Wednesday 31 December 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
May 2009 be a year of blessings
and exciting fun times for you all.

Monday 29 December 2008

Heart

You often say out loud
what you need to hear
most softly in your heart.
– John DeMartini

Friday 26 December 2008

Action

The most decisive actions of our life
– I mean those that are most likely
to decide the whole course of our future –
are, more often than not, unconsidered.
– Andre Gide

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Wishing

Many of us spend half our time wishing
for things that we could have
if we didn’t spend half our time wishing.
– Alexander Wollicott

Monday 22 December 2008

Sitting

Sometimes I sits and thinks.
And sometimes I just sits.
- Author Unknown

Friday 19 December 2008

December 19, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

May the blessings of this special time of year reside in your hearts today and for always.

Thank you to everyone who supported The Chautauqua this past year. I look forward to working with you in 2009.


Beth


Click here to read the complete issue of The Chautauqua.

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Delights

I have never been a millionaire.
But I have enjoyed a crackling fire,
a glorious sunset,
a walk with a friend
and a hug from a child.
There are plenty of life's tiny delights
for all of us.
- Jack Anthony

Monday 15 December 2008

Small things

No matter how small and unimportant
what we are doing may seem,
if we do it well,
it may soon become the step
that will lead us to better things.
- Channing Pollock

Friday 12 December 2008

Pray

And don't pray when it rains
if you don't pray when the sun shines.
- Leroy 'Satchel' Paige

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Simplicity

Simplicity is an acquired taste.
Mankind, left free,
instinctively complicates life.
– Katharine Fullerton Gerould

Monday 8 December 2008

Sanity

The more a soul conforms to the sanity of others,
the more does it become insane.
– Mary Webb

Friday 5 December 2008

December 5, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

There is a place in Japan called Kamikatsu where there is no garbage - no garbage bins, no dump, no trash at all. “Instead, the resourceful residents must compost all waste from their food, and sort other trash into 34 separate categories, with sections for plastic bottles, razor blades, Styrofoam, and various other paraphernalia.”* It seems that the people of that community are more than happy to follow these strict guidelines.

I don't think most of us here in Central Alberta are ready for something that radical yet. However, suppose for a moment that scenario was life as usual for us.

You certainly would think twice, or maybe even thrice, before buying something as you’d realize that after you were done with it you’d have to dispose of it in the proper manner - compost for food and recycling for everything else. You’d probably chose products with less packaging, as well as products that were more easily recycled. You’d probably decide that you could do without buying a lot of products that you normally wouldn’t hesitate to purchase.

As we are now full-swing into the Christmas season and Christmas shopping, why not take some to think about what you are buying and how much trash you are potentially generating, and whether or not you really need to purchase all of it. This season should be about more than just getting and giving more stuff!

Beth
* quoted from:
http://www.gimundo.com/Articles/Daily/1144/7/17/2008/The_Town_without_Trash:_Kimikatsu,_Japan


Click here to read the complete issue of The Chautauqua.

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday 3 December 2008

One

Even the worst blizzard of the century
accumulates one flake at a time.
– Mary Kay Blakely

Monday 1 December 2008

Smile

It is easy enough to be cheerful
when life flows along like a song
but the person who is worthwhile
is the person with a smile
when everything goes dead wrong.
– Ella Wheeler Wilcox