Rae's Craft

Letting Go of Anger "Let your anger set with the sun and not rise again with it." Irish Proverb How many times have you heard the advice to never go to bed angry? It seems simple enough, but when the situation arises, it is so tempting to be stubborn and wait for your loved one to take the first step. But if you both remain stubborn, your dispute will carry over into the next day-perhaps into the next week, the next month, and the next year. Be the proactive one-talk the p

Love Involves Hard, Wonderful Work "Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence." Aesop Notice that this quote does not simply state, "To be loved is the greatest happiness of existence." Merely being loved without feeling in return does not bring us the true happiness we so desire. It takes work to love someone- lots of work. Whether we are talking about loving a parent, a child, or a soul mate, loving is hard

Life Improves with Age "I feel like an ostrich who has finally pulled its head out of the sand and loves what it sees... I love getting older, things get easier every day." Jane Powell When I hit 30, I didn't like it. I had three kids under four years of age, I never had a moment to myself, and I was on the verge of divorce. In my 40s I was in a new, healthy relationship; I made just enough money to pay my bills; and I began to travel the world. My 50s were also great- mor

An Organized, Breathable Space "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein On a scale of one to ten, I'm a seven and my sister is a ten when it comes to maintaining order in our lives. After her latest move, she got rid of everything she didn't need and set up a brilliant organization system. I, on the other hand, have lived in my place for years and am still trying to figure out how to org

Focus on the Here and Now "True generosity toward the future consists in giving everything to the present." Albert Camus When you look at the world around you, what needs fixing? Is our government overspending, pushing our children and grandchildren deeper into debt? Research candidates for political office, and make sure they are using tax revenue as efficiently as possible. Are our parks and cultural institutions being kept up? Volunteer at one of them. Pick up trash a

Brain Strain "Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." Salvador Dall If you find that you have a gift or talent, you should share it, right? Wouldn't it be a shame if someone with an amaing voice just sang in their own room all day? Whatever talent we have, we should put it to use in the world around us. TODAY I WILL REFLECT ON MY TALENTS, AND I WILL PUT AL LEAST ONE OF THEM TO USE. MAYBE I WILL DRAFT AN ARTICLE ABOUT A TOPIC OF INTEREST TO ME AND SUBMIT IT

A Joyful Outlook "On with the dance, let the joy be unconfined!' is my motto, whether there's any dance to dance or any joy to unconfine." Mark Twain One of my favorite things to do is speak to audiences about Humor for the Health of It. I use a suitcase full of props, including my rubber chicken collection, to demonstrate just how easy it is to put more laughter in our lives. At one point I tell the audience to laugh. They look at me dumbfounded because I haven't said any

Introducing: The Real Me "One of the greatest moments in anybody's developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is." Norman Vincent Peale You see them from time to time: wordless, eyes shifting downward, legs registering just enough energy to shuffle along. These are the shy ones- people whose lives have legt them bruised, scared, and loney. Hiding from life keeps them feeling safe and cozy

Here Comes the Sun "Experience is what you get while looking for something else." Federico Fellini You go visit your grandmother, but what do you get in addition? A trip to the art museum to see a fascinating art glass exhibit; dinner at a German restaurant, where Grandma orders in her native tongue; a lesson in how to make the perfect piecrust; the opportunity to see Grandma's wrinkled hands up close when you help her with her manicure; a chance to learn canasta when Grandm

The Joy of Springtime "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." Anne Bradstreet Spring tends to take us by surprise each year, doesn't it? In the dead of winter, it is hard to fathom that it will ever be spring or summer again. But before we know it, we hear those first chirps. What a glorious feeling! It is a lot like our lives, isn;t it? We would not appreciate the glorious vacations as much if we didn't have the typical, ho-hum workdays. And we would

Character Is Priceless "Character is better than wealth." Irish Proverb Weath can be achieved in many different ways. It can be earned through years of long, hard work, but it can also be the result of an inheritance or winning the lottery. Character is priceless, isn't it ? It is something you cultivate all the years of your life. Every experience, every choice, every mistake- all the work you do cultivates your unique character. It is the prize for a lifetime of work

A True Friend "My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." Henry Ford My best friend constantly sings my praises to others. When it's just the two of us, though, she does not hesitate to call me out when she disagrees with something I've said or done. That time I spent days cooped up inside with the exception of work because a breakup left me devastated? She is the one who dragged me out to a funny movie and then for a cup of tea so we could have a heart to h

Seize the Moment "Between saying and doing many a pair of shoes is worn out." Italian Proverb Many of us are born procrastinators. If you're like me, you can think up hundreds of ways and thousands of excuses to put off doing something you may not enjoy doing but that must be done, nonetheless. Between here and finally filing all the papers stacked in a dozen piles on my dining room table, I will make a thousand trips around my condo and around town. I'd rather vacuum than

Let Go "Everything comes gradually and at its appointed hour." Ovid Have you ever wanted something so dadly and only received it after you stopped looking for it? After you were done with school, did you submit what seemed like a million job application? Then you kept your phone on you at all times, checking it every five minutes. Then weeks later- out of nowhere- that great opportunity came along. Or what about when you were feeling lonely and yearning for companionship

Laugh 'Til It Hurts "Humor is not a trick, not jokes. Humor is a presence in the world-like grace-and shines on everybody Garrison Keillor Humor and the laughter that accompanies it is a sweet, delicate thing. Sometimes it's just a chuckle. Sometimes it begins deep in the gut and erupts, leaving us heaving for air. You can almost see Uncle Bob doubling over from fits of laughter even though you're in the other room. Humor is contagious, and it adds spice to our lives. T

Create a Home for the Beautiful "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." Ralph Waldo Emerson Call to mind the most beautiful things you've ever seen: Ireland's rolling green hills; the sunrise over the Grand Canyon; the horizon across an endless lake; perfect blue hydrangeas in the thick of summer; Chagall's magnificent paintings; a majestic dolphin swimming and jummping among the rolling waves. If we take true not

Be Your Own Talk Meter "Though there is no bone in the tongue, it has frequently broken a man's head." Irish Proverb The abliity to speak is among our greatest gifts. But this gift can also hurt or even destroy. Have you ever said something that you quickly regretted? Most of us have. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a talk meter that analyzed our words before anyone heard them? "No, you can't say that to your 5-year-old daughter-your opinion means the world to her. Re

The Whole Truth and Noithing But "No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." Abraham Lincoln Lying often seems like the easier way out, but it usually ends up zapping our time and our energy. The one little lie that gets the ball rolling comes out so easily, but keeping up with all the little lies that breed from the one little lie- that's where it gets complicated. It isn't teally worth it, is it? Plus, have you ever just blurted out the truth and later re

Shoulders Back, Head UP "There ain't no man can avoid being born averge. But there ain't no man go to be common." Satchel Paige Let's face it: Probably 98 percent of the people in the world are average. Most of us aren't heads of state, brilliant scientists, CEOs, or supremely talented artists. We may be average, but we sure don't have to be common. Common expects too much without giving anything in return. Common is taking the lazy way out, and surely we can do better th

Thinkers v. Doers "Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned" -Peter Marshall Are you a thinker or a doer? A dreamer or a planner? A dreamer dreams of a trip around the world in 80 days. A planner understands that a 10-day trip to Europe is more realistic and begins saving, mapping out the itinerary, and packing the suitcase. Thinkers ponder great problems, analyze many different ways to solve the problems, write up big plans- but somehow never get around to