Choices, Part II

Today, I CHOOSE to be happy. Can you say that, mean it and practice it all day long? I think today I will try. I will start by dressing my face with a smile and tucking one in my heart. A big one. The kind that comes spilling out of your eyes it's so big. Did you ever think about the fact that when you stretch your arms out to hug someone you create a horizontal smile with your arms? It's true! I can't think of a nicer way to enjoy a smile than to be wrapped up in it.

It might be challenging choosing  to be happy.  There will be people and situations that will try to undermine my success. I will have to look at that person who has a growl on their face and try to imagine their inner child playing the part of a lion in the game called ZOO. Maybe the haven't been fed, or don't like the cage they find them self in. Maybe they lost their mate. There could be hundreds of reason they are playing the part of a lion. My smile and cheerful "Good Morning" might not take the growl away, but for a spilt second they will experience a smile. They will see it with their eyes, hear it with their ears and quite possibly feel it in their heart. Is that really possible? I believe so.

When situations try to undermine my choice to be happy, I will look at the positive side and there ALWAYS is one. Sometimes you have to look really hard for it, but when all else fails think of how it could have been worse and then be happy its not worse.

At the end of the day I reflect on my success or places I could improve and whisper a prayer to God thanking him for, .... well just everything!!

Has it REALLY been that long?

Wow! Has it really almost been a year since I made my last blog? Well, yes, especially since I forgot I started this blog. Call it old timers, sometimers, whatever, but MUCH has happened since my last post.

I became a grandmother AGAIN (#3), what a wonderful experience being there with our daughter as she gave birth and learned how to be a mommy for the first time! (sigh) I was in the states for 4 months, had it not been for all the activity of a new baby I would have slit my throat!! There were constant reminders everywhere why I love living in Belize. You see, after the novelty of being able to find anything you want anytime you want, eating all the foods you can't find in Belize, using all the modern conveniences found in an American home (takes about 2 weeks), the complexity and expense of living in America made me want to SCREAM! I so yearned for our simple life where instead of getting in the car, fighting traffic, searching for parking, battling the people in the store, standing in line, loading it all up, fighting the traffic back, unloading it all & putting it away, (UGH), here in Belize we just jump on the bike, ride around the corner to the local mom & pop vegetable stand or shop, only getting what you need for a day or so, fitting it in the bicycle basket & riding home! SIMPLICITY, I love it!

Our activities here in Belize are bountiful. Anyone who comes here and says, "I am so bored, there is nothing to do", well they just aren't trying. I have two land based major activities, Corozal Methodist Church & School & Corozal Women's Forum. Both often lead to a variety of other activities they expose me to.
At the last CWF meeting we learned all about Help Age. This is a minimally subsidized organization that provides services to the elderly in Corozal. They occupy a building courtesy of the town council that they are constantly fixing up & paying utilities for, they offer lots of activities on Tuesday & Thursday for the elderly and when they are not doing that they are delivering meals to shut ins. ALL THIS, they do with a meager $400 USD per month, ALL THIS with only 2 ladies and a couple volunteers. Needless to say I think I will be spending some time there and you will hear more about this in a later blog.

Corozal Methodist Church & School offers a wide variety of fun!  I help with the children's choir, participate in the Methodist Women's League. Have been asked to provide the Sunday message when the Reverend is gone, provide the devotional message for the school, which is really cool. The children gather in the sanctuary 3 times a week for singing, object lessons & a message. I love doing those. There is a sister church in a village south of here, Libertad Methodist Church & School. After giving devotions there twice they asked me to give the keynote address to the graduates. WHAT A PRIVILEGE & HONOR!!

Simply by getting involved in the community you can experience riches untold. So if you are thinking you want to live in Belize, please don't come here and try to build an outside world within this culture. Come here for the experience of being a part of THIS culture. Take the good with the bad, be willing to always look at things from the Belizean perspective and be HUMBLE!! For goodness sake learn skills of humility. There is nothing worse than flaunting wealth in front of those who struggle daily to provide for their families. Be self sufficient. I talk to people that think they want to live in Belize that are not physically fit for the lifestyle, have a host of medical conditions and they expect 1st world services in a developing country. There is no fast response for emergency services.The resources, trained manpower & equipment just is not here. I could go on about this but let's save it for another blog.

Gotta run, meeting with a lady that helps run a girls group called Girls Leading Our World. I'll let you know how that goes. I am hoping to make a connection between them & Help Age folks. Wish me luck!!