TWW JUNE LETTER

Hello there to all of our retro friends! We hope that you are having a great month of June. We are delighted to have you over.

It's great to enter a new month rejuvenated and joyful! Like the sun coming out from a dark cloud on a raining day you appreciate more and more that every cloud has a silver lining. Last month for instance I had to take several weeks off from my writing so that I could concentrate in personal and family responsibilities. Although things are not quite where they should be (and may not be for a great while), I am just taking life in stride.

I always wondered what it really means to take life in stride. So I looked up some definitions and there was one definition that I liked the best:  "to calmly and easily deal with something unpleasant or difficult and not let it affect what you are doing or not let it have a bad effect on you."

Truthfully though, "that is easier said than done," especially when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

For years my lovely husband would say: "Do not think on what you can't do, think on what you can do." That is why I love my man!

I than thought to myself  "I am going to do just that. I am going to learn to live with my current circumstances and not allow it to affect me negatively." I am generally a happy and bubbly person. I enjoy life and the many beautiful things that life has to offer.

I admit though that there are many times I do get depressed, especially when I am unable to do things that I once enjoyed. Take traveling for instance. I love to travel. I especially miss hopping on a plane and visiting friends and family.

This year seem like my health was improving. I got so excited that I had made plans to visit my brother who lives in Canada whom by the way I haven't seen in 12 years! Whenever I think of him I get teary. I miss him terribly! I even got my new passport. But then I got a setback. You can't imagine how sad I have been about this. My brother at the moment can't travel to the States to visit me and I feel so sick to travel and see him.

I love a quote that Allen Saunders said once “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

Boy isn't that true!

Would a little setback discourage me from enjoying life? No! I won't encourage it. I won't allow it. I won't let it take the upper hand and bring me down.

"It's not the problems we face that define us, it's how we choose to handle them."

There are still six more months to this year. And my goal is and will still be to see my brother. I don't know when or how I will be able to see him. I do know one thing for sure that with God nothing is impossible!

I will keep you all posted with the latest of my traveling plans.

Don't forget to drop us a letter when you can. We would love to hear from you! Have a great month!

See ya later toots!

Your Hostess,

Carmen Johnson


P.S. While my husband was away visiting his mom I took the liberty to redecorate his office and other areas of our home. My Paris room had had a little face lift as well. It seems like my interior decorating course is finally paying off. I will be posting some of the photos with you soon. Au revoir!