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The year 2001 is the Year of the Books, and January was National Book Month. The year 2001 is also the Year of the Child, and the month of February, Heart Month, is also National Children's month. Children can come up with pearls of wisdom that simply seem so amazing. I will share with you the wisdom of children who were asked by a teacher to write advice to their parents on how to raise children. 1. Don't give me everything I ask for. Sometimes I am just testing you to see how much I can get. 2. Don't always be giving orders. If you suggest something instead of giving a command, I will do it faster. 3. Don't keep changing your mind about what you want me to do. Make up your mind and stick to it. 4. Keep promises, both good and bad. If you promise a reward, make sure you give it to me. If you promise a punishment, make sure I get that too. 5. Don't compare me with anybody else, especially if the comparison will hurt somebody's feelings. I don't want to be considered smarter than anybody else, because it will hurt that person's feelings. If you make me out to be dumber than somebody else, then it will hurt my feelings. 6. Let me do as much for myself as I can. That's how I learn. If you do everything for me, I will never be able to do anything for myself. 7. Don't correct my mistakes in front of other people. Tell me how to improve when nobody is around. 8. Don't scream at me. It makes me scream back, and I don't want to be a screamer. Screamers sound awful. 9. Don't tell lies in front of me, or ask me to tell lies to help you out. It makes me think less of you and less of myself, even if I am supposed to be doing you a favor. 10. When I do something wrong, don't try to get me to tell you why I did it. Sometimes I don't know why myself. 11. Don't pay too much attention to me when I say I have a stomach ache. Playing sick can be a good way to get out of doing things I don't want to do, or going places I don't want to go. Make sure it's real. 12. When you are wrong about something, admit it. It won't hurt my opinion of you. It will make it easier for me to admit it when I'm wrong 13. Treat me like you would treat a friend. Then I will be your friend and you w be mine. Just because people are related does not mean they can't be polite and nice to each other. Can you guess how old these students were who wrote these 13 commandments? (not just 10!) They were in the fourth grade and ages 8 and 9 years old. What can I say? The children have given us their pearls of wisdom on how to raise children. All I can say is thanks to the children who made this first column in Heart Month so special. "The price of greatness is responsibility." Winston Churchill Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record February 1st, 2001. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

Among the many Christmas epistles received during the Christmas season was a letter from a dear old friend in Ohio. Olga has been a real inspiration to me. For many years, she has been a lifelong learner and a pioneer in the work of missions and ministry. Her letter arrived on the 12th day of December, as she had a busy Christmas season. She was born on December 24 and last year, celebrated her 100th birthday on Christmas Eve. I am really looking forward to her next letter filled with her many exciting experiences. She is living every minute of the rest of her life and enjoying the learning process. Whatever our calling in life may be, we can never stop learning. I need to keep on learning if I want to keep up with life and all its changes. We remember John Glenn's recent trip into space at 77 years of age. It reminds us that in today's world, many senior citizens are fulfilling dreams that were forgotten. Perhaps they had to put their dreams on hold because of circumstances in their lives. We may not be able to orbit hundreds of miles or above the earth like John Glenn did this past year. However, with determination and a lot of creativity, we can be a vital part of our community at any age. I was recently informed that people who are involved in volunteer services live longer and have rich and productive lives. Tom Brokaw, NBC anchor, has recently written the book entitled "The Greatest Generation." If you were born in the second half of this century, you owe your freedom, your prosperity, and perhaps your life, to the selfless teens and 20 somethings who fought in World War II. Their courage followed by their sense of vision in the post war years changed the world. He calls this generation "the greatest generation" that ever lived. They are the generation that survived the misery of the depression to gear up to fight in World War Two. Adversity led to their great maturity. They were 21 years old and faced life with many challenges. Now, many are senior citizens and dying at the rate of 100 a day. We need to listen to them. They were the heroes of World War II. They are an inspiration to us and have so much to share with us. Brokaw and his new book The Greatest Generation, argues that these men and women overshadow even the founding fathers in Abraham Lincoln's generation. He states, they stepped up and saved the world. Younger people will be astonished. They'll look at their grandparents in a different way. A New Year Thought: The author of this quote is unknown. It was quoted by England's King George the fifth when he gave the New Year's greeting to the world, he stated, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God that shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way." Live every moment of the rest of your life! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record January 21st, 1999. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

The following column appeared on January 29th, 1998. It was a favorite column among the readers, and maybe again, for those who are celebrating birthdays this month. After I delivered last week's Warm Thoughts column, I walked to the post office. At the counter stood someone receiving a parcel. It was her 90th birthday that day. I stood there in amazement and deep in thought as she drove away alone on the streets that were glazed with ice. I just thought, "Here is a lady who understands what celebrating life each day really means. She really lives every day of her life." In my mail that day came a letter from a longtime friend and reader of Warm Thoughts. She related about how her friends and family gave her a warm reception on her 80th birthday. She shared with me one of the readings her daughter read, and I feel you too, will enjoy these Warm Thoughts today. "Dear Lord, I'm 80 and there's much I haven't done. I hope, dear Lord, you'll let me live until I'm 81. But then, if I haven't finished all I want to do, would you let me stay a while until I'm 82? So many places I want to go, so very much to see. Do you think that you could manage to make it 83? The world is changing very fast, there's so much more in store. I'd like it very much to live until I'm 84. And if by then, I'm still alive, I'd like to stay till 85! More planes will be up in the air, so I'd really like a stick and see what happens to the world when I turn 86. I know, dear Lord, it's much to ask, and it must be nice in heaven. But I'd really like to stay until I'm 87! I know by then I won't be fast and sometimes I will be late, but I would be so pleased to be around at 88. I will have seen so many things and had a wonderful time. So I'm sure that I'll be willing to leave at the age of 89. Maybe, just one more thing I'd like to say, "Dear Lord, I thank you kindly. But if it's okay with you, I'd love to live past 90!" More Warm Thoughts: Life is a gift. Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be. Grandma Moses. Celebrate each day of your life! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record January 15th, 2004. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

Have you made New Year's resolutions? A recent study informed us that many who make New Year's resolution have already broken them after two weeks. Some people do make it to Valentine's Day. In my collection of thoughts on the new year, I found an article that appeared in a Nebraska newspaper on January 2nd, 1914. As we read these thoughts, can we see ourselves applying it in our lives? 85 years later in the year 1999 the last year in this century? "Have Courage. At the beginning of a glad New Year, instead of making many resolutions try to increase your storage of courage. Have the courage to tell a man why you will lend him your money. Have the courage to wear your old clothes until you can pay for new ones. Have the courage to prefer comfort and prosperity, to fashion in all things. Have the courage to obey your maker at the risk of being ridiculed by men. Have the courage to discharge a debt while you have the money in your pocket. Have the courage to provide for the entertainment of your friends within your means, not beyond them. Have the courage to do without what you do not need, however much your eyes may covet it. Have the courage to acknowledge your ignorance rather than to seek credit for knowledge under false pretenses. Have the courage to speak your mind when it is necessary that you should do so, and to hold your tongue when it is prudent to do so. Have the courage to show that your respect, honesty, and whatever guise it appears, and your contempt for dishonest duplicity by whomever exhibited. Have the courage to cut the most agreeable acquaintance you have when convinced he lacks principle - a friend should bear with a friend's infirmities, but not his vices." The above thoughts were written over 80 years ago. Can they be applied to the 90s and the next century? I think of what JC Penney stated when he was 95 years old. He said, "My eyesight may be getting weaker, but my vision is increasing." He could see tomorrow with a vision for the future. Let's keep the vision for a future filled with hope. Yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today, if well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and tomorrow is a vision of hope. Make every day count in 1999! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, January 14th, 1999. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

In one of the Christmas epistles I received during the holiday season, I was reminded that there now is Bethlehem Star TV as Trinity Broadcasting Network has a station in Bethlehem. The antenna is atop the Church of the Nativity. Isn't this exciting to know this is happening in this century? This network reaches all over Israel and even into Saudi Arabia, and in the future, will reach out to the world. When you read this warm thoughts column, it will be either the 12th or 13th day of Christmas. On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...because of that lively carol, we all know that there are 12 Days of Christmas. January 6th, the 12th day, is associated with the celebration of Epiphany. Epiphany means "manifestation," and celebrates the occasion when the wise men came from the east and presented their gifts. In some countries and cultures, January 6th is when the gifts are unwrapped. In Spain, everyone knows about the epiphany for the 12 Days of Christmas. Leading up to it, and on the day itself, street possessions take place, with the three kings in traditional dress being led to the local church or town square. Then and only then, are gifts exchanged. The children have to wait until January 6th to unwrap their presents. Sometimes we may think that our way of celebrating Christmas is the same all over the world. Our way has become increasingly secular, as evidenced by the street decorations in our cities. Father Christmases, colored lights, and fir trees abound from autumn onwards. Yet one has to search to find any reference to the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesu,s sent to us to be our Emmanuel, our Savior, saving us from self destruction, and to show us how God would have us live. The 12 Days of Christmas, beginning with the wonderful event of the birth of the Christ child, and ending with the epiphany have more to teach us about the reality of life and living. We are reminded that Jesus was born in a stable as there was no room elsewhere. We are also reminded that Jesus was a refugee with his parents fleeing to escape the murder of the innocents ordered by that insecure ruler, Herod, Jesus came with the promise of liberation, but that Liberty does not mean we have a license to do as we please. Love must make rules for us in order to be free to serve just as a room has to have walls, so liberty must have boundaries. When my seven year old granddaughter dictated to me the Merry Christmas story. She reminded me, "Grandma, we cannot forget the three wise men." Yes, the wise men of the Epiphany remind us that wise men and wise women still seek Him. For Jesus is the reason of this season and Epiphany. More Warm Thoughts: When it is dark enough, men see stars. - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Happy epiphany season! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record January 7th, 1999. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

As I write these lines on Veterans Day, a time of remembrance, many warm thoughts come to mind. I can also remember past Veterans Day when we experience a blizzard, as we had yesterday. On this Veterans Day, I would like to share these prayerful thoughts with the readers of this Warm Thoughts column as together, we pay tribute to all those who served their beloved country. Thanks from the Heart. "They served and fought and died so that we might be safe and free. Grant them, O Lord, eternal peace and give them the victory. And in these days of unrest filled with grave uncertainty, let's not forget the price they paid to keep our country free. And so on this year's Veterans Day, we offer up a prayer - May the people of all nations be united in thy care. And grant us understanding and teach us how to live, so that we may lose our selfish pride and learn to love and give. And keep us ever mindful of the fighting men who sleep in Arlington and foreign lands, so we may ever keep the light of freedom burning in their honor through the years and hear their cry for peace on earth resounding in our ears. Forgive us our transgressions and O God, be with us yet, lest, in our pride and arrogance we heedlessly forget. From "Someone who cares." Those of us who've never served can't truly understand the sacrifice that you made protecting life and land. You were called from homes and jobs you never turn around. You did more than was asked of you in air, on sea, on ground. You gave for us in freedom's name. Till now, the time has come for us to give you in return a thank you, everyone. Yes, thank you from the heart. Let freedom ring! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, November 19th 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

November. Can it really be November already? It seems, the year has its last flare of youth in October. In November, the earth folds its hands, hands that have been trained in the lesson of content and waits for that garment of snow. We have had some very beautiful autumn days this year...days for travel. No, I did not travel to Florida for that historic launch into space, but I did manage the trip to Nebraska, and while there, attended a 50th wedding anniversary of dear friends who live in Seward Nebraska, that Fourth of July City. It was so special to be able to share at that "Golden Celebration" a poem I wrote, and so I will share the poem with the readers of this Warm Thoughts column. "50 Years of Happiness. it may seem to you like yesterday, yet 50 Years have passed away. Since at the altar, you stood side by side a very young groom with his happy bride. And now your children's children stand, close gather round an eager band. You may recall with smiles and tears the joys and griefs of those 50 years. For you have known the cares of life, sweethearts you were as man and wife. Yet you have not loved each other less through those 50 Years of happiness. And now, as you are turning gray, you will trust in God, your guide and stay. He is your constant and unchanging friend, He'll lead you both to your journey's end." At a time when the average marriage is lasting seven years, it is certainly commendable that there are still some marriages who can celebrate that golden anniversary. Cheers to Les and Dorothy! More Warm Thoughts: Grow old with me. The best is yet to be! Browning. The glory of green grasses fades away like shadows in the quiet autumn night, the golden leaves descend like birds in flight and in them, squirrels, like children, run and play. May you have many warm thoughts these autumn days! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, November 5th, 1998.Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

The holidays are approaching so fast. Already, I am receiving those holiday letters, as I have a few friends who write their holiday letter about family in October. It seems that many people in this high-tech age no longer write those personal letters. Donald G Mitchell once wrote, "Blessed be letters. They are monitors. They are also the comforters, and they are the only heart talkers. A letter is the warmest way to bid a friend the time of day. A keep in touch that brings the smiles across the very longest miles. And what a world of strength and hope is tucked inside an envelope, reminding loved ones that you are at least in heart and not very far in no country, state or camp, the wealth beneath a postage stamp. For memories that never age are written down upon each page, and though it's nice to telephone, one of the sweetest pleasures known are moments shared in thoughts we send that can be read and read again." An unknown author wrote the following thoughts, "The Letter You Did Not write. I meant to write, I really did. Each morn I'd say, 'Today, I'll get the pen and paper out and send that note away.' So many tasks, my day was full. The months flew swiftly by. Tomorrow I must write for sure. Each night fall, I would sigh. The sad thing is, I really cared. He meant so much to me. He was the dearest friend. I knew how close he'd grown to be, but then the years came crowding in. Somehow we drew part. Yet I so often thought of him and kept him in my heart. But now I cannot write to him. He's gone. He'll never know how much he's missed." If you have friends, please write and tell them so. To old friends everywhere, if you will, just sit down and write and tell them that you care. Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, October 29th, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

Recently, my friend celebrated her 91st birthday. She has had a very full life, but is experiencing life changes. One must part with things and make the necessary changes in life and living. We call it downsizing, when one moves from your home to an apartment and then to a room in a residential setting. In last week's column, I promised that I would share some thoughts about the nifty 90s. I must do this before these nifty 90s leave us for the next century. I wrote these thoughts in the 70s. Remember that bicentennial year, the poem has been published in the 1995 National Poetry anthology entitled, "Tomorrow Never Knows the Nifty 90s." "I can see myself in the nifty 90s, a shriveled and sprightly little old great grandma riding a motorcycle, speeding it up for the year 2000. I can see myself sailing on the seas on queen ships, flying on 921, jets through the skies, discussing politics and philosophy with my collegiate clan, recycling fableaux for the 21st Century. I can see myself still rocking little babies, running again to the hospital, carrying a baby buggy vase with fragrant blue forget me nots for another great grandchild." Warm, Aging Thoughts: "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 80 or 20. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Henry Ford. "I shall grow old, but never lose life's zest, because the road's last turn will be the best. As you pass through the years, you will find much calmness in your heart. It is the gift of age, and the colors of fall will be deep and rich if you let it happen. Chief Dan George. Celebrate life on these beautiful autumn days! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, October 22nd, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

Recently, a few of my friends celebrated their 80th birthday anniversaries. It was a very special occasion where family and friends came for an Open House to celebrate life together. It is quite interesting that when I taught Gerontology classes that I called the 80s, "The Lively 80s." An essay entitled "Life Begins at 80," supports those warm thoughts. "Life begins at 80. I have good news for you. The first 80 years are the hardest. The second 80 are a succession of birthday parties. Once you reach 80, everyone wants to carry your baggage and help you up the steps. If you forget your name or anybody else's name or an appointment or your own telephone number, or promise to be three places at the same time, or can't remember how many grandchildren you have, you need only explain that you are 80. Being 80 is a lot better than being 70. At 70, people are mad at you for everything. At 80, you have a perfect excuse, no matter what you do. If you act foolishly, it's your second childhood. Everybody is looking for symptoms of softening of the brain. Being 70 is no fun at all. At that age, they expect you to retire to a house in Florida and complain about your arthritis, and you ask everybody to stop mumbling because you can't understand them. Actually, your hearing is about 50% gone if you survive until you are 80. Everybody is surprised that you are still alive. They treat you with respect just for having lived so long. Actually, they seem surprised that you can walk and talk sensible. So please, folks, try to make it to 80. It's the best time of life. People forgive you for anything if you ask me, life begins at 80." This essay was written by Frank Laubach. And so the birthday parties go on and on to the age of the nifty 90s. In recent weeks and in my travels, I have met many golden ages in the nifty 90s. I have met many golden ages in the nifty 90s who appear to be in the sparkling 70s. Next column will tell you a bit about those nifty 90s. Let's celebrate life every day of our lives! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, October 15th, 1998 Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

A recent article I read states that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 1999 as the "International Year of Older Persons." The theme will be "towards a society of all ages." This theme was chosen to promote the philosophy that societies should be inclusive in nature, should embrace all population groups, and share their resources equally. October 1st, 1998 will be the day that the UN launches its year long celebration, which is also the International Day of Older Persons, having its beginning in 1990. The United States Planning Committee for this unique year recognizes aging as multi-dimensional and spanning every individual's lifelong development. The importance and contribution of older persons to intergenerational richness, the heterogeneity of the older population, and it is concerned about the continuing poverty of many older persons and the necessity to provide adequate health care in the later years. The committee seeks to create opportunities for all of our citizens to understand, appreciate, and celebrate the contributions to nation, community, and family of older persons as citizens, caregivers, volunteers and workers. The committee is working to focus attention on the challenge to our nation to ensure that the increases in life expectancy are matched by the increased opportunities for older persons to find fulfillment to these years. It also recognizes education as an enterprise that is lifelong and takes place in many different settings. It is the mission of this committee to encourage thoughtful planning to intergenerational projects, seminars, discussion groups, and ethnic and cultural heritage programs in educational systems, corporations, religious organizations, and the public and private sector. So dear readers of this warm thoughts column, be looking for special events in our community and be an active participant in this year's honoring many of you! Grandma and Grandpa: I like to walk with grandma and grandpa. Their steps are short like mine. They don't say, "Now, hurry up," they always take their time. I like to walk with grandma and grandpa. Their eyes see things mine. Pebbles bright, a funny cloud, and hidden drops of dew. Most people have to hurry, they do not stop and see. I'm glad God made grandma and grandpa unrushed and young like me. Author Unknown. Celebrate towards a society of all ages all year! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, October 8th, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

The doors to the school of learning are now open throughout the country and homework assignments seem to fill our schedules. In my many files of thoughts, I found pearls of wisdom for students taken from creating a positive learning environment by Marly Ann Dahl. These pearls of wisdom can be shared for all lifelong learners. "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd rather have been talking. The person risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing. There are plenty of opportunities for attaining success, but none of them work unless you do. It's impossible to fail totally if you dare to try, better to do something imperfectly than do nothing flawlessly. The one battle most people lose is the battle over the fear of failure. Try start, begin, and you'll be assured you won the first round. The surest way not to fail is to be determined to succeed. One of the heaviest loads to carry in life may be a bundle of bad work habits. Never let a problem become an excuse. If it's going to be, it's up to me. The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words - I did not have time. Thinking is like loving and dying. Each of us must do it for ourselves. Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes. To learn, you must first want to be taught. Opportunity won't often knock for the fellow who doesn't give a rap. You are the sum total of all your thoughts. When people get stressed, they get rigid and do not change. Two reasons children and adults misbehave - they're bored and/or frustrated. If you can touch them, you can tolerate them. Distance promotes stereotypes, rigid behavior, and intolerance. The brain doesn't work when the heart is breaking. Happiness is always associated with an experience. Change is slow. A person will only change on their own day and in their own way. It is better to blow bubbles than to foam at the mouth. It is easier to change behavior than it is to change attitudes. It is easier to build a child than to repair an adult. People can fail many times, but they aren't a failure until they give up on themselves or blame someone else." Do you have more pearls of wisdom to share? Thanks for sharing. May you have many warm thoughts on many warm autumn days! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, September 24th, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

Surprise! The Warm Thoughts column two weeks ago, on, "I've Learned," was favorably received by readers. It also brought me a four page email letter on more "I've learned." So here's a sequel to the first column: "I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes, after that, you'd better know something. I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but the best you can do. I've learned that it's not what happens to us that's important. It's what we do about it. I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. I've learned that it may be easier to react than to plan ahead, but it's much less effective. I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't. I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you. I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, passion fades and there had better be something stronger to take its place. I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice. I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it. I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score. I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up. I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they are going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that. I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself. I've learned that background and circumstances may have influenced who we are or who we become. I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of seconds by people who don't even know you. I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help. I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us. And again, I've learned that I still have a lot to learn, and need to just keep on keeping on learning." Make every day a celebration of life and learning! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record September 17th, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

September brings us Grandparents Day. Recently, I read some thoughts from, "Grandparents with Love and Logic," by Foster W Klein and Jim Fay. These thoughts are worth sharing about grandparenting in today's world. "Today, grandparents tend to move toward the 21st Century with images of grandparents past: silver haired, slow talking, slow moving people biding their time in wooden rocking chairs on the front porch, contemplating the sunset through wire rimmed spectacles. They smile crinkly smiles and take out their teeth at night. Grandmothers crochet booties and make cookies while grandfathers whittle wooden treasures with jack knives. Their grandchildren walk over from across town, sit on the porch with them, admire the carving and munch on the cookies." Each of us carries variations of their picture created in our own childhood. As we set zoom feature on our cameras to grandparenting present, we realize with shock how much the picture has changed. We travel around the world instead of crochet, or play golf instead of whittle. Some become grandparents long before they are ready for rocking chairs. Many of the grandchildren live half a continent away or wear strange, baggy clothes and radical color combinations and pierce their ears. 94% of older adults with children in the US have grandchildren. Half of these are great grandparents. Of the 54 million grandparents in the US, 26% are younger than age 55 only 38% are in their retirement years, over 65. The average grandparents has three or four grandchildren. Grandparents are living longer. From 1940 to 1980 the life expectation for a 40 year old woman increased by seven years, and the life expectancy of a 40 year old man by four years. What do these numbers mean? Grandparents are more important than ever. More adults than ever are living long enough to get to know their grandchildren and for their grandchildren to get to know them. The increase in longevity is giving their relationships the potential to become stronger and longer lasting. Children close to at least one grandparent are more emotionally secure than those without such a tie. Grandparents can provide this emotional security by listening, truly, listening to their grandchildren, refusing to compete in the acquisition of material possessions, giving their most valuable gift: time. More heart to heart thoughts: Parents need to understand that the grandparent's role is sacred to the child, and they should do whatever they can to enhance that relationship. Kornhaber. Grandparents can do more for us than anyone else in the world. They sprinkle stardust in our eyes. Alex Haley. Happy Grandparents Day! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr. Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record September 10th, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina

It is always a joy to receive warm thoughts from readers. These special gifts can then be shared with the reading audience of this column. The column a reader once gave me entitled, "Count Your Blessings," received many comments, so it was very special this week to receive these additional thoughts on counting blessings from a special friend: "Count your garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your days by golden hours. Don't remember clouds at all. Count your nights by stars, not shadows. Count your years with smiles, not tears. Count your blessings not your troubles. Count your age by friends, not years." Abraham Lincoln once said, "My friends are my best treasure, the best part of life." I recently heard someone say, "You are more than a friend. You are a blessing." "Friends are like flowers in the garden of life. A friend is like a sunbeam that can always warm your day and bring you endless treasures as you travel on life's way." William Ellery Channing once stated, "True friends have no solitary joy or sorrow." In my collection of thoughts on friends and friendship, I found this thought by John Addison, "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by doubling our joy and dividing our grief." Coleridge describes friendship as "a sheltering tree." Friendship and friends are truly gifts. The Gift of Friendship. Friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought or sold, but its value is far greater than a mountain made of gold. For gold is cold and lifeless. It can neither see nor hear, and in the time of trouble, it is powerless to cheer. It has no ears to listen, no heart to understand. It cannot bring you comfort or reach out a helping hand. So when you ask God for a gift, be thankful if he sends...not diamonds, pearls or riches, but the love of real, true friends." Thanks for being a friend! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record July 30, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past. Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it. Till next time, Trina