How Books Can Change Your Life!

I am a self-proclaimed bookworm, I can admit that! 📖📚📖

I am even a librarian in a small town library.

In fact, I love books and reading so much, you can still find me perusing the shelves of others of other libraries on my days off work.

A few days ago, I came across the book, You've Got to Read This Book by Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks.

Canfield and Hendricks asked invited notable people to share their story of how a book changed their life. I found most of the stories interesting, and even wrote down a few titles so far.

However, it was the story written by Bernie Siegel, M.D., that captivated my attention.

His opening paragraph explains so very well how books can change our lives. I couldn't have said it any better!

 ~  "To be honest, I really don't believe any book can change 

your life - only you can. Look, two people read the same 

book: One is inspired, while the other is bored. It's 

the person - not the book ~ that creates the transformation. 

That power lies within each of us. That said, I do believe 

that an author's insights, when combined with the 

reader's inspiration and desire to change, can lead to a 

new life for the reader." (p. 137)   ~

For Dr. Siegel, this book was The Human Comedy by William Saroyan. I have never read this book myself yet, but it has now been put on my must-read shelf.

Siegel describes the book as a coming-of-age tale that reminds us "to enjoy, to laugh, and to use our experience for growth, and for good." (Siegel)

And he goes on..."Saroyan says this beautifully in what to me are perhaps the most important words in his book:

William Saroyan quote

As a genealogist, I am constantly looking backwards at how my parents and other ancestors lived their lives. I look at how I should be living my life, and hope I am making a difference in this world.

This quote from Saroyan struck me like a lightning bolt! It not only describes my parents and grandparents, but gives me a look at what I also can pass on to my child.

👉 I also have a book that changed my life....  📕📖📕
       

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch was asked to give a Last Lecture as part of a lecture series on what they would like to present as a last lecture of their life. The ironic twist to Randy's lecture is that as he was planning his lecture, he discovered he had an incurable cancer.

His parting wisdom is  all about making a life, not just a living. He made everyday count and just enjoyed where life was leading him.

I had just started reading this book when my 79-year-old father became hospitalized with pneumonia. As his health declined, I was continuing to read and contemplate. I think my father had been content with his life and his place in it, much like Randy Pausch.

And just like Siegel describes above, reading Pausch's insights in The Last Lecture during my father's hospitalization and passing, provided the impetus for me to make some big life-altering changes in my life.

So, now, share with us, please:

~ What book has made a huge impact on your life?

Source:

• Canfield, Jack and Hendricks, Gay. You've Got to Read This Book!: Inspiring Stories about the Life-Changing Power of Books. HarperCollins, 2006, p.137-139.

• Pausch, Randy, and Jeffrey Zaslow. The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion, 2008.

My Birthday Bucket List

Happy Birthday to me!! 🎂🎂🎂 

You might get the idea that I had a birthday recently... LOL

Birthdays always gets me reflecting on what I have enjoyed, and what I have accomplished, within the past year.

And, then my mind starts drifting toward my bucket list. I have a lifetime bucket list that I look forward to completing in my lifetime. 

I love having a lifetime bucket list, but your lifetime is a bigger, more abstract, concept. It is not as easy to ✔✔✔ items off the list, because they are bigger items. I would love to be able to see the Northern Lights in my lifetime, but it won't happen soon, I know.

But, a Birthday Bucket List...I love the idea!!!

Each Birthday month, I start by looking at last year's list. I see if there is anything that I still would like to do. That begins my list.

What else would I like to accomplish in just the next 12 months? If I would like to eventually see all 50 states, then 1-2 fairly close states might fit into the coming year. 

So,  what is on your Birthday Bucket List? What would make your heart happy in the next year? 💓 😀💗 What would you like to accomplish? 📝🎉 

Please tell me in the comments about your Birthday Bucket List! I want to hear all about you and your List!!!

Dreamchaser Spotlight: Life Tappens!

When I hear of friends and family taking steps to follow a dream, it makes me smile so much! 😁😁😁

Today, I am sharing one such story with you! She happens to be my stepdaughter, and I am so proud of her! But that is where the nepotism ends.

Her name is Tiffany Tappen, and she has recently just started her own blog, Life Tappens.

Tiffany and her family (minus the cat!)

Tiffany is a stay-at-mom of this darling little girl. And she is darling, by the way...I am not a biased grandmother by any means!

The blog is about home, motherhood and plants. Who is the blog meant to reach? As she states on her About Me page, "The goal of this blog is to encourage you, young or old, new or seasoned, in all things life."

So, please click on the link provided above the photo and check out her blog. Read the posts, and see if it touches your heart. If so, you can click on the "Subscribe" button and you will start to receive them in by emails. Don't forget to finish by opening that first email, and click on the "Confirm".

If you like what you see and would like to share with your friends, click on the FB icon (or Pinterest/Twitter, etc.) and share away.

And, as always, remember to follow your dreams!!

Google+ Is Disappearing

This post should only affect a few of my readers, but is information that I need to let you know...

Google+ is disappearing as of the beginning of April. If you were a part of the Google+ community and followed either of my blogs on there, this will concern you.

If you will see not be seeing my blog posts for https://thishoosiersheritage.blogspot.com or for https://fledglingendeavors.blogspot.com because of Google+'s disappearance, please do one of the following:


For https://thishoosiersheritage.blogspot.com :

1. ) On the right side of the screen, look for the word "Followers" with photos below it. Click on the blue Follow button below the photos. That's it! You should be able to follow the blog now.
2. If you would rather follow by email, look for "Follow by Email" on the right side. Type in your email address and click on "Submit". It will send you an email. In that email, click on the "Confirm" button. That's it! You should now receive a post whenever I add one to This Hoosier's Heritage!

For http://fledglingendeavors.blogspot.com :

1. ) On the left side of the screen, look for the word "Followers" with photos below it. Click on the blue Follow button below the photos. That's it! You should be able to follow the blog now.
2. If you would rather follow by email, look for "Follow by Email" on the left side. Type in your email address and click on "Submit". It will send you an email. In that email, click on the "Confirm" button. That's it! You should now receive a post whenever I add one to Fledgling Endeavors!

I hope you have been enjoying the blogs, and will continue reading either, or both, and in the future. If you have any questions, please put them in the comments below or send me an email at mypassionroad@gmail.com.

Spring Has Sprung in Indiana!

It's not that I listen to inanimate objects or anything

But when both the outside thermometer🌡🌡🌡 and the calendar were talking to me....

Yay!!! Spring has arrived!!! ♡♡♡

It would have been downright rude of me to not listen!  LOL

They were conspiring with my steps counter to get me to take a walk. I am very easily brainwashed, so I gave in!

And, so happy that I did!!!!

It was so beautiful outside, and the temperature was perfect.

Beautiful sky and the tree is budding!

Some of the trees have started to bud. And the bushes (I think that's what this was!).

Even more budding going on!

The almost-deafening sound of bullfrogs led me down to our pond behind the Cabin and Guesthouse. As I was attempting to look for the noisy little buggers, I came across this blackish blob in the water.

What could this blackish blob be?

The hubby helped me devise away to get a closer look without getting my feet wet, and I was able to take a better photo.

It looks like we have a whole lot more of those noisy buggers coming soon! Lol

I am not sure of how fast the life cycle of frogs are, so I will have to do a little research. 

Frog Eggs! Tadpoles-to-be!

Guess I will be taking a few more walks this spring to do some scientific research on the this "blackish blob"! I love watching little squiggly tadpoles!

What signs of spring have you noticed now that spring is officially here on the calendar?

Leave a comment below, and tell me about it!

Following Your Dreams: Advice from Pa Salt

You know you love to read when you are taking advice from a character in a book! 📖📘📖

Doesn't everyone! Lol 😀

But wisdom can come from many places. Pa Salt is a character in a series of books, called the The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley. He adopted and raised six girls to adulthood. As they are all starting to go out on their own, they learned that he has passed away.

Learning to navigate their lives without him, the wisdom he imparted throughout their lives starts coming to mind.

~ "Trust your instincts, Tiggy, they will never let you down."

That's what Pa Salt had said to me many times. "Life is about intuition, with a splash of logic. If you learn to use the two in 

the right balance, any decision you make will normally be 

right," he'd added... ~ 

                      🌜   The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley   🌛


●Intuition + a splash of logic (in the right balance) = right decisions●


What a wonderful formula for following your dreams!

Many times, we don't follow our gut instincts because we are too scared. We talk ourselves out of following what makes us happy, before we've even given it a chance.

So, take the advice of Pa Salt!

Pay attention to your intuition, gut instinct, or whatever you like to call it. It's trying to tell you something ~ like a wake-up call!

Now take that intuition, and add some logic. Reach for the stars🌟🌟🌟, but also study the sky🌃

as you do.

Crunch the numbers 🔢, look at the logistics...do whatever you need to do.

Just don't give up on your dream!!!

Keep following your intuition, adding that splash of logic and keep them in the right balance!

Crazy February ~ Flooding, Flu and Flat Tire

This has been one of the craziest February's on record, I think!

We haven't even hit the half-point yet, and have already dealt with flooding, the flu bug, a flat tire...

Last Wednesday and Thursday, our whole region was just hit with unrelenting rain on an already soaked ground.

Flooding was everywhere. Residential streets were filled with water, as it couldn't run off fast enough. In fact, this Youtube video will show some of the flooding in a nearby city. It gives a good glimpse into what we saw.

Many local country roads saw damage, too. We live on a gravel road that usually has only some flooding problems.

But, then again, this was fast & furious rain for two days on already soaked ground. It was not our "usual", that was for sure!

Flotsam & Jetsam-Covered Fencing

The flotsam and jetsam that covers an area after flooding happens should not be setting on the the top of a fence. It should never make it that high! 

Our neighbor's fence tells a different story!

Neighbor's Chair Took a Ride to
Our Drainage Ditch

This green chair took a little water ride down our neighbor's hill and landed in the drainage ditch across from oir house. 

No big deal, right?

But in this case, something small like that caught all the leaves and blocked the drainage pipe under the road.

Which means the water went all over the road, instead of flowing its normal directed path to our retention pond as in the photo below.

Normal Path to the Retention Pond

Our road in front of our house was passable, but extremely rutted do to the heavy, heavy rain. 

So, yesterday morning, we were awoken to this yellow beauty! The couny road people thought we might need a little help flattening our road back out.

Our shock absorbers and tires couldn't even begin to tell them how much it was appreciated!!

Our Heroes!

So, let's see...Flooding is over, check! Road is getting repaired, check! Flat tire is fixed, check! Flu Bug is gone, Hopefully Check!

After the time we've had this past week, this Valentine's Day will be spent with an easy supper, just relaxing and watching a movie, and getting a good night's sleep!  

Gotta take care of each other!! ♡♡♡♡♡