"If you find yourself in the middle of a heated debate with a friend, quietly and gently remove yourself from the equation. Neither of you will win, and all it will do is create friction in your friendship. Love is more important that being right sometimes. Standing up for what you believe is in mandatory, but if you can't do it based on fact instead of emotion, you don't need to say anything. "


The presidential election of 2012 was a monumental event, to say the least. Emotions ran high, and voices were heard everywhere an ear could hear.  Not all was good news I'm afraid. 

No matter what side of the podium you were standing on, there was anger!  I find it interesting that with as many people are in this great country, very few can see eye to eye. This is disheartening to me.  Facebook has been a total battle zone for the last few months. People are unfriending and blocking their own family members! Friends that once sat together in church, find themselves either on opposite pews, or in different churches now.  I even know of a family that demanded their children no longer associate with one another, even though they have been best friends for 16 years. This is the kind of foolishness that comes from closed mindedness.  

Everyone can't be right! It is truly possible that everyone is right to a certain degree about certain things, just not everyone on the same issues. Sure we all want to be right. We all want everyone to understand our reasoning behind the way we think, and when they don't see our point, we tend to get frustrated, then aggravated, then mad.  I'm here to tell you all, calm down! It's not going to make a flipping bit of difference if you get mad at someone for not agreeing with you. What it is going to accomplish is putting a wedge right down the middle of an already broken country. We need to a country united, not separated by anger and hatred. 

I'm not really sure why people can't just get together, parties aside (perhaps do away with political affiliation altogether), and discuss what is best for our country. I think that both sides have something good to offer, so why not combine the ideas. Here's an even better idea, why not have one from each party run together. A Conservative President and a Liberal Vice President? Or the other way around. A meeting of the minds! 

No matter what your views are regarding politics, remember that friendships are very important to our very soul.  Do not banish your friends from your life simply because you do not agree in politics.  Everything will work out, I promise. If your candidate didn't get elected, the other guy only stays in office for 4 years, then you get another shot at it. I think if the other guy is doing a poor job, surely people will notice after 8 years if 4 weren't enough.  And even if they don't notice, he can't serve more than 8 years.  Yes, I realize thats enough time to do serious damage, but we, as a country, have survived this long, I think we can handle 4 more years of a president that some feel is less than adequate. 

Love one another and hold each other's opinion in highest regard. You don't have to agree with them, just understand that people are all different, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Stop being hateful to people that you love. It's not worth it in the end. Loving one another and standing united no matter what you believe, that's whats important today. 

Life sure has a funny way of happening, doesn't it? 

I woke up this morning, unable to get out of the bed. I couldn't figure out why my legs wouldn't move or why my head wouldn't get off the pillow.  After several minutes of undue anxiety, I realized I was tied up in my pajama pants.  

I have recently hung up the cute, sexy pajamas in lieu of something much more feasible, comfy jammies! You know the ones, baggy tshirts, and big leg cotton pull on pants with an elastic waist band!  So big that I can fit three of me in one leg! Never in a million years did I think I would be sleeping in such unflattering clothing, that i'm quite certain even my grandmother would have balked at!

As if the struggle to get out of bed prison wasn't bad enough, I happened to run into a complete stranger in my own bathroom!  You know that feeling you get when you are still half asleep, and you can barely walk because your leg joints haven't loosened up enough to move without you needing a cane yet, and then you look in the mirror in the bathroom, and about fall out dead when you see some old lady staring back at you? After a couple of minutes of chest pains again, you regain your  composure long enough to realize its just you and you forgot you were old.  Again. Because you pretty much forget everything these days, including why you went to the bathroom in the first place, and then you start looking for your reading glasses.

I'm not sure where the time goes. One day you're running through a drive thru at a fast food joint for lunch, the next day you're checking to make sure you have a coupon for your soup, to insure you get the appropriate amount of fiber in your diet! 

I am trying my best to learn to love my new, older self. I'm trying really hard to become friends with my wrinkled face and saggy eyelids.  But it's hard, especially around the holidays.  I am trying desperately to remember that this year is the year that I should not be a cheerleader for Halloween.  

Aging is not a fun experience, but have you noticed that it only happens to old people? I've never heard one single young person complain about the prices of apples at the grocery store.  And i'm pretty certain that red lights only stay red longer than 2 minutes when you are over 40. 

Even though getting older, pretty much bites like a jacked up starving rattlesnake, I think that once we learn to embrace it as an inevitable part of life, we can at least be a little less apprehensive about accepting it.  

I guess I should look on the bright side. In a couple of years, I will qualify for all kinds of senior discounts at my favorite stores and restaurants.  I'm already getting offers in the mail from AARP, apparently they didn't get the memo that I don't qualify for a few more years... sigh!

Where has June gone?  It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating to beginning of a new month with my birthday, and now I am looking at celebrating a day of Independence for my country. 

I have been so busy with so many things going on in my life that I've had very little time to dedicate to just one thing.  My children being my priority, there is not a whole lot of extra time during the Summer months.

I'm not sure about you, but I sleep very little when I have a lot going on.  I am a very disorganized person at heart, a character flaw I think, and I wonder sometimes if it's going to be the death of me.   I think that if I could just hire someone to pick my thoughts up off the floor, and type them into my book format for me, this would be a much easier process for all involved. 

I keep plugging along. Working diligently at the pace that is allowed by the mercy of my life. Praying all the while that I will be finished by November, in order to get this release complete by Christmas. 

The bright light at the end of my treacherous tunnel is,  the website has had a tremendous boost in visitors lately, and this inspires me. I want to thank you all for taking the time to stop by and visit me.  Please continue to send your encouraging words and special requests. I love reading each and every one of them. While I may not be able to put every one in the book, I am certainly writing for each one, and who knows, perhaps there will be a chaser to Words With Wisdom for Christmas 2013? 

Much love and battle scars, 
Charlie 
xoxo

Sometimes we need a little reminder to refresh our brains on the things that we try to teach others.  It's true that we are better at preaching, than practicing. 

I had a very taxing, stressful, exhausting day yesterday.  It started out with a migraine that just seemed to have every little thing irritate it until I felt as if I were either going to lose my mind, or my head, whichever came first. 

The weather did not help my mood, or my headache.  It has been raining for what seems like, forever in town.  But errands still had to be run, and since they weren't going to run themselves, I had the pleasure. 

As if driving in the bad weather wasn't bad enough, I happened to encounter every possible bad driver that there is in my town.  I finally found some peace at a stop light, where I could just sit in quiet and calmness for at least a minute.  Then as if they knew how my day was going, someone started honking their horn. Not just a honk, like "hey," but a long, drawn out, desperate honk, as if to say they were dying and needed immediate assistance. Desperately I looked around to see if I could find the person in need, only to realize there were two trucks, one on each side of mine, full of construction workers, honking to one another and pointing at me as if they have found the lucky duck in the pool at the fair.   The light turned green. 

On the homestretch to the house, I finally got outwardly upset and said aloud, "what a terrible day this has been."  And fortunately for me, my 12 year old son, my true voice of wisdom, corrected me. "It's only as bad as you allow it to be, and getting mad about something will never change the outcome, it will only make you feel worse.  Isn't that what you always say Mom?"   Talk about a reality check.  Having your own Words With Wisdom thrown back in your face, is like taking an ice cold shower when you didn't mean to. 

My son was right, just as I have been all the many times that I've said it. No matter how bad my day was, it could always be worse, and if I would have had a better outlook on yesterday, I'm certain I wouldn't have felt as bad as I did.  We need to all remember that we are human, and are going to have bad days.. but they are only as bad as we allow them to be. 

Charlie
xoxo

Well, it's Summer time, school is out, and there is much to be done. It's hard to have a moment to myself, let alone time to do anything productive, but miraculously, I have been doing just that. 

I honestly can't remember the last time that I was this busy, but my mother always told me that "idle hands are the devil's playground."  So staying busy is a good thing. I will probably quote that more times than you care to count, but it's always a good reminder that we should stay busy and use our time wisely. 

Speaking of using my time wisely.  Yesterday, June 9, 2012, marked the wettest day in June since 1930.  Our little  slice of paradise on the panhandle was under water.  I saw the water coming up the back deck of my house, and soon my lake was in my back yard.  It is a frightening thought that you may soon be sitting on the roof of your house, waiting on a boat to rescue you.  Yes, many thoughts of Noah and the Ark went through my head, and countless words began to swarm, so i'm sure you will be seeing that reflected in my writing in the next week or so. 

I realized yesterday how very quickly things can change. It only takes one second for your life to change completely. Live your life with this in mind. Be good to one another, always.  Be thankful for everything good in your life, and be accepting of the bad, so you can learn from it. 

Everyone is safe and sound, and now the clean up begins.  The lake brought to my house all of the debris that floats in it, like logs, sticks, muck, and whatever trash people throw in it on the other side.  Yet, everyone is safe, wet and ready to be productive and get the yard looking normal again. 

I hope that you all have a magnificent week, that is safe, dry and productive. 

Charlie 
xoxo

If anyone would like to present a testimony quote (your view on what my book is about and how it has touched you or encouraged you in some way) about my book, to be printed inside the book, let me know. I will be accepting 4 of the most flattering (lol) to be printed. If you'd like an example of what a testimony quote is, PM me, and i'll tell you. It basically says how you feel about the book, and how it has touched you or made you feel. 

While I realize you've not read the entire book, please base your honest opinion on all material that's been posted here and on my Facebook page. 

 If I do not receive a large enough response to this request, I will just leave that section out... but I would really, truly love to include it.  As always (broken record here), I truly appreciate all of your support and constant encouragement.

Love you all dearly,

Charlie

I am so happy! I checked my stats on my website this morning to learn that, since launching the website yesterday, late afternoon, I have had over 90 visitors to my site! 

Of course this is all a work in progress, but I am so happy with this start. I couldn't ask for a better fan base, and wonderful extremely kind people that are in my life backing me and supporting my efforts.  Seriously, without you all, I could not be doing this. 

I have rearranged a few things on the site this morning, and of course will continue to tweak things, including adding a page where I will be posting special requests as they are made.  If you make a special request, and want me to mention your name, you need to specifically request it, otherwise I keep them all anonymous.

I hope that each and every one of you will have a beautiful day today, and thank you again for visiting my site and your continued support. 

Peace and Love
Charlie 

I would like to personally welcome each and every one of you to my website. I hope that you will find something here that will encourage, inspire or bring a smile to your face. 

It has taken me a long time to get to this point. The point where i'm finally putting all of my thoughts together in the form of a book. 

Even though I have other projects in the works, I decided to start and finish this project first because it sort of took on a life of its own. I have been doing greeting card sayings, and quotes since, well, probably as long as I could talk. I finally had some well intending friends convince me that I should share my thoughts in the form of a book. 

Over the next couple of months, you can follow along with me on my journey. I will be basically blogging about my progress, and posting my thoughts and quotes of the day from the book. This is all leading me up towards the Christmas launch of Words With Wisdom (fingers crossed).

When I come across other websites, or Facebook pages that I feel like resonate with what I am trying to accomplish, I will share them with you on here as well.  Please remember to watch the page tabs across the top of this page to navigate to whichever page you are looking for. 

Someone asked me just today, "do you do special requests?"  I have people write me all the time because a certain situation has come up, and they simply can't find the words to express their feelings about it. Special requests hold a dear place in my heart and I love being able to help someone find the words they have been searching for.  All special request posts MAY be put in the book if they are made before my deadline for publishing, but rest assured that I will not ever mention you by name, unless you specifically request that I do so. 

I'm online every day, so if you have a special quote request, please send me a private message on Facebook explaining your situation with as much information as possible, or use the form on the "contact me" page.  I will add yours to my list. I honor all requests, sometimes it may take me a few days, but I will get to yours, I promise. Until there comes a time when i'm overwhelmed with requests, at that point, I may put a hold on them, just until after the book is complete. 

Remember to visit me on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/wordswithwisdom 

If you like what you read, please share my page, my website and my quotes with your friends and family alike. :-)

Thanks again for visiting and supporting my efforts. I am so incredibly happy to know that you've taken the time to stop and see me. 

Charlie Cain-Tolbirt
xoxo