.: May 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Monthly Cousins Luncheon

Hi to all,
This is our Bradford luncheon group who got together 2 weeks ago for a wonderful time at Applebees. It was so fun to see everyone. Below that is the wedding cake that Synthia made for Adrienne and Scott's reception. She wanted it to be really simple. It turned out really nice and the reception was beautiful, for all of you who didn't get to come.
Love to all, (I'm headed off to Stan's graduation right now!)
Laura

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Blog Header

Just a heads up that I am learning to create my own header and so excuse the constant changes. It's kind of hard! :)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Stan's Senior Prom

Stan and Marcy Bryson going to Senior Prom

Monday, May 12, 2008

101 Recovery Spots

Just a note about the Recovery spots on the right...they are simply quotes from Dr. Abraham Low's book, "Mental Health Through Will Training." I posted these for me and for anyone who knows about Recovery and could use a "spot" now and then. They are not all exact quotes, but are very close, if not exact.

Dr. Abraham Low's 101 Recovery "Spots"

I wanted to add a note about these Recovery Spots that are on the right side of my blog and down a little ways. They are teachings from Dr. Abraham A. Low and contain many great mental health ideas. I wanted them on here for myself and anyone else who knows about Recovery and may need a Spot! Frankly we all need one now and then.

Friday, May 9, 2008

My little Stan is graduating!

Wow, I really am amazed at life. You have a baby and then you blink and they are married, going on missions and graduating. Sharm and I will be down to 3 kids at home in only a couple of months. Stan graduates on May 29th and is headed up to Utah State University right after Synthia goes into the MTC on Aug. 20th.

Stan is doing really well and is very ready for school to be done. I don't blame him. He went to prom last weekend with a beautiful girl, with red hair, and they had a great time. He looked so handsome. He's worked hard and done really well in school. He received a scholarship to USU and that sure helps things. :)

He had a great year in football and with his friends, despite the loss of his dear friend Seth. They have all stepped up and rallied around each other. I'm amazed at his strength! I'm sure graduation will be a bitter/sweet experience for all of us, but especially for Seth's family and friends. Wow, it's hard to think about it, without tearing up. (What a year it's been!)

101 Recovery Spots from Dr. Abraham A. Low - great mental health tips.

"I can not" means "I care not".
All I know is that I don't know.
Angry temper is temper turned outward toward another.
Anticipation of an event is usually worse than the realization of that event.
Approval of others is a want, not a need.
Avoid self importance. Others don't sit around and think about what I did or said.
Be group minded.
Be self led, not symptom lead.
Calm begets calm, temper begets temper.
Change your thoughts and impulses and your feeling and sensations will follow suit.
Choose peace over power. Don't go for the "symbolic victory"! (See, I told you so.)
Choose to hope rather than "gloom, doom and despair."
Comfort is a want, not a need.
Comparison temper is a form of fear temper.
Decide, plan and act.
Discomfort can be patiently borne, bravely faced and humbly tolerated.
Don't blame, complain or explain.
Don't give outer expression to my inner envirornment when temper is involved.
Don't let the trivialities of everyday life work me up.
Don't take your own dear selves too seriously.
Drop the danger, diagnosing and judgement.
Drop the excessive need to control outer environment.
Drop the judgement on others and myself.
Drop the need to be exceptional.
Drop the use of tempermental lingo.
Drop the vanity of always knowing better and best.
ENDORSE for the effort, not the outcome.
Endorse like an ever flowing river...
Every measure of self control, brings a measure of self respect.
Everyday is full of frustration and disappointment. That's average.
Everyone is entitled to their initial flare, (reaction). Like when a dog jumps out of a bush.
Excuse yourself and others, don't accuse.
Failure to practice spotting is Sabatoge and so is failure to practice muscle control.
Fear is a belief and beliefs can be changed.
Fearful temper is temper turned inward, toward ourselves: self disgust, embarrasment...
Feelings are NOT facts.
Feelings call for expression, temper for suppression.
Feelings rise and feelings fall.
Feelings should be expressed and temper suppressed.
Focus on what you Can do, Do have and Do know, not the opposite.
Get out of duality. A firm decision will steady you.
Go about my mental health with a strong aim, not a lose wish.
Have I endorsed today?
Have the courage to be wrong in the trivialities of everyday life.
Have the courage to make a mistake.
Have the will to "humility".
Helplessness is not hopelessness. There is no hopeless case.
Humor is our best friend, temper our worst enemy.
I can act my way into right thinking. (Action produces motivation.)
I can always share my feelings with an understanding party, without using "tempermental lingo".
I can bear discomfort and do hard things.
I can command my muscles to move.
I can control my speech muscles.
I can do the things I fear and hate to do.
I can do things in part acts, (baby steps) and then endorse for each act.
I can feel guilty without being guilty.
I can move my muscles as needed. Then endorse.
I cannot control outer environment, only my inner environment.
I don't need to be a saint, hero or angel.
I have choices. (agency)
If you can't change an event, change your attitude towards it.
Interpret securely, don't exaggerate insecurely.
It's okay to be average.
Lower your expections and your performance will rise.
Mistakes are a healthy and valuable part of life.
Most symptoms are NOT dangerous, only distressing.
Nervous people have a passion for self distrust.
NEVER INDICT, ONLY ENDORSE!
Objectivity terminates panic.
Our feelings and thoughts can lie to us.
Our self worth does not depend on our performance.
Outer environment can be rude, crude and indifferent.
Peace from outer environment is temporary and isn't really peace.
People do things that annoy us, not to annoy us.
Refuse to sacrifice inner peace for trivialities.
Reject bad thoughts!
Remember, peace over power.
Remove the danger from a situation.
Replace an insecure thought with a secure thought.
Resist impulses that are not good for your mental health.
Secure your racing thoughts.
Some things happen by chance and not by choice.
Spot and see if your "imagination is on fire."
Stop, Drop (the danger) and Spot
Take a "ho-hum" attitude toward a distressing task or symptoms.
Take the total view of a situation, not just the partial view.
Temper blocks logic.
Temper is a luxury I can't afford.
Temper is the intellectual blindness to the other side of the story.
There is no right or wrong in trivial matters.
Thoughts produce symptoms & thoughts let them go.
To be simple is to be great.
Treat your mental health like a business, not a game.
Trust in your own validity.
Unrealistic expectations bring disappointment.
We feel better in proportion to the amount of discomfort we are willing to bear.
We want to be exceptional, but fear we aren't even average.
Wear the mask.
When we express ourselves in temper we end up with self disgust.