Don't Let the Grinch Steal Christmas!!!

James Dillet Freeman asks the question, "What if we walked down the streets and there were no decorations or lights or we never heard, 'Merry Christmas!'?" It would be a gray, barren time of year without the joy and color of Christmas. The short days and the cold winds would not only chill our bodies but our spirits would take a dive too.

As I was reading the grandkids a Christmas story recently, I was reminded of how truly incredible it is to read about the star that led the Wise Men and the shepherds to the stable to witness the miracle of a virgin birth and how the angels joyously sang. If I did not have this annual story in my life, it would be much more difficult for me to believe in the miracles of life. Christmas just makes the heart full of light.

Here's wishing you the joy, warmth, and brightness of the Christmas season.

Love and Light,
Patty

Visit Frank & Patty's Video Christmas Card! Love and Peace.

Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

My, this year went fast. We enjoyed family, friends, and travel the entire year. We called 2010 our win-win year, and it definitely lived up to its name.

Our kids are doing well. They are all employed so that is a good thing. Teresa and Jess are in Kimball where Jess is a freshmen in high school while her mom holds down two jobs. Tori is almost a naturalpathic doctor....she hopes to be finished with her coursework by the end of the year. Her husband Caleb and all three children are living the dream in the house that Caleb built in the woods by Eureka Springs. Mandy and Dustin are gainfully employed in the KC area as CNAs. Chad is a senior at Pitt State and will graduate this spring with a BS in math. He will start student teaching and coaching after the first of the year in Gerard.

We enjoyed our travels this year to Las Vegas, the Grand Tetons, and Dallas. We plan to visit New York and see the Broadway show WICKED and also see the Rockettes at Radio City before Christmas. We've also enjoyed numerous trips to NE and AR to see family. A week ago we saw the Mannheim Steamroller perform in Topeka. What a great way to start the holiday season!

This year has not been without its challenges, though. Frank lost his dear friend Mike, who played football with him in college. At least we had a little time to say goodbye through our many visits with him and his family before he passed away on November 7.

This coming year 2011, our theme will be to enjoy a little bit of heaven. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we plan to shine His light wherever we can, to enjoy life to the fullest, and appreciate every day for what it brings.

Love and Light,
Patty and Frank

Visit our Video Christmas Card! Peace and love.

Effectual Prayer

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). We know that when we ask God to give us our daily bread that He is more than willing to give us all that we need.

Our real need is greater awareness of Divinity in ourselves and others. In other words, instead of telling God how big our mountains are, we need to tell our mountains how big our God is. I've heard this put many ways, but one of my favorites is that instead of "surviving the storm, we dance in the rain."

It is really all about perception. For instance when my daughter had her motorcycle accident, of course I prayed for her healing, but an added benefit which occurred is my increased awareness of the preciousness of life. Even though she still has some discomfort from the accident, she is very thankful for the empathy she developed for other people who have injuries or illness. When I saw all that she was willing to do to regain use of her legs, I began to affirm my own life by wanting to take care of my health. Both Frank and I woke up to the idea that we could exercise and eat right to take care of ourselves more and have a better quality of life.

After awhile, we lost focus but then lately regained it again as we watched a dear friend struggle with cancer. The best way to handle life's challenges in my opinion is to "stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead" as Emmet Fox suggests.

He calls the sense of separation from God a major tragedy of the human experience. Through illness and injury, sometimes we realize that this could happen to any one of us, and we realize that it is essential to stay aware and close to our Creator and have a mindset that allows faith and trust in keep us from worry. We can use our positive imagination to visualize a wonderful outcome to any circumstance we encounter.

If we believe that that we are blessed and that all things work together for good, we can not help but feel relief that a Higher Power has it all under control. God bless.

Light and Love,
Patty

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Emmet Fox, one of my favorite authors, analyzes the Lord's Prayer in his book POWER THROUGH CONSTRUCTIVE THINKING. He says, "Because we are the children of a loving Father, we are entitled to expect that God will provide us fully with everything we need." As children of God, we know it is His Will that we lead happy, healthy lives. So our food, clothing, shelter, transportation, books, music, and whatever else we require is petitioned when we say, "Give us this day our daily bread." Even abstract things like peace and freedom are covered in this request. According to Emmet Fox, all we need to do to gain what we need is to claim it and recognize that God is the sole Provider of all good things. As the Author and Giver of Life, God is the only one who can give us our best life yet. "For we are what He has made us." (Ephesians 2:10)

Another thing that brings us what we need is our gratitude and hope. We need to thank God in advance for His provisions. We also must never lose hope because hopelessness breeds weakness and that does not lead to fulfillment of our needs and desires. Studies have shown that discouragement can make us sick and age us, whereas the scripture says that a merry heart doeth good like medicine. So if we want health, longevity, youth, and strength, we must be hopeful and happy. If we are in pain, we need to be thankful that we are greater than the pain. My daughter Tori is my role model in this area. After a severe motorcycle accident over six years ago, she stays strong and optimistic. When the doctors told her that she would not have any more children, she gave birth to two beautiful babies. Her secret is to have a joyous spirit and a kind heart. This has kept her soul strong and her mind brilliant. She has not kept this joy to herself either but instead has spread it to everyone she knows.

Christian Larsen says, "The glad heart is the sunshine of all life, a benediction to everyone, a perpetual blessing to everything in creation." An attitude of gratitude makes our prayers stronger and our expectations higher.

Yes, give us this day our daily bread, Lord, and give us enough to share with others.

Love and Light,
Patty

Do What You Love!

It's funny how much joy a smile can bring.

The other day I was subbing in an elementary art class where the second graders had to draw four facial expressions. I told them to draw facial expressions showing four different feelings that people express in their faces. One little girl piped up and said she'd draw my facial expression for her happy face.

Until then I didn't realize that I had such a huge smile on my face. At that moment I knew I was enjoying my day at work.

"Find a way to get paid for doing what you love, then every paycheck is a bonus," said the wise Oprah Winfrey. I agree with that. I love teaching. I did it for many years full-time, and now I'm subbing.

I am delighted to be with young people every day and the fact that I get paid for it sweetens the pot. For your best life yet, do what you love and hopefully the money will follow.

Love and Light,
Patty

Grandparents Day

It's a wonderful day! I've been celebrating it for 15 years now. My first celebration of Grandparents Day was September 1995 when my daughter Teresa gave me a Mark Twain book called THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER and wrote a poem for me from her six-month-old daughter Jessica Marie. The poem humbles me to this day. I hung it up in our guest room, and it is very special to me. I want to share it with you.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRANDMA

So Patient
who always takes the time to play with me, to get down in a baby's world to play a
baby's game

So Understanding
with a loving touch and a kind word through my mistakes and messes

So Inspiring
always knowing what's important and always seeing the good in everything

So Proud
always talking about me, always showing me off, always capturing memories

So Kind
always thinking of me and always giving to me

So Important
You're a big part of my life.
Grandmas are such an important part of the family, but I got really lucky to get
the best of the best.

Love always,
Jessica

This is my anchor to love. Since then, three other grandchildren have been born so I am truly blessed.

This is how Grandparents Day began:

"In 1970, a West Virginia housewife, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, initiated a campaign to set aside a special day just for Grandparents. Through concerted efforts on the part of civic, business, church, and political leaders, this campaign expanded statewide. Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) was especially instrumental in the project. The first Grandparents Day was proclaimed in 1973 in West Virginia by Governor Arch Moore. Also in 1973, Senator Randolph introduced a Grandparents Day resolution in the United States Senate. The resolution languished in committee.
Mrs. McQuade and her team turned to the media to garner support. They also began contacting governors, senators, congressmen in every state. And they sent letters to churches, businesses, and numerous national organizations interested in senior citizens. In 1978, five years after its West Virginia inception, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. The proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter. (September was chosen for the holiday, to signify the 'autumn years' of life.)
Today this event, begun by only a few, is observed by millions throughout the United States." (http://www.grandparents-day.com)

Gene Perret says, "What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure." My husband and I agree with that!

I hope all of you have the best day ever!

Love and Light,
Patty

Faith

Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian who lived from 1225 to 1274, said, "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."

So which category do I belong? I always thought I had a lot of faith, but recently I have wondered. I am just now learning how to handle a new challenge. Do I have enough faith? Do I trust God enough to take this to my Source and leave it there?

Do I have faith to believe that this will be my best life yet? I know that I need to give my best, regardless of what is given to me in return. Do I have enough love in me to keep giving just for the sake of giving?

Second, do I trust and think the best possible thoughts for everyone? Do I refuse to dwell in negativity, no matter what? (Unfortunately, this has not been the case for me lately).

Third, can I rise above pettiness? Can I clothe myself in my spiritual rainment so that I reside in the spiritual world of love rather than the physical world of material success?

Fourth, will I view this as an opportunity to draw closer to God? Will I recapture the feelings of love, joy, peace, and strength that I know in my oneness with God? Will I renew my faith and trust God?


Fifth, will I remain in the light, looking up and rising to the occasion? Will I be open to learning new things? Will I have enough humility and serenity to accept things as they are?

Sixth, will I be able to accept a difference in opinion and establish a connection with everyone I meet? Will I recognize that every person is a unique creation of God and be tolerant and understanding of all?

Seventh, can I refuse to put limitations on myself or others? Do I have the faith to tell my mountains how big my God is? Will I pray without ceasing and receive God's provisions that have already been given to me?

Lastly, am I willing to surrender all to the Will of God? Can I let go of knowing how it will all work out and just trust God to do amazing things with my life? Will I receive my good with gratitude?

The answer to these questions is a resounding yes, only because of my GPS (God's Powerful Spirit). With God on my side, I expect only good. My Source cannot fail so I receive strength and power from this ever-present Help. Thank You, Lord. I have faith.

Love and Light,
Patty