uniquelyyourscraftjournal

American Tears

11 Nov 2015 2 Comments

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams Tags: America, American Tears, Veteran

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Last year my husband and I were invited to the Annual Veterans Day Program at one of our local elementary schools. During the program, the choir sang this song. I had never heard of it before but it is so moving and inspirational that I had to share it with you:

American Tears by Teresa Jennings

Sometimes I think about America. About her struggles through the years.

I think of people who did what they had to do with the strength to act their fears.

Sometimes I think about America. About her future and her past.

I know I’m blessed to be living in Liberty. In a land where freedom will last.

For the heroes. For the patriots. For the soldiers For all the pioneers.

I will always be an American, and I’ll always cry American tears.

Sometimes I think about America, about her people’s legacy. I wonder if they knew that what they had to do would be known throughout history.

Sometimes I think about America. About her pain along the way. I know it had to be for our democracy. For the world we live in today.

For the heroes. For the patriots. For the soldiers. For all the pioneers.

I will always be an American, and I’ll always cry American tears.

Marine Corps Birthday

10 Nov 2015 Comments Off on Marine Corps Birthday

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Perspectives Tags: birthday, Marine Corps, Perspectives

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Today my husband celebrates the 240th Birthday of the U S Marine Corps.

The U S Marine Corps celebrates its 240th Birthday today. Throughout history, Marines have faced tough times and challenges from 1775 when they were founded to today. Marines have always excelled. They train hard and their training is always respected. “Send in the Marines” is not a catchy phrase.

Today, Marines from all generations gather in groups large and small to celebrate the birthday of the Corps and to reflect on the legacy and warrior ethos that they share.

The Birthday Ball is rich in tradition. The ceremony involves the reading of the first Commandant’s message, the birthday message from the current Commandant, a guest speaker and a cake cutting ceremony. The first piece of cake is given to the guest of honor. The second piece is given to the oldest Marine present. Upon receiving the second piece of cake, the oldest Marine passes the cake to the youngest Marine present signifying the passing of experience and knowledge to the young of the Corps.

Happy Birthday Marines!

~Sallie (proud wife of a retired Marine)

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Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given

To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com

Goals

06 Nov 2015 Comments Off on Goals

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Seeds of thought Tags: goals

“People with goals succeeded because they know where they’re going.”

Earl Nightingale

Pursuit of Happiness- Being Grateful

02 Nov 2015 Comments Off on Pursuit of Happiness- Being Grateful

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Pursuit of Happiness Tags: gratitude, Journal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Gratitude comes in many forms. When we were kids, our parents, wanting us to be grateful for everything they sacrificed for us, focused on the “stuff”. But as we reflect on this we learned that gratitude is not “stuff”, gratitude is an emotion. When we remember the happy memories of when we received the new bike, book, car etc., then we experienced gratitude.

My mother always insisted that when I received a gift I must write a thank you note. I can remember thinking that a verbal ‘thank you’ was enough, but as I grew older and I received written ‘thank you’ notes, I realized that gratitude expressed verbally or written was a source of happiness for me.

So, how do we pursue gratitude? Here are some things to consider:

Take a Gratitude Break. Some people do this when they first wake up or one of the last things before sleep. One way to articulate gratitude is at the dinner table with your family.
Be present in your moments. A friend of ours wrote us a brief note of thanks recently. We had invited him and his girlfriend to a Museum event that we enjoyed and he wrote: “Thank you for sharing your present moments with us.”
Scale back. While social media is great, you can totally loose hours while “just checking email and facebook. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.” Before you know it, time has slipped away and your dinner is cold and that TV show is over!
Start a Gratitude Journal. How to do it? Here are some tips:

Write 3 or more things daily in your journal. Avoid repeating the same things. As you challenge yourself to discover new things to be grateful for, you’ll start watching and listening for new gratitude experiences.
It’s easy to list the material things – your home, your car, your phone, but what is hard is why you are grateful for these things. How do you feel about your home? Write about your feelings of security and comfort.
In addition to material things, there’s your talents and those things in your life that help you create your world. Start with the basics – your ability to write, see, watch, listen and being a good friend.
Write about the people in your life and how they make you feel. It’s easy to write about friends, family but how about that difficult co-worker?
Write about situations and events- happy times and sad times.

As you write about your Gratitude Moments, you will quickly find that as you continue writing in your journal, your expectations and emotions will become positive and you will certainly be happier.