by when I don't find a little thing - or lots of them to make each day special.

Some of the little things that have brought joy today are:

Delivering a package to a friend and seeing her smile.

My Ballot papers for the election in the mail for a pre-poll vote

More daffodils peeking through 

Raindrops on a spider web

The lovely chocolate sediment after hot chocolate

The laughter of a friend at his own silliness

A parcel in the mail (a gift for a friend)

A message from interstate to see how I am

An email from an "old" friend 

Goodnight wishes from overseas

Anticipation of dinner with friends

The challenge of and sense of achievement with several cryptic crossword puzzles

Green lights 

Rain that stopped just long enough to get from shops to car

Phone call from my younger daughter

A message on a Christmas Blog from someone pleased to see me blogging again.

All of these are simple things - but all things which serve to make the day brighter and happier.   I enjoy looking for little things and rejoice when I find them.

Tomorrow I am off to the City to address a group of nurses who work in Theatre and ICU with transplant patients (both the donor and recipient) and who rarely see their patients and the miracle that they have helped to bring about by their care and nursing.  I am to tell and share my story of both before and after transplant and I hope that my presence and words help them see how very worthwhile their work and care is.    I am a little nervous but it will be fine - I am happy to share my story and show that I am indeed as survivor and am alive and well.

Thank you for sharing the journey with me and for visiting the musings of my heart - a heart which truly does find the little things amazing.  Find joy in your journey - dance in the rain and sing loud and strong - live, laugh, love and be happy.

Love and hugs,

Linda 

WONDERFUL WET WEDNESDAY

Good Afternoon and welcome to a wet Wednesday in my little corner of the world and the sky is pewter grey and there is a bead curtain of diamond raindrops running down my window.  It is very pretty.

The days are moving by very quickly and soon we will be waving goodbye to winter and welcoming spring/summer - more exciting seasons filled with happy days and lots of little things to bring joy.

It truly is the little things that make life so amazing and I am thankful that I am aware of so many of these little things.

There is not a day goes by when I don't find a little thing - or lots of them to make each day special.

Some of the little things that have brought joy today are:

Delivering a package to a friend and seeing her smile.

My Ballot papers for the election in the mail for a pre-poll vote

More daffodils peeking through 

Raindrops on a spider web

The lovely chocolate sediment after hot chocolate

The laughter of a friend at his own silliness

A parcel in the mail (a gift for a friend)

A message from interstate to see how I am

An email from an "old" friend 

Goodnight wishes from overseas

Anticipation of dinner with friends

The challenge of and sense of achievement with several cryptic crossword puzzles

Green lights 

Rain that stopped just long enough to get from shops to car

Phone call from my younger daughter

A message on a Christmas Blog from someone pleased to see me blogging again.

All of these are simple things - but all things which serve to make the day brighter and happier.   I enjoy looking for little things and rejoice when I find them.

Tomorrow I am off to the City to address a group of nurses who work in Theatre and ICU with transplant patients (both the donor and recipient) and who rarely see their patients and the miracle that they have helped to bring about by their care and nursing.  I am to tell and share my story of both before and after transplant and I hope that my presence and words help them see how very worthwhile their work and care is.    I am a little nervous but it will be fine - I am happy to share my story and show that I am indeed as survivor and am alive and well.

Thank you for sharing the journey with me and for visiting the musings of my heart - a heart which truly does find the little things amazing.  Find joy in your journey - dance in the rain and sing loud and strong - live, laugh, love and be happy.

Love and hugs,

A CALMER DAY FOR RUBY TUESDAY

Welcome to Tuesday afternoon in my little corner of the world, where the sun is shining (albeit a very watery sun) and the wind has calmed down and I realize just the affect the weather has on the mood of people.  I can cope with the rain and the cold but the wind drives me crazy.  It unsettles me and leaves me feeling very wrung out so I am always glad to bask in the calm after the storm.    

Most people I have spoken to recently are saying that they feel we have had a very cold winter and that they are tired of the cold.  We get what we get and it is something over which we have no control.  I believe some friends are suffering with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) brought about by shorter days and less sunlight and the cold.   Hold on everyone - spring is on the way and soon will come the long hot days of summer - the days when there will not be a puff of a cool breeze and we will be coping with the blistering extended hot spells.   Before that I am looking forward very much to longer spring days when it is warm but not hot and the nights are cool and great for sleeping.

Wherever you come in the category of a liker or a hater of winter/summer, be gentle with yourself you are doing the best you can.

This also applies to how you are coping with other situations in your life - it is wise to be kind and gentle provided you know that you are doing the best you can and if you can do better then think about doing just that.

I sometimes think we make life difficult for ourselves by the harsh demands we put on ourselves, the deadlines we set (some very unreasonable) and the way we rush about between tasks.   Employment sets a schedule to which we must conform but in our own personal lives it is okay to take the pressure off and to be gentle.   I believe we need "buffer zones" between tasks and chores - those short breaks that give us time to restore and refresh.   Why not try to make time and small "buffer zones" by starting out a little earlier, asking for help and reviewing the things you have scheduled for today - maybe one of the tasks can wait until tomorrow and you can benefit from a small break.

There are so many ways we can plan and make "instant refreshment times" - walk around your garden, smell the flowers, have coffee outside, read some pages of your book, make a phone call, send an email, read a story to a child, splash in puddles or walk in the rain - so many things can be that buffer zone.

Play music and sing loudly and happily.

Find joy and buffer zones in the little things and I wish for you green lights when you are on the road, a short line in the supermarket, a coffee you didn't have to make yourself, a smile from a stranger - it truly is the little things that bring much joy.

I hope you are able to put aside the larger worries of your day - such as illness, the need for a job, financial worries, for just a moment and be gentle with yourself.

There is so much joy and happiness in our world and there are also dark and dreary times too and it is my wish that you are able to hold on to the happy times to sustain you through the darker days.

Make plans to nurture and nourish yourself, your relationships and your family - and enjoy the little things in life and be gentle with yourself.  Work diligently, be be aware of the need to take a break now and then.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a heart which is at peace with itself and I send care and concern to you.

Love and hugs,