Work at Home Grandmothers

One of the things that all people who work from home, okay, maybe not all, but many who work from home struggle with is getting side-tracked, distracted by other things.  No one is standing over you telling you what to do, and it’s easy to get up and do a chore that needs being done around the house, answer that phone call and say “yes” when asked if you want to go out shopping with a friend, and any number of distractions.

But sometimes a good things comes along that takes time, but for a good cause.  Just such a distraction came my way after the earthquake in Haiti.  Rather than focusing on my blogs and income based items, I decided to write a “lens” on Squidoo called Natural Disaster Relief - What Can I Do?  I was then asked by one of the organizers on Squidoo to do another that would be a place where people could add their lenses (that’s what they call a one-page site on Squidoo) that are set for 100% charity, with the funds going to Hope for Haiti.  Usually on Squidoo the writer, someone like myself, receives a percentage of the things that sell when someone buys through my lens, but in this case, it all goes to Hope for Haiti.  Take a look at RocketMoms Help for Haiti to see what I’m talking about, at this typing, over 80 lenses have been added to support the people of Haiti.  This requires a little bit of managing on my part, a little time, but time well spent….I’m not making money doing this, but feel blessed and gratified to be helping in some way, especially since I don’t have a lot of money to give.

It was about 4-5 years ago when I first heard about the “FlyLady” and became a “FlyBaby”, and only 2-3 years ago when I became part of a wonderful group that I’ve told you about before, Boomer Diva Nation.

Well an amazing thing happened in October, when Boomer Diva Nation had it’s event down in North Carolina, Marla Cilley, better known to thousands upon thousands as “FlyLady” was a keynote speaker at the event. 

Her talk was heartwarming, personal and encouraging, and is now available on video!  It is available exclusively through BoomerDivaTV.com…use this FlyLady Video link to find out more, you’re in for a treat!

Not only that, but FlyLady’s program is a wonderful way to get your life organized, if your personal life is organized, it will give you the peace of mind to focus on your business life.

Today in church, my Pastor asked a question: “Do you want to survive or thrive?” It got me to thinking.

You know, it’s never too late to set goals. So what if you didn’t achieve your original goals when you were in your tween years. If you’re reading this, it means you’re not dead yet. It means you still have a purpose and a mission to be accomplished. Just because you’ve reached the “grandma age” doesn’t mean you have to cancel out those things you didn’t get around to doing. You just didn’t get around to doing them YET. As long as you’re still breathing, you still have time. As baby boomers and beyond, we’ve been given more opportunties to accomplish the goals and dreams we have for ourselves.

Here are some of my tips for setting goals at midlife:

1) Make each goal something you really want, not something that just sounds good: The truth of the matter is, you’re not getting any younger so you want to make what you do, from here on, mean something. But don’t do it just because. Some people like to play “follow the leader.” Because Mary wrote a book and it was a best seller, you think you can too but maybe that’s not really your calling and maybe your book won’t sell as well. Concentrate on doing something you are passionate about. Trust me, you’ll do a much better job at reaching your goal!

2) Don’t let your goal conflict with other goals: Your goal may be to purchase a million dollar home but if your salary is only $50,000 what sense does that really make? You should first focus on how you can increase your income or come up with creative ways to do some million dollar improvements on your current home.

3) Develop goals for both personal and business: If you have big dreams for your business, why not have equally important goals for your personal life. All work and no play can create something called S-T-R-E-S-S and stress kills. Develop a plan to ensure that you will spend quality “me” time to give yourself an opportunity to be renewed in mind, body and spirit. That way you’ll have more energy to continue pursuing your business goals.

4) Set high goals: The higher the goal means you’ll work HARDER but the REWARD will be that much sweeter!

5) Create a Vision Board: How do you know where you’re going if you can’t SEE where you’re going? Habakkuk 2:2 in the Bible says: “And the Lord answered me and said, “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets…” My vision board hangs in my bedroom. It is one of the first things I see every morning. It reminds me of the goals I’ve set and what I must do in order to achieve those goals. A vision board keeps you focused.

Even as a baby boomer, who’s also a wife and grandmother, I still believe in dreams and I’m a witness that dreams still can come true!

by Beverly Mahone

Four Generations of Hands

This is one of those heart-warming stories that finds it’s way around the email circuits, and was shared by a woman on discussion group I belong to. I immediately thought of my own grandmother’s hands, sitting next to her as a child, looking at those hands as they held mine. Read this simple but beautiful story, and do enjoy!
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Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn’t move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,’ she said in a clear voice strong.

‘I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,’ I explained to her.

‘Have you ever looked at your hands,’ she asked. ‘I mean really looked at your hands?’

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

‘Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

‘They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

‘They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

‘These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.’

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma’s hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.