"Spring-New Beginnings"

 

And Welcome Spring!

If our new year's resolutions have not worked out as well as we would have liked, spring is a wonderful time to start anew!*

~"Spring with its blooming flowers, warmer weather, and longer days, is often associated with new beginnings and fresh starts." -LPI Legal Professionals, Inc.

Although spring doesn't officially start this year until Friday, March 20, Greg and I are getting a bit of a head start on spring this year-

First of all, we are still working on our circadian rhythm which I mentioned in my last two blogs posts. Although we are the wolf type, which stays up later than the other chronotypes, we were staying up way too late at night, even for our type. Working on this was our new year's resolution this year.

We had made some progress on this, but we're doing even better now since daylight savings time started a few days ago, and we're also inspired by spring which does represent new beginnings.

In fact, we have not done this well, turning in to sleep at an earlier time in years! Since we are so happy that we are so close to achieving our goal, we decided to reward ourselves with a fun trip in a couple of weeks. It's really good to reward yourself for a job well done!

However, our best, most important reward is that of improved health, physically, mentally, and emotionally, as we continue to follow our circadian rhythm type, getting the right amount of sleep we need during certain hours of the night. We hope that meeting our personal goal will inspire others to do the same.

Spring is also a wonderful time to work on the place you call home.

~"Spring is the time of plans and projects." -Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina"

Greg recently changed our kitchen faucet, and I decided that this was a great opportunity to organize the things under our sink. It didn't take that long, and it was very rewarding. Things are much easier to find now.

Spring can inspire you to be more creative.

I'm planning and working on a new art/craft project. I thought of the idea while I was writing my book about Southern Appalachia that should be published in a few weeks, in the spring!

Happy Spring!

*Actually, any time is a good time to start or even restart something if you feel like you are ready.

~Positive thought: "Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it's a rebirth of the spirit." -Tamara Myers

Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, April 4, 2026, Becky

"Positively Inspired!"

 

Spring is right around the corner (March 20)! Happy! Happy!

Spring represents new beginnings, a rebirth. It's the time when the pretty flowers and leaves come out again in all of their splendor. Do you know that we can let spring inspire us to change for the better?

However, we don't have to wait for spring or New Year's Day or any other special day for beginning anew. We can begin right now to make our lives better, the way we want our lives to be.

~"Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath, smile, and start again." -Tamara Kulish

Here are some ideas that might positively inspire you as they did me on my life's journey, and I hope they help you, as well-

~I recently saw and bought a used bargain coloring book. I have this book in a drawer that I open daily, and I feel inspired when I see the charming drawings that were skillfully colored with felt-tipped pens, and I read the inspiring quotes that accompany the pictures. 

Here are some of the quotes: 

-"Life is wonderful, and so are you!" -"Dreams do come true!" -"The best is yet to come."

Positive messages like these are very important, especially in today's world where we are often bombarded with so much negativity.

~"Leave the past and any difficulty where it belongs-behind you. Instead, take a deep breath of fresh air in this moment-and focus on your ideal life. Your power to create your life the way you want is now." ~Rhonda Byrne

Rhonda Byrne is one of my favorite authors. She has written several inspirational books, including "The Secret," "The Magic," and "The Power," as well as several others. "The Secret" movie is terrific.

More inspirational books are the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books. They were written by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson.

One of these books featured a man named John Goddard, who, at the age of 15, made a list of 127 goals he wanted to accomplish in his life. A few of his goals included visiting The Leaning Tower of  Pisa, becoming an Eagle Scout, typing 50 words a minute, and reading the "Bible" from cover to cover. At the time of the publication of the book, he had accomplished 108 of his goals, which is really remarkable.

This shows what we can do if we really want to.

We may not want to have the time, energy, or inclination to set and achieve so many goals as this man did, but, at the same time, it's good to set goals for ourselves, to accomplish something worthwhile, and to not get stuck in a rut. After all, life should be an inspirational adventure!

Animal Feature-

Kit-Cat

Hope you're inspired to adopt a pet. Bet you'd be glad you did, and so will your pet!

Happy spring!

Positive thought: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, April 5, 2025, Becky

"Some Positive Thoughts"

 

Hope you are doing positively great!

Lately, we have had some beautiful, warm spring days where we live, but for this week, we are supposed to have mostly rainy, stormy days, and in about a week, the weather forecast says that it will be rather cool.

Looking at this positively, we do need rain here right now. If we wear a sweater or a jacket, we can still go outside during the cool spells. Besides, there's always something to do inside. We can even make plans for future trips, etc. for when the weather is better.

Everything will be greener and the flowers will look even prettier after the rain.

Recently, one man was interviewed about helping clean up from a recent storm, and he said that he enjoyed working with other people, that he had made several friends as they were all working together with a common positive goal. 

"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." -Alice Morse Earle

We have a relative who loves cardinals. She and her husband recently had a health miracle come into their lives, so she sent an email with a few pretty personal photos she had taken of cardinals in their back yard, along the lovely quote, "When cardinals are near, angels appear."

Encouraging words and pictures like those can help make our lives more positive.

I especially like robins since they traditionally represent spring, new beginnings.

You can learn more about the symbolism of birds, animals, and reptiles that come into your life, even if only briefly, in the fascinating book, "Animal-Speak" by Ted Andrews. It tells about "The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small."

Kit-Cat, Enjoying the Spring Sunshine

What does "Animal Speak" say about your type of pet?

Just last night, we had a little creature visit us, a possum (opossum), that came up on our front porch and peeked in the window. It didn't stay very long, but just long enough to intrigue us. I'm anxious to look in the book later to see what the presence of that little guy means, what it has to teach us.

As I mentioned above, I really like new beginnings. Every morning, I'm thankful for a brand new day that is full of the promise, an adventure, a chance to have something wonderful happen during the day. I like to start the day with the affirmations, "This a wonderful, awesome day." Also, I think, "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Doing this really seems to start the day off right.

Did you know that reading books for enjoyment can make you more positive?

I occasionally like to read "Woman's World" magazine since it always has such positive, helpful information.

For more positivity, you might want to check out my memoir, "Down Memory Lane," which is on Amazon in both the paperback and Kindle formats.

Also, if you are into the paranormal, you might find my Kindle book, "Photographic Encounters of the Spirit Kind," interesting. It has over 100 paranormal photographs that my brother, Nick, my husband , Greg, and I have taken.

For more information about my books, please click the widgets above.

"Day Spring" magazine is a positive publication. One recent issue was, "Brighter Days Ahead."

If we're negative, we just drag ourselves and others down, and make ourselves and others miserable, and that can make any seemingly negative situation a lot worse. 

I think that being positive is by far the best way to be so we can attract more positive situations and people into our lives. 

Simply put, it's the law of attraction. You attract what you think and feel. It's really that simple, but it does require diligence. Believe me, it's so worth the effort!

Positive thought: "Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with a great and strong purpose in your heart." -Gordon P. Hinckley 

Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, June 1, 2024, Becky

Inspirational Thoughts

 

Here are some positive, inspirational thoughts, etc. to consider-

Spring symbolizes "rebirth, joy, and love...." and that "good always triumphs over evil, light over darkness, life over death."- Twinkl USA

Especially in today's world, we just have to believe, and to think and feel positively.

Remember, "It's always darkest before the dawn."- Thomas Fuller

"Unlock the power of 'instead'! What if instead of imagining the worse-case scenario, you pictured the best? What if instead of worrying, you wished? What if instead of bracing yourself for the bad, you opened your heart to the good? Great and wonderful things happen every single day." "Woman's World" magazine

"It's Time to Pray"- jgminternational.org

"If you spend your time praying for people instead of talking about them, you'll get better results."- Jaron Alexander

"Everything Will Be Okay"- Dana Perino

Interesting, intriguing website- matthewbooks.com

"Expect a miracle. Miracles happen everyday."- Unknown

In my newly revised memoir, "Down Memory Lane,"* I write about, among a lot of other things, memorabilia. I like to collect and to keep things that are special to me, things that remind me of the best, the special times in my life. 

One of those things is my-

 cell phone.

To anyone else, this just looks like an old beaten-up phone, but to me, it's special. I only carried it with me when I'd go away from home, but that cell phone went through a lot. It got run over by a car when it fell into the street. It had scuff marks, but it kept on working. It even rode all the way on top of the trunk of my car for several miles, after I had accidentally left it there. It was dropped several times, and I even had to tape the back of it to hold it together.

Because of what all it had been through, and survived, I call it my miracle phone. It served me well, and it never let me down, so I felt it deserved a special place among my memorabilia when I was forced to retire it.

How many of us or the people in our lives would have that much tenacity, would go through all of that, and still be that loyal and giving?

How to stay warm on a cold spring morning?-

Our Mitzi seems to have the right idea!

Small Business Feature: Hoot Books Publishing

Victoria Fletcher is the owner of successful Hoot Books Publishing where she not only publishes books, but she also offers other services such as proofreading, website design, as well as many other services. She publishes books for people all over our country.

In addition, she is a highly acclaimed Appalachian author, with such books as "Daily Dose of Encouragement," as well as many others.

FYI- hootbookspublishing.biz and victoriafletcher.biz

Just like spring, the Easter lily symbolizes new beginnings. It also symbolizes hope. And, I hope you had a very happy Easter.

*For more information about my book, "Down Memory Lane," please see the widget above.

~ Here's a special, important note about my blog, "The Art of Positive Living,"-Starting next month, I'll be publishing my "The Art of Positive Living" blog post only on the first Saturday of each month, so I'll have more time to write another book that I hope to have published by early fall. I have several other projects that I'm working on, as well. I'll continue to publish my "Spirit Photographs" blog post the third Saturday of each month.

Positive thought- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16

Thanks for visiting! Until Saturday, May 6, 2023, Becky

New Beginnings!

 

Living a positive life in today's world may be a challenge, but it can be done. We only need to change ourselves for the better, and then, miraculously, everything else will change for the better.

Spring is a perfect time to start anew, new beginnings for ourselves, for others, and for the world.

"Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over."-Guy Finley

First of all, we need to get into the right mindset. To do this, we need to make time for ourselves and do what makes us feel better.* 

This might include, but is not limited to, meditation (This is what I need to do more of every day. I'm working on it!), praying, listening to uplifting music (I love the video of Louis Armstrong, beautifully singing "What a Wonderful World."), exercise (so many things from which to choose-walking, dancing, bike riding, etc.), reading, traveling, just being in nature, watching a comedy show ("Laughter is the best medicine."), etc.

 Also, Greg and I eat healthy, organic food most of the time. We drink filtered water throughout the day. We like to get fresh air and some sunshine as often as possible. Also, we try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. Something I've finally learned to do is to slow down and take periodic rest breaks throughout my busy days. 

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."- Jim Rohn

Is there something you would really love to do, but you never took the time to do it? This is a great question to ask ourselves. What is your heart's desire? If you had all of the time and money in the world, what would you do? Is it a place you'd like to visit or an activity you'd like to do? What is it? 

"Live your dream and take risks. Life is happening now."-Paulo Coelho

No man is an island. We need to be around, to hang out with positive people, and to confide in someone we can trust.

We need to make a difference, like writing emails, calling people, going to meetings, etc. if we see changes that need to be made in our world.

Just a few days ago, a sweet-looking Amish woman came up to me while I was shopping in a store, and she handed me an inspirational CD. She said she wanted me to have it. I thought that that was such a nice thing for her to do.

Every night, before I go to sleep, I visualize our world with a golden-white light all around it, and I think, "Light overcomes the darkness." (This idea is from www.matthewbooks.com.) I like to believe that this exercise is somehow making our planet a better place in which to live.

Small Business Feature: 

Giardino's Pizzeria & Restaurant

Giardino's is an authentic Italian restaurant in the small town of Glade Spring in Southwest Virginia which offers delivery and pickup. The menu is large and the food is delicious!

Here is a sample of the wonderful food you can get from Giardino's-

Pizza, anyone? Yum!

And for dessert, Greg occasionally gets their wonderful chocolate cheesecake!

FYI: www.giardinopizzeriarestaurant.com

Happy spring!

"Spring is a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be." -"Good Housekeeping"

Positive thought: "Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer."-Anita Krizzan

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, April 3, 2022, Becky

*Disclaimer: Everything I mention doing in this blog post is up to the reader. My suggestions are merely my thoughts and opinions. I'm not responsible for anything that anyone decides to do as a result of reading this or any of my other posts. Thank you, Becky Arnott