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.

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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


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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

Friday, 28 November 2008

Direction

I am one of those who never knows
the direction of my journey
until I have almost arrived.
– Anna Louise Strong

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Be Yourself

Let’s dare to be ourselves,
for we do that better
than anyone else can.
– Shirley Briggs

Monday, 24 November 2008

Energy

Most people never run far enough
on their first wind
to find out they've got a second.
Give your dreams all you've got
and you'll be amazed
at the energy that comes out of you.
- William James

Friday, 21 November 2008

November 21, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

On Sunday afternoon (Nov. 16th) I attended the Visions Country Gospel concert, silent auction, and supper at the Bashaw United Church. The event was very well attended and enjoyed by all, which can be attributed in part to the people organizing and putting on the event (and yes, as one of those people I can take a tiny bit of that credit).

In truth, what made the afternoon so enjoyable and successful was not so much what the Bashaw and Mirror United Church people did to put on the event (and provide a yummy supper), nor was it totally a result of the excellent crowd - though both of those factors were very important in the overall success of the event.

Rather, it was the fun and enthusiasm that the performers shared with us all through their performance. Garry, Brian, Dennis, and Jim have so much fun singing and performing together that the audience can’t help but get caught up in the mood. That is what made the event so spectacular, and that is the most important ingredient in any endeavour we undertake - be it our job, our hobbies, or volunteer work.

If you display fun, enthusiasm and a real zest for what you are doing others will be caught up in your excitement and will want to be a part of it in any way they can for however long they can.

It is your attitude that makes what you do a success or not. What attitude are you exhibiting in your activities today?

Beth

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Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Doubt

Doubt, of whatever kind,
can be ended by action alone.
- Thomas Carlyle

Monday, 17 November 2008

Uncommon Effort

Put the uncommon effort into the common task...
make it large by doing it in a great way.
- Orison Swett Marden

Friday, 14 November 2008

Do Your Best

You're not obligated to win.
You're obligated to keep trying
to do the best you can every day.
-Marian Wright Edelman

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Giving Up

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed
is always to try one more time.
- Thomas Edison

Monday, 10 November 2008

Path

Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, 7 November 2008

November 7, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

“Never speak of the times as being hard or of business conditions as being doubtful...When others are having hard times and poor business, you will find your greatest opportunities.” - Wallace Wattles

There is a whole lot of fear-mongering going on in our world in the past few weeks, which is leading many people to panic resulting in stock market and economic havoc across the world.

But are we really in a state of global economic collapse? There will be select individuals and businesses which will see some tough times, and the potential for total economic collapse is there. However, I don’t think we’re there yet.

We have a long way to go before we reach the economic level that we were at a few years ago - a level in which oil companies were making profits, banks were making profits, in fact almost any big business was making profits, and gas was considerably less than $0.90 at the pumps! Don’t panic, to reach the next peak we need to go through a valley first.

Beth

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Wednesday, 5 November 2008

Freedom

Reminding one another of the dream
that each of us aspires to
may be enough for us to set each other free.
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Monday, 3 November 2008

Find a way

Determine that the thing can and shall be done,
and then we shall find the way.
—Abraham Lincoln

Friday, 31 October 2008

Life

The great essential ingredient...
is that the sacred is in the ordinary,
that it is to be found in one's daily life.
- Abraham Maslow

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Foolish

You will do foolish things,
but do them with enthusiasm.
- Colette

Monday, 27 October 2008

Passion

Becoming intoxicated with a dream
gives us the passion to bring it into reality!
- Anon.

Friday, 24 October 2008

Time

You can usually find time
to do the thing you want to do.
- Unknown

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Happiness

What we call the secret of happiness
is no more a secret
than our willingness to choose life.
- Leo Buscaglia

Monday, 20 October 2008

Luck

I've found that luck is quite predictable.
If you want more luck, take more chances.
Be more active. Show up more often.
- Brian Tracy

Friday, 17 October 2008

October 17, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

Last weekend I read the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, considered to be one of the greatest North Americans ever. His story is utterly fascinating to read.

The author of the Foreword pointed out that Franklin was an entrepreneur, not a capitalist. The distinction was that Franklin undertook new enterprises and started organizations, not solely for personal profit (yes, he made money on the ventures) but for the public’s wellbeing and to enhance community life for all.

His many, varied enterprises included establishment of the first volunteer fire department, invention of the Franklin Stove (which not only heated homes better but allowed for conservation of trees as it used less fuel, while cutting families’ costs), and the establishment of a college. Franklin made his inventions and concepts available to everyone.

Our local communities need more entrepreneurs like Franklin who see the needs and find unique methods to fill them. We should not be always relying on governments to solve our problems, we have to solve them ourselves.
Beth

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Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Pain

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Monday, 13 October 2008

Best

I always prefer to believe the best of everybody
- it saves so much trouble.
- Rudyard Kipling

Friday, 10 October 2008

Best

The best things and best people
rise out of their separateness;
I'm against a homogenized society
because I want the cream to rise."
- Robert Frost

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Work

The best work
is not what is most difficult for you;
it is what you do best.
- Jean-Paul Sartre

Monday, 6 October 2008

Risks

There are risks and costs to a program of action.
But they are far less than the long-range risks
and costs of comfortable inaction.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Friday, 3 October 2008

October 3, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

We are on the brink of another election. The federal election is set for October 14. I strongly encourage all of you to go out and cast your vote.

Personally, I think that there was no need for this election and that it will be a waste of taxpayers’ money. I really don’t anticipate that there will be much change overall.

While I’m sure some of you will agree with me, that means that it is even more important that we all go out and vote. There can be no change or improvement in the government unless we cast a ballot. It is your duty to vote.

Beth

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Wednesday, 1 October 2008

Yes

After the final no, there comes a yes,
and on that yes the future world depends.
-Wallace Stevens

Monday, 29 September 2008

Expectations

If you give people tools,
and they use their natural abilities
and their curiosity,
they will develop things
in ways that will surprise you very much
beyond what you might have expected.
-Bill Gates

Friday, 26 September 2008

Tell

The greatest thing a human soul
ever does in this world
is to see something,
and to tell what it saw in a plain way.
– John Ruskin

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Idle

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly
unless one has plenty of work to do.
– Jerome K. Jerome

Monday, 22 September 2008

Caring

Too often we underestimate the power
of a touch, a smile, a kind word,
a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential
to turn a life around.
- Leo Buscaglia

Friday, 19 September 2008

September 19, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

The other day I was enjoying a lovely drive to Alix as I admired the scenery and the fall colours.

A jarring note in the idyllic moment came as a truck in front of me approached an intersection and ventured way over into the other lane. The thoughts that raced through my mind included was the driver suffering a heart attack? Was there something on the highway? Did something happen to his truck?

No. It seems the driver ahead of me had an aversion to driving over the rumble strips before the intersection.

This isn’t the only time I’ve seen this happen. The first time I was exiting an intersection as an oncoming car suddenly decided, without any warning or other indication, to move right into my driving lane just to avoid the rumble strips. He came a little too close for comfort, too quickly.

I’m sorry, but I have no use for drivers like that. I don’t care what your reason is for such action as there really is no reason good enough to justify endangering yourself and the other drivers when you pull a stunt like that. There are rules to be obeyed when driving on our roads, and driving in the opposite lane, especially when it is occupied, is wrong.

We hear about how dangerous it is to drive while talking on the cell phone or eating. However, it is just as dangerous to move out of your proper lane to avoid the rumble strips at intersections with little regard for the rest of the traffic around you. Slow down...stay in your own lane….be safe and responsible.

Beth

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Wednesday, 17 September 2008

Advice

When you give advice to others,
it applies to your own life
somewhere or somehow.
– John DeMartini

Monday, 15 September 2008

Choice

The difficulty in life is the choice.
– George Moore

Friday, 12 September 2008

Enjoyment

Those who truly and disinterestedly
enjoy any one thing in the world,
for its own sake, and without caring twopence
what other people say about it,
[are] by that very fact forearmed…
[One should never] abandon
the people, food or books he really likes
in favour of the “best” people,
the “right” food, the “important” books.
– CS Lewis

Wednesday, 10 September 2008

Lion

It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.
- Sister Elizabeth Kenny

Monday, 8 September 2008

Place

Every individual has a place to fill in the world,
and is important, in some respect,
whether he chooses to be so or not.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Friday, 5 September 2008

September 5, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

I recently read that traditional Native American healers ask those who are feeling sick four short, seemingly simple, questions:
· When was the last time you sang?
· When was the last time you danced?
· When was the last time you told your story?
· When was the last time you rested in silence?

While most of us don’t tend to sing or dance, share stories or sit in silence, too often, we do tend to do those things more during the relaxed days of summer when schedules are more open and activities are more carefree.

As another school year begins, and clubs and organizations start gathering and meeting again, as our calendars start filling up once more, we need to remember to pause.

We need to pause in our crazy lives to sing more. We need to pause in our crazy lives to dance more. We need to pause in our crazy lives to share with others how we feel (not to complain, but rather to share our observations of our feelings) and how we fit in this world. We need to pause in our crazy lives to just be silent and let the silence embrace us.

Those four simple activities - sing, dance, share, and sit - reconnect us to ourselves and to our innate creativity. Those four activities renew and refresh not only our bodies and our minds, but also our spirits, and from there our relationships with those people around us.

I challenge you to sing, dance, share and sit for a moment each and every day. It is important for your health!

Beth

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Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Studies

It is important that students bring a certain
ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies;
they are not here to worship what is known,
but to question it.
– Jacob Bronowski

Monday, 1 September 2008

Rich

It is the heart that makes a man rich.
He is rich according to what he is,
not according to what he has.
- Henry Ward Beecher

Friday, 29 August 2008

Life

I gave my life
to become the person I am right now.
Was it worth it?
- Richard Bach

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Try

It is common sense to take a method and try it.
If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.
But above all, try something.
- Franklin D Roosevelt

Monday, 25 August 2008

Answers

There are no right answers
to wrong questions.
-Ursula K LeGuin

Friday, 22 August 2008

Celebrate

Celebrate what you want to see more of.
- Thomas J. Peters

Wednesday, 20 August 2008

Silly

Mix a little foolishness with your prudence;
It's good to be silly at the right moment.
- Horace

Monday, 18 August 2008

Fringes

Look at the fringes.
You never know what you might find.
If you only look at the obvious,
you’ll never see everything else.
– Kyle MacDonald

Friday, 15 August 2008

August 15, 2008 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer

Rules...they are made and they are broken. They are revered and they are ignored. They are necessary, and yet they are a necessary evil.
All rules are not bad, yet at the same time, all rules are not good.

I, personally, dislike rules that seem to serve no purpose other than to create endless bureaucratic red-tape. Someone else may dislike other rules for other reasons.

We have rules to keep us safe and relationships harmonious. We also have rules that were merely put in place to make individuals feel important and superior.

I was thinking about rules lately and when they should be bent or broken.

Good reasons to bend or break the rules:
· it will save a life
· it will enhance life
· it will improve a current situation
· the rule is not performing the function in which it was intended

Bad reasons to bend or break the rules:
· it will endanger a life
· it will make life more difficult and create many more hassles
· merely to prove a point to someone

Just because something has been made a “rule” does not mean that it is carved in stone. Every so often, we should examine the rules that we in our country, communities, organizations, and homes to see if the rules are enhancing life and performing the functions that they should be.
If they aren’t, perhaps a change is in order.

Beth

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Wednesday, 13 August 2008

Past

As soon as you believe
there was someplace in the past
where things were better than they are today,
you won’t operate at your full potential now.
– Kyle MacDonald

Monday, 11 August 2008

Life

The deepest secret is that life
is not a process of discovery,
but a process of creation.
You are not discovering yourself,
but creating yourself anew.
Seek, therefore, not to find out Who You Are,
seek to determine Who You Want to Be.
- Neale Donald Walsch

Friday, 8 August 2008

Easy

How would I be doing this differently
if I were willing to let it be easy?
- Alan Cohen

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

Action

A real decision is measured
by the fact that you've taken a new action.
If there's no action,
you haven't truly decided.
- Anthony Robbins

Monday, 4 August 2008

Wise

It's so simple to be wise.
Just think of something stupid to say
and say the opposite.
- Sam Levenson

Friday, 1 August 2008

August 1, 2008 Chautauqua



From the Editor's Computer
It’s summertime and many people are taking time off to go on a vacation.

I recently saw a Hagar the Horrible comic strip where Hagar is trying to get Helga to enjoy their vacation with him. Helga, on the other hand, is far too busy to enjoy their beach location. What is she so busy doing? The final frame shows Helga, on a beach towel, planning next year’s vacation!
A vacation should be a break from your normal lifestyle to give you a chance to renew yourself. If you take your same habits and frantic pace on vacation with you, as Helga did in the comic strip, you are not really vacationing.
A vacation is not so much a destination or even an activity you do, as it is a state of mind. Thus, a vacation can, and should, happen at anytime and anywhere, and can be any length in duration.
Any time you are pausing and taking a moment to step back from your usual routine and pace you are vacationing. It can be no more than the time it takes to take a deep breath, or it can be all day, or even many days.
I can, and quite truthfully do, easily spend a good half my time vacationing.
There is a saying: “A change is as good as a rest.” This is only true if the change is completely different from your usual routine. Helga changed her location but not her mindset. Changing your mindset, even for a brief moment, is a real vacation that can be enjoyed even if you go to another location or do something special.
Beth


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Wednesday, 30 July 2008

Majority

Whenever you find yourself
on the side of the majority,
it is time to pause and reflect.
– Mark Twain

Monday, 28 July 2008

Nothing

There is not enough time
to do all the nothing we want to do.
– Bill Watterson

Friday, 25 July 2008

Wise

There are many things
of which a wise man
might wish to be ignorant.
– Emerson

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Think positively

If you think about disaster, you will get it.
Brood about death and you hasten your demise.
Think positively and masterfully,
with confidence and faith,
and life becomes more secure,
more fraught with action,
richer in achievement and experience.
- Edward Rickenbacker

Monday, 21 July 2008

Future

Neither a wise man nor a brave man
lies down on the tracks of history
to wait for the train of the future
to run over him.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Friday, 18 July 2008

July 18, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

In March of 1896 something pretty momentous happened down by Medicine Hat, in the Northwest Territories. A ranch manager by the name of John Ellis invented the barb-wire telephone and life was never the same for the ranchers. The new-fangled telephone allowed Mr. Ellis to find out when the train would be arriving so he didn’t have to spend all day in town waiting for it to arrive.

We have come a long way since the time of the barb-wire telephone. Virtually every home has at least one telephone, if not many more than that. Countless households also boast at least one cell phone, if not one for each family member.

We can be connected to anyone, anywhere in the world, we want by virtue of a telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It used to be that a person went shopping to get away from the phone, now we bring our phones with us so as not to miss a call! The car used to be one place where you knew that you wouldn’t be force to listen to the ringing of a telephone. That is no longer true.

If that wasn’t enough to make a person’s head spin we now are being told we have to dial 10 digits instead of the 7 most of us are so accustomed to. How are you making out with that change? Are you remembering to punch in all 10 digits, or are you still being treated to that annoying message reminding us that we need to dial all 10 numbers? I must admit as a training tool, that message is very effective. More often than not I remember to dial the extra numbers just to avoid listening to it!

Beth

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Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Decide

You are the person who has to decide.
Whether you'll do it or toss it aside;
you are the person who makes up your mind.
Whether you'll lead or will linger behind.
Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar.
Or just be contented to stay where you are.
- Edgar A. Guest

Monday, 14 July 2008

Happy

I have only two kinds of day:
happy and hysterically happy.
– Allen J. Lefferdink

Friday, 11 July 2008

Circumstances

We can let circumstances rule us,
or we can take charge
and rule our lives from within.
- Earl Nightingale

Wednesday, 9 July 2008

Troubles

The art of living lies less
in eliminating our troubles
than in growing with them.
- Bernard M. Baruch

Monday, 7 July 2008

Life is Short

Life is short
Break the rules
Forgive quickly
Kiss slowly
Love truly
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret anything that made you smile.
- Unknown

Friday, 4 July 2008

July 4, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

Do you have a job (I just do…for a living), a career (I’m proud to do…for a living) or a calling (I contribute to the betterment of...)?

We all have had jobs and careers at different stages of our lives, however it is a calling that makes us get out of bed in the morning. It is a calling that puts the joy into our days. It is a calling that gives our lives meaning and purpose.

Life is more than just the pursuit of a paycheque. What is your calling?

Beth

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Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Teach

You cannot teach a man anything;
you can only help him find it within himself.
- Galileo Galilei

Monday, 30 June 2008

Dance

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ...
it's about learning to dance in the RAIN!
- Unknown

Friday, 27 June 2008

Love self

Love yourself first and
everything else falls into line.
You really have to love yourself
to get anything done in this world.
- Lucille Ball

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Truths

Always direct your thoughts
to those truths that will give you
confidence, hope, joy, love, thanksgiving,
and turn away your mind from those that
inspire you with fear, sadness, depression.
- Bertrand Wilbertforce

Monday, 23 June 2008

Success

I love those who can smile in trouble,
who can gather strength from distress,
and grow brave by reflection.
'Tis the business of little minds to shrink,
but they whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves their conduct,
will pursue their principles unto death.
- Thomas Paine

Friday, 20 June 2008

June 20, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

Do you have enough time? Do any of us have enough time? Are we running out of time? Are we losing precious time?

I was reading a book the other day that mentioned a new way of looking at the concept we call time, and how we relate to it.

Usually when we think of time we think of not having enough, or that time is running out, or time is flying by, or time that we’ve lost never to be recovered. The image that is often used is an hourglass with the sands of time steadily running down to the bottom half, diminishing the amount on top.

Richard Leider and David Shapiro, authors, have taken that popular image and literally turned it upside down.

Instead of picturing ourselves at the top of the hourglass where time is running out, they suggest that we picture ourselves at the bottom of the hourglass.

By picturing ourselves at the bottom, our whole perspective changes as each minute is followed by another and another and another in abundance. Time isn’t running out or lost, it is flowing to us in a never-ending stream.

No longer do we need to worry about missing out, or thinking that we’ve been past over. There are abundant minutes in our lives for us to do whatever we want. We no longer need to frantically rush about as there is plenty of time to get done what needs to be done, or do what we want to do.

Enjoy all your minutes...there are more coming your way!

Beth

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Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Crisis

This sudden shifting of all one’s forces,
these about-faces of the soul,
never occur without many a crisis;
the majority of artists avoid them
by means of distraction,
but that is why they never manage
to return to the centre of their productivity,
whence they started out
at the moment of their purest impulse.
– Rainer Maria Rilke

Monday, 16 June 2008

Stories

The most erroneous stories
are those we think we know best -
and therefore never scrutinize or question.
- Stephen Jay Gould

Friday, 13 June 2008

Beliefs

Live your beliefs and you will change the world.
– Thoreau

Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Soul

It is the soul's duty to be loyal to its own desires.
It must abandon itself to its master passion.
- Rebecca West

Monday, 9 June 2008

Rest

Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing
you can possibly do is take a complete rest.
- Ashleigh Brilliant

Friday, 6 June 2008

June 6, 2008 Chautauqua



From the Editor's Computer


It will soon be Father’s Day, and I would like to share with you some of my childhood memories of my Dad.

I can remember being a preschooler and playing with my dad. Okay...I played while he laid down on the couch. This put him at the perfect height for me to use his head as my playing area. My dad always had a brush cut, making the crown of his head (especially right after a haircut!) the perfect lush ‘field’ to ‘graze’ my toy cows or ‘gallop’ my toy horses across. Looking back now, I can only say that he was infinitely patient with me and could obviously tolerate a lot of pain! Take a moment to imagine a hard plastic horse, in the hands of a preschooler, ‘galloping’ across the crown of your head.

Dad would also spend lots of time driving dinky cars around a track approximately 2 feet by 1 foot with me. Around and around...and around and around...For variety, we would sometimes prop the track up slightly, thus creating an incline to race our cars down. If done correctly, the cars would continue across the floor as we didn’t have carpet!

Often when Dad was working outside in the yard or garden, I would ‘help’ him with my own set of miniature garden tools, imitating his actions, or I’d be stirring up a large batch of mud pies in his wheel barrow.

It is said that any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a DAD!

Happy Father’s Day to All the Fathers!

Beth

*Reprinted, with revisions, from the June 7, 2002 issue of the Chautauqua

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Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Change

Long-term change requires looking honestly at our lives
and realizing that it's nice to be needed
but not at the expense of our health,
our happiness, and our sanity.
- Ellen Sue Stern

Monday, 2 June 2008

Love

What the world really needs
is more love and less paperwork.
– Pearl Bailey

Friday, 30 May 2008

Friends

Celebrate the happiness
that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday
and celebrate just living!
- Amanda Bradley

Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Life

Life is 10 percent what you make it
and 90 percent how you take it.
- Irving Berlin

Monday, 26 May 2008

Little Things

It is not the straining
for great things that is most effective;
it is the doing of the little things,
the common duties, a little better and better.
- Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

Friday, 23 May 2008

People

God determines who walks into your life....
it's up to you to decide who you let walk away,
who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.
- Unknown

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Success

Think rightly.
Feel deeply.
Choose wisely.
Act accordingly.
Live intentionally.
– Loren Fischer

Monday, 19 May 2008

Kindness

Everyday, think as you wake up,
today I am fortunate to be alive,
I have a precious human life,
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all my energies
to develop myself,
to expand my heart out to others;
to achieve enlightenment
for the benefit of all beings.
I am going to have kind thoughts
towards others, I am not going to get angry
or think badly about others.
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

~ Dalai Lama

Friday, 16 May 2008

May 16, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

I was given this quotation the other day..."Nothing natural or interesting grows in a straight line. As a matter of fact, it is the quickest way to the wrong place. Don't pretend to know where you're going. Because if you know where you're going, that means you've been there, and you are going to end up exactly where you came from." (excerpted from the movie Snake Talk).

How true that is when applied to our lives. Rarely, I mean rarely, do our plans, dreams, and hopes for our lives and future follow a straight path. More often than not we end up detoured on some back road of life that we had no idea even existed, let alone had any desire to be on.

Yet, it is precisely in those life detours, twists and turns, roller-coaster rides, and arrivals at unknown places that the fabric of our lives are woven into the beautiful tapestry that we share with others. Where is life taking you today?

Beth

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Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Choices

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words;
it is expressed in the choices one makes.
In the long run, we shape our lives
and we shape ourselves.
The process never ends until we die.
And, the choices we make
are ultimately our own responsibility.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday, 12 May 2008

Learning

In times of change, learners inherit the earth,
while the learned find themselves
beautifully equipped to deal
with a world that no longer exists.
- Eric Hoffer

Friday, 9 May 2008

Happiness

Are you BORED with your life?
Then THROW yourself into some work
you BELIEVE in with all your heart,
LIVE for it, DIE for it,
and you will find HAPPINESS
that you had thought could never be YOURS.
- Dale Carnegie

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Seeing

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
- Antoine Saint-Exupéry

Monday, 5 May 2008

Work

Three Rules of Work:
Out of clutter find simplicity,
from discord find harmony,
in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein

Friday, 2 May 2008

May 2, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

This week is Volunteer Week across Canada. This is the week when we pay tribute to the most valuable resource our nation has...volunteers.

Too often someone will say that what they do is not important as they are “just a volunteer.” Or, they will downplay their contributions because they “volunteer” and are not paid.

Personally, I don’t think we should thank our volunteers just one week out of the whole year...we should be thanking our volunteers each and every day. Without volunteers our communities would be in very sad shape. Volunteers are the ones who make sure that we have activities in our communities, not only for the children, but for all ages. Volunteers are the ones who keep the community functioning in all areas...most particularly the areas that we don’t always see. Truthfully, too often we are not aware of everything that volunteers do because so much of the work happens behind the scenes, and we reap the benefits of that hard work.

So today, and every day, remember to thank the volunteers who make your life better, and to those who volunteer...thank you for all you do!

Beth

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Wednesday, 30 April 2008

Potential

Continuous effort--not strength or intelligence--
is the key to unlocking our potential.
- Black Elk

Monday, 28 April 2008

Adversity

If we had no winter,
the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.
-Anne Bradstreet

Friday, 25 April 2008

Choices

Until a person can say deeply and honestly,
'I am what I am today
because of the choices I made yesterday,'
that person cannot say, 'I can choose otherwise.'
- Stephen Covey

Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Forgetting

May I forget what ought to be forgotten;
and recall, unfailing,
all that ought to be recalled,
each kindly thing,
forgetting what might sting.
- Mary Caroline Davies

Monday, 21 April 2008

Planted

Be planted, not potted.
– Rev. Willie Wilson

Friday, 18 April 2008

April 18, 2008 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

I would like to extend my congratulations to the Alix Wagon Wheel Museum board and volunteers, as well as all those who assisted in making the Museum’s Spring Event such a wonderful and memorable afternoon.

Such an event would not be possible without the leadership of our very own Eve Keates, who manages to make keeping all the rest of us in line look so easy.

A highlight of the afternoon was the unveiling (as it were) of the reprint of the original “Pioneers and Progress” history book. The books are now available and make great gifts.

Beth

Click here to read the complete issue of The Chautauqua.

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