My Philosophy Of Life

MY PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
by Terri Andersen
I believe we're all on this earth for some special purpose, and what happens to us as we lead our everyday lives are the lessons that bring us from one step to the next to reach that goal. The cards we were handed is the deck we have to play, and how we handle a situation has a lot to do with our happiness or unhappiness. From my own experience, I've found that an attitude of gratitude for whatever we have makes for a happier life than a "gimme, gimme.” never satisfied attitude. I think one of the most important things in life is following the Golden Rule in how we treat other people. I know sometimes I fail, through carelessness or not thinking a situation through, but that only makes me resolve to do better next time. The qualities I admire most in people are: honesty, willingness to serve others, and a sense of humor I've learned that how someone judges us is not who we are. If we hold it against them with resentment in our hearts, it doesn't harm them as much as it hurts us, both spiritually and physically. Anger and hatred takes a terrible toll on our bodies and can literally make us sick, while the person the anger is aimed at might not even be aware of what we're going through. I feel every person has value in his or her own right and deserves to be treated fairly. We don't know what goes on in another person's mind and what motivates him or her to do something mean or evil, but it's not up to us to judge anybody without hearing all the facts. I believe evil does not come from God but from people who get carried away with ego and power. Poverty doesn't come from God either, but from people who have much but are unwilling to share the goods of this world with those who have less. I’m convinced that even wars could be avoided if everyone followed the Golden Rule. . There are many people I admire, people I know and people I don't know personally, but the two people I admire most, who come to mind as I'm writing this, are Helen Keller and Mother Teresa. As a blind, deaf mute, life must have been very hard on Helen Keller, and we know in her early years she was filled with rage at the injustice of it all, and frustration in trying to come to terms with her lot in life. Yet in the end she learned to accept her handicaps and embrace her life, with words of wisdom and inspiration for the whole world. Mother Teresa lived a life of great love for God and for all people, especially the neglected poor. She started out with no power, no particular talent, no money, yet she accomplished so much (Schools, orphanages, the Nobel Peace Prize) and became known all over the world just by "doing small things with great love,” to quote her own words.


Just a little note from Karen
This is Mom's 88th article I have posted. This will be the last one I post. The number 88 also represents the number of keys on a piano, it was her favorite instrument to play!
Hopefully you all have enjoyed her articles, some published and the later ones not published and I hope I have done a small thing that you enjoyed and continue to enjoy with great love! I have certainly enjoyed posting these articles, some made me laugh some made me cry...

Let every day be Thanksgiving Day

Let every day be a thanksgiving day
 By Terri Andersen
We all know that Thanksgiving Day is not the only time of the year to be thankful, but how many of us are aware that there is a spiritual law of nature regarding gratitude? It asserts that appreciating the good in life leads to attracting more good into that life. As the Positive Thinking author Norman Vincent Peale put it in a Plus magazine article, “In some unfathomable way, the acknowledgment of past blessings seems to be the activator of new blessings.” He also said that if we focus on the adversities in our life, we'll attract more adversity, but if we look for and are grateful for the good things that come our way, we'll attract more to be thankful for. So it seems evident that what we should strive for is an attitude of gratitude, since “the thankful person is aligning himself with the most powerful force in the universe and is drawing strength from it,” according to Dr. Peale. TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey also subscribes to that idea. A while back she advocated that her viewers keep a gratitude journal and each night write down five things they were grateful for that day. Then she had people who followed her advice come on her show to tell what a difference it made in their attitudes and in their lives. It was very uplifting. Even William Shakespeare had something to say about the subject, namely, “O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” On a closer to home level, I would say my father was a man who appreciated what life offered him, and while he never achieved the world's idea of wealth, it can be said that he was a rich man because he was content with what he had and didn't dwell on what he didn't have. He was always aware that there were those who had so much less than he did. One of the things he liked to say was, “If I can't have what I want, I want what I have.” When I first heard that, I considered it strange and didn't see the sense of it. But as I got older I realized what he meant. An example in my own life is the house I live in. In 1969 when my husband and I were looking for a house for our family of seven, I wanted a 5-bedroom modern ranch, all on one floor. What we got was an older home with four stories (from walk-out basement to full attic) because it was in our price range and the ranch wasn't. At first I was disappointed, but my father was quick to point out the big windows that would allow our home to be filled with sunshine, the beautiful view of the hills and the sunsets from our kitchen window, and the spaciousness of the rooms in general to accommodate our family. Over the years I realized that I honestly love this house. It turned out to be perfectly suitable for our lifestyle and all those stairs give me plenty of exercise. (I don't need a Stairstepper.) I even love the lone bathroom that forced us all to get organized enough to schedule shower time every morning. (The bathroom is 7x13 with a double sink and has room for my own little vanity table and chair.) Another example of learning to appreciate what I was given applies to a job I once had. The company I worked for was moving to another town and I didn't want to commute, so I settled for a lesser paying job within walking distance from my home. At first I felt bad about having to start over, but as I told myself to appreciate the fact that at least I had a job and gave it my all, one thing after another fell into place, and with raises and promotions that job turned out to be the best I ever had. (And believe it or not, the first company landed up going out of business.) It's been said that happiness comes from less complaining and more thanksgiving. So I believe Dr. Peale was right when he wrote, “If you affirm thankfulness, blessings will flow.”