Happy Days!

Our Wedding Day

June 26, 1972

Love brought us together . . . 


As husband and wife, 


And gave each of us . . . 


A best friend for life!

Happy Wedding Anniversary!!

“Who says you can’t have your cake and it eat it too!”

“After 38 years in this sacred institution of marriage, I can safely say, ‘There's no one with whom I would rather be institutionalized!’” 
~ Author Unknown

“What's the earth with all its art, verse, music, worth—Compared with love, found, gained, and kept?” ~ Robert Browning

Tuesday dōTERRA Tip!

dōTERRA’s “Balance” and “Serenity” blends have become my best friends—a true love affair of appreciation. My Lyme disease infected arms can suddenly become stiff and ridgid, unable to move and electrically charged—like they could set off an electrical storm of fireworks on the fourth of July!

However when my friend, Balance, is applied, my arms become calm, like crysal blue water on a smooth summer lake. Amazingly this change occurs within 50 seconds after a mere two drops of my magical potion of oil. Two drops of my second best friend, Serenity, applied to the back of my neck, eases the tension of the day, helping me drift away to a dreamlike state of bliss—insuring a night of uniterruped, restful sleep.

"Balance” is a “Grounding Blend.”

We all experience moments when we feel disconnected or have a mounting level of anxiety. The warm, woody aroma of Balance has a calming action on the Central Nervous System, creating a sense of calm and well-being. When applied to the bottom of the feet or the back of the neck Balance(TM) quickly releases its harmonizing effects. It’s a blend of Spruce, Rosewood, Frankincense and Blue Tansy, offers an enticing fragrance which promotes tranquility and a sense of balance. The Balance(TM) essential oil blend can be used topically and diffused into the air.

“Serenity” is a “Calming Blend.”

Stress is a major contributor to illness and disease, in fact, it is estimated that more than 90% of all visits to health care professionals are related to stress. Serenity is a calming blend designed to accentuate these soothing properties, creating a sense of well-being and improved health through the natural reduction of stress and its related symptoms. Serenity is a blend composed of individual oils with known calming properties. Lavender, Sweet Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood and Vanilla Bean create a subtle aroma ideal for aromatic diffusion or topical
 application. Applied to the bottom of the feet or neck at bedtime, dōTERRA®'s Serenity is an excellent way to induce restful sleep. Added to a warm bath Serenity creates the perfect escape with its peaceful, renewing fragrance.

dōTERRA is the only company in the world that has CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) essential oils.

PURE—100% natural, no artificial ingredients, fragrances, or fillers.
SAFE—Certified to be free of pesticides and other chemical residues.
POTENT—Standardized active compounds.
TESTED—Tested by independent laboratories, not in-house vendors.

dōTERRA is a firm company with a solid foundation. It was built and is run on a daily basis with honesty and integrity. It is quickly becoming one of the strongest and largest companies world-wide!

The Measure of Success

How do you measure success? Is it by the money you have, the clothes you wear, or the house you live in? Perhaps you measure success by the friends you have or where you stand on the ladder of popularity. Do you measure success by the number of “toys” you’ve collected or the advanced technology acquired?

We live in a world in which being successful is held high as the ultimate goal to be achieved. Worldly success is often measured by the amount of power, popularity, control, and achievements we attain. Life can be a game of competition with the underlying motto, “He who has the most toys wins!” It is human nature to want to win!


In a commencement address given at McGill University in Montreal, Rudyard Kipling (author and poet 1865-1936) warned students against having an over-concern for money, power, or popularity. He said, “Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”

Recently at my daughter’s graduation, a story titled “The Investment Banker and the Fisherman” was presented. It was a powerful parable reminder that success and happiness have little to do with fame and fortune—power or control. Wealth, power, control, and status may momentarily help us to escape emptiness, but they cannot cure it. We run into trouble when the only thing we are living for is success that is self-serving.



True success is only achieved when we find joy in the present—the simple moments spent loving and serving our family and friends, children and grandchildren. Ultimately, love of family and our faith are the only things of importance that bring lasting fulfillment in a world geared toward gain. These are the precious gifts we take with us when we return to our Heavenly home. 



We honor our children—our posterity of whom we have always been proud—through good times and tough. You play together, help one another, and care for each other in times of need. And you lovingly devote your time and talents to us—your parents, as well. In this, we are eternally grateful. You make our lives successful!

The Investment Banker and the Fisherman



An investment banker stood at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.



The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”



The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

 The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

 The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”



The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”



The investor scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.“ The investor continued, “And instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would then sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution! You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”



The fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”



To which the banker replied, “Perhaps 15 to 20 years.”



“But what then?” asked the fisherman.



The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”



“Millions. Okay, then what?” wondered the fisherman.



To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.” ~ Author Unknown



"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." 
~ Benjamin Franklin 



“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to learn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson