Good afternoon.  Another lovely sunny day in Southeastern Manitoba.  The temperature is minus 1.  Seems like spring is early this year.  The high humidity is not my friend.

It has been a month of ups and downs.  One of my difficulties is knowing how to cope with disappointment and discouragement.  “The word discouragement comes from the root word courage. The prefix dis- means “the opposite of.” So discouragement is the opposite of courage. When we are discouraged, we have lost the motivation to press forward. The mountain seems too steep, the valley too dark, or the battle too fierce, and we lose the courage to continue”. (Author Unknown)  Disappointment breeds discouragement.  I am trying to find a way to beat discouragement but for me, it is a constant battle.  People who experience constant pain twenty-four hours a day must learn to keep their discomfort to themselves.  We cannot expect healthy people to understand what our life is like.  They soon tire of hearing about our complaints and who can blame them?   Part of my daily struggle involves looking for the positive in my life.  Some days I succeed and other days I fail miserably.  Some days my mental health works in my favour and I immerse myself in writing my blog and on my genealogy site.  On good days the blog and genealogy site help to chase away the doom and gloom.  When I write about the horrors members of my extended family were subjected to my pain and illness seem like minor inconveniences.

Another aspect of my life that is slowly changing is my belief system.  I have realized that no matter what our physical limitations are we have a reason to be here.  We all have our individual talents as well as limitations.  Our world is rapidly changing and people with a strong faith are ridiculed.  People quickly forget about the atrocities perpetrated in the past.  The atrocities continue accompanied by lies and false information.  I have realized that I do believe in the faith instilled in me by my parents.  I have also realized that time spent strengthening my belief is time well spent.  It also helps me deal with the life that I have been dealt.

Club 48 is successful which is a positive development and helps to keep discouragement at bay.  To reiterate Club 48 is open to women born in 1948 who attended school in and around Steinbach, Manitoba.  The positive response from members has been encouraging and uplifting.   To find out more about the club please email steinbachclub48@gmail.com.

The other day I was checking out the channels available on Roku.  I came across something called Redeem TV.  Instead of paying a monthly fee, they ask for donations. The first documentary we watched was called Navajo Code Talkers of World War Two; a very interesting documentary.  We then watched Return to the Hiding Place, the story of the resistance fighters in the Netherlands who worked with Corrie ten Boon.  To my surprise, I found a series I watched many years ago called Sue Thomas, FBI.

My dear daughter has updated her Perfect Sentiments gift basket website at https://perfectsentiments.ca.  She has added a new section called Luxury Teas at https://www.perfectsentiments.ca/luxuryteas.  Check out the new section featuring teacups, teapots, and other accessories associated with a tea party.

It is getting late and I need to get some sleep.  Would love to hear from you in the comment section of this site.  Goodbye until next time.