Last day of summer vacay!

Well, today was offically the last day of summer vacay. *boo hoo* We went swimming today just like we had planned and Nicole brought Madison and a couple of her friends to join in the splashing, jumping, screaming and OMG'g. The weather was soooo nice - breezey with just the right amount of sun shining through. While Nicole got her vitamin D I sat under a big shade tree, but of course, we were close enough for even the slightest whisper to be heard. :)



Our washing machine has been on the blink and wouldn't you know it...the repair man called while Nicole and I were dishing it up and that meant we had to end the day early...well, at least I'm able to wash clothes again. Though, it did get me to thinking - I can hardly imagine what pioneer women had to deal with - washing clothes on rocks down by the river/spring/gully. Praise the lord for the invention of the washing machine.

Someone emailed me with the story below and it really spoke to me...I thought I would pass it along.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began eyeing each other's cups." "Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have." Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

Blessings.
Tammy