Friday, 29 December 2017

Left

It's not what they take away from you that counts.
 It's what you do with what you have left.
 - Hubert Humphrey

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Slow down

Slow down, breathe deeply, smile. 
It's a beautiful world. 
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Monday, 25 December 2017

Merry Christmas

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, 
and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. 
~ Norman Vincent Peale

Friday, 22 December 2017

Desire

It is possible at any age to discover 
a lifelong desire you never knew you had.
 - Robert Brault

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Spirit

The human spirit is stronger
 than anything that can happen to it. 
- C.C. Scott

Monday, 18 December 2017

Yes

When we learn to say a deep, passionate yes 
to the things that really matter,
 then peace begins to settle onto our lives
 like golden sunlight sifting to a forest floor. 
- Thomas Kinkade

Friday, 15 December 2017

December 15, 2017 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   Years ago, we acquired a second-hand 4,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of a castle in Scotland.

    For years it sat on a shelf in the basement, and my Dad was always going to put it together, but we didn’t have a table or board big enough as the box said the puzzle was 57 x 38 inches.

   Then Dad passed away in 2003, and still the puzzle sat on the shelf. 

   Numerous other (smaller) puzzles were completed over the years, yet that 4,000 piece one never moved.

   Finally I decided it was time to do something with it.  On January 13th of this year, my niece and I took it off the shelf.  After measuring every possible surface, we started putting the puzzle together right on the floor in a corner of the living room.

   In the beginning, I had a bit of assistance from my sister and niece, but I completed the bulk of the puzzle myself.  All in all, it took me just over two and half months, but with my health challenges this year, that was actually stretched over ten months, and the final piece was put in on November 12th (photo, below).

   Many people stopping at our house would comment on the progress (or lack thereof) and say that they couldn’t do something like that because they didn’t have the patience.

   Yet, it isn’t really “patience” per se that is required.  Like any task in this world, it is love and enjoyment of the task that keeps a person going, and whether you are a “journey” or a “destination” person.  I really enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles so the task was not daunting - in the sense of impossible - as I knew I WOULD finish it, and it is the challenge of the puzzle, not the completed puzzle that I get the most enjoyment from.

   The puzzle has now been taken apart and boxed up again so it can be passed onto someone else for them to enjoy.


    This is also a good time of year to remember that the Christmas season is a journey to enjoy, not a destination to reach and check off a list.  We wonder why life is going by so fast, could it be because we rush through our holidays and milestones in order to reach the next one?

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua23/home/December%2015%2C%202017%20Chautauqua3.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Contact The Chautauqua vai email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Hurdles

Life's problems wouldn't be called “hurdles”
 if there weren't a way to get over them.
 - Author Unknown

Monday, 11 December 2017

Let Go

Some times you have to let go to see
 if there was anything worth holding onto. 
- Author Unknown

Friday, 8 December 2017

Broken

Abandon the assumption that something is wrong
 if people are suffering...
A person's suffering or struggle doesn't make them broken...
just because you can't fix what you see...
doesn't mean you are broken.
 - Barbara De Angelis

Wednesday, 6 December 2017

Ripples

The first ripple of love has to arise in your own heart. 
If it has not risen for yourself,
 it cannot rise for anybody else, 
because everybody else is farther away from you. 
It's like throwing a stone in the silent lake – 
the first ripples will arise around the stone and then
 they will go on spreading to the further shores. 
- Osho

Monday, 4 December 2017

Fly

First Love Yourself = FLY
 - Barbara De Angelis

Friday, 1 December 2017

December 1, 2017 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   Sigh, it seems there are some misconceptions and rumours floating around about me that I  need to clarify.

   First, I have not quit the newspaper.  Which should be obvious as I am still the contact person, and I still write a blurb for this spot every issue. 

   That said, I have had to make changes in how I go about putting the paper together, and, the biggest change of all, is that I have had to get help with the twice-monthly deliveries as I am just not able to handle the physical effort on my own.  Even though I have had help, I have been along on every trip, in the car, giving directions.

   Unfortunately it doesn’t look like this situation will be changing any time soon, and, as I can’t always find someone available to spend the day with me, I can’t guarantee that I’ll always be able to get the print issues out to the communities in a timely manner.  The paper will be available online for sure.

   Second, I AM getting better, but “getting better” does not mean that I am cured, totally healthy, or that life is now back to normal.  FAR FROM IT!  All “getting better: means at this point in my life is that I am not loudly knocking on death’s door any more.  Thank goodness!  I still need loads of rest, I still need help doing things, and I am not supposed to have any stress - though I still haven’t figured out how to get around that one as just having a chronic illness is stressful enough, besides the stresses that result from not being able to do what you want, or need to do each day.

   I was told that I have been like a gas tank that is so empty and dry there aren’t even any fumes in there.  When I rest, and manage to get replenished, I act like I have a full tank, when in reality I may only have a few drops of gas, which are quickly used up.  Until I can get my tank filled up again, I am going to be limited as to what I can do on my own.

   Third, just because I am smiling doesn’t mean that everything is sunshine and roses in my life, because it is NOT!  I smile, because I am at heart basically a very happy person, and because smiling is the one thing I can do that doesn’t stress me out, or exhaust me within 10 or 15 minutes.  While there may be a smile on my face, the tears are a mere blink away and can fall at any time - and they do fall.


   My life changed in the past 5 years, and nothing is the same.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua23/home/December%201%2C%202017%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua
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