Prior to mom’s later quiet years living with Alzheimer's, she would get up early every morning, before the rest of the family, and sit at the end of the living room couch with a little lamp writing letters and cards to her many friends and acquaintances. She also used that time reading inspirational writings such as the Daily Word, Guidepost, Unity, The Bible, and any other books or materials that offered positive or inspiring messages.

When she would come across quotes or passages she found meaningful, or that might put a smile on someone’s face, she would write them down in her journal. Over the years she filled five journals with quotes and sayings.

Mom’s life was always about giving to others. In this spirit we wanted to share with you some of the inspirations she wrote in her journals. We hope you enjoy them and that they might help you on your journey through life.

With Love,

Gary, Mike, and Janet

Note: Mom had collected hundreds of inspirations and quotes she wrote in journals over many years. The ones below are a sample, approximately 100, for the 100 year anniversary of mom's birthday, Thanksgiving day 2020. We'll be adding more over the upcoming weeks so plan to check back. Please feel free to share with others.

Thank you. mike@agiftfromvera.com

Thanksgiving 2020 - Birthday Anniversary 100

● Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything. Guideposts 1989

● The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. Bishop William Connor MaGee.

● It's Christmas every time you smile at your brother, offer your hand, and listen to another.

● The rabbis used to say that the tongue is more dangerous than the hand: the hand kills only at close range, while the tongue can kill at a distance. Speaking from the Heart, by Ken Durham

● Henry Ward Beecher, a 19th century preacher, once quipped, "Speak when you are angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret."

● If you can't write it and sign it, don't say it.

● People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. Lee Mildom

● There is no future if you keep putting your past in front of you. Joe Tanenbaum

● To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

● Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. Oscar Wilde

● An old Latin proverb reads: "Believe that you have it, and you have it"

● The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes to do, but in liking what one has to do. Sir James M. Barrie

● One way to a stress-free life is having the right priorities. Put God first, and everything else falls into place. Fit For God's Presence by Everett L. Fullam

● Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone, while solitude expresses the joy of being alone.

● I may not be perfect but parts of me are excellent. Henry J. Kaiser

● Failure is success if we learn from it. Malcolm S. Forbes

● These four words will carry me through adversity and maintain my life in balance: "This too shall pass". Og Mandino

● "For the Lord does not look at the magnitude of what we do, but at the love with what we do it". St Theresa

● Flatter me and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. William Arthur Ward

● A friend is someone who goes around saying nice things behind your back. Herm Albright

● Never feels shame for trying and failing, for he who has never failed is he who has never tried. Og Mandino

● The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further. Proverbs 17:14

● “A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches to those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the counter sign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to this sad, and it is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.” On a paper bag from Broadway Pharmacy, Burlingame, 1991

● Joy is Homemade: Happiness is something we make: it's in our minds. It’s not something to search for, and seldom find. It's just waking up and beginning the day, by counting our blessings and kneeling to pray. It's never in wishing for things we have not, but in giving thanks for all that we've got. For it is by completing what God gives us to do that we find real contentment and happiness too. St. Bartholomew Church bulletin July 1992

● A friend is one who knows everything about you but loves you just the same.

● If children did not ask questions they would never learn how little adults know.

● People see your actions, but God sees your motives.

● Digging a hole is about the only job where you start at the top.

● Life is never measured by the years through which you live, but by that kindly deeds you do and all that cheer you give!

● There are probably only two things any of us need to be happy wherever we are: the first is to be cared about, and the second is to be allowed to care. Catholic Digest August 1986

● Be gentle with yourself and let happiness and self-esteem and energy back into your life!

● Henry Ford: When asked, “what is a friend?” Replied: "A friend is one who brings out the best in you".

● Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark. Tagore

● On a Hallmark card 1988: I could never find another friend like you. [Inside] Heck, most of the time I can't even find where I parked my car.

● Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have. Mike January 1989

● Never reply in kind to a sharp word… it is the second word that makes the quarrel.

St. Gregory Church Bulletin August 1979

● When we find Him in others we also find Him in ourselves.

● You can never get rid of your own troubles unless you take upon yourself the troubles of others.

● Forget yourself and you will find yourself.

● The greatest enemy any human being can take into his life is fear. If you are able to conquer fear, you have come all long way toward bringing life to a physical body.

● “I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Mark Twain

● May I always be faithful to my belief in you, Lord Jesus Christ. Where there is despair, use me to bring your hope. Billy Graham

● Fear is faith in the enemy's ability.

● Do not hoard! "Circulation" makes things prosper.

● Satan is not a person. Satan simply represents the part of our consciousness that is fascinated with evil and is involved in negativity. Unity Magazine October 1980

● Kipling said: The man who is master of his temper can be master of anything.

● Find one good quality to praise in every person you meet during the day.

● The bigger the man the quicker he says "I am sorry".

● Patience is a sign of maturity, both emotional and spiritual.

● Instead of saying "why did this happen to me?" We must learn to say “what can I learn from this?"

● Quitters never win. Winners never quit.

● When you are wrong, admit it. When you are right, don't rub it in.

● A good example is the best sermon.

● There are no hopeless situations, only hopeless people.

● Knowledge is an intellectual position. Wisdom can only originate from within. It is wisdom, not intellectual knowledge, that is the key to happy, successful, and abundant living. More Power To You Charles Roth

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

• If we are too busy for others, we are too busy.

● We poison ourselves with worry and excessive concern over work, health, loved ones, prosperity, or lack thereof. The Unity Guide to Healing

● To make people feel important because they are important to God, there is no better way than by listening. The Unity Guide to Healing

● To have your life full of more tasks than you can possibly finish will rob you of joy and happiness, and that will affect those with whom you live and work. In other words, we need to simplify our lives. The Unity Guide to Healing

● Remember, when you point a finger at someone, three are pointing back at you.

● For every pain we must bear, for every burden, every care, there is a reason. For every grief that bows the head, for every teardrop that is shed, there is a reason. For every hurt, for every plight, for every lonely pain-racked night, there is a reason. But if we trust God, as we should, it will work out for our good. He knows the reason. How To Live 365 Days A Year. John A. Schneider MD

● The only way to live happily with people is to overlook their faults and admire their virtues.

● I will live this day as if it is my last. I will cherish each hour of this day for it can never return. Og Mandinos The Greatest Secret In The World

● There are a few tonics more effective against sadness and depression then to ask oneself "What have I got to be grateful for?"

Time For All Things Charlie W. Shedd

● Service is a key to successful living and to cheerful spirits. It carries you into the lives of others, and by the same token, it carries you out of yours. Time For All Things Charlie W. Shedd

● Albert Schweitzer: Those who thank God much are the truly wealthy. Unity March 1984

● “Do the best you can with what you have. You have been given everything you need. Use it!” Guideposts November 1983

● Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene. AC Benson

● If you can't sleep, don't count sheep, talk to the Shepherd. Guideposts May 1990

● If you must slander someone, don't speak it, write it. Write it in the sand near the water's edge.

● I would rather be able to appreciate the things I cannot have then to have things I am not able to appreciate. Edward Hubbard

● Relax: you can't change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future. St. Gregory's Bulletin July 1984

● One can't buy happiness, it's not for sale. Happiness doesn't come from what I own. Possessions are outside me, happiness is inside. Words of a cloistered nun

● We need to express appreciation. We take too much in life for granted. Express appreciation to God for his blessings. To your wife, husband, people you work with. Never miss an opportunity to make an expression of appreciation for something. Really what life is all about is our relationships… people loving and helping each other… we get and we give… we are thankful. Then we find it easier to accept life and as we accept life, we find peace.

● Saints are sinners who kept trying. [Heard at mass]

● Never give advice. The ignorant won't heed it, and the wise don't need it. Leo Buscaglia

● Don't hold on to anger, hurt, or pain. They steal your energy. Leo Buscaglia

● If you are facing a task that seems too big for you, break it into smaller pieces. Tell yourself that you can handle the small piece that lies just ahead. Then tackle it. After that go on to the next small piece and the next, and the next, until suddenly… one of them is last. Learn to focus on one day at a time, 1 mile at a time, one step at a time, that was when the impossible became possible. Arthur Gordon

● A Chinese proverb states that all of the flowers of all of the tomorrows are in the seeds of today. Daily Word April 1985

● Will Rogers once said "Remember we’re all ignorant, only on different subjects". Daily Guideposts 1978

● When someone hurts or offends you, quickly think that the person is probably tired, worried, or not feeling well. Shed the negative feeling by having sympathy for the person. Unity July 1986

● “Life’s Little Instruction Book” H. Jackson Brown

- Compliment three people every day.

- Watch a sunrise at least once a year.

- Be the first to say “Hello.”

- Live beneath your means.

- Treat everyone like you want to be treated.

- Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen.

- Forget the Joneses.

- Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all he has.

- Pray not for things, but for wisdom & courage.

- Be tough-minded but tenderhearted.

- Be kinder than necessary.

- Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

- Keep your promises.

- Learn to show cheerfulness, even when you don’t feel like it.

- Remember that overnight success usually takes about 15 years.

- Leave everything better than you found it.

- Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do.

- When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone’s day.

- Don’t rain on other people’s parades.

- Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

● Be kind and merciful; let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Mother Theresa

● An optimist may be wrong as often as a pessimist, but he is far happier. Leslie B. Flynn

● The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. John E. Southard

● Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you're doing, but nobody else does. Stewart Britt

● Marketing is simply sales with a college education. John Freund

● A committee is 12 men doing the work of one. John F. Kennedy

● Division of labor is when your husband cleans the glove compartment and you clean the house. Margaret Thatcher

● Miracle drugs are fine, but Moses had two tablets that could cure the world ills. Catholic Digest December 1989

● Learn to relax, stop crossing bridges ahead of time, for worry is the interest you pay on trouble before it comes. Albert E. Cliffe

● If you want to live successfully, you have to learn to keep your mouth shut. God gave you two ears and one mouth, so that you could listen to twice as much as you say. Albert E. Cliffe

● The optimist sees possibilities in the problems, and the pessimist sees problems in the possibilities. One sees the opportunities and the other sees the obstacles. From: The Bumps Are What You Climb On by Warren W. Wiersbe

● Whether we like it or not, outlook determines outcome. From: The Bumps Are What You Climb On by Warren W. Wiersbe

● An ancient proverb says: I heard and I forgot; I saw and I remembered; I did and I understood. Holy Sweat By Tim Hansel

● Attitudes are more important than facts. Carl Menninger, M.D.

● Three words that work magic. "It Doesn't Matter!" Readers Digest 1985 Anya Bateman

● People have always of becoming what you encourage them to be, not what you may like them to be. Scudder N. Parker

● Simplicity has given all big things little names: dawn, day, hope, love, home, peace, life, death. From: The New Book of The Art of Living. Willfred Peterson 1963

● “The Lord gave us two ends to use, one to sit with and one to think with. Our success depends on which end we use the most. Heads we win, tails we lose." Fragrance Of Beauty by Joyce Landorf Heatherlay

● Most of us would rather be ruined by praise been saved by criticism. Norman Vincent Peale

● It is amazing how much people can get done if they do not worry about who gets the credit. Sandra Swinney

● Simplicity uses little words. Lincoln said "make it so simple a child will understand, then no one will be misunderstood.”