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Thanksgiving Although I find it very interesting that we have to have a day, once a year, to remind us of how much we have to be thankful for 525,600 minutes a year, I nevertheless hope you do take a few minutes today to reflect upon just how blessed you and I are. If you should lose power and have …

Debbie While on a wonderful tour of Ireland & Scotland, I got some heartbreaking news; the death of a longtime friend, who was also the wife of a longtime friend. I had known Debbie Stuart Shaffner since I was 15. I’ve known her husband Billy since I was 12. Although I truly felt them to be among my favorite friends, …

Blog: Valentines, a time for love Valentines is a day to celebrate love. But you know, there are different types of love. You have Storge, which is really more of an affection. (I love my Hokies) You have Phila, which is a friendship. (I have some very special friends, whom I love) Then you have Eros, which is the romantic, …

In my motivational program/book The All New & Improved You, I pointed out that one of the four foundational building blocks for a happy successful life is FAMILY. I have taken added responsibility for my paternal family for I am the oldest surviving heir of the Haynes surname. I have worked on our family tree. I have organized family reunions …

Drinking From Your Bucket List, One Dipper at a Time I truly believe there is no better way to keep hope and happiness in your life, than to have written goals, and along with those goals, a Bucket List. This past weekend, I was able to drink from my Bucket list in a most fantastic way. It all started about …

September is Self-Improvement Month God has planted into each of us a seed of greatness. It is up to us to nurture that seed into productive fruit. September is Self-Improvement Month, so what better time to either start, or to re-energize, your own personally directed self-improvement program. I’d like to offer a few tips from my Self-Improvement program, The All …

Judy and I love to travel. We love to find new adventures, and that brings us hope and happiness. But sometimes, you can find your happiness in your own backyard. It seems like every year, we get a new “summer visitor” at our home. Last year it was a Writing Spider, also known as a garden spider, zipper spider, corn …

International Day of Happiness, March 20,  2014 The International Day of Happiness was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012. Assembly Resolution A/RES/66/281 basically states that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.  They invite the world to observe the International Day of Happiness in an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness-raising …

‘tis the Season:  Celebrating Red and Green Friday. Many people look forward to Black Friday.  I myself celebrate the Friday after Thanksgiving as Red and Green Friday.  All year long I have bought Christmas books and recorded Christmas movies. Then on Red and Green Friday, I jump out of bed as early as I wake up (this year it was …

Last winter while we were at our condo in Myrtle Beach, I joined Judy for her daily 5 -mile beach walk.  It had stormed the day before, and several starfish had washed up on the shore.  I began picking them up, and taking them back down into the tide.  I did this because of a story I had once heard. …