Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 105

Sunshine and Storms

If something wonderful is starting or happening in your life, bravo!!!! Relish the time… the sharing… the marvelous memories you are making. On the other hand, if something not-so-wonderful is happening… or something wonderful has ended, please do not lose hope. Your heart may be broken into thousands of pieces. You may be living in a manner that makes you feel utterly off balance. Your world may even feel totally shattered.

We all go through changing times. Some let us feel light, confident, and happy… but at other times shifting shadows deepen the darkness beyond our recognition. Perspective grows more difficult in those shadowed times. While no one else can truly understand how someone feels during those lowest points, we can be powerfully helpful. We can always listen, offer support, and genuinely care. Take heart. Don’t lose faith. The sun will shine again.

  “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

— Theodor Seuss Geisel (pen name Dr. Seuss) (1904 – 1991)

American children’s author and cartoonist

Women’s Equality Day

First recognized in 1973 by the U.S. Congress, this day commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 

—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

First lady of the United States 1933-1945

“A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.” 

–Vera Nazarian (1966 –  )

Russian-American writer

Go For It!

 

 

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

— Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Irish-born British statesman & philosopher

Vesuvius Day

Each year, this day pays tribute to the most well-known eruption of one of history’s deadliest volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, still active today. From August 24-25, 79 AD, the mountain violently spewed 1.5 million tons per second of molten rock and hot ash, obliterating the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and a couple of other surrounding villages in the Italian region of Campania just southeast of Naples. The event released 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombing tremors were common throughout the region, but the warnings of small earthquakes preceding the massive eruption had not been recognized.

 

Sir Ronald and I felt honored to tour Pompeii on our first visit to Italy. But, in all seriousness, in subsequent Italian travels, exploring still mostly buried city of Herculaneum was even more amazing.

Though most citizens had evacuated, the Roman Empire city of Pompeii was buried under 19 feet of ash and other volcanic debris, which preserved it for centuries before the ancient ruins were discovered in the late 16th century. Buildings there dated back to the 4th century BC.

 

Herculaneum, an ancient city of Greek origin,  sat just 5 miles from the western base of Vesuvius, and the then luxurious seaside town was buried under 75 feet of molten lava. Centuries later the Naples suburb town of Ercolano (now with a population of 50,000) was unknowingly built on top of Herculaneum, the location of which had long been forgotten. That is until it was discovered by accident in the 18th century during the digging of a well. The first wall that was discovered turned out to be part of the stage of the Herculaneum theatre.

 

The National Museum of Naples contains amazing artifacts. Between those and the remains of the ancient cities, we get a time-capsule of Roman Empire life in 79 AD.

Stand and Swim

“In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

— Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)

Founding Father; 2nd US Vice President & 3rd US President

(Thanks to Julius Silver for the photo taken in Portugal.)

National Be an Angel Day

Not that we need reminders that being kind is always best, but we sometimes might forget how meaningful a touch of caring can be to someone else. We can’t walk in someone else’s shoes or fully understand someone else’s struggles, but we can listen. We can care.

We can remember to simply say “thank you” whenever someone does something nice. We can also recognize someone else’s good deed by paying it forward. Perhaps we can afford a very grand gesture, like sponsoring someone’s education or work project. Perhaps we can afford to share a slice of our most precious resource… time. Perhaps we can shine light in someone’s otherwise dark corner.

Keep in mind that we all have a quiet place in our hearts and minds where we wish for silver linings to those difficult storms. We can all become like angels on earth by giving someone else a hand up… a thoughtful word… or a sincere acknowledgment of their importance.

Go ahead. Be an angel today.

Success and Failure

 

“It is wise to keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.”

— Roger Babson (1875 – 1967)

American entrepreneur

(Photo by Gerd Altmann)

Try a Little Kindness

 

“Some show respect and kindness to their partners. Some show nastiness and belittlement to their partners. Both gain control. The first is given it willingly. The other takes it as if by right, although it is utterly wrong.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin

Author – The Bimbo Has Brains… and Other Freaky Facts

(Quiet Thunder Publishing, 2017)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

“What if I told you 10 years from now your life would be exactly the same? Doubt you’d be happy. So, why are you afraid of change?”

— Karen Salmansohn

American self-help author

(Image by Gerd Altmann)

Love!

“The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that opens in return.”

— Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849)

British writer