Hello

Its been a very long time I know since anything has been posted hereon
Karen's Corner. I know some of you have been asking & wondering why I
haven't been writing. I am sorry I stopped,didn't realize that some of you
actually enjoyed the KDD's I use to write & the updates I sent now & again.
Life gets in the way & habbits broken
Also, I personally, felt like the KDD's were not very good, that they
were,not really creative,or considered to be poetry
however, I guess, you my readers, have missed & do,find my messages
interesting & that I have at least a little talent. , & so I have
decided to attempt to compose what you all know as KDD's. I can't
guarantee that I will be writing daily but I will certainly try. Maybe,
I will be able to develop this craft? I am considering taking an elements
of Poetry class.
I will have to get into the habit & find the time to sit & draft my
KDD's,but it will be worth it,if it makes you all Happy & you enjoy & can
get a glimpse of what's happening for Darrell and me.
So,Soon you will see a kDd. I have written the outline of one this
evening. I am going to try and surmise events of the past 7 months,
create something that is interesting & written with whit & humor. I am
hoping by the weekend a new KDD will be up & ready for you all to
read. So stay tuned.

Until then,

Karen

MountainWings:5 Keys to making and keeping your New Year Resolutions

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#11365 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

5 Keys to Making and Keeping Your New Year Resolutions
=======================================================

1. Define the Win
Many people make mistakes of making very general goals and never
end up keeping them. It's one thing to say, "I want to lose
weight" and entirely another thing to say, "I want to lose 50
pounds by Thanksgiving."

Fifty pounds is a defined win. When you state, "I want to lose
weight." you have defined a direction, but you haven't defined a
measurable goal line. How will you know when you have lost
enough? You can always make another goal later.

Here are some abstract goals that have been better defined to
understand a win.

I want to read more - I will read 12 books this year
(1 book a month)

I want to eat better -
I will eat a minimum of two vegetables a day

I want to exercise more -
I will run 500 miles this year.

I want to be more generous -
I will give 15% of my income away this year.

2. Make smaller goals along the way.
In football there are two lines that really matter. The official
goal-line where all the points are scored and the first-down
line where a team advances ten yards and gets 4 more shots at
the goal-line.

The smaller goal of the first-down marker is often what really
advances the ball and helps teams make it across the bigger
goal-line that counts.

Create for yourself smaller goals that you can achieve on a
weekly or monthly basis that will help you achieve your bigger
goal. If your goal is to read twelve books a year, that
translates into one book a month. If you want to lose 50 pounds,
that's roughly one pound a week. Make smaller goals and
celebrate when you've reached them.

Celebrating small successes along the way will give you the
momentum you need to reach your bigger goal.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Your goal may be something huge like to quit smoking. Do some
research and consult some people or products that are geared to
help you. If you want to lose weight, don't be afraid to consult
your doctor and even sign up to meet a trainer at the gym. If
you want to read more, ask someone you know who reads a lot and
ask them for strategy and tips.

4. Make the goal with a friend or group of friends.
If you are trying to lose weight, get your spouse on board to
exercise with you or to make a similar commitment to eat
healthier. If you are trying to read a book a month, start a
book club. Have a friend meet you at the gym 3 times a week. If
you want to write more, start a blog and ask your friends to
follow.

5. Evaluate your results.
Set an end date and set aside time to evaluate how you did
throughout the year towards your goal. Every goal achieved and
not achieved is a chance to learn. Maybe you only read ten books
instead of twelve (odds are that's about nine more than you
might have otherwise). Maybe you only lost 35 pounds (that's
still 35 pounds!). Maybe you quit working out in February
because you got a cold and never went back. Figure out what went
wrong and what went right. Take the time to measure how far you
have come and challenge yourself with something new for the next
year.

What kind of resolutions are you making this year?

~Pastor Jonathan Hill~

Thank you for inviting MountainWings into your mailbox.
Change a life, give a friend MountainWings.
See you tomorrow.

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Mountain Wings A Thousand Marbles:

MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1132 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

A Thousand Marbles
===================

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings.

Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first
to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at
work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are
most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a
steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the
other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one
of those lessons that life could only give you every once and a
while.

I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a
Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with
a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be
in the broadcasting business himself.

He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named
"Tom."

I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm
sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from
home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow
should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends
meet.

Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."

He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has
helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand
marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic.
The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some
live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about
seventy-five years."

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900
which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in
their entire lifetime.

Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."

"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all
this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived
through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking
that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand
of them left to enjoy."

"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they
had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up
1000 marbles.

I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic
container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every
Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it
away."

"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more
on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run
out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you
and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took
the very last marble out of the container.

I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given
a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a
little more time."

"It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with
your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday.

Have a good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished.

Even the show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few
moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.

I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the
gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.

"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What
brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special,
it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together
with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out?

I need to buy some marbles."

~Author Unknown~

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND MAY ALL YOUR SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL

Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.

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