SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

ONE of my all time favorite Jack stories (me!) ~writeousmom

 this was part of joyce meyer's show recently:   one of my all time favorite jack stories!

in even Jesus had to be laughings' name.   amen.

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 11:02 AM 0 comments

Speaking of Prayer and Plants -good cry for (me!) ~tops

 this prayer plant is thriving in our home.   it arrived here from cynthia's apartment; cynthia was murdered in July of 2019.     I had written these two posts in 2017, and 2018.   amazing especially to re-read my feb 18th, 2017 post:   that is 7 months prior to 'attracting' Robert into my life; and 2 years prior to spiritually adopting this prayer plant.  because of my experience at alden lane; falling in love with the prayer plant..  only because of that experience did i even recognize, among the many indoor and outdoor plants..   and did pay careful attention to where she kept it..    indirect light.   and i keep it in a location where it receives indirect light also.   i was initially guilty of over-watering..   really, only occasional watering, when the soil looks dry..   and i rotate it frequently, so each side gets exposed to the indirect sunlight.   it has been pruned many a time..    and seems very happy where it is.    -so, when i wrote, in feb 2017,  " if i had the money and time and resources..

 i would design my entire custom built home around the needs of this gorgeous, spectacular house plant..."

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 9:36 AM 0 comments

Purging Greeting Cards, Old Photos, & Stuff: 10+ Tips from a Family Memory Manager (me!) ~tops

I have made enormous progress in this area.    -Over decades, not years, months or weeks; decades.

and in truth, you are never 'done'.   Everyday life provides more and more potential memories/memorabilia, and I currently treat it like a garden. Consistent weeding prevents overwhelm.

The major declutter/purge/weeding work has been done..   I am now on a regular weeding program..  and my beautiful garden of memories, pictures, scrapbooks, letters, art, gifts, decor...   colorful, alive, creative and thriving.

I am more proactively selective now about what i keep/toss..  i keep less and less and less; whereas in my younger years i kept, and kept, and kept, and kept, and kept...

and the transition in my own lifetime, from print to digital, allows me to take and keep way more pictures than i will ever actually ever need, but WOW! to digital, and clouds..  so grateful!  not having to carry hundreds of pictures, store them..  worry if there's a fire...

and!  sometimes when i have gotten stuck and been unable to throw something away; if i take a digital picture of it before i let it go...    much easier!

so that is TIP #1

TIP #2:

Of course you have your piles:   Keep.   Throw Away.  Sell.    Give Away/Donate.

TIP #3:

Sort things in this order:  

  No brainer/Easy Throw Away    duplicate pictures fall in this category for me; or 800 pictures from the same special occasion.  i've learned to keep a few; discard/shred the rest..

 Not Sure/Can't Decide    i still have albums in this category (so what..)

 Definite Treasure      which is on display for me to enjoy, or placed where i can easily access it..  i pray, my great, great, great, grandchildren will explore their great, great, great grandma's personal scrapbook with great interest; as i explore/enjoy memorabilia from my relatives.   -great to see what remains the same internally, vs. what changes in the external world from generation to generation.

 

if you can't yet even decide what categories your tangible memories should go in...  call for professional help.

i'm remembering here, timed math tests in elementary school:  just go through and answer all the easy ones first, then go back and tackle the harder ones; employ that same strategy with your stuff.

TIP #4:  It's hard work..   Tap frequently into your motivation whatever that might be:   Clearing and freeing up space; Sparing your children from having to make the decisions you neglected to make..

TIP#5:  It is perfectly okay to keep too much of your children's stuff and pass the memory inventory on to them.   Unlike cars, memories appreciate in value with time, when they are older, they will delight in things/events/art/people they forgot, and then they can decide:  keep, throw away, donate, etc.

TIP #6:  Know the answer to these questions for each memory object:   Why do I have this? For what reason(s) should I not throw away, sell or donate this?

TIP#7:  Do not tackle declutters/purges all in one day.  Take breaks..   Be very kind to yourself..

TIP#8:   Celebrate in some way each time you complete a declutter/purge session   -Watch or read your favorite comedy, get a pedicure, take a walk, say a prayer...

TIP#9:   When you get stuck; watch and rewatch Hoarders, a documentary on netflix.  This serves as motivation of a different kind... it compassionately helps instill an aversion to keeping unnecessary things.. 

TIP#10:  Let's say, that when you die, you are guilty of keeping too many pictures, letters, art, clothing, decor, etc.       Considering the variety of things we, as humans, can potentially be guilty of

keeping too much stuff, because it means something to us; because it contributed to our lives, lessons, memories; things that help us understand, see, appreciate, remember..   things that validate our existence, demonstrate what we valued at a given time; things that help us remember, what the human mind might otherwise forget, or lose access to..

as long as you are not keeping things that mold, stink, cause health problems, block the entrance to your front or bathroom doors..

be sure and get enjoyment/value of some sort, out of the memories you do keep; they are uniquely yours...

that said, 

i will close with a concrete example of my relatively new and ongoing weeding process:

i just celebrated my 56th birthday; this, "thank you Jesus, family, friends," involves receiving a fair number of birthday cards

for some people, throwing away birthday cards is a no brainer..  and they do it easily, quickly, with no after thought

i am not some people.

what complicates this for me personally:    so many things, 

1.  i love paper   2. i am a mixed media artist, cutting out portions of cards to use for....     3. i am a poet, i appreciate the words..    4.  i love/cherish/value people's actual handwriting, signatures..   5. sometimes cards have personal photos..  i like watching families/children grow..  6. i collect stamps..

for the lion's share of my life; i kept them all in files..

it is only recently..    

but i now keep only 1 or 2 cards from cherished friend/family..  and the rest are either returned or  shredded.

    -had fun earlier this year, 'recycling' a birthday card from years ago..  and sent it back to my friend that sent it to me, -on her birthday.   -all the same words/sentiment, write back to you!

-sometimes we do forget, what a good friend we have been to someone else...   it's a tangible reminder.

and, 

if you've ever gone to visit someone..  and they kept something, you long forgot about giving them..

that is a wonderful feeling.  i've been on the receiving, and giving side of that experience.

moral of my story post here today:

it's okay to keep things too.  'minimalization' is currently trending..  but be careful not to let outsiders minimalize what makes you, you; what is valuable and meaningful to you.

one of the most fascinating things for me personally..  some things that were psychologically impossible for me to part with decades ago..

no brainer today.

but had i not waited...      so, it's okay to wait too.

if you are not being faced with an eviction notice (like the gentleman in the hoarders documentary);  please do give yourself permission to go at your own pace.

in Jesus,   what-if-no-one-saved-the-dead-sea-scrolls... name,   -amen.

p.s.   million "thank you's!" and enormous gratitude for the blogosphere because i get to capture limitless memories without taking up space in the house.   hallelujah & amen.

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 12:47 PM 0 comments

Barefoot over hot coals "I did that!" (me!) sandra, tvgp

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 9:13 AM 0 comments

Super Bowl & Birthday Party! Party! LVI

"thank you!" for the delicious side dishes, wonderful meals, amazing desserts, the "cheers!" the birthday gifts

   -for being awesome, fun people and sharing your super bowl spirit the whole day.  we love and appreciate you! 

encore in 2023!    Hallelujah & Amen

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 4:07 PM 0 comments

Happy Valentines! The Heart Seen.. New, Fresh & Fun Contributions... #theheartseen @writeousmom

 

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 8:28 AM 0 comments

Public "Thank You!" to (Chris! & Maritza!) for Lodi Wine & Chocolate Festival Experience

 

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 3:57 PM 0 comments

Super Funny CH for (me!) ...

 some of the greatest, funniest moments cannot be scripted; cannot be planned; cannot be duplicated

    -they happen genuinely; spontaneously..     and then i do my best to re-capture them, with words:

-share with a larger audience, because i think it was just me & my favorite postman, maybe one other person in the store when this conversation took place:

thank you and amen! 

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 12:35 PM 0 comments

WriteousMom's Story of Sweet Revenge.... (meadowlark dairy!)

 my mom text this online clip to me this morning...     and i could not agree more:   A must-stop when in Pleasanton

and a must read:  Sweet Revenge  (writeousmom/meadowlark dairy prank partners)

hallelujah & a-rat-frosty-men     

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 1:00 PM 0 comments

Treasures from Peruse page 27, (discover your genius, michael gelb)

on random occasion, i will just grab a book from my own home library and flip through..  re-read where i land.  in many cases, it is a book i've had for years; but which has sat un-re-read for years too

check out this treasure of an excerpt:  pg 27:  Teacher and Student

 Originally oriented to a career in politics, Plato became disenchanted by the cutthroat struggle for power between the oligarchic and democratic factions in Athens.  As he wrote, "I was disgusted and drew back from the wickedness of the times."

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 10:10 AM 0 comments