I spent some time with my older friend the other day. She was saying what an unhappy life she has had. I was so sad for her because she always seemed so happy to me.It got me to thinking....
This life has not been easy....we were poor college students....and even when he graduated, we were still poor with 2 kids and one on the way. The children were wanted ...yes, we were crazy.
Then he decided to go back to school.... and then it took about ten years of still being poor to get on our feet. I went to work several times during that. Trust me it was not easy......especially when I wanted to stay home with my children.
But to say I had an unhappy life? I can not say that.
We all just do what we have to do and snatch a little happiness and joy in between.
It is true, life is what you make it. I am sure there was some unhappiness and thinking when will this end....but I can truly say...I had a good life.... would I do some things over? YES....... never switch this life for another one!
I agree with you. Having a happy life is up to the person. I was unhappy for a long time, then I decided to see the good and do what I could about the bad and live with the rest. I have a very happy life now.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday my friend. Your present is excellent!
Amen! Happy birthday and congratulations on your new addition!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday indeed!!! I predict lots of quilting along in your future!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you can equate happiness to what you have, but rather to who you have and the first "who" is you and you must be thankful for yourself - that's where happiness starts.
I agree with you. I can look back on all the hard times (we all had them) or I can look at my wonderful life now and thank God for it. I choose happiness. I love your new machine. What kind is it. You are going to have sooooooo much fun!
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day my sweet friend and Happy birthday! what kind of quilt machine set up do you have? I know you will love have ing it! Hugs, Marie
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it, life is often what you make it. Hope you have lots of fun with your new toy.
ReplyDeletewow! that is one awesome birthday present.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a sad comment from your friend. Life is what you make it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of making it.......you are going to have some fun! What machine did you get?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! What a great gift! Thanks for the encouraging words. We need reminders to count our blessings.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday dear friend and hope have an awesome time with your new setup. You will love it!
ReplyDeleteEvery day is a blessing, so much to be thankful for. I love your birthday gift.
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy Birthday!! What a great present!! Can't wait to see what you create on that awesome machine.
ReplyDeleteLife is what you make it, I say. I have had unhappy thing in my life, but that didn't make me unhappy forever. Some people thrive on the negative....Not me!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Birthday Barb. are you going to do this machine quilting as a business? Wow! And good for you if you are.
I know that your guy is a good guy, your boys have put up with a mom who invades them every so often with machine and fabrics, yet, love you for who you are in spite of messes made of threads!
Happy Birthday Barb! what a fabulous present, have fun.
ReplyDeleteLife is what we make it, seeing opportunities for what they are, making the most of the good times, nobody say it was going to be easy, but we make our own happiness. That's what I think anyway! Happy Birthday indeed!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Barb!
ReplyDeleteOh, there is no stoppin' you now! Have fun with your new toy!
One of my favorite quotes from "The Fellowship of the Ring," (J.R.R. Tolkien) is...
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
We're almost twins! My birthday is Saturday but no wonderful surprise like you got, and that's okay! I'm so happy for you that you got it. Life is full of challenges but it is a "wonderful life" after all. Our plan was for me to be a stay-at-home mom but I've worked all but six months of our marriage. We made a conscious choice to go into extreme debt to have our own children due to my multiple medical problems. I had many procedures and surgeries that weren't covered by insurance. We often say that we paid on our first child for just over 20 years! That's a true story too since when he was born there was an insurance glitch so his birth (simple) wasn't covered by insurance but by the time we found out he wasn't covered he had preexisting croup/allergies and so anything that had to do with respiratory wasn't covered by insurance (and there were many through the years). I always tell him that luckily he was worth it! He was just over 20 years old when we paid the final medical bills off on him. Now there's Medicaid and my children's friends are so casual about the bills they wrack up bz they don't have to pay them. Oh well, that's another post and it just upsets me how callous they are about the tax payers paying their bills and this comment is about how happy life is. No matter what our challenges my husband and I have chosen to be happy and to use humor (sometimes dark humor) to get us through the rough patches. Hope your friend finds some happiness along the way.
ReplyDeleteCindy
P.S. This comment is being written by someone who doesn't know if her husband will have a job in the next few days. It's rough, but I still choose to be happy, maybe bz I know that there's much more than just this life and what I do and feel in this life matters on a grander scale than I can even imagine. :)
Oh my! Happy Birthday indeed! I recently watched a documentary titled "Happy." It was very interesting. If you are a Netflix customer you can watch it streaming or get the DVD. I agree with the others - life is what you make it and you are responsible for your own happiness.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday to you! I agree with you....life is what you make it! There are so few today that know the secret to being content...I wonder if we have set up our kids for disappointment sometimes, by encouraging them to be and do "what makes you happy" when they grow up. We have so many blessings - to be grateful for those is the first big step toward happiness! Hugs to you!!
ReplyDeleteHey again, birthday girl! Wow, you got one heck of an awesome present, and you definitely deserve it! I know you're gonna have lots and lots of fun with that!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes...I believe we are all responsible for our own happiness...other people or things can't give us that. Life was never promised to be easy, but in between all the tough times we all face now and then, happiness is always waiting for us to reach out and grab it. I always try to embrace it with both hands every time I get the chance, and be thankful every day for whatever God gives me!
Enjoy your special day, Barb!
XOXO,
Cyndi
Happy Birthday, indeed!! Wow! Your post was very touching. It makes me sad that there are so many people that see their glass half empty.
ReplyDeleteWonderful birthday present and wonderful sentiment. I so want to get my spirit and sense of well being back after dealing with some pretty bad health problems since last October, 2011. I am realling looking forward to seeing what my new normal is since completing all of my drug infusion treaments last week. Like you, I would take back nothing - only do some things differently. Happiest of all birthdays. Judy C
ReplyDeleteI agree Barb! Being happy is a choice, and it's not necessarily related to how much money we have or what's going on in our lives. Sometimes I think people seem to enjoy being miserable and it's so sad really. Enjoy your new toy! :0)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you Barb !!Have fun with your new toy , looks like a great way to spend the day . I feel sorry for your friend, life has it challenges but we have to take what we get and make the most of it :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Barb! I know you are excited beyond words. You will have so much. I'm sorry your friend feels she has not had a good life, that made me sad. I'm pleased with my life and I'm not saying the road was always paved smoothly. However at the end of the day I can smile and say "Thank you, Lord".
ReplyDeleteLife takes many twists and turns...all are meant to be...we are better for it. Loved hearing your history and happy that you are now relishing in the life you lived..besides I think you have a very supportive hubby. Lucky you...and those boys too!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, perspective is such a strange thing isn't it?
I have had bombs dropped on my about my family members who have passed and it put their life in such a different light. Bottom line... today is the present for a reason!~ I'm with you, I've put myself in some tricky spots but, by golly, I come back! :)
I'm glad to have you as a part of my world. It's a fun and colorful world. :::: waving hello to everyone else too!::::
~Christina in Cleveland (in Cleveland because of a tricky spot I put myself in! lol)
Happy Birthday, Barb and many, many more!! Enjoy that awesome gift :o)
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday! Many happy returns of the day. That is one nice birthday present you have there. Enjoy and looking forward to seeing the beautiful quilting.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! And yes, Life is what we make it, and far to short to spend it being unhappy. I'm content, and that makes me very happy. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Great Present there.. Yes, I think it is up to us to feel and to make life happy. We will never ever be satisfied if we always look at the people who we think have more than us and if we always look at the negatives. Each and one of deserves to be happy and it is only ourselves that can determine that..
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Barb, mine was on Oct 1 and I turned 70 years old. Life for us has never been too easy with a very sick daughter since she was 10 years and we were poor to but I am happy and although there are hard times I think I have been lucky to have a loving husband for 47 years and two wonderful children and two grandsons. Life is what we make it. Is that a long arm quilting machine? Did I miss something? Hope you had a wonderful day. Blessings Sandra
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Barb! What a great gift!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, whether or not we're happy is up to us. Life throws everyone curveballs. What makes the difference is what we do with them.
Happy Birthday Barb.
ReplyDeleteWe all have some level of unhappiness in life, so have more challenges than others. If we take time to look around, it is easy to see those that have an easier life, as well as those that have a harder life. But, how we choose to live our lives is up to each of us.
Thank you for being you and always giving a smile to others.
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
YAY!! Happy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Barb! Life is what we make of it. Stay positive and be happy. Enjoy your new toy!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday and thank you for sharing your perspective on this life. I have to remind myself daily of the many gifts I have and of the various things I can choose to be thankful for! I hope you enjoy your new gift.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! If today is your day, we share the same one! Have fun with your new toy!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Love your birthday gift!!! And I applaud your spirit and desire to live your life to the fullest regardless of finances or resources. If we wait around until money says it's okay to do something, we will never have or do anything!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Barb!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on life.I always compare my life to a quilt,bits and pieces,joy and sorrow stitched with love.
Have a wonderful day.
Happy Birthday dear sister. I am excited for your new toy and hope you have tons of fun.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday blessings, dear Barb! You will really enjoy the creating you can do on this gift.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your philosophy, girl, we always try to see the good even in in the hard times. Counting blessings is really a great way to stay thankful ~
:-}pokey
Wishing you a very happy birthday. Have fun with your new toy....
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful birthday. Hope its not too late. Its Tuesday evening here!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday and what a fabulous present.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Barb! What a great gift. I do believe that we can choose to be happy, count our blessings and try not to dwell on the negative. I hope you have a wonderful day.
ReplyDelete1love your present to yourself!!
ReplyDeletewas sorry to hear about your friends take on her life, but loved reading yours.
My Mama called it 'wallowing in it'..would say stop it, look at what you have..sweet babies, family that loves ya, roof over your head and food in your tummy! We all have bad times, some come to us out of the blue but we have to stay positive and move on! Love your BD gift! Wishing you many happy quilt'n stitches with it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Hugs!
Lola
You are such a lucky duck. Nice long arm. I feel bad that someone thinks that they had such an unhappy life. I was blessed with four children and even when things were bleak and money was tight I still had my kids. Even as adults they are the lights of my life. My second husband is also the best. We are soul mates.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful present!!
ReplyDeleteNo one has an easy life. Life is full of good times and bad. I refuse to wallow in self pity. When rotten things happen in our lives I always tell the kids about the good things we still have and to have patience because we will weather this storm like we have others in the past.
Happy Birthday Barb! I hope you had a wonderful day. You so deserve it! Thanks for being a wonderful Friend and great example to me!
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday to you Barb!
ReplyDeleteI am just now reading blogs this week - so Happy Belated Birthday! And what a wonderful gift for you. I think you're going to love having a longarm and frame. You were already proficient, now nobody will be able to keep up with you.
ReplyDeleteI love it. Hope your day was filled with fun.
ReplyDeleteI love your new toy Barb.
ReplyDeleteI nearly always read your posts, but don't comment too much, but this time I felt I had to. I am sad for your friend thinks that she has had a unhappy life, how sad is that, nothing nice in a life at all.
My husband has just passed away, and yes that was sad, but it was good for him, because he was in so much pain. And I have heaps of happy memories of him. Does she not have memories that make her happy? Having money does not make one happy. Hugs, off the soapbox now.
Congrats Barb! Happy birthday to you!!
ReplyDeleteDid I miss wishing you a happy birthday?! Boo on that!! Better late than never, so . . .
ReplyDelete♪♫ Happy birthday ♪ to YOU! ♫♪
♫♪ Happy ♪ birthday to YOU! ♪♫
♪♫ Happy birthday dear ♪ Barb!!!! ♫♪
♫♪ Happy ♪ birthday ♪ to ♪ YOU!!! ♪♫
♪♫ And many more . . . !!!!! :)
I love my October birthday -- October birthdays are the BEST!!! :)
Happy birthday to you dear friend. Joy to you as well for knowing how to see happiness amongst hard times. Life truly is what we make it.
ReplyDeleteLove your new toy. You deserve it. Now play hard young lady! Woo hoo!
Just now am back into blogland, trying to be determined to continue it.
ReplyDeleteHappy, Happy Birthday, Barb. Oh my, your BD present looks to be a good one. I'm so happy for you and you definitely deserve this fun toy to bring you and many others lots of joy.
hugs to you.
A very inspiring blog post and I am soooo happy for you that you now have this wonderful toy to add pleasure and fun to your life. You deserve it and I hope you have many happy hours of relaxation and fun together (after the initial learning curve challenges !). Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! And what a birthday gift!!!! :)
ReplyDelete