A Belief worth checking out

She is 92 years old, petite, well poised, and proud. She is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed, and
her
makeup perfectly applied, in spite of the fact she is legally blind.
Today she has moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years recently
passed away, making this move necessary. After many hours of waiting
patiently in the lobby of the nursing home where I am employed, she
smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
description of her tiny room, including the eyelet curtains that had been
hung on
her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room... just wait," I said.

Then she spoke these words that I will never forget: "That does not have
anything to do with it," she gently replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room
or not, does not depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I
arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it. It is a decision I make
every morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed
recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer
work, or I can get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do work.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I will focus on the new day
and all of the happy memories I have stored away... just for this time
in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you have
already put in. I believe that our background and circumstances may have
influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you
every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them
to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.


I believe that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may
be the last time you see them.

I believe that you can keep going, long after you can't.

I believe that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it
needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but
that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've
had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes
you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop
for your grief.

I believe that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't
love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could
change your life forever .

I believe that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something
totally different.

I believe that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who
don't even know you.

I believe 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 believe that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too
soon.

Wow. Thanks for the reminders Mary Anne.

I believe she was a very wise woman

My mother used to be a CNA and worked in a few nursing/retirement homes. Sometimes I would have to go there with my mum for one reason or another. And she would always tell me about the poor patients who lived there. They weren't the best ones to live at, I always felt sad for those people.

So true Mary Anne. Thankyou for making me smile.

Wow, that was just beautiful!!!!!! Thanks!!!!

There are so many things here that I can connect with. I've decided that now matter how hard life is, and how nasty things can become, I must face life with a smile and a song in my heart. Things get me down, and they may bother me, but I wake up the next morning thinking that I've been given a new day, and things can only get better. Thanks for posting this, Hissy.

Christy! I love your new smilie in your signature line! LOL

What words to live by.


Patty