What really matters in life

I know a woman who passed away at the age of late 80's. I went to her viewing and funeral. She was a wife, mother of 10 (no, that is not a typo; that's ten) and a grandmother of about 25. She was a simple woman who kept herself and life simple. She was born in a lower middle class family, did not attend college, and for a living, she took any employment. Her children had full lives and made good lives of their own. She was a happy smiley laughy woman and so her grandchildren loved her. MANY people had BEAUTIFUL eulogies to deliver. I CRIED at EVERY SINGLE one of them.

She was not a billionaire and was not a celebrity, but man, from the words friends, former co-workers, family members, etc said about her, I felt that she was worth a billion bucks and was world famous!

Character. I believe that is what really matters in life.

Medicine when you're feeling down

Eat healthy and try to take your vitamins: This sounds a little corny, but you'd be surprised at how much effect physical health could have on your mood/emotions.

Regular/routine exercising: For some reason when your body gets routine exercise, since your body is connected to your mind, it's as if you go through some Jedi mind tricks on yourself and your feelings of being down over time fades away...but the key is over time.

Network of support: But the best medicine of all is having support from family and true friends. Even if your troubles are not being discussed, as long as you're around them and spending time with them, the positive effects last a life time. While you're at it, laughter with loved ones is a plus!

The Fighter

A must see movie! A prime example that people CAN turn themselves around.

From nothing to something

For the last four years, a few family members and I have been funding a scholar's college education. She is a hardworking, smart, driven, young girl with a sweet personality, but had very little resources in the poor country which she lives in to utilize her talents. What do you know, she's an accounting major! :) She is the oldest of her 3 siblings. Her mother is unemployed and her father does not have a permanent job; at the moment, he provides labor aid in a plantation. In her and her family's home, there are no outlets. Her and her family live in a house with 1 light bulb which they plug from a neighbor's socket. True story.

She will be holding a bachelor's degree this month! :D

What was revealed in an atlas *****

I recently read through a rather expensive Atlas. This Atlas is filled with statistics! Crime rate, GDP, etc. So pretty much the only places in the world that's actually in good standing are the United States, Europe, Japan, and really just a few others - the rest of the world just makes me sad. Most of the world is suffering. I have always felt lucky in life, but seeing further validation, just when I thought it wasn't possible, I am even more appreciative of my life and things I have, including simple things - 3+ meals a day, clean drinking water, our government and American society is for the most part, stable, and much much more!

Americans are lucky!

Japan, Earthquakes and Tsunamis

It simply does not matter. Whether a person or a country is one of the wealthiest in the world or one of the best equipped for disasters, hardships come in many forms and do not discriminate.

My heart goes to all who suffered from Japan's recent events.