My two youngest grandchildren came to visit from out of town. We had a nice afternoon talking and doing things. My granddaughter looked into one of my bedrooms and said “is this your bed?” I said “this was your daddy’s bed when he lived here.” She said “he lives with us now, forever.” Forever is a favorite word of mine. I forever love them, the two grandkids forever. I love my husband and children forever. I loved mom and dad forever and still now, even when they are gone, forever. I love my in-law children forever. I love my two older grandsons forever. Forever means always, everlastingly and endlessly. What more can you say about love, that it should last forever and a day. A friend of mine is facing a battle with Cancer. She writes positive things on her Facebook. One of her friends wrote on it “I am so proud of you, so is God.” Wow, what a dear, sweet and great saying. We all want everyone to be proud of us. When I was a kid, I wanted mom and dad to be proud of me. When I worked as the assistant to the CEO of a big company, I really wanted him to be proud of me and my work. When I met my husband, I wanted him to be proud of me. When I had two children, I wanted them to be proud of me. Proud is a word to be proud about. When we are proud of ourselves or someone else, it is a nice feeling. When I danced in 1982 in my first dance competition, I wanted my dance coach to be proud of me. He said he was and I got rewarded with six tall and gorgeous dance trophies, I am so proud of myself even thirty years after winning those first ones, that they still stand ‘proudly’ on shelves in my kitchen. To look at them and to know that I won them, earned them, worked hard for them and they still mean the world to me, is something that I am still proud about. We all need things or objects to be proud about. Even if you enter a dance competition, a tennis competition, a crafts or sewing event, ride on a bike for charity or walk for a charitable cause; you can be proud of yourself. It is an honor you can bestow on yourself, the feeling of pride and of being someone that you can be proud of- yourself. Someone said that “pride is pampered vanity.” I do not believe that. To be proud of something you accomplished is not vanity. It is pureness of the soul. You did something, you tried something, and you earned something, which is not vanity. This is being loyal to yourself for what you did or what you accomplished. Anyone who tells you differently must not have any pride in something they ever achieved. One who sees in others good things that the other person does and can be gracious in telling him or her that has something to be proud of. If you can disseminate words of praise or showing you are proud of someone for something they earned; then you, yourself, have decent qualities in your soul and therefore you have something to be proud of too. Emily Dickinson said “To lose one’s faith surpasses the loss of an estate because estates can be replenished-and faith cannot.” Faith is another great word.Henry Amiel said “faith is an instinct for it precedes all outward instruction.” I guess that means to have faith, you have to think about it, before the event or happening, whatever that may be. So I see where faith and being proud can be put together as almost one. If you have faith, that you can entrust yourself to do something and you have faith in yourself; then you have earned being proud of yourself. It can be anything you do. Even if it may seem small to you, it is still a big endeavor you did and for that, always have pride about yourself, always be proud of yourself and always remember that doing this showed you had faith and faith is what it is always about. Be proud of yourself and so is God. When I came from the doctor‘s office, she said “you are fine, stay pretty.” Have faith and pride every day of your life and stay pretty. Pretty in face, pretty in attitude and pretty in your soul. Forever is a favorite word of mine. I forever love them, the two grandkids forever. I love my husband and children forever. I loved mom and dad forever and still now, even when they are gone, forever. I love my in-law children forever. I love my two older grandsons forever. Forever means always, everlastingly and endlessly. What more can you say about love, that it should last forever and a day. A friend of mine is facing a battle with Cancer. She writes positive things on her Facebook. One of her friends wrote on it “I am so proud of you, so is God.” Wow, what a dear, sweet and great saying. We all want everyone to be proud of us. When I was a kid, I wanted mom and dad to be proud of me. When I worked as the assistant to the CEO of a big company, I really wanted him to be proud of me and my work. When I met my husband, I wanted him to be proud of me. When I had two children, I wanted them to be proud of me. Proud is a word to be proud about. When we are proud of ourselves or someone else, it is a nice feeling. When I danced in 1982 in my first dance competition, I wanted my dance coach to be proud of me. He said he was and I got rewarded with six tall and gorgeous dance trophies, I am so proud of myself even thirty years after winning those first ones, that they still stand ‘proudly’ on shelves in my kitchen. To look at them and to know that I won them, earned them, worked hard for them and they still mean the world to me, is something that I am still proud about. We all need things or objects to be proud about. Even if you enter a dance competition, a tennis competition, a crafts or sewing event, ride on a bike for charity or walk for a charitable cause; you can be proud of yourself. It is an honor you can bestow on yourself, the feeling of pride and of being someone that you can be proud of- yourself. Someone said that “pride is pampered vanity.” I do not believe that. To be proud of something you accomplished is not vanity. It is pureness of the soul. You did something, you tried something, and you earned something, which is not vanity. That is being loyal to yourself for what you did or what you accomplished. Anyone who tells you differently must not have any pride in something they ever achieved. One who sees in others good things that the other person does and can be gracious in telling him or her that , has something to be proud of. If you can disseminate words of praise or showing you are proud of someone for something they earned; then you yourself have decent qualities in your soul and therefore you have something to be proud of too. Emily Dickinson said “To lose one’s faith surpasses The loss of an estate because estates can be replenished-and faith cannot.” Faith is another great word.Henry Amiel said “faith is an instinct for it precedes all outward instruction.” I guess that means to have faith, you have to think about it, before the event or happening, whatever that may be. So I see where faith and being proud can be put together as almost one. If you have faith that you can entrust yourself to do something and you have faith in yourself; then you have earned being proud of yourself. It can be anything you do. Even if it may seem small to you, it is still a big endeavor you did and for that, always have pride about yourself, always be proud of yourself and always remember, that doing this showed you had faith and faith is what it is all about. When I came from a new doctor’s office recently, she said “ stay well and stay pretty.” A pastor from a friend’s church saw my words when she showed a story to him. He said he would use some of them in his forthcoming sermon during Lent. A Juilliard music graduate used some of my words from another story to add to the music of a new song, he wrote to honor his deceased wife. He said it eased him. A lady named Jane showed my words and it was about ballroom dancing of which the woman who was in the hospital was a patient. The sick person was so elated to hear them, it made her smile, because they were about her. A few days later, she passed on and my words were read at the funeral to the folks there,
by her step son. There was not a dry eye in the room. My words are read to a wellness class run by my email friend Steven Behr from Steilacoom, Washington State and he says it helps them to be inspired, even though they are not well. So to my granddaughter who told me not to expect her daddy to come home to me because he was residing with her, to the words which made a dying woman smile, to the pastor who honored me by reading my encouraging words to the congregation, to the music graduate incorporating my words for his song, I thank them for thinking my words of faith, pride, encouragement, inspiration, you all and my email pal Steven, you make me feel pretty in looks and in my heart.
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