Posted on by BWThomas

Celebrate Emancipation Month and Simcoe Day. A worthy fight was won.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves. Abraham Lincoln

We might feel ashamed that slaves were ever owned in Canada and that is something to be ashamed of, but slaves were owned everywhere or almost everywhere in the world so why wouldn’t they be owned in Canada?

On August 1, 1834, “The Slavery Abolition Act” came into effect across the British Empire, (and from my research) this freed about fifty enslaved people in Canada. Why were only fifty slaves freed in Canada? Because forty years earlier John Graves Simcoe the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada brought in his “Act against Slavery” in July 1793.

This law did not abolish slavery, but it made it so no new slaves could be brought into Upper Canada (Ontario), or bought and sold. Children at the age of 25 were free.  This meant forty years later when the “Slavery Abolition Act” took effect across the British Empire only around fifty people were still enslaved and had the “Slavery Abolition Act” not occurred, slavery would still have ended in Upper Canada (Ontario).

About 4000 people were owned as slaves in Upper and Lower Canada between 1629 and 1834 (from my research.) Between 1800 and 1865 it is estimated up to 100,000 people came to Canada on the Underground Railroad escaping slavery from the United States.

Even though slavery existed in Canada the amount of slaves that escaped to freedom in Canada is far more than were enslaved in Canada.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King

It may seem too little too late when so many people were suffering under slavery, but slavery wasn’t new, it didn’t start with the Atlantic slave trade bringing people to North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Slavery had been a scourge in society since recorded history and still is a scourge in some parts of the world.

The question I ask is; if slavery existed for so long almost everywhere in the world why was it able to be ended in the 1700s and 1800s? People took up the fight to end it, and even though it went on too long, it was ended. Was everything done ideally and everyone treated equally and are we all feeling good about our past history? No, we are not, but we are not fighting to end slavery because that hard fight has already been won.

Slavery is in the bible, and we can point to street names in some of our cities, named after people who once owned slaves. We need to own our history, the good, the bad, what we are proud of, and what we are not proud of. I for one am proud to be part of a country and a commonwealth on the right side of history. Even though it took longer to end slavery in America, it ended.

People of courage, fortitude, and perseverance ended slavery. It was not easy, it changed everything, and people on both sides of the Atlantic fought to have it continue.

We should all celebrate emancipation month because the hard fight was done, and slavery was ended. Perfection is the enemy of the good, we may look at how things were ended and think it should have been done better, and perhaps it could have been. Here we are with the remnants of our past to deal with. It may seem there should be no remnants left, but not even two hundred years have passed since the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect.

We may think where is the perfect society we were promised? What perfect society? Where in the world has a perfect society existed? Where does everyone have as much as they want, and not be able to look at others with envy because they have more power, prestige, or money?

Are we focusing on past injustices? Are we missing what we could have now by focusing on what we didn’t have in the past? I am grateful the fight to end slavery is over, there is always injustice to overcome, and I am not convinced history could not have taken a different turn, and the slavery question still be with us to fight. Two hundred years is a small drop in the ocean of history. Thank you to those with the fortitude, courage, and perseverance who fought the scourge of slavery and ended it, and made the world better for everyone.

We have issues we still need to fight, we need to work together to make society better. Will we fight the issues, and not each other?

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and sheroes! Maya Angelou

Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it. James A. Baldwin

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to everyone that reads my books, and a special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the purchase price through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Celebrating fathers, celebrating writers, there is so much to celebrate.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. Anne Frank

Father’s Day was yesterday and celebrations took place in backyards, restaurants, and at whatever events kids think their fathers will enjoy. How blessed we are to celebrate Father’s Day. Even if our father is no longer with us, he is part of our life, however big or small a part he played or is still playing.

Now that we are grandparents my husband isn’t the only father to be celebrated. We had a lovely barbeque in the backyard. Our grandson was putting pebbles in his mouth and wanted us to chase him to take them out. Life seems more fun when there are kids around, everything is new, they laugh and we laugh watching their antics.

On Saturday I attended a Local Authors Showcase in the park put on by a Library in Brampton. It was a lovely event and there were ten children’s authors there unless I missed some, and my goal was to speak to each of them and ask if they would be willing to be part of Story Time with local authors reading their books. Everyone said yes, and now I have to make it happen.

If local authors can read their books to children then children meet authors. The books these local authors have written are wonderful. One author wrote about her dream of skating and lessons learned in hockey that aren’t about winning, Nancy Whiteford, “My Skating Journey,” and “It’s More Than Hockey.” Fiona E. Vander Wilp wrote “I Love Being Me,” and “My Shining Star.”  The first story she wrote and illustrated is about a child she taught as an Educational Assistant, and her books have taken on a life of their own. Paul and Tuula Reddit wrote about their beloved dog, “Schluberhound.” These were the authors on each side of me in the park.  

The mistake I made was not asking my husband to come with me. This was the first time I attended this event and I went by myself which made networking tricky, I had to leave my table to talk to other authors. Husbands and wives supporting their writing spouses were there in abundance so my husband would have had lots of people to talk and joke with. I think he would have enjoyed it if I invited him to attend, but I assumed (and isn’t that usually a mistake) he would not be interested.

Talking to other authors and hearing about their journeys is interesting. One romance author (and I thought I got her card) but I’ll have to do a little research to get her information didn’t start writing until she was fifty and most of the author’s there are writing more as a pastime than as a way to make a living.

To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard. Allen Ginsberg

Some authors hit it big and some don’t but it isn’t only the quality of books and the writing or illustrating, there is a lot of luck involved, but an artist or writer can’t be discovered unless they do the work. If they do the work who knows where it will lead? I believe we get more out of writing than just having something written. We are not the same person when we are finished writing that we were when we started. Writing is a gift we give ourselves and whatever rewards come after that are a bonus.

An author arrived late with his family and set up behind me, being the first visitor to his table he gave me a copy of his book. His daughter said, “Dad, you’re supposed to be selling them.” I have the book in front of me, a book of poems and prose, “Flowers on the Far Side,” by Jaspal Virdee.

There were about one hundred local authors as part of the Showcase and everyone had a book or books, and a story, but I can’t mention them all so I’ve mentioned the ones that were near me.

If you attend an event with local authors, don’t feel intimidated that if you talk to them they think you should buy their book. Feel free to talk to them, look at their book, take a card or bookmark, or buy the book if you want to, but feel free to talk to them. They would love to talk to you.

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. Stephen King

First you set out to write a book then very quickly you realize the book was set out to write you. Brandon A. Trean

If you really want to know yourself, start by writing a book. Shereen El Feki


Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to those that read my books, and a special thank you if you put a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Celebrating Mothers, no one can take the place of our Mother – even if we never knew her.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

I think in a lot of ways unconditional love is a myth. My mom’s the only reason I know it’s a real thing. Conor Oberst

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and my daughter and son made breakfast. My daughter-in-law was hosting her family in the afternoon so they had to leave before my mother-in-law arrived. My son-in-law barbecued burgers and we had a lovely afternoon.

There is controversy about celebrating Mother’s and Father’s days in schools and I think this should be left up to the teachers to figure out what is best for their class. Maybe it would have been best if this didn’t become a big commercial holiday, but it is and if it is taken away over not everyone having a mother in their life, many of us will feel – one more thing is being taken from us.

I sent a bouquet of flowers to Mom through a local florist where she lives, and for the first time, she told me the flowers were not fresh. I’m not a person that likes confrontation, nor am I a complainer, but I think I should let the owner know instead of just taking my business to the local grocery store which is what Mom suggests.

If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother. Booker T. Washington

My husband picked up flowers for his Mom and the lady at the cash told him to pick another bouquet the one he’d chosen was not fresh enough. The one he gave his mother was beautiful and thanks to the lady’s advice will last longer.

On Valentine’s Day, the roses my husband bought were past their best. It is hard to get flowers that meet the demand these days when everyone wants to pick up a bouquet for their mother, but a few experiences with poor flowers and we’ll choose something else or at least somewhere else to provide our flowers.

Business is tough and if our customers don’t give us the feedback we need to improve, and instead take their business somewhere else without giving us an opportunity to make it right, we lose. So I am going to give them a call, I’ve developed a bit of a relationship with the owner over the years as I’ve called to send flowers to Mom. She deserves to know because quality control is only something we can improve if we know it needs improving.

There was a time when I wouldn’t have made the call. I would never use her service again and she would never know why. I like that we have independent florists; I don’t want small entrepreneurs to no longer be in business. So today I will make an uncomfortable phone call and hope she receives it in the spirit intended.

I hope everyone enjoyed Mother’s Day, it is more enjoyable if we still have our Mother to spend time with or talk to, but even if we don’t, even if we never knew our mother, she gave us life and the opportunity to live this life and that is something to be grateful for.

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. Irish Proverb

It takes months to find a customer… seconds to lose one. Vince Lombardi

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. Bill Gates

Thank you for reading this post I hope you enjoyed it. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to everyone that leaves a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

International Women’s Day. Enjoy your life, choose wisely, and be the best you can be.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt

Yesterday was International Women’s Day and in our house we hardly noticed. I saw something go across the TV screen that we won’t reach equality for three hundred years. I wonder what that means. The problem with equality is, what is equality? Are we not equal until my son-in-law can breastfeed his baby, or are we equal when no mothers breastfeed their babies?

Women become mothers; for most, this is the biggest purpose in their lives. Motherhood will be their biggest legacy no matter what else they accomplish and women can accomplish a lot as well as be mothers. For most women sacrificing motherhood for other achievements is probably a mistake.

There has been no greater joy, commitment, and challenge than motherhood. It takes everything we have to give, and sometimes it seems like more than we have to bring a child into the world and raise them to adulthood. At this vantage point with my daughter having her own baby and watching the demands of an infant and now eleven-month-old grandchild takes up her day I wonder if I ever had that amount of patience.  She is reveling in the blessing of being a mom.

In our modern world, she could choose when to become a mom as much as anyone can because the miracle of life is still left up to things beyond our control, and not every woman that wants to become a mother becomes one. She and her husband have been blessed with a beautiful little boy and their life is not the same as it was before he came into their lives. But it is my daughter’s life that has been totally transformed to meet the needs of first an infant and now a little boy that can climb a flight of stairs while we turn our heads.

Women are accomplishing great things, and we should be accomplishing these things, but we need to be careful we aren’t sacrificing something bigger for something smaller. There is disagreement on whether we are being paid equally for the same work because in some cases women especially mothers don’t have the same amount of time to dedicate to a career. They have a bigger calling in life, and most women that have husbands don’t have to work as hard because they aren’t carrying the whole load.

Husbands look after the mothers of their children as a way of looking after their children. I can’t imagine looking after children without a husband and even now with our grandson sharing the experience is part of the joy.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Maya Angelou

When I was young I saw a cute little quote, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” I laughed at it; I wasn’t one that wanted to get married “too young.” Building a family is where the joy in life lies; it is where the meaning lies, and where the legacy lies. It might not be the life that is the most prestigious, and glamorous or pay us the most money but as time goes by it is what will give us more and more joy especially when we become grandparents and great-grandparents. I expect to enjoy the achievements of our grandchildren as much or even more than the achievements of our children.

It is a fabulous time to be a woman. We’ve never had more choices in our lives, but we’ve also never been pulled in so many directions, and we’ve always had to live with the consequences of our choices, which hasn’t changed.

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. Alice Walke

I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. Amelia Earhart

The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand

Thank you for reading this post I hope you enjoyed it and will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to those who read my books, and a special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Family day, reach out and touch someone, give them a hug, or a word of encouragement, and make a memory

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Arthur Ashe

Today is family day in some parts of Canada. We are all part of a family even if we aren’t speaking to any of them. If that is the case today would be a good day to pick up the phone.

We always need forgiveness in our lives because we do stupid things that hurt people without thinking, and they do stupid things without thinking that hurt us. If we can realize we aren’t perfect and don’t expect others to be perfect can we get along?

It is a good day to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take a coffee break and spend time with people we love, or make a phone call or three. Let’s be honest, for some of us, we are fitting things in we haven’t gotten done. Today, I am planning to finish uploading my next children’s book to Amazon, “Krypto Goes To Puppy School,” which will be published on March 7, 2023. But, will fit in some family time too.

It is a great time to be a creative person. We don’t have to make our own paints or stretch our own canvasses, and putting our work out into the world has never been easier. We can watch artists’ videos to learn how to be better artists. Almost anything can be learned online, and some of it is available for free.

One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now. Paulo Coelho

Being creative is a gift we give ourselves by using the gifts we were given. Robert Burridge is an American artist who has videos on YouTube that are worth watching. Like Bob Ross, I can see people watching him who will never put a paintbrush on canvas because he is uplifting and having such a good time. When I am eighty I still want to be excited about my next creation.

Yesterday an artist, Robert Barron whose art is more useful was featured on TV; he’s also eighty and makes prosthetics for people who have been disfigured from cancer, accidents, or whatever. He used to make disguises and realized if he could make people look like someone else, he could make them look like themselves again. His art gives people back their lives.

With retirement looming for many of us, rekindling creativity may be what brings a spark to our lives. Finding a creative outlet lets us play and enjoy creating for the sheer joy of it. When we are happier our families are happier being around us.

Life is what we make it, and creativity is all about making something, a cake, quilt, painting, song, birdhouse, garden, or whatever comes to mind and it will give us a sense of satisfaction and joy.

For family day maybe we can make a memory.

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. Maya Angelou

Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. Anthony J. D’Angelo

There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. Mark Twain

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to everyone that reads my books. A special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon Affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Happy New Year! What will we write in the book of 2023?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2023! What will this year be like we might be asking? It will be like every other year good for some; happy for some, there will be ups and downs, heartbreak and disappointment, breakthroughs and discoveries. But, we want to know what it will be like for us. We will meet some goals and miss some goals, we will plant in the spring and if we tend what we plant we will reap in the fall. Spring will follow winter, and fall will follow summer and we’ll be back to winter again.

But, what will happen in the world? There will be wars, and rumors of wars, life will be easy for some and hard for some, some will be born and some will die. If we just had our last best year would we really want to know that? If we knew for sure something we enjoyed was truly behind us and we would never experience it again would we want to know that? Is it better to not know so we can dream, plan, and set goals even if we never reach them?

Isn’t it nice to think this could be the year… the year a breach is healed, the year our health or the health of someone we love gets better? The year milestones are reached, the year we make memories that will warm our hearts forever. A year of family closeness, a year of personal growth, and a year of choosing what is important to us.

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. Steve Jobs

A beautiful new year spreads before us and it will be what it will be, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of input into how it unfolds for us, but we aren’t in control of everything we need to ride the waves of life. There will always be some lemons so keep the lemon squeezer handy, but also be ready to celebrate the big and little moments coming.

Now is an excellent time to think about what we want more of in our lives, what changes should we make, and what adventures should we bring into our lives. Do we wish we were on a beach at the start of this New Year or some other exotic locale? How could we make that happen for the next New Year?

Do we wish we could say we’ve read some great books? How could we make it so we can say that this time next year? A few pages a day will get us through any book in a year? Is this the year we want to master something, face a fear, or pursue a dream? Is this the year we need to stick to what we started and continue keeping on? Is this the year we have to face the hardest thing we will ever have to face and be strong for those also facing it?

This is our year what do we need to do to make the most of it?

When all the dust is settled and all the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family, and friends. Barbara Bush

The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances. Aristotle

Make the most of yourself for that is all there is of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to those that read my books and a special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Happy New Year and may an attitude of gratitude accompany us throughout the year.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher

This is my last post for 2022. It is time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. Last year I chose a word for the year and I chose grateful. It has been a wonderful year with our circle enlarging, our grandson joining our family, our son getting married, and we have continued to live in health amongst peace and plenty.

I added to my list of self-published books, and I look forward to publishing more in 2023. It is time to make goals but many things we want in life we aren’t in control of. Everything has its season and if our goal is something that is not yet in its season then we might feel let down by life.

If we are grateful for what we have, grateful things aren’t worse when things don’t go our way, and grateful for the good in other people’s lives then we may find joy and contentment. The word I am choosing to focus on in 2023 will be gratitude.

What is the difference between grateful and gratitude? Some say gratitude is to joy what grateful is to happiness. Joy is a state of being, a choosing to “be” regardless of circumstances; whereas happiness and being grateful can come and go based on situations and circumstances. If this is the difference then last year by choosing grateful I chose happiness which can be fleeting, and this year by choosing gratitude I choose joy, a state of being.

Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life. Jack Canfield

Being grateful is followed by a “thank you” while gratitude is a constant state of being. Gratitude and gratefulness are reflections of each other that create ripples of happiness when embraced. I found this on a website by Official Miss Val.

We must consistently choose the right thinking, right words, and right actions. It is not what we choose to do one time that will make a big difference in our lives. It is consistently making the right choice that pays dividends. If we can embrace the attitude that we will never tire of doing what is right, this will also mean we must forgive ourselves and others when we slip up, which we will because we are human.

We may struggle to be grateful, and think we should be more grateful than we are. We know we have a lot to be grateful for but … Maybe we need to ask for help to cultivate our attitude of gratitude. The Bible in James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

Gratitude creates the most wonderful feeling. It can resolve disputes. It can strengthen friendships. And it makes us better men and women. Gordon B. Hinckley

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. Henri Frederic Amiel

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. William Arthur Ward

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to those who read my books and a special thank you to those who leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Baby’s first Christmas. Enjoying these happy, golden moments.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault

Is it the baby’s first Christmas or is it all the people’s first Christmas with him that makes it special? Babies take up as much space in our lives as we give them. One baby becomes the center of our life, but the ninth baby fits into a family too. We will squeeze a little tighter at the dinner table until we need to create the kid’s table. Being part of a family is making room for one more. It might be a new partner for someone who is single, a new baby, or a friend whose family is far away.

The message and magic of Christmas are opening our hearts, widening our circle, and spreading good cheer.

The day after Christmas is the Feast of St Stephen, named after Stephen the first Christian martyr, appointed by the Apostles and stoned to death by those unwilling to be converted to Christianity.

Boxing Day to some of us is the biggest shopping day of the year when we go out looking for bargains. My husband asked me last night, “Do you want to go shopping tomorrow?” We’ll play it by ear, we have to be out today, but do we really want to bravely find a parking space? The exercise of walking will be good and with no cooking today, it is an easy day of rest and relaxation, whatever shape that takes.

Most humans are never fully present in the now because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life which is never, not now. Eckhart Tolle

We didn’t get to celebrate our nephew’s 50th birthday which was two years late because of the pandemic, this time the weather didn’t cooperate. We ended up doing what we did for his 50th birthday, we had a video call. We promised to get together when the weather will not likely be an issue.

This time between Christmas and New Year is a good time to reflect on the year past, and the year coming. What do we want more of, what do we want less of, and what needs to be different? Is life humming along on an even keel and we hope it will continue? That’s where I am right now, and if I can keep it steady I’ll be doing great.

There is so much to be grateful for, and so much contentment in this stage in life. We are watching our children with their spouses, our little grandson is growing every day, and our heart is full and overflowing with the blessings in our lives. We both still have our mothers we get to spend time with.

Change is always coming, seasons come and go, and we will have joy and sorrow. That is the way of life, but this moment is wonderful. We shouldn’t let the knowledge that hard days are coming, spoil the joy of what is. Can we wring all the joy out of our present day? Deal with each day as it comes and with its gifts and challenges live fully in the moment.

This is the challenge I am giving myself this coming year. To live fully in the moment and enjoy what each day brings.

Instead of bracing yourself for the perils of the unknown embrace the joy that is here in your present moment. Michelle Cruz Rosado

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is one thing we can do, and the happiest people are those who can do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. We can give all our attention to the opportunity before us. Mark Van Doren

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to everyone that reads my books, and a special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the picture and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

The joy of Christmas is in our hearts it isn’t wrapped up under the tree

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. Unknown

It’s almost Christmas, and the hustle and bustle are in full swing. We are picking up last-minute items and making our menu choices. We could have done things earlier – my daughter and I were printing photos last night at Walmart. Every working kiosk was full and the line to pay was long. We didn’t need to wait this long, but we did.

We were late getting everything done so we picked up a roast chicken and salad for dinner. After dinner, my husband put on a Christmas movie and by the time it was over so was the evening. The other night was dinner with the book club, an evening full of laughs, and on Saturday if the weather holds out we’ll finally celebrate our nephew’s 50th birthday in person – two years late.

Our Grandson’s first Christmas he won’t remember but it will be a treasured memory for us. Last night he was big enough to sit in the cart propped up by our purses and he loved it, letting everyone know with his shrieks and giggles. While waiting in line he was playing with the lady behind us. He’d look at her and giggle, look away, and then back again. Babies are such fun to watch and be around. They really do make every day a happy day.

We’ll have the week off between Christmas and New Year for rest and relaxation. I hope to get some writing and painting in, the deadline to publish the next children’s book of February 7th is looming large. It seemed like it was a lot of time when I set the date.

Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. Ruth Carter Stapleton

Living, loving, giving, and laughing is the theme for Christmas. How fortunate we are when family and friends surround us. If we can enjoy the gift of togetherness, reach out and touch someone we love. There are people we used to spend Christmas with that find it too much for them now. They weren’t well enough to attend our son’s wedding and they haven’t met our grandson. We need to make an effort to see them for a short visit.

Phone calls, emails, and texts have replaced Christmas cards for most people. The important thing is we are in contact with those we love and if we aren’t perhaps that is a change we can make in the New Year.

This is a time of year to reflect on what is going right in our lives and what we would like to change. What would we like more of, and what we would like less of? What goals will we set, disciplines will we practice, and creativity will we bring into our lives? How can the year ahead be better than the year almost behind us?

Do we have a word we can focus on that would sum up the hopes and dreams we have for the coming year? This year my focus word has been ‘grateful’, and what a year it’s been with a baby, a wedding, and getting out to see Mom, family, and friends.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.

Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection. Unknown

Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. Dr. Seuss

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. Janice Maeditere

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to everyone that reads my books, and a special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Managing our expectations is managing our life. Unhappiness comes from unmet expectations.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

The greatest unhappiness a person can feel in life is unmet expectations. Leo Guhrke

Unmet expectations ruin much of our lives at any time but at Christmas, unmet expectations pile up. Often we expect more from ourselves and others than we or they can possibly deliver. Christmas movies abound with that exact message. We need to accept and love ourselves how we are.

If we want the whole family to get together but some members don’t talk to each other it won’t likely happen, and if they do show up the breach will not likely be healed. There are breaches in families that are hard to explain. The situation that created the breach doesn’t seem big enough. It doesn’t take much to create a breach, but once it is there, the chasm between can get bigger and bigger. Can we be the one who forgives and doesn’t hold a grudge? But, we can’t just let people treat us like that. Holding a grudge doesn’t change the other person it ruins our peace, lives, and relationships with others.

Really, all frustration is birthed out of unmet expectations, and so is nearly every conflict. Matt Chandler

They say, the more we are willing to forgive, the more we are forgiven. The more we put into life the more we get out of it. The magic of Christmas is the magic we put into it. Whether we look at Christmas as religious or secular or somewhere in between there is a lot of work that goes into creating the celebrations we enjoy. Someone had to string the lights on the houses we drive by. Someone baked the cookies; someone planted and harvested the Christmas trees we bring into our homes. Someone planned the events we attend, and practiced the songs, plays, and productions.

We might think we can get Christmas in a box, but the less we put into it, the less we get out of it. Relationships are the same. My husband showed me a TikTok video yesterday. A man is talking about friends who get together regularly for sports events, but then realizes they don’t have deep friendships because they don’t talk about important things. He invites them to get together and share what is going on in their lives and their relationships deepen.

Putting on a happy face and pretending everything is wonderful isn’t a good way to live. Dealing with reality, being grateful for what we have, and that things aren’t worse, but acknowledging what is, is a good way to live. If our heart is breaking why do we pretend it isn’t? Let someone be there for us, and we can be there for them. Isn’t that a real friendship? False positivity is not positive, nor is only looking at the negative, but dealing with what is, even when it is hard is part of life.

Somewhere a couple is dealing with a child in intensive care. Somewhere someone is missing from the family circle. Homes have been burned down; catastrophe has struck in many ways. Pretending life is better than it is, isn’t the answer. Dealing with what is, helping other people, and letting them help us through the ups and downs of life is how we feel genuinely connected. Is there a better time to reach out to someone than at Christmas, to heal a breach, to get together, or to reconnect? By managing our expectations do we manage our life?

Unmet expectations are tough when it’s your wife or your husband, but it’s really tough when it’s God. And yet, it can be a time of growth and a time of faith, a time of understanding who God is. Mike Lucado

Unmet expectations, feelings of betrayal, clouded understanding, seeds of resentment, germinating organically, under societal pressures. Trust takes a back seat, bias ascends the throne, prejudice pervades and a little more colour is vacuumed out of life. Amit Jotwani

Evaluation eliminates frustration. We should also evaluate unrealistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations become unmet expectations. And unmet expectations are like kindling wood – it only takes but a spark of frustration to set them ablaze and burn those involved. Lysa Terkeurst

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you to those that read my books. A special thank you to those that leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the purchase through the Amazon affiliate program.