Friday 28 June 2019

Approval

The approval of others is never more important
 than your approval of yourself.
 - Humble the Poet

Wednesday 26 June 2019

Surround

Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, 
touch your heart, and nourish your soul. 
- unknown

Monday 24 June 2019

Attitude

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, 
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
 – Herm Albright

Friday 21 June 2019

June 21, 2019 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   The end of an era arrived very abruptly on Wednesday, June 12 with the passing of my mom, Gale Richardson.

   On behalf of my family, I would like to thank everyone for the kind words, condolences, and for sharing your memories of mom.  Thank you to the staff at the Stettler Hospital, and in particular, the wonderful nurse who was with mom when she passed, and a very special thank you to her hospital roommate, Linda, for keeping an eye on mom.

   I’ve been told while it’s not a surprise she is gone, it really is. 

   Yes, she had been in the hospital for the previous 15 weeks, with the final 2.5 weeks in long-term care.  Yes, she had shrunk down to less than 90 lbs and was in a wheelchair.  Yes, she had had lots of pain and major health challenges for YEARS - in fact, she was sent home from the University Hospital in May of 1996 to die as her internal organs were heavy damaged and scarred following a very severe allergic reaction to a medication, and were operating at considerably less than 50%.

   And yet...despite all of that, she’d always defied the odds somehow, amazing everyone as she continued to live and be a vital presence.

   As Mom was deeply involved in her community, she touched countless lives, of all ages, in ways we probably will never ever know, whether it was through Girl Guides, church activities of all sorts, her various leadership and executive positions on various community boards through the years, her involvement in schools as both a teacher and parent, her creation of ladies’ crafting groups and starting the ECS program in Mirror, or just her interactions with friends and neighbours. 

   Mom will be remembered for her “craftiness” and her homemade goodies and gifts as she remembered birthdays and special occasions. She will be remembered for her encouragement and faith in the children she taught, and the girls she nurtured through Guiding.  She will be remembered for her joking, witty comments, and so much, much more. 


   As one friend told me: “Your mom can’t be gone, she was an institution.”  Yes...Gale certainly was!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua26/home/June%2021%2C%202019%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

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

Wednesday 19 June 2019

Untold

There is no greater agony 
than bearing an untold story within you. 
- Maya Angelou

Monday 17 June 2019

Faith

Have faith in yourself and your abilities to deal
 with whatever challenges will surely come your way. 
- Humble the Poet

Friday 14 June 2019

Self-love

You can’t hate yourself happy, you can’t criticize yourself thin,
 you can’t shame yourself wealthy – all change 
begins with self-love and self- care.
 - Jessica Ortner

Wednesday 12 June 2019

People

If people don’t like you for who you are, 
change the people, not yourself. 
- Humble the Poet

Monday 10 June 2019

Hoop

We wouldn’t care about what others think of us 
if we realize how rarely they did...
Write your own story, pave your own highway...
Those that really matter will never 
give you a hoop to jump through.
 - Humble the Poet

Friday 7 June 2019

June 7, 2019 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” 

   If you are of a certain age, you probably heard this quote, or a variation of it, from a parent or other adult at some point in your childhood.  The Puritan work ethic, that our society seems to have inherited with a vengeance, frowned on taking time to just sit and do nothing but enjoy life.

   Now there is a lot I could say against that notion of always being busy and not being idle, but, I have to admit there is a degree of truth in it.

   Unfortunately, with all of our labour-saving devices, and great technological advances, as a society, we are suffering from a lack of basic movement.  And, I don’t mean the “artificial” movement we do in fitness classes, and during “exercise,” but rather the natural movements that used to happen as we went about our days.  If you aren't sure exactly what I mean, look at a toddler - though, preferably one who has never touched an electronic device, or sat in front of a TV.

   Back when people predominately walked everywhere, and had to do the majority of their daily tasks and jobs by hand, there was not only a sense of accomplishment and achievement, because you could see your progress, but also because you could literally FEEL it in your muscles, which led to greater mental and emotional health.

   Today’s digital culture does not create that same effect even if we are pushing buttons on a computer or on a smart phone all day.  No wonder we feel like life is flying by so fast, and there is so much stress and anxiety.  We are striving so hard to achieve the sense of accomplishing something tangible, but there is nothing tangible about bits and bytes.  We also used to get the sense of tangible progress through creative hobbies, but now, even something as basic as turning the pages in a book is almost entirely a thing of the past.


   Our mental/emotional wellbeing depends on us using our hands and feet.  Just as our feet were designed to walk, not push the gas or brake pedals on a vehicle, our hands were designed to do and make real things, not just push buttons or swipe.  

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua26/home/June%207%2C%202019%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

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

Wednesday 5 June 2019

Dawn

Greet the dawn with enthusiasm, 
and you may expect satisfaction at sunset. 
- proverb

Monday 3 June 2019

Trouble

A lot of trouble in this world wouldn't bother people
 if they weren't always looking for it. 
- proverb

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