Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello to all of you,
I just wanted to take a few minutes to make sure that I wished each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  I hope you will have the pleasure of spending time tomorrow with family or friends.  If you're having turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings, enjoy yourself.  Thanksgiving Day only comes around once a year.

Having said that, I would like to say that I hope you are thankful every day of your life.  We, here in the United States, have a fairly easy life.  We have so many things in our lives, as well as, most of us have more than enough to eat.  I feel truly blessed every single day.

We will be going to one of my daughter's home for Thanksgiving.  We will all bring a covered dish and/or a dessert.  I will be taking both.  One thing I know for sure, is that we will have plenty of food to eat, in fact, way too much! 

I do so enjoy spending time with my three daughters, my sons-in-law, my grandsons and their significant others.   There will also be friends invited.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone.  What are your plans for tomorrow?

I have to say that I wasn't too excited to see the snow falling today.  We have about three inches or so and, at this time, I'd rather not have any snow.  It is a very wet, heavy snow.  I don't mind the snow if I don't have to go out and if it's not on a holiday.  So many people had plans for traveling today and I hope they all made it to their destinations safe and sound.  I understand many of them left yesterday to get a jump on the snow. 

Have a wonderful day tomorrow and be safe always.
Susan

Susan Lapp Mellott. Author and Heart Disease: What do you give thanks for?

Susan Lapp Mellott. Author and Heart Disease: What do you give thanks for?: Hi all, We all have so very much to be thankful to God for.  The problem is that so many of us don't see all the blessings we've b...

What do you give thanks for?

Hi all,

We all have so very much to be thankful to God for.  The problem is that so many of us don't see all the blessings we've been given.  We only see the disappointments, the failures, the hurts and the pain in our lives.  Believe me when I say, that there are always people who are much worse off than we are. 

What I've learned over the past four or five years is that when we make up our minds to live every day of our lives giving gratitude and acceptance to God.  Give gratitude for everything you do have and just accept your life the way it is at the present time. 

So many people go through their lives always wanting and needing more, more of everything:  money, a fancy house,  a new fancy car, a perfect job, always to be right and I could go on and on.
But, I won't.  I'm sure that you get the idea!  Those people are never satisfied with what they have.  They think that more money and fancy things will make them happy, but they are so wrong. 

The way to be truly happy is simply to be grateful and acceptance of what you do have.  Happiness comes from  he inside, not the outside.  It's too bad that so many people don't realize that.  They go all through their lives wondering why they are never happy with anything in their lives.  It's truly so sad because the answer is so simple.  Stop wanting more and be happy and thankful for what you do have!

With Thanksgiving just a few short days away, I hope that all of you will take some time to think about all the blessings in your life.  Make a list for yourself and I believe you will be so surprised with what you end up with on the list.  Do you have clothes to wear; a coat to keep you warm; bread and peanut butter for a sandwich; a family you love; a car that will get you where you need to go; at least one good friend; and I could go on and on.  You get the picture?

I wish for each of you to have a blessed Thanksgiving, hopefully with someone you love.  It doesn't matter whether you have turkey and filling or a burger and fries.  It's about being with someone you love and who loves you also.  What you eat isnt' important. 

My husband and I will be fortunate enough to be with family as we celebrate Thanksgiving day.  For that alone, I am truly blessed.  I love my family and I am so very proud of each and every one of them, from the oldest to the youngest. 

To put it simply:  I live every day of my life with chronic congestive heart failure and other illnesses also.  I live a very sedentary lifestyle because of my illnesses.  My whole life, as I knew it, changed almost nine years ago when I almost died. 

I just have a new life style now as I live with my disease.  I live every day giving praise and honor to my God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me every day of my life.  So, for all these things, I will be thankful not just on Thanksgiving Day but every day that I live on this earth.

May you have peace in your life, be safe and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.
Susan

Here's a picture of one of my Christmas Cactus plants. 

Happy Saturday to everyone.

Hi all,

How's your weekend going thus far?  Mine is good.  My husband and I put up our Christmas decorations and tree today.  Well, I actually starting some decorating yesterday.  I love the Christmas season so very much.  I've been watching Christmas movies on the two Hallmark television stations since the beginning of November.  I just love them.  They fill me with a sense of hope and love for our futures.  I just wish that human beings were as giving and loving all year round as at this time of year.  Wouldn't that be a great way to live each day?

So, how is everyone coming along with your Christmas preparations?  Perhaps you've not started, as of yet.  But that's okay also.  I like starting early so that a week to ten days before Christmas Eve, I can just sit back and enjoy my days filled with joy.  Of course, as we age, we get a bit smarter about things.  We start to realize that by starting earlier, we can enjoy the holidays better.

I am anxious for Thanksgiving Day to arrive.  I also love this holiday too.  It gives us each a chance to stop our hectic lives, even if it's just for a few hours, and give thanks for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.  I try every day to give thanks to the Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me all of my life.  Sure, I've gone through some truly painful times in my life, but each and every one of these experiences, has helped me to become a stronger and better person. 

I have finished my newest book, but I haven't printed any copies off, as of yet.  I've been pretty busy with other things, but I hope to get to it very son.  This book is a book of poems, entitled "My Soothing Poems from the Heart."  Hopefully it will be available for electronic reading on Amazon.com,  within the next couple of weeks. 

All of my books and booklets can be found at Amazon.com.  Just enter my full name into the search block and click.  They will all come up for your perusal.  There are fiction novels for both adults and children; as well as, non fiction books and booklets.  I also have books and booklets regarding health issues.  Please check them out.  Electronic books make great Christmas gifts for those you love.  I have a brief message about some of my books, here on my blog.  Just click on the pages you'd like to read.

I hope today was a good day for you and that this evening goes well, also.  If not, then I hope tomorrow will be a better day for you and yours.  Of course, tomorrow is Sunday, so please put some time aside to give praise and glory to God.  Stay safe and be happy.
Susan

(Even tiny trees bring great joy!)

Boy, is it cold out there today!

Hi all,

All I can say is if you don't have to go outside today, don't!  Here in South Central Pennsylvania it's very cold and very windy.  I wouldn't have gone out at all today, except for the fact that I had a doctors appointment this morning.  It was just with my family doctor and it was just my four month check up.  I like my doctor she takes time to just sit and talk with me about every day things.  That's nice. 

I also finished up my downstairs cleaning today.  I'm glad that's done now for awhile.  I no longer clean every week, since it doesn't get that dirty anymore.  Of course, the heat blowing during the winter makes dust, so the winter months cause the house to be dustier.   I do have a Roomba and let me say that I love it.  If it wouldn't be for it, I wouldn't still be able to do my own cleaning.  Although, I do hate cleaning, but I do like that I can still do my own house cleaning.  How about you?  Do you mind doing house cleaning or do you enjoy doing it? 

I am getting ready to do a printing of my newest book called, "My Soothing Poems from the Heart."
I'd like to give a few copies as Christmas gifts, mainly to my three daughters.  I will have it available for electronic reading at Amazon.com.  By the way, did you know that you can do electronic reading on almost any electronic gadget?  Just download the app and purchase or borrow the book you want to read.  Please check out all of my novels, booklets, children's books and self-help books while you're on Amazon.  Just enter my full name into the search block and away you go.  They make great Christmas gifts and don't cost much money.  How great is that?

How many of you who are on social security and use a Medicare approved insurance company for your health insurance?  Our current Advantage policy is going up so much in January, that I have been researching some other policies as well as other companies.  Today I called and changed to another policy, but stayed with Freedom Blue PPO.  I asked the very kind gentleman who spoke to me why our current policy (plus all of their other policies and other companies) will go up so much in cost in January.  He explained that Medicare is not paying them as much as they used to, so they have no choice but to increase the premium costs onto us.  Great!  We will still be paying more, but not as much as if we'd stay with our current policy.  It's no fun getting old,now is it?

I am so glad that I finished my hand-made Christmas greeting cards.  I feel relieved about that.  I will be happy if I get them ready to mail by the tenth of December.  When do you usually mail your Christmas cards.  I heard on the television the other day, that there is a extremely large amount of cards mailed over the Christmas holiday.  I am so glad that people today, still actually mail a personal Christmas greeting to their family and friends, instead of an E=greeting.  I still love getting personal mail, such as cards and letters.  Of course, I could do without the bills, but that goes with the territory.

Well, I need to do a few things now, so I'm going to sign off for today.  Remember tomorrow is Hump Day, so tht surely will make you happy.  Take care and God bless each of you.
Susan

Wahoo, the weekends here...

Hi all,

Well, at five o'clock today, your weekend starts.  That's good news for all of you who work a full time job.  As for me, I don't work outside the house anymore.  I've been on disability for going on nine years now, so even though I don't hold down a job outside my home, I still have some work to do.  As with all of you, I have a home that gets dirty, meals to prepare and laundry to take care of, and being chronically ill, those things are a bit hard for me. 

The reason I write this blog, novels, self help books and now poems is because I've been blessed, by God, with an ability to write, to create, to sew, to do hand embroidery, to paint, to draw, etc.  I didn't acquire these talents on my own.  God gave them to me at birth and for that, I am so thankful. 

I feel that I would be wasting what time I still have on this earth if I didn't use my talents.  I have a strong need to "give back" for all the blessings God has given to me.  If I can make someone smile when reading one of my novels, be excited about receiving one of my handmade greeting cards, or learn to save their own life after reading one of my booklets on cardiac disease, then I am doing what God wants me to do. This is very important to me!

How about you?   Have you been blessed by God?  I am sure you have, perhaps you just need to stop and think about all the good things that have happened in your life, all the things you do have.  As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, all of us should be thanking God for each and every one of His blessings.  Did you wake up this morning?  Did you have enough to eat today?  Did you have a job to go to today?  Do you have a loving spouse?  Do you have children you love?  Do you have a car that runs, regardless of how it looks?  Do you have electricity in your home?  Do you have heat in your home?  Do you have ample clothes to keep you clothed and warm?  Do you have one or two people in your life that you can depend on?  Is God real to you? 

I would presume to say that for most of you, the answer to most of these questions will be, "Yes."  Obviously, if you can afford an electronic device to be reading this, you probably have all of the above things.  So, count your blessings.  Most of us don't have everything that we want in life, but we do have everything in life that we need.  Sometimes we're not looking in the right direction.  Often a person is too proud to ask for help, but that's not a good thing.  It's like the parable about the man who's home and land was hit by a flood.  He crawled onto the roof of his home and ask God to help save him.  A man in a boat came by and told him to get into the boat.  His answer was, "I'll be fine, God will save me."  Then a second person in a boat tried to rescue him and he refused once again, claiming that God would save him.  He drowned!  When he went before God the man asked  God why He didn't save him.  God replied that He did try to save him.  He sent him two boats to rescue him and he refused to help himself.

So, I suppose the moral of this story is that God helps those who help themselves.  There are so many organizations that will help a person in trouble.  But, that person needs to ask for the help and put their pride aside.

Believe me, I don't have a lot of money, a fabulous home, a fancy new automobile or any of those things, but I am rich.  I am rich in God's love and blessings and that's why I'm content and happy with my life.  May God help each of you to see how much you are blessed!

Be safe and God bless you all.
Susan

Here are two of God's blessings!

I'm slowly getting there....

Hi all,

Now that the weekend is over, maybe I can get back to working on my manuscript.  Last evening, my Red Hat group had a get-to-gather in one of our homes.  We each brought a covered dish and I must say that everything was so delicious.  The main meal was yummy and for dessert we had chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and a freshly made apple pie.  Of course, when it was over, the pie was gone.  I made a combination of zuchinni, yellow squash, onions w/seasonings, corn, salsa and sharp shredded cheese, which I baked.  It was very good.  I had a large casserole and we had a little bit left.   So, we finished it off for dinner tonight, along with a baked potato and Italian sausage.  I'm not a big sausage eater but I do like a little link of the Italian kind once and a while.

I need to "proof" my manuscript for the second time soon.  Today I finished up the front and back covers.  I also did two loads of laundry this morning and started cleaning my upstairs.  Tomorrow I'll see if I can finish up the cleaning, but I'm not sure I will have enough time.  I am picking up one of my Grandsons and taking him to a doctor's appointment, then returning him back to school.  Usually, my husband will help my daughter when my grandson has an appointment, but he will be golfing tomorrow with his boss and another of our Grandsons.  This Grandson works at a bank and since tomorrow is a bank holiday, he will be free to join the "old guys."

I'm also trying to wrap Christmas gifts and finish up any gifts that I still need to purchase.  I'm sure many of you are saying, "What's the rush!"  But, I have to tell you that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then Christmas will be soon upon us.  My goal is to have everything done two weeks before Christmas, then I can truly relax and enjoy the holidays.  Of course, there will always be a few last minute things that I will need to do but that can't be helped, now can it?

What about you?  Have you been preparing for the holidays in any way?  I don't want to minimize Thanksgiving, but I don't have a lot of preparation for that holiday.  We go to my youngest daughter and her husband's home for Thanksgiving.  They prepare the turkey and filling and we all bring a covered dish and/or a dessert to share.  Believe me, there's always plenty of food to stuff yourself with.  I really enjoy Thanksgiving because I am so very thankful to God for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon me every single day of my life.  What are your Thanksgiving plans?  I hope that you have family close by to spend the day with and if not, then I hope you have good friends who include you into their families.

How's the weather where you live?  Yesterday and today, it's been in the low sixties here, but I understand that by Wednesday, the temps will be falling down and by Sunday, they said we may have a few snow flurries.  What's up with that?  Maybe we need a good "freeze" to kill some of the allergy producing grasses and trees outside.  What do you think?

Well, tomorrow is Tuesday and only the second day of your work week, but try to keep a good attitude and frame of mind.  We've all gone through our tough days at work, and usually they only last for one day.  Stay safe and may God bless each one of you.
Susan

I'm finally finished!

Hi all,

How's everyone doing this Thursday evening?  I am a bit tired, but I'm doing okay.  I finally finished up creating my handmade Christmas cards; final total is 87.  It took me quit a while, but I'm pleased with all of them.  I hope that everyone who receives one of them will enjoy it.  I have to create some "all occasion" cards, but I doubt that I'll get any started before January. 

Have you done anything in preparation for the holiday season?  If your answer is 'no', then I would suggest that you get a move on.  The best way to handle this time of year, is to start your shopping right after the first of the new year.  It works really well for me.  I'm almost finished with my gifts, except for one or two more for my husband.  Yesterday I started doing some of my wrapping.  I didn't get too far along, but that's okay.  I'll get it done in plenty of time.

My idea is this:  If I have all the preparations done by the second week in December, I can then sit back and just enjoy the last two weeks before Christmas Eve.  We usually decorate around the third weekend of November.  I love seeing all the Christmas decorations in my home.  It just makes me so very happy.  How about you?

Both the Hallmark channels started running Christmas movies since the first of November.  I've watched a few of them.  I get such a sense of contentment just watching them every year.  Right now the movie, Christmas in Connecticut from 1945 is on the Hallmark Movie Channel.  Have you ever watched this movie?  I have seen it once or twice before but it's such a good movie.  Of course, it's in black and white and stars Barbara Stanwyck an Dennis Morgan.  I'm used to seeing Barbara Stanwyck on "The Big Valley" and she is so much younger in this movie. 

Do you run from store to store doing your shopping for Christmas or do you do your shopping online?  I used to run from store to store, but after becoming ill almost 9 years ago, I now do my shopping online.  It's so much easier and I get some great buys.  I realize that I have to pay the shipping on my purchases, but a lot of times the shipping is free.  And, I do save my gas money by not driving all over the place. 

Today was my grocery shopping day.  Usually my husband goes along with me, but he couldn't today.  He lifts all the bags of food into the car and brings them into the house when we get home.  You see, that part is very hard for me as I can't lift my weight. So, I did all the lifting on my own.  Until I got everything put away,  I was exhausted to say the least.  I've been tired ever since.  I suppose I won't feel any better until tomorrow morning when I wake up. 

I'd like to take a few moments to speak to all you women out there.  Did you know that the number one killer of women in the US today is heart disease?  So many women in their mid to late forties start having heart issues in their forties.  Unfortunately, most women think that the symptoms of a heart attract in women is the same as it is for a man.  Unfortunately, it is not!  In women, they often experience pain or discomfort across their shoulders and in the neck area.  They rarely have chest pain.  So many women just shrug it off as stress.  Please, stop just thinking that it is stress and take it seriously.  It just could save your life!  Also, many women think that heart disease doesn't hit until later in life.  That's just so untrue.  If you are having any discomfort across your shoulders or in your neck, take it seriously.  You have nothing to lose but everything to gain.  You can check out my booklet on Heart Disease both on this blog and at Amazon.com. 

I will soon be ready to have my book of poems published.  It's called "Soothing Poems from the Heart."  I'm very excited about this book as it will be my very first book of poetry.  I've so enjoyed writing these poems.  I'm sure I will write some more when I get the time.

Here's what the cover looks like.

Well, you have one more work day this week and then you'll get two days off to relax.  I hope you will use a little bit of that time preparing for the holidays.  Stay safe and God bless each of you.
Susan