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Keep On Running

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“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.” – Walter Elliott

In a day and age where we choose to rush around getting so many things done every day, it’s good to stop and remember that perseverance means that you keep on going, despite hardship, despite distractions and obstacles, we keep moving forward one step at a time.

Some days, like today, it is a great help to remember that all it takes is that one step right after the other. 

-Cherry Coley (c)

 

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Change 03/05/13

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“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.  And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom, a man cannot ride you unless your back is bent.” – Martin Luther King

 

“Never believe that a few caring people cannot change the world,  for indeed that is all who ever have.” – Margaret Mead

 

Change is the one thing in this world that is certain.  Change comes into every life, into every circumstance, and makes it’s way into every situation.  Change simply…is.

How well we live our lives is directly related to how well we handle change, whether we live proactively and in a positive state of mind, ready for whatever life might throw our direction, or whether we live reactively and wind up being controlled by our on emotional responses to things that happen.  There is a choice to be made and we make those choices each day. 

What will we do? What if?  Don’t dwell on all the worries, live today, enjoy the moment, focus on what is right in front of you right now.  If you’re talking to someone, put down the phone, concentrate and hear the person in front of you. 

So many times we forget to slow down and just “be present.”  I know I learn to appreciate the people and things I have when I take the time to enjoy and focus solely on what I am doing.  It’s important, you will never have another moment like this one, change is coming.

Cherry Coley (c)

Quote Jan 29, 2013

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“There is little to be learned by doing nothing. When you conceive an idea in which you fervently believe, go after that idea – especially if people you respect believe it’s a good one. Hang in there and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!” – Zig Ziglar

Take a moment today to be thankful for the blessing in your life.  Be thankful for your job, your family and friends, the roof over your head, the ability to read, and learn.  There are so many things we take for granted each day.  Look around you today and be thankful.

I am thankful for you.  No one can ever take your place, you are unique, one of a kind.  Only you have the ability to do the things you do the way you do them.  Only you know all the people in your life that you can touch with a simple act of kindness.  You can make a difference.

Cherry Coley (c)

Spilled Cookies – New Look Coming Soon!

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Time changes everything.  I have been on a soul-searching path for several years now, last year was a time of grief and rebuilding and that is an ongoing process.  Rewriting your life and changing direction takes time, courage, lots of study, self-evaluation and learning to humble oneself to be open to change itself.

I will be working to change SpilledCookies to go in a new direction as my life is changing as well.  This blog has been a great way to gain insight and self-confidence, to share points of view, to trade ideas and I have enjoyed writing here. 

I am not saying goodbye, but instead saying there are better days ahead!  While I have shared some personal stories here, a lot of my posts are my point of view about different subjects, the new site will hold more of each, plus a new adventure/outreach I will be starting soon.  I hope you will enjoy the new SpilledCookies even more.

Cherry Coley (c)

 

My philosophy for Spilled Cookies still holds true:

Doctor Doctor!

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doctorsexterioraerial300Today I am thankful for doctors.  I spent a lot of time in hospitals with my mom over the years.  She was a 3 time cancer survivor and had other health problems that came about due to the lingering effects of the chemotherapy she had to endure.

 I am thankful for the care and kindness of the nurses that would come in and check on us, and the doctor taking the time to explain the parts of the treatment that we didn’t understand.  I am also thankful for the Chaplains who would take the time to come by and visit with mom when we couldn’t be there.

 In some of the hospitals the rooms were made where you could stay overnight if you wanted which was really nice.  I am thankful that both my parents had good attitudes while they were in the hospital which also helps. 

I had to have cesarean sections with both of my daughters.  I am thankful for the skill and care of the nurses and doctors that made sure that we were all healthy and well cared for. 

 I don’t really like to be in hospitals because they bring back so many memories, but I am thankful that we have hospitals and that they are available when we need them.  I am thankful for all the men and women who work tirelessly, under paid and many time underappreciated to give us that good care that is needed.

I do not have the stomach or the temperament to be a doctor or a nurse, but I am thankful there are people that do. When was the last time you stopped to think about your doctor and nurse as people, with homes and loved ones of their own?  I know there have been times when I called after hours and my doctor took the time to call me back to answer my questions.  That was time taken away from his family.  Take a moment today to send your doctor a thank you note, or a card of encouragement, you will make their day and remind them that what they do really does make a difference.

Cherry Coley (c)

Fa La La La La…La La..La Laaaa

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Cherry's Camera Dec 2010 026Today I am thankful for music.  Music is a feast for the senses, especially with modern technology.  It’s quite a treat to be able to turn on your favorite tunes at will, sing along if you want and feel the rhythm of the music. 

Music is a language all by its self.  Often when I am feeling blue I will turn on some music to either cheer me up from my blue mood, or some soft music to go with the mood.    Music can be used to wake us up and get us moving, to entertain us while stuck in traffic, to keep us company while on a road trip, to remind us of events and people in our lives.

We have music to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and music for parties, and to celebrate just being able to get up and dance.  We have soothing music to sleep by, and lullaby’s to sing to our children.  We have love songs to say the things we feel when we can’t find the words, and sad songs for the same reason.

 Music helps us to express ourselves when we don’t really know what to say.  There have been times when I felt sad about circumstances in my life and listened to music because the words to the songs were describing exactly how I felt at the moment. 

 I can remember when I was very young, my dad singing me the anthems for the Navy, Air force, Army and Marines when I wasn’t feeling well and he was trying to cheer me up.  He had a song book with the music to many songs from the old South and war times.  He would go through the book picking out songs here and there and singing them to me while I lay beside him listening.

 I remember the soft melodies of Christmas like “Silent Night”, “Holy Night” and “What Child is This”, being played in the house at Christmas time while mom made peanut brittle and chocolate fudge.

 I remember hearing the chimes from the church bells ringing early on Sunday mornings.  One of the most haunting sounds came from an Irishman that lived several blocks over in our neighborhood, he would play 2-3 songs on the bagpipes every now and then at sunset.  My dad said his son died in the war and the man would play when he was missing him.

 I am thankful for the variety of music that is available and the ease we have to find it now.  I am thankful for the magnificent songwriters out there that put the music together, and then share their creation for others to enjoy.  I am thankful for Steve Jobs who created the ability to “put a thousand songs in your pocket.”

 I am not sure what a world without music would be like, but I don’t want to find out.  Music is such an important part of life that the impact of losing it would be devastating.

 Cherry Coley ©

 

Listen, I Can See You!

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Oh to see a rose, to smell the fragrance, touch the soft petals, look at the rich color.  What a beautiful reminder of what our senses are for.

Today I am thankful for the senses.  What a gift to have each of them.  I am thankful for the sight I do have, although it wouldn’t be near as good without my contacts or glasses.  I am thankful for the options we have to improve our sight as well.

 I am thankful for the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, and speak.  In the last few years my mom had a terrible time with her eyes and ears.  Her eyes would close involuntarily which made it challenging for her to read, cook, walk and too dangerous for her to drive.  She also had Meniere’s disease which affects balance and hearing.  She had many side effects and illnesses caused by large doses of the chemotherapy she had years previously.

 In listening to her try to deal with these frustrations, I came to appreciate when there were good days much more as well as be grateful for my own senses and the ability to help.

 Nothing in life should be taken for granted, though it is human nature to do just that.  We take for granted things that we have always had or that have always been there, only noticing how much they meant to us if something happens and they are damaged or lost.

 Take a moment to appreciate the gift of your senses, even if you don’t have all of them, be thankful for what you have and put them to good use while taking good care of them.

Cherry Coley (c)