Showing posts with label inspire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspire. Show all posts

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day


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By Diane Forrest

When my brother was in high school, he acquired a fondness for drawing.  He took an art class in school, and became quite good at drawing flowers and fruit and still life.  I on the other hand have trouble staying within the lines while coloring a picture.  I love art, and I get thrilled when someone I know is artistic, I consider them like a rock star.  My cousin's daughter is 13.  She has developed a talent for painting and drawing.  I take a certain amount of pride in her achievements since I gave her one of her first sets of colors.

Art can be found everywhere.  Art is not just drawing or painting.  Art is music, acting, photographs, anything that pleases your eyes, ears and other senses.

While I can't draw, I love to sing.  I participated in the school and church choirs since I was small.  As I grew older, I sang in my church's choir, and continued singing until my husband became disabled.  He would love to watch me sing, and would tell me I looked like an angel.  I haven't been able to make it back to the choir since his death, but I am hoping to ease my way back.  Music is so emotional for me, and I sometimes find myself sobbing during particularly moving songs.
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My son is so entertaining.  When he was younger he could produce tears at the drop of a hat, and the next instant be rolling with laughter.  I always told him he should be an actor, and he participated in a few skits at school and church.  He has a rare gift of making people laugh.

Since my father retired he spends alot of time in his wood shop.  He has learned how to make beautiful furniture and turn wooden pens on his lathe.  A local reporter recently published a five page article and pictures of his works, and that article has drummed up alot of "business" for him.  He doesn’t sell his works of art, however if someone wants something he makes, he will "sell" something for a donation to the local Children's Home.
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Today is Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.  Art can be found everywhere you look...whether it’s a painting, photograph, music or architecture. Even the worn lines in a person's face or the pink cheeks on an infant, all of these will bring a smile to your heart or tears down your face.  So, today, take some time to look around you, take a stroll down your town's downtown area, and look at the buildings.  If you have a museum, walk around there and take a look around. Maybe you will even be inspired to show a little of your artistic side.  It’s never too late to get started, after all, Grandma Moses was in her 70's when she started painting, and she became one of the country's best selling artists!  Find your inspiration today.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Make your Dream Come True Day – January 13th

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By Terry Orr

I am a dreamer! I have a very creative imagination! As a person with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) I am able to hyper focus on my goals – in excess at times.  I play the bi-weekly lotteries (Powerball and Mega Million) – because it is possible I might win – odds of course are stacked against me – but if you don’t play – you will never win.
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Dreams give us hope – something to strive for – to help point us in a desired direction.
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I was asked by my Dad mom, what did I want to be when I grew up?  I told her a writer.  She asked what kind, and I replied, just a writer.  Little did I know that joining the Navy would point me in that direction so many years ago!
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I believe most of us know someone who is or has made their dream come true.  Many have overcome significant challenges to accomplish their dream.  People dreaming of a better life, a new country, better job, a new career, advance education, a goal or special achievement.
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What is your dream? What are you doing to make it come true? Are you living your dream now?  Let us know – we would love to read about them.


Monday, October 22, 2012

International Stuttering Awareness Day

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By Nurse Diane

What do Moses, Tiger Woods, Marylin Monroe, Vice President Joe Biden, and James Earl Jones have in common?  They all stutter.  For a list of other famous stutterers, check here: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/famous-people-who-stutter.

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Stuttering is a speech disorder that occurs when the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds.  Although the exact cause of stuttering is unknown, both genetics and neurophysiology are thought to contribute. There are many treatments and speech therapy techniques available that may help increase fluency in some stutterers to the point where an untrained ear cannot identify a problem; however, there is essentially no "cure" for the disorder at present, although many treatments are available.



October 22 was designated International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) in 1998. The day is intended to raise the public awareness of the millions of people who have the speech disorder of stuttering, including over 60 million Americans.

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ISAD is organized by four organizations:
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Special Interest Division #4, Fluency & Fluency Disorders
  • European League of Stuttering Associations
  • International Fluency Association
  • International Stuttering Association

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The Stuttering Foundation was started in 1947 by a young man who also suffered from stuttering.  This is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to help others who stutter.  They also set out to increase knowledge in the population about the effects of stuttering on a person's life, job, relationships and general well-being.  To learn more about this foundation, and ways you can help spread the word about stuttering, visit this site: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/brief-history .  

If you or someone you know has this problem, and is looking for help, this is a great place to start looking.

Happy Birthday Dad!

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