This was one of the wonderful cards that we received from one of our card angels in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program. It not only made me smile, but made me think. How simple is the saying “Love Life”? Simple, but oh so powerful when you really think about it. However, what does Love Life really mean?

Society, social norms, other people’s opinions and keeping up with what everyone else is doing has become the mantra for how we live our lives. We have because others have. We wear clothes because it is what other people wear. We go in debt to make sure that we are keeping up with those we associate with. We put ourselves under so much pressure as we strive to conform to what everyone else thinks that we should be, that we forget to live a life that is one that is our own.

Over time society and others have dictated the way we are supposed to live, the things we are suppose to have and actions that we are supposed to take to receive everyone else’s approval. Time and time again we have fallen for that and put pressure on ourselves to make sure that we live up to all those expectations. To society and others I say hogwash. Over the years I have learned that trying to live a life that is pleasing to everyone else has only served to be a detriment to living a life that is satisfying and good for my own soul.

Who is to say that because a few people have gotten together and decided their criteria for what a life should be like means that we are required to live that life? It’s not our life and truth, it is theirs. I agree that there are certain rules in life that are designed to keep us safe, punish us for acts that harm others and are designed to keep peace within a society. Outside of that if you are living a life that is true to your soul, who cares what anyone else thinks? Whether you have a little or a lot, what you wear and how you live is a decision for only you to make. If you are living a life for you, nourishing your soul, creating your own satisfaction and following your truth, only then are you truly living life….your life.

The most important thing we can do when we wake up each day is to make that day ours. We have to fill it with those things that provoke our minds, inspire our heart and feed our soul. We never know what unexpected thing life will throw at us and living a life that is true to ourselves prepares us for when those times come.

Whatever you do, don’t just exist in life. Don’t be a part of it just because you have to and don’t live a life that is designed to be what others think is appropriate. Live YOUR life, and make that life everything that you want it to be.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

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Sometimes I question where we get our strength when the curve balls that life throws at us continue to come from unexpected places. They say that things often come in threes, but when that starts to multiply and they come in fours and fives, you wonder how you will find the strength to help all those that need you in their time of need? It is in those moments that you find out just how strong you are and exactly how much energy you can muster. There is a reason for that.

When we are connected through family and friendships, we form bonds that allow us to dig deep inside and be there for each other when they need us most. Even when it “piles on” you know that when you made that commitment to be a healthy part of a family or friendship, you were all in for the good times and the bad. You celebrate the up moments and support in the down ones. It is part of the true bonds that we form in life.

The thing about these unexpected moments are that you never know when you are going to need those very people to be there for you. We can never predict what tomorrow will bring and that is why it is so important to keep all our relationships healthy and alive. When you truly unconditionally love someone, you never have to think twice when they need your support. The sacrifices that our family and friends make to ensure that we have a better life means that they in turn deserve us to make the same sacrifices when they need us most.

I am a firm believer that we don’t travel life’s path with a certain group of people by chance. We are meant to be together and there is a reason for it. Some arrive early in life and some come later. However, they always come at exactly the time they were meant to be there. Showing mutual compassion for those that we care about and love are what makes our incredible lives just that much more awesome.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

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Picture Credit: The Contemplative Monk

Once again I took another quote from my friend Tim’s Facebook page. He always seems to find what I am thinking just as I am preparing for my next post and this was no exception. We all deal with our demons and issues. Some have been with us for years, some are self imposed, others just seem to find us because we keep ourselves open to letting mire infiltrate our lives. Often those issues are so intense that we can’t seem to keep them from being part of our daily lives and we continuously bring others in to suffer the mire with us. Then when we start to see those individuals less and less, we wonder why it is that they have distanced themselves.

We all need support from our friends and family at many times throughout our lives. It is a part of the love that we share that we are willing to be there for each other in our times of need. However, the issue comes in when we expect everyone to continuously be a part of our issues and never make the effort to solve any of those issues on our own. We expect everyone else to fix what may be wrong because we just can’t find the strength and willpower to help ourselves. Then we begin to wonder why it is that we don’t see them as often, or not at all when they have had enough.

Friendship and love are two way streets. We should be there and help each other. However, we should also provide the opportunity to participate in each other’s lives when things are going well. When we “pull them into our peace”, we are providing them validation that their help is supplementing the help that we are giving ourselves and that we are not expecting them to solve all our problems. When they have the opportunity to celebrate our joy, then they have more incentive to participate in our pain. That is the very nature of life.

My friends know that I would be there for them at a moments notice. I also know that they would do the same for me. However, there are moments when I am “in my head” that I just need to work it out on my own. I don’t need them to be a part of my every storm, just those where I need that little extra help to get me through the situation or event. By making each other a part of our successful and peaceful moments, we know that we are truly integrated into each other’s life in a healthy way.

So, if you have that one person that is your dumping ground and you only seem to bring them in when the times are tough, maybe it is time to give them a break. Let them share in the good moments as well and offer them the opportunity to not be a crutch, but rather a lift for a change. The more you make them a part of your whole life, the stronger your friendship will become and true wholesome friendship is a beautiful thing.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron and on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

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As much as we do things for the good of others and the satisfaction that brings, there are times that we just need a little validation for what we do. It can be a sign, a note, a comment or some little thing that just tells us yes, you are on the right path and doing the right thing. Such is the case with our work in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program.

Our volunteers, decorators and card angels work tirelessly to keep our program going. Many have full time jobs in addition to the program, along with responsibilities for families and other things. Yet, we continue to grow and reach more seniors each and every day. Once in a while a note from a senior, letter from a senior community or personal message from someone gives us the fuel that we need to continue the work that we do even when we are tired the most.

Yesterday, we received one of those messages that I am referring to. It was the perfect validation for what we started and what we do every day. It validated our mission and goals and reminded us why we keep prepping envelopes, preparing packages, speaking and creating even when we are exhausted, our backs hurt and bed seems more appealing. There isn’t much more that I can say as the letter speaks for itself. It validates why we do what we do, “One card, one smile at a time”. I have removed the personal information from the letter for privacy purposes, but you can see that it is from one our Florida communities that receives our cards.

Yesterday, a box of your beautiful cards found its way to my desk.  As the Director of Lifestyles for Palmetto Landing, a senior living community in Winter Springs, Florida, serving both assisted living and memory care residents, I was delighted to learn of your organization.  What a beautiful tribute to your late grandmother, and how fulfilling it must be to you, knowing how many smiles her inspiration has brought to tens of thousands of seniors across the nation!  

To say our residents were deeply touched upon receiving the cards is an understatement.  Some rarely, if ever, get a letter or cards – and were absolutely delighted to receive something in the mail!  Others were touched by the fact that total strangers – some as young as seven – had written a note especially for them!  Each and every resident in our community has now received a card, and those which remain will be used from time to time for residents who do not receive mail otherwise, or who just need a “pick-me-up.”

Thank you, again, for your thoughtfulness and for this special ministry. It has been a true blessing to me to be able to “partner” with you by bringing One Card, One Smile at a Time to the residents of Palmetto Landing!

With heartfelt gratitude

Thank you for all you do each and every day. Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron, on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

This year we had the privilege of attending two graduations. My oldest nephew graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and my youngest from a high school in Michigan. At the high school graduation my niece orchestrated a photographer to take family pictures of all of us for the first time ever. This got me to thinking about the importance of capturing those family moments when you have the opportunity to do so.

When we are younger, there seem to be many moments that families come together as a whole and for various reasons. Times when then opportunity presents itself to capture the moment, but for one reason or another we simply don’t take the time or put in the effort to ensure that the photo opportunity happens. Sure, people snap one off’s with their phones or cameras, but we never seem to bring everyone together to get that single great shot that includes the family as a whole. Then everyone starts to grow up and everything changes.

Marriages happen, people graduate and move off to college, families are living in multiple states and the reasons to bring everyone together become less and less. One by one we start to lose people in the family and the ability to capture the family as a whole becomes impossible. In those rare moments when you are able to assemble everyone in the same place at the same time, it is incredibly important to take advantage of that opportunity and capture that moment for posterity. Not just for ourselves, but for future generations that will want to look back on those that came before them and have the history that is an important part of their own lives.

The day before this picture we had a really bad day with my dad as he continues to deal with his Lymphoma and the effects of the trip from Florida to Michigan. However, come picture day he mustered the energy to be there and be part of the special event. There on that lawn on a beautiful sunny day, we captured four generations together in one place and it was magical.

So, as you attend family gatherings in the future and have an opportunity to get everyone together in one place, take advantage of it. When I look at the pictures they make me smile, fill my heart and remind me that you have to take every opportunity to enjoy every moment you have with family when the ability to do so presents itself. People won’t always be here to be a part of those amazing photos and tomorrow is never guaranteed. Grab today and make it special.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

On Friday, I was on a flight when I had the most adorable couple sitting next to me. As I gazed over I noticed that the elderly woman had placed her hand through her husbands arm and was gently resting her hand atop his. This warmed my heart and got me to thinking about my mom and dad. It is not uncommon to see them walking together holding hands even after 57 years of marriage. Finally, that thought path led me to the moment that is in this picture when I was with my grandmother the last week before she passed. I had just finished feeding her some water with a sponge on a stick and she placed her hand on top of mine as if to say thank you and show her love without uttering a single word. What is it that is in the power of a touch?

As human beings we have a need for contact with others. We can share words and glances, but it is ultimately that touch that gives us the validation that we have truly made the connection necessary to cement the feelings that are being portrayed. Unfortunately, in our current society we have made the human touch harder to accomplish. At work we used to greet others we had not seen in a long time with a handshake or a hug. In today’s environment that has been made almost impossible because of the risk that a person may take your greeting in a way that it was not intended. We can send heart, hug and love emoji’s through our electronic devices, often without offending. However, those electronic emotions have now replaced our ability to show our in person affection for another with the gentleness of a touch. Those who have abused have ruined it for those who would never thinking of purposely offending.

When I am down and sad sometimes I need someone to put their hand on my shoulder or pat my back and let me know that everything is going to be OK. When I am feeling lonely I need that hug to remind me that I matter to someone and that I am not alone. When I am having problems and issues I need someone to take my hand and let me know that everything is going to be OK.

One has to wonder if a world devoid of the human touch is part of what leads to the lack of compassion, love and understanding that we often see today. Is it possible that a little more human touch could remind people that they matter, they are not alone and in the end everything truly will be OK?

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

Picture Credit: Pixabay

When I was on a flight recently, I got to thinking about the past few years in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program. Then I started to think about seniors more broadly. Mostly about the support and assistance that we provide them and the focus that gets placed on them by society.

When we look out across the broad spectrum of not for profit entities, it is very easy to find large, cash filled entities that focus on a number of things. We pump hundreds of millions of dollars into disaster relief organizations, children’s charities and charities that focus on specific diseases. All worthy causes in their own right. However, it is much harder to find thriving charities that are focused on the elderly and taking care of those that many times painstakingly paved the way for us, so that we could have a better future.

I have had the benefit of traveling the world, living in other countries and experiencing different cultures. Nowhere in the world are the elderly less revered and taken care of than right here in our own country. It is almost as if once you reach a certain age, you are simply on the slow road to the end of your life and the need for resources to ensure that you are taken care of for your remaining days are of less importance.

I have been in many senior living communities and experienced a myriad of conditions that seniors live in. The ability to pay has a direct correlation to the environment where you get to spend your final days, if you are not lucky enough to be able to live at home or with loved ones. I have experienced first hand individuals who still have family, but once they enter the four walls of a senior community it is as if they no longer exist. There are just too many competing priorities to make the time to visit and remind the loved one that they still matter.

The interesting thing about all of this is that God willing we are all going to be one of those elderly people one day. The unfortunate thing is that we often don’t realize the importance of taking care of the elderly until we become an elderly person ourselves. Ensuring that those that came before us are reminded that they are loved and cared for it at the core of our mission. The need is great and we are only able to touch small corners of our society, but we have done that almost 100,000 times since the start of this program. Our elderly are one of our most precious resources and we owe it to them to remind them of that every single day.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available at iHeart Radio, anchor.fm/morningswithron, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

When I saw this quote by Ella Fitzgerald, it made me think about how much passion drives us. When we are truly all in, there really is nothing that we can’t accomplish. Johann Wolfgang Goethe said, “At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you”. Nowhere is that more evident than what we see every day in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program.

One evening, several weeks ago we were prepping boxes to send out to our decorators. As we completed the last box, the bin that held the last of our cards was empty and I sat in my chair. I got that feeling that sometimes comes over me when this moment happens as I ask myself what is next? I sat and stared at all these empty bins while at the same time reminding myself that I had committed to the Bring Smiles family that we would deliver 50,000 cards this year. After a brief moment of panic, I remembered that my commitment to this program was not a passing whim, that I was all in and there was no way the power of this program was going to let us fail.

We had not made the lunch time post office run yet. However, when we did, there were thirteen packages of cards waiting for us that once again filled those empty spaces. Each and every one of them from individuals who were also all in. People who believe in our cause and purpose and are part of the universe that conspires to assist us as Goethe said. The love and inspiration that goes into every card is the true testament of being committed and an example of the belief that one person truly can make a difference.

If you could see what we see when open a box, an envelope or a package. If you could feel what we feel when we remove those seals and gaze at what is on the inside. If you could experience the magic of every card that comes out of all of those parcels, you would understand in an instant the power of what we are doing together. There are absolutely times when it gets tough and I lay awake at night and wonder how we are going to go on. Fortunately, those moments are rare and I remind myself that the commitment we made on March 29, 2016 stays strong and alive. It lives because we are committed and all of you show the love and compassion that drives everything that we do.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast on iHeart Radio, anchor.fm/morningswithron, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with my family up in Michigan for my nephew’s high school graduation. During this visit, I got to spend even more time with my new great nephew. As I was feeding him one morning and walking with him in the pictures above I got to thinking about how fast time flies and our lives move forward without us even realizing it. It seems like yesterday that we were the children and now niece and nephews have all graduated and the next generation is starting their journey. It made me stop and realize how important it is to cherish life’s moments when you are presented with the opportunity.

As we go through life there are many family milestones that come our way. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, special occasions and unfortunately even funerals. We sometimes find ourselves too busy to attend these gatherings, or to preoccupied to take advantage of them when they occur, only to realize how important they were when it is too late. When I considered the effort everyone made to be there to be a part of my nephew’s graduation it made my heart grow a few sizes.

Two individuals came all the way from Montana. My other nephew drove from Florida to North Carolina to meet up with his sister, her husband and six month old to drive 14 hours together. I made the trek from Florida through the Atlanta airport with my mom and dad who his dealing with Lymphoma. Think of the amazing effort that took for all of us to culminate in that one place. That is what we do for family. We fortunately understand the importance of being together and celebrating and joining when we can.

Being a part of a family comes with responsibility. We have the responsibility to care for each other, be there for each other and provide support. It should be a give and take that is equal in measure and full of love and compassion. It can’t be one side takes all and the need for continued involvement should not diminish with age, ailment or situation.

As I was feeding my great nephew that morning, I thought how lucky he was to be born into the family that he was. A family that is there or each other when we need it and yet gives space when it is needed. A family that is full of love, compassion and caring. A family that I am so happy to be a part of. Your future is bright little Carter and we will be there for you every step of the way. My wish for all of you is the same.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

It is so easy for life to become routine. We are a busy society and spend our days taking care of family, friends and responsibilities. Hopefully, somewhere in that day we have also squeezed in a few minutes to take care of ourselves. We often become so engrossed in the routine of the day that before we know it we are doing the same things over and over, day after day. Then we sit back and wonder why our life may be boring, when the reason is staring us right in the face.

For people like me who find it hard to move outside their comfort zone, it is very easy for life to become repetitional and mundane. We do the same things daily and then sit back and wonder why our life isn’t more interesting. In reality, all we have to do to change our lives is start making small changes in our daily routine, sometimes outside our comfort zone, to literally change our lives. Let me explain.

Several years ago, I found myself in a rut. I work from home, so unless you happen to have plans during the week, you wind up staring at the same four walls until the weekend comes and hopefully you are able to do something different. By the time you get to the end of your workday, you are too tired to do anything else and it is easier to just have dinner and sit on the sofa and watch television until it is time for bed. Then you go to bed and start all over again. As you can imagine, this can make life pretty mundane.

Then several years ago my friend in New Jersey introduced me to the game of Mah Jongg. That led me to introductions to some amazing women in my community and suddenly my life changed for the better. Getting out of the house a few times a week not only opened me to new experiences, it opened me to new friendships that would all lead to making my life just that much more special and meaningful. Believe me it was no easy thing to do. I had to not only allow myself to get introduced to a group of people who had been together for years, I had to do it with a game that I was just learning. However, changing that one thing in my day, several times a week, literally changed my life.

If your life has become routine and mundane and you are looking for a change, it really is never going to happen unless you make that one change in your daily routine. We cannot maintain the status quo and expect life to be different. That is not saying that people that may be content with a status quo life are wrong. It simply implies that those who are looking for something different cannot continue the routine and expect life to change on its own.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

Mornings with Ron is now available as a podcast on iHeart Radio, anchor.fm, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites.

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