Month: December 2016

TWELVE IMPORTANT ACIM LESSONS

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1/   All that I give, I give to Myself.

2/   Forgiveness is the key to happiness.

3/   I am never upset for the reason I think.

4/   I am determined to see things differently.

5/   I can escape from the world I see.

6/   I am not the victim of the world I see.

7/   Today I will judge nothing that occurs.

8/   This instant is the only instant there is.

9/   The past is over—it can not hurt me.

10/  I could see peace instead of this.

11/  I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt me.

12/  I am responsible for what I see.

 

Remembering that we are starting a New Year tomorrow, I am reminded of all of the resolutions of the past, both the ones I practiced and the ones I forgot, and this little list given to me many years ago is all that I really need to live by.

 

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AMAZING!

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Christmas Day, and all is well in my electronic world!

Just sitting in my chair here in Florida, immersed in my daily solitaire puzzle on my Ipad when an alert flashed in front of me. A grandson, said my screen, You have a phone call on your Ipod from Nicholas Jager.

No phone had rung, no whistles had blown, just an alert from another grandchild wanting to wish us a Merry Christmas.  That must be the upgrade that I downloaded yesterday, I thought. Wonderful – messages all morning from sons, daughters, grandchildren, brothers and sisters,  all coming to us via our electronic world, and I am so thankful. I love to hear how everyone is doing, how busy they are, and how the children are growing.

Often we watch the great old TV show, Wagon Train, and I always think about the bravery and the courage of the people who set out on the trains, never knowing if they would ever see or hear of their families again.  Years could go by before they ever knew what happened to them. Yet they kept on pushing forth on the trains, looking for a better life.  Today our young people are doing the same thing, moving forward, to a better job, or more opportunities.

But now, even tho we travel many miles to Florida each year from Michigan, and even tho our families have scattered over the whole country, we still are together in spirit. And we still can enjoy being in touch wirelessly, never separated for very long because all we have to do is push that little button, put a smile in our voice, or on our face, and share our thoughts with each other.

Merry Christmas everyone from our house, our phone, our tablet, our laptop, our Ipad. Take your choice, it is all good, and we can enjoy it every day together.

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IF I COULD HAVE ONE MORE CONVERSATION WITH……… I WOULD SAY…………..

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As I was looking thru all of the many suggestions of subjects to write about for my Creative Writers Group I came across this question of several years back, and it jumped right off the page at me. At the time I had avoided it because it brought back painful memories of loved ones, family and friends, and the utter impossibility of going back and redoing history.

“Gone” is not forgotten. Gone only means that someone or something is no longer visibly here. Looking back at the past at events or conversations that can never be changed is sometimes not the easiest thing to do.

But what if? How about if we could feel that no matter what the circumstances that we can still connect with everyone that we have met? In our hearts we know that we are still tethered to the ones that we loved, no matter how the world has changed for us.

The statement that I have decided that I would make is that “You were really important to me, and I am so thankful that you were in my life, no matter what.”

I can not pick out just one person because there have been so many who tried to do their best for me.

And now I smile, because I know it is true, in our hearts and in our memories we carry all of the best things that have ever happened to us.  They will never leave us as long as we live.

 

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THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

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One of the things about retirement that I really appreciate the most is the idea that I can read as much as I want to – heaven in one little sentence.

So one of the well known poems that has come to mind lately is The Road Not Taken, written by Robert Frost in 1920. This poem has always intrigued me, the idea that we all walk down a well traveled road, doing pretty much the same things as most of our friends and family.  Altho we may not be overjoyed with the choices on the road, it is our own road and we are on the path to somewhere, just as innumerable people have always done.

But then, suddenly ahead of us, there is a fork in the road.  We know that most people will continue on their journey on the same path, and become the person that they had always wanted to be, a part of the crowd, one that everyone felt comfortable with, and this is fine for them. We don’t all want to be different, we may want to be a major part of the society that we aspire to.

But maybe you are the one who decides to take the narrower road, realizing that you will be more alone, but it is a good choice for you, and now you move forward in a new direction.

Along comes a surprise when the Law of Attraction kicks in.  You begin to meet others who are of like mind, and as you travel together your new path begins to widen.  More and more people become attracted to your lifestyle and you travel forward together.

So what happens next? At some point another fork will appear in the road.  Will you continue on your now well traveled road, or will you take the new road not taken?

Life is full of adventures, and we always have the choice…..

To go on or to veer unto another direction, that will be a new question.

Which one will you choose?

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THE GIFT TO MYSELF

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Dec. 4th, an auspicious day for me. Today is the day that my #2 son, Randall Wm. Jager, reaches the magnificent age of 60 years.  And tomorrow, Dec. 5th, my #3 son, Alan Wayne Jager, becomes 58 years of age.

It doesn’t seem possible, of course, that I could have given birth to men of this age.  Not to mention the number #1 son, Stephen Jay Jager became 62 years on Nov. 9th. And trailing behind them in years only, is Martin Earl Jager who reached 55 years on March 27th.

Thinking about all of them and how alike and yet how different they all are, has brought back a lot of memories.  They are all good dependable men, have their own place in society, and are sons to be proud of.

Steve is the oldest – he got to go first on everything, to be the boss to his brothers, and the one to set an example. He excelled in school, became an Student Council member, and graduated with honors. He has been a father to both children and stepchildren and a successful workaholic all of his life.  He has a great job on an oil rig in Pennsylvania and other states. He is an avid reader and we all know where he gets that from, me. And when you want something worked out you can depend on Steve to figure it out.

Randy also did very well in school. He then enlisted in the US Air Force where he was chosen to be one of the four airmen that lived in underground missile silos where they guarded our country, a great honor. Randy has always been our loner – takes after his mother that way. For years he has been a gold prospector in California, and for a long time I had trouble keeping up with him.  But besides that he has become a truck driver all up and down the Western States. He and I have a great relationship via text most of the time.

Alan is #3, and when he was very young he was always the goof off in our family.  The one who could make you laugh or drive you crazy. He could fix anything. He evolved into a very hardworking oilman, saved his money, built a house, started a great business that he took over from his father, Preston Jager, and became a staunch business man.  He raised a wonderful family that we are all proud of, and he even became a politician.  Now he has just taken on a new job as Holton Township supervisor in Michigan.

Finally, here comes Marty, the youngest. As did his brothers he did well in school but his life took on another meaning when he joined the US Navy, where he rose thru the ranks and made us all proud of him. Marty also took on the care of both children and stepchildren and has done a wonderful job of it. Now, after retiring from the Navy, he is employed as a mechanic in Florida. He is a very thoughtful and loving person to all who know him.

When I think of all four men I think of how proud their father, Preston Jager, was of them. He too was a hardworking, intelligent, family man, and that has carried over unto all of them. All four of them have been wonderful to their two stepfathers, Gary Bosley, and Bob Rider.  Both fathers made a great contribution to the loving men that my sons have become.

My “boys” are loving, courageous and dependable, and how much more could any mother ask for than to have sons like these? They will always be boys to me.  To know that they love me and care about me is the greatest gift of all.

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