The Moon Landing 40 Years Ago - July 20, 1969

Can you believe that the Moon Landing ...man's first steps on the moon was 40 years ago today.... wow! Someone on the news this morning said that everyone probably remembers where they were the day it happened. For most people, over 45 I'm sure like they were, like our family, sitting in front of the TV with eyes and ears watching intently! My uncle from Arizona was visiting at Grandma's house, so our family was all gathered at her house. We all sat, Grandma, my Mother and siblings and cousins, in front of Grandma's color TV (we loved TV at her house because we didn't have color TV)...and together we watched the moon landing and the walk on the moon, "One giant step for mankind!" I remember how excited we were and we talked a lot about it. It was all very exciting. We will never forget it!

Now when they have launchs, I don't think they even show it on TV that much, and do the students in the school watch it? The space program has changed a lot over these 40 years.... it doesn't get the media and press as the first couple space ventures did! The President is now talking about putting more money into the space program.

Health, Happiness and Prosperity

The Optimist Creed that I wrote about last weekend...I took the first statement and kept it in mind all week. I am sure that it helped me to stay calm, relaxed and to have a good peace of mind during the work week.

SO... this week, I will concentrate on the SECOND statement. It is:

I promise myself to talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.

I'll report next weekend how the week goes, with keeping that in mind.

Wishing all of you a week filled with health, happiness and prosperity!

CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, FIGHT BACK

You are probably aware that for 10 years I have been involved with our Duluth Relay For Life Event for The American Cancer Society. I have either been the team captain or a team member. This year, due to my work load at my job, and due to being extra busy, I haven't had time to think about relay. Our HOPE UM Church team has had the same members for many years, and I believe they were getting tired. Because the gal who was the captain last year stepped down, no one else stepped up. Usually, it would have been me, but this year I decided to take a break....and since I heard nothing from any of last years members (except one, who was new last year and asked about 2 wks ago) I decided it best to take a break from the church team this year.

Well, three of our Hope family members have had cancer diagnosis, just in the last few months! Thinking about them recently made me feel badly that we aren't having a team. Then this week, with the event coming closer, it's next Friday, 17th, I also thought about how relay is not just about raising money. It is about CELEBRATING those loved ones that have beat cancer, or who are in remission. And, about REMEMBERING those who are now going through cancer treatments, and of course,
REMEMBERING those we lost to cancer.

Now, you will remember that Bob and I and his family lost his cousin Rose to cancer in January, after a short 3 month battle. And of course, at our HOPE family we have many battling, some for a long time, as well as those just starting their battle. At HOPE we also celebrate many, many who have fought the battle and won! We also sadly REMEMBER all from our church family who lost their battle, and are no longer with us. But, we will never forget them. These things are also what Relay For Life is about. As I said, it's not just the fundraising. The event is an inspiration. It is a chance for us also to say that we are going to FIGHT BACK!!! With everyone participating, we feel more power in our FIGHTING BACK! Now, I just talked about our cousin, and my family at my church. There are also my family members who I Celebrate and Remember.

We all have friends and family affected.

I bet you can guess what I am going to say next. Well, yes.... I have decided that I just CAN'T SKIP a Year of FIGHTING! I am hoping that my Hope team members will come back in the fall to fight again at 2010's relay. But, in the meantime, I have joined a team. I know it's "last minute" for fundraising...but we can raise money through the end of our fiscal year, which is August 30. I ask you to support me (and our team...we are small...only 3 of us...anyone interested in joining us?). It's easy to donate online, click on my link on this blog, RELAY FOR LIFE...it will take you to the event page, put in Duluth, MN and it will go to the Duluth Relay Home page. Look at participants, find my name and click on it....it goes to my home page.

You can also print a form to donate offline.

Please think of all those affected by this disease and support us. Thank you in advance!

PS...this is a special year for Relay...it is our 25th Anniversary Year. Duluth Community has relayed for 17 years...this is our 18th Year! (side note...I was on the committee for the very first relay in Duluth...and it was before I worked for The American Cancer Society!)

Great Work Week ...Peace of Mind

Our "Northern Lights" Team - lighting up Northern Minnesota
(I do Admn. Support work for the whole team)

I had a good week at work. One of the best ever. I have definitely been suffering for a long time from "burn out". Having four days off of work last Thursday through Sunday really made a difference. I felt more refreshed and not as over whelmed as I usually feel with my work load. I still have a heavy work load, but because I had those 4 days of rest, I seemed to be able to handle my work days better. Also, I did what I said in my last post that I was going to do. I kept in mind all week the first statement of "The Optimist Creed". It was: "I promise myself to be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind". I know that statement by heart now, because I said it to myself in my head, all week long!

It must have made a difference in my work week! AND it was a busy week for all of us...two of our staff had Relay For Life Events last night....Moose Lake and Superior/Douglas Co. We all kept it together!

Our manager mentioned yesterday that she feels that there is not the tension in our office the last few weeks as it was. She said even with these busy weeks of relay events, we are all handling work and relationships so much better than we did last summer at this time. I told her I agreed with her, especially this last week! We have all been working together well as a team!

I hope and pray that this is the start of a better work atmosphere for us all. I will keep up with my Optimist Creed and keep being optimist for a great work environment for us all in the office!

Gleaned from MJ's Service

I noticed this saying on the stage at Michael's service today. I don't know who said/wrote it, but thought it was worthy of remembering:

"There's nothing that can't be done if we raise our voice as one"

There was such good music at his service! What Brooke Shields said was very touching, I thought.
Berry Gordy, also. And...his brother's singing his favorite song "Smile"...and all of them singing that wonderful, touching song "We Are the World", that always brings me to tears! All the songs and performances were inspiring. What a service!

Did you know???? Michael holds the record in the Guiness Book of Records for the most charities supported by a pop star!

And didn't you want to cry when his daughter spoke!

To be so strong that....

Refer to my post below...

First statement of the Optimist Creed: (I'll tackle this one first)
Promise Yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

This will be a good statement for me to start practicing, since the last few months I have not been feeling much "peace of mind". SO ... how does one become so strong that your peace of mind is not disturbed? In this day when there are so many things on our minds, so many stressors in our mind, so many worries. I am a natural "worrier", this I know about myself. I have been trying real hard not to worry about the future, not to worry about my family, about my job, etc. I'm getting better at it. But, I have to always remind myself to "have faith" and as my Dad always said "Trust in The Lord", and my Mom always said "Take one day at a time!". And, of course, as Jesus has told us, "consider the lilies of the field"... we are not to worry about the future, about our day ahead, we must have faith and trust that The Lord will guide us. If we put our faith and trust in The Lord, we will become strong and have "Peace of Mind". I must remember this every day.

The Optimist Creed

A new friend that I have just become acquainted with, gave me this "Optimist Creed". I thought it was so good, I hung a copy up in my work area and here at home. I also gave a copy of it to some of my friends. I just noticed it a few minutes ago, and thought I would share it with you. The friend that gave it to me, said she reads this every morning, and refers to it when she's having a bad day. I have found myself referring to it also. It does not say who wrote it, and she did not know...so I guess it was passed down...

THE OPTIMIST CREED

PROMISE YOURSELF....

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something special in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism some true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the fugure.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit
the presence of trouble.

Gee, as I was typing these words...a thought occurred to me. How about if I concentrate on just one of these statements for a day or a week.... it would make make it easier to remember them and to put them all into practice. What do you think? One statement a day or one statement a week...???

Potato Salad and 4th of July

My apologies...I did not realize until I looked at my blog this evening that I wrote 3 posts about my health and eating... I feel like I'm out of it lately, not keeping up to date on things... now after seeing this...I know I am!

I was planning to write about potato salad tonight...but now, don't know if I should! But, I got such a kick out of Garrison Keillor's column lately titled "Inalienable rights include decent potato salad". I have to share my thoughts...he was bemoaning the fact that no one makes HOMEMADE potato salad anymore. He said he is sure that at every 4th of July picnic this weekend, "the famiy member assigned to bring the potato salad is probably going to walk in with a couple of gallaon plastic buckets of yellowish muck bought at a convenience store, the price stickers still on them, and set them down on the table with no apology whatsoever"!!! He asks that if you bring that "garbage" to share with your family, the least you could do is tell a good lie about why you didn't make it homemade. Now, if I did that, I would admit that I bought the salad because I can't make good salad myself. (Even thought Garrison says in his article that "It is not that hard to make potato salad people!" I have to say I have tried many times to make a potato salad, and it never gets good, so I disagree with him that it's easy. **** Garrison said it's not only potato salad that we don't take time to make anymore, its lots of things. He said that by not paying attention to details and taking time to teach our children that it's alright to "buy" stuff rather than make it homemade, that we are teaching them that accomplishment doesn't matter.

My personal take on potato salad- it is something that everyone makes so differently, and when you find a kind that you like, that's the kind you crave. My favorite potato salad used to be my Mother's...but NO one, not even if I use her recipe, can make it like she did. One of my friends makes the best potato salad (other than Mother's) that I have ever tasted. She knows that when she makes it, she must give me some! She says it's so good because it has a "secret ingredient" in it. She will not tell me what it is though. Anyhow, the other kind of potato salad that I like is Mt. Royal's Fine Foods salad from their deli. I have been craving that all through June, to the point that I would stop in there just for that... I'd get a small container, so not to eat too much. One time I bought a large tub of it to take to a potluck luncheon, ****just so I could have some of it the night before the potluck. (But, I never claimed that it was homemade", and I did transfer it to a fancy bowl, but if anyone had asked if I made it I would tell the truth...although no one did ask, so I didn't have to! ha ha) One week Mt. Royal had it on sale, you know I stopped there more than once that week.

My Mother's potato salad was made with a Pennsylvania Dutch boiled dressing, she cooked it using a lot of eggs, cooked with bacon... of course, it was the bacon that really made it so good (and of course, not healthy) as it included both the bacon and some of the drippings. She cooked it then let it get cold and she'd pour it over the cooked potatoes, and add seasonings and fresh parsley. It was so delicious. She gave me the recipe, and when I was first married I tried making it several times, and it just never got right. I finally gave up. I have seen dressings like it in PA Dutch cook books, and always think I am going to try it again, but then I think it's so much work, only for me to be disappointed. So, I don't.

I know some of my readers from PA will recognize her potato salad....I'm sure no one from Minnesota will. I think it's art was lost on the rest of the family, because I don't think any of my siblings and their families make her recipe.

Ok...I've had my share of potato salad for the summer, and now I've talked about it... that is the end of the potato salad now! No more....

Linda, Remember Why!

June 14 it was ONE year since I started my healthy eating and journey toward a lighter, more healthy person. I lost 40 lbs through the end of September. Since then the weight just plateaued and up to March or April I went up and down 5-6 lbs... only going up 5 or 6 lbs from the plateau weight. It has been harder to keep my momentum going because of the "up and down" and never going under. I would look at myself in the mirror, and tell myself that I had to get back on track. I wasn't excersing either....I tried walking on my lunch hour, but I've been so overwhelmed with my work load, that I was eating more and more of my lunches at my desk. Too tired from the work day when I got home to do any walking. Yesterday I saw my dietician that I've been working with since last June. In talking with her, and her asking me why I've "lost my motivation"... I said I don't know. Then when I confessed to eating too many salty things this past week, in an effort NOT to eat the sweets that I crave... she said to me "Linda, do you want to go back on the blood pressure meds that you got off of in September?" She reminded me that if I continue on the salty trail, that is what will happen! Suddenly it HIT me...this past fall and winter, my motivation CHANGED from doing this to make myself healthier, to doing this so that I would LOOK BETTER for our son's wedding in Mexico in April! Oh my gosh, wanting to look better, DOES NOT give someone the same motivation as "GETTING HEALTHY, AVOIDING DIABETES, High blood pressure and avoiding taking cholestral meds...." I then remembered that up until I hit my plateau weight, that I couldn't get under, GETTING HEALTHY WAS my motivation. When I forgot that whole part of the picture, it was easier for me to slip back into old habits, I was forgetting about the diabetes scare when I ate candy and cookies... and forgot that sodium gives high blood pressure... etc. The past 2 weeks instead of playing with 5 to 6 pounds, I am now up 10 lbs. My dietican made me face reality that the scales are now going UP instead of down, and since Mar. 1st, I am up 10 lbs! OH MY...

Today I'm starting back on the MOTIVATION that worked last summer... I'm going to REMEMBER WHY I'm doing this, it is NOT to look better, it's to get and to stay HEALTHY!!!
This morning the sun was shining so bright, it was so beautiful, that I went for a walk. I was only able to make it around one block...but it's a start again. AND I had my healthy breakfast and my mid morning snack. I have to remember again how important PROTEIN is and low carbs and sodium.