Spreading Sunshine
A free, monthly e-newsletter to brighten your day and make
you smile
Issue
1, December 17, 2006
Welcome!
Well, miracles never cease! For those of you who subscribed to
this newsletter many moons ago…drum roll please…it’s finally here! I have learned that often, things don’t
happen in the timing we choose, but when they do happen, it’s usually the perfect time!
Since the idea for Spreading Sunshine came to me, I have moved from New Jersey to California. Along the
way, my life has been filled with constant reminders that miracles happen everyday. I hope you enjoy this premiere of Spreading
Sunshine. Please help us grow by forwarding this to others who you think might enjoy it. If you are not yet a subscriber,
click here to subscribe
to Spreading Sunshine now!
Happy
for Humpty
© 2006 Laurie Smith
As I was doing some household chores today, I kept coming across happy little surprises.
Just before watering a plant, I noticed a Humpty Dumpty doll smiling up at me from its soil. As I prepared to wash dirty dishes
in the sink, I noticed a three-inch high construction man (the driver of my two-year-old son’s favorite dump truck toy)
standing on the edge of the kitchen counter.
When I went to hang a
coat in the coat closet, I discovered a group of Fisher Price Little People carefully placed in a circle (watching an octopus
swim, I was later informed). I couldn’t help but think how great life could be if I was always so open and expectant
of the not-requested gifts carefully placed (or so it often seems) in my path.
I recently saw a bumper sticker that said: “Something Wonderful is about to Happen.” My wish
for you is that many wonderful “somethings” happen to you during this holiday season and the coming year. Who
knows? Maybe this newsletter is just one of many fun surprises that make you smile like my son's gifts did for me.
Good News
After a particularly grumpy day of reading
a not-so-positive newspaper about a year ago, the idea was born for this newsletter—send out news that’s happy
(with my own inspirational spin, of course!). “There’s got to be some good news out there,” I thought to
myself. “Right??” It’s amazing how when we put something out there through intention, we find what we seek.
Since the idea for this newsletter was born, I’ve been paying more attention to the good news than the not-so-good.
Here are just a few stories that recently caught my attention.
As I was writing this issue, I decided to do
a search on its name—Spreading Sunshine—to see what I could find. What I came up with was a story about a man
in Wales who threw money into the air because he wanted to “spread a little sunshine!” Since his generosity sparked
a town scuffle that involved the police, I don’t recommend his method, but personally, I find his commitment to the
concept of Spreading Sunshine inspirational. It makes me wonder, what could happen in the world if we each made it our intention
to spread a little sunshine with everyone we meet?
Great news came out this past Friday (12/15/06) when researchers presented findings
that breast cancer dropped 15 percent from August 2002 to December 2003. Researchers credit the decreased incidence to the
fact that during this time, millions of women stopped using hormone replacement therapy, once widely recommended to treat
menopausal symptoms, due to research that concluded that hormones slightly increased breast cancer risk. One of the researchers
Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said, “It’s better than a cure” because there are cases
that never occurred. What a great reminder about how important medical research is, how vital it is to stay informed about
how to be healthy, and how we’re all getting smarter everyday!
Also along the lines
of getting smarter everyday was the discovery that there is water on Mars! Researchers reported this month that they have
the strongest evidence to date that water still flows, at least occasionally, on the surface of Mars. The NASA website reports,
“The new findings heighten intrigue about the potential for microbial life on Mars.” One of the researchers Philip
R. Christensen, a professor of geological science at Arizona State University said, “I’m about 80 percent convinced
that this is evidence of water flow happening now, and I admit I have been a skeptic.” (NYTimes, 12/6/06) What would
happen if we each had a “beginner’s mind” about what is possible in our own lives, or on those days when
we felt skeptical, were at least willing to happily be proven wrong?
Yummy Quotes
Again, inspired by our son:
“You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race…headed, I
fear, toward a most useless place. The Waiting Place…NO! That’s not for you! Somehow you’ll escape all
that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once
more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of guy!” (or gal
;-)
-Dr. Seuss
And, a few personal favorites:
“There are two
ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
-Albert Einstein
“Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and
you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose--Not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to
remember.”
-Anne
Sullivan
“Miracles happen to those who believe in them.”
-Bernard Berenson
Have a wonderful holiday
season!
Wishing you miracles,
Laurie Smith
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Spreading Sunshine! Have a happy day! 