Warm Thoughts

Each year on the first Friday of the month of March, World Day of Prayer is held throughout the world. Women of every nation, creed and color, gather together in a place of worship to offer their prayers in word and song. They offer their prayers for peace and reconciliation and have become God's ambassadors and prayer warriors to the world. World Day of Prayer has touched the hearts of many throu...

In recent Warm Thoughts columns, you have read about the joy one receives when you really listen to children. Their words of wisdom not only surprise us, but their thoughts jog our minds to higher levels of understanding, for they are our master teachers. I was so pleased to learn that our governor signed a proclamation encouraging us to find a child to read to on March 2nd. This date is America's...

During this heart month, I would like to share some thoughts about teacher student relationships. I was recently made aware of a survey that was taken by researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo a number of years ago, the survey examined high school students perceptions of their teachers and classes. The researchers asked juniors and seniors in 18 high schools across the nation t...

Once again, I would like to take my readers to that one room country school where I experienced many warm thoughts as a very young student of the four R's. As I stated in last week's column, I would often look at the wall, where one would see the pictures of two presidents. These two presidents, Abraham, Lincoln and George Washington, became my hero presidents. Our Pledge of Allegiance and respect...

Perhaps some of my readers of this column will remember the days of the one room country school as the birth date of Abraham Lincoln on February 12th approaches. My thoughts go to the old one room country school, where I would often look on the wall and see the pictures of two great presidents: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, who were both born in February. It was back in the good old days...

In last week's column, it was mentioned that January 21 is national hugging day. I also read about Thank you day being in January, and the last week in January has long been known as international forgiveness week. The other morning, I was listening on the radio and heard it say that a noted Doctor stated that "70% of the people would be released from hospitals in 24 hours if they knew they were f...

The home fires may be burning in your home as we together listen on the radio and watch TV about the travel challenges many are facing throughout the country. Upon my return from travel to Seattle during the holiday season, I was welcomed with 20 degree below zero weather. However, my heart was warmed as I listened to the phone messages and read the many cards, letters, and precious thoughts which...

This is the first Warm Thoughts column for 1998. An unknown author once wrote this New Year's thought, "What the new year will bring us depends a great deal on what we bring into the new year." Among the many Christmas greeting cards received were many warm thoughts: A Prayer for Peace. "Dear Lord, let this be a year that moves us one step closer to each other. Let this be a year that brings us un...

Many warm thoughts crossed my mind as I attended the 20th Winter Commencement at the University of South Dakota. Amid all the pomp and circumstance, I was in the audience giving cheers to my colleagues for their achievements. Graduation at Christmas time with holiday festivities seems to have special meaning for many families. The commencement address was given by a very successful businessman, wh...

Every year now, as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day approaches, my memories take me to the little town of Bethlehem. How special it was to be able to worship in a cave on the shepherd hills in Bethlehem, the night I worshiped in a cave on those Shepherd hills will long remain in my memories. We traveled the winding roads of those hills with Abraham as the driver of the bus called "the guiding star,...

Christmas is a time when our thoughts turn to the special people God has brought into our lives, and as we remember, our hearts are warmed with love. Have you written that Christmas letter yet? Christmas epistles provide a capsule accounting of the important events which would otherwise be forgotten in the faded memory of our minds, they reflect for generations to come the love, joy and hope that...

It is National Family Week. As I write this warm thoughts column, families have traveled from far and near to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. There is more travel over the Thanksgiving weekend than any other time of the year. How wonderful for families to be together and celebrate the family ties. Every day is a day to celebrate the family. In today's world, there is a concern about the family...

Thanksgiving Day. Have you wondered about that first Thanksgiving Day? I found it very interesting that 200 years ago, in 1789 George Washington declared November 26th the official day of Thanksgiving. This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 26th. After 1789, the States continued to celebrate on different days. It was Sarah Hale, an editor of a women's magazine in Boston, who waged a 30 year let...

Are you making preparation for the family Thanksgiving? This week, I will share some thoughts from the book, "Just Folks," by a very favorite author, Edgar A Guest. The Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. "It may be I am getting old, and like too much dwell upon the days of bygone years, the days I love so well. But thinking of them now, I wish somehow that I could borrow a simple old Thanksgiving Day lik...

November. Can it really be November? Already, it seems, the year has it's last flare of youth in October. In November, the earth folds its hands, hands that have been trained in the lesson of content and waits for that garment of snow. We have had some very beautiful autumn days this year, days for travel. No, I did not travel to Florida for that historic launch into space, but I did manage the tr...

A recent warm thoughts column provided information about Make a Difference Day, which is October 26th. It is a day when everyone is encouraged to make a difference in their community and world by making it a Day of Caring, an annual National Day of helping others. Across the nation, about 1 million Americans will help others on this Make a Difference Day. Can one person make a difference? We are a...

While in southern Nebraska on a weekend retreat, my daughter called the Little Home on the Prairie from Texas. Thanks to answering machines, she informed me that in their area in Texas, they got their first cold front. The temperature got to a lovely 70 degrees. I also was made aware that Boulder, Colorado had a storm, no school, and in Denver, many of the trees were destroyed because of an ice st...

A recent article I read states that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 1999 as International Year of Older Persons. The theme will be "Towards a Society of All Ages." This theme was chosen to promote the philosophy that societies should be inclusive in nature, should embrace all population groups, and share their resources equally. October 1st, 1998 will be the day that the UN laun...

Recently, one of the readers of this column from Texas sent me an article entitled, "We Are Survivors: Consider the Changes We Witnessed." I thought it appropriate to share some of the thoughts from this article. Individuals who were born prior to 1945 will especially understand the changes in their lives. "We were before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, cont...

One of the very faithful readers of this Warm Thoughts column recently sent me an article entitled, "You Can Make a Difference." It was an article informing the public to take action on October 26th and make that day a day of caring, a national day to inform us that the Make a Difference Day can help everyone to help others. The sixth annual event, in partnership with the Points of Light Foundatio...

Some time ago, a dear friend and great grandma who has faced many emotional challenges in her life, shared some thoughts about counting. This dear friend regularly reads this Warm Thoughts column and wanted to share the thoughts by an unknown author with all you dear readers out there, somewhere. We live in an age where we have many choices and changes. Some time ago, I heard someone state that "p...

Recently, I read a very interesting article on the challenges of aging. Studies by the experts state that "the generation who are celebrating their 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries have succeeded in kicking the blabbers out of the stereotypes of aging." Perhaps this can be explained by one word - attitude. The experts stated, "the attitudes of a 70-year-old today are equivalent to those of a 50-y...

August is the time of year that families take that last fling and perhaps go to the mountains before school starts. It is often a quiet time of reflection, a time to reflect on many happy summertime activities. At a quiet moment, I discovered some beautiful thoughts by an unknown author that I'd like to share with my loyal readers of the Warm Thoughts column. "In this special moment in life...thin...

Summertime. Good old summertime! It is a good time to get in some summer reading. My grandchildren from Ohio sent me the book, "If Tea Cups Could Talk," by Emily Barnes. I have enjoyed reading the many warm thoughts in this book over a cup of tea. I've also had many special moments with the grandchildren, as we have our tea party. I have learned some interesting lessons about tea cups. China dishe...

Recently, I read a book by H. Jackson Brown Jr. entitled, "Live and Learn and Pass it On." In the book, people, ages 5 to 95 share what they have discovered about life, love, and other good stuff. Some of the thoughts are a bit humorous, but somehow we can get the message. I've personally discovered throughout my years that if we really listen, we can learn so much. The following are a few quotes...