ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS THAT LIFE CAN GIVE TO ANYONE IS THE VERY SPECIAL LOVE THAT FAMILIES SHARE..

AS YEARS GO BY, IT’S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CERTAIN PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES WHO CARE.

FOR THERE ARE COUNTLESS THINGS THAT ONLY FAMILIES HAVE IN COMMON AND MEMORIES THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN MAKE…

AND THESE PRECIOUS TIES THAT BIND A FAMILY TOGETHER ARE BONDS THAT TIME AND DISTANCE CANNOT BREAK.

HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE WHEN WE HAVE RELATIVES TO LOVE US, IT MAKES THE WORLD A HAPPY PLACE TO BE…

FEW GIFTS IN LIFE STILL LAST AS LONG OR TOUCH THE HEART AS DEEPLY AS THE VERY SPECIAL GIFT OF FAMILY! 

 BY Craig S. Tunks

Charity begins at home but not to stay there!  by Philip Brooks

I let go and allow the universe to proceed without my assistance or supervision.  Simple Abundance

When found with choices, I will opt for the path that enhances my self-esteem.     Alanon

I choose kindness at every opportunity.

One’s attitude is nothing but an outward reflection of what resides on the inside.      Keith Harrell

AN EXPECTATION IS A  PRE-MEDITATED RESENTMENT  Alanon

Today, I set the intention to see God in everyone.  I accept people for who they  are.   I remember each one of us is a blessing!      Ron

What is the kindest, most loving thing I can say or do right now?        Science of Mind

I have the right to choose my own standards of conduct, but I do not have the power to impose those standards on others.    Alanon

Until you learn to be grateful for the things you have, you wil not receive the things you want.       John Kralik

Be generously present to one another.

Shame is the power of disconnection.

It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of us, we can know we have greatness within.   Science of mind

We all long to feel that our presence is welcome in the world.

What do I do that matters?

Today after volunteering at the 9^th Health Fair at Regis University with my friend, Linda Cochran, she asked if I wanted to take a tour of Creekside West, the new affordable housing building at 17^th and Pierce in Lakewood, CO.  I had been in the original Creekside building a couple of years ago and was impressed with the lovely interiors of that facility. Creekside West opened its doors for new occupants in late March 2011 and is looking for new residents. Linda is the Property Manager for Willow Glen which is a sister property to the Creekside residences and she is assisting with the opening of this new facility.  Both offer affordable housing for seniors. Willow Glen is located near Colfax Avenue and Kipling Street also in Lakewood.

The landscaping at the Creekside facilities is lovely—including a community garden with raised boxes, for accessibility to gardeners of all abilities. Trees were in bloom and nice outside seating is provided.  The new residence has “green” features i.e. solar panels and a water soaker system for irrigating the trees and lawn. Underground parking is provided.

We visited several apartments with permission of the residents. I was amazed at the storage space and closet space in each unit.  There are studio apartments, one and two-bedroom units, each with their own lanai. Each floor has a different décor, with bold colors and furnishings to match.  The artwork, beginning with the office area to all sitting and dining areas, is tastefully furnished with unusual wall decorations and table pieces. Creekside’s neighbor is the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and is scheduled to provide  sculptures in the near future.

The residents I met said they are totally happy with their new home and remarked that Creekside is nicer than any home they have ever occupied. Creekside and Willow Glen offer numerous activities for residents to take part in if they so desire. Nearby shopping is a great feature to both Willow Glen and Creekside. Over all I am impressed and I want to thank you, Linda, for the tour. To get information about either property, call Linda Cochran at 303-996-7770

www.lincoc@mwhsolutions.org                        www.mwhsolutions.org

I hear so many people talk about how much time they spend worrying.

I find taking action will eliminate alot of that time-wasting worry.

Here are a few quotes along that topic:

• Worry is like a rocking chair–it passes the time but doesn’t get you anywhere.
• Worry is an illusion of control.
• Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow;  it only saps today of its strength, says A. J. Cronin.
• Worry can become a way of life.
• We might assume that if we don’t worry about something, it will happen for sure.  As if worry had the power to ward off tragedy!  We might as well wear garlic around our necks to ward off evil spirits.
• Worry doesn’t prevent the loss of anything except  our own peace of peace of mind.
• I recognize that habitual worry is a learned response from long ago.  Today I choose serenity.

How much of our lives and energy do we spend on avoiding what does not yet exist and perhaps never will?

• I am learning not to borrow trouble from the future.
• Worry is an expression of fear–fear of being happy, fear of succeeding, fear of breaking old rules, that life is a grind and happiness is unrealistic.
• Fear is the companion of the isolated!

These quotes above are from Days of Healing–Days  of Joy, by Ernie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty.

• Mark Twain remarked, “I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
• Worry is a state of mind based on fear.  — Napolean Hill

                                   So you have permission not to worry.

These were really popular when my mother visited from out of town. Even the youngest kids liked them.

1-2 baking potatoes per person

3/4 cup milk

1 t. salt and pepper

1 T. butter

1 green onion chopped

1 can of crabmeat, drained

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Wash and bake potatoes in their skin for 1 hr at 350.  When done, let them cool for 5 min.  Cut in half the long way.  Carefully scoop out the middle, being careful not to tear the skin. Place scooped out insides into a mixing bowl.  Set shells on a backing sheet, open side up.  Mash the scooped out potato, add butter, salt, pepper, milk, and chopped onion and mix together.  Add drained crabmeat.  Scoop back into shells, filling level with top of cut area.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 10 min at 350. If you want them browned, broil on high for 1-2 min until bubbly.

Serve with a tossed salad and side vegetable.  Great for lent or anytime you want to stretch a little food a long way.

A few weeks ago I had an appointment to interview a man who was in home hospice.  As I was preparing to leave for his house  I had a call from a family member telling me the man had passed away the night before.

I was shocked though not nearly as stunned and disappointed as his children were.

I suggest if you have an elderly or ill loved one DON’T WAIT  to get their life story recorded….Be glad you did instead of wishing you had!

My booklet of questions can be of great benefit for you to do the interview yourself.

Remember—

THE SOUND OF A DECEASED LOVED ONE’S VOICE IS LIKE A VISIT ONE OFTEN LONGS FOR.

To all of you whose loved one’s stories I have gathered over the years–please know that audio tapes are pretty much OUT. A lot of folks no longer have a tape player. If you would care to have those tapes converted to cds, zip drives or MP3 s, let me know as we are able to do this service now All further interviews will be on a digital recorder.

My grandson, Mick Brungardt, is doing actual conversions of the tapes to the medias mentioned above. Mick, a professional web designer, set up my website. Several of you have commented on its quality and ease to get around. Should you or someone you know need web design work you can contact Mick at www.info@coopADventures.com or Mick@dynamick.com

The cost of the conversion is $40 per tape which will be on 2 cds due to the time difference.

Once this is done you can make copies from your cds or we can make extra sets for $4 per cd.

I have copies of all the interviews I have done, so you don’t have to search through boxes and drawers wondering where your tapes might be.

You can contact me at www.jan@kidviewz.com or jan@lifesreflections.com

I recently attended a Social Media class and am amazed how versitile the various sites can be. A new one for me is Yelp.com if you are not familiar with it you might like to check it out. It seems a good way to put out the word especially when you have had great service at an eating establishment or any other place where you were satisfied with the treatment you received/a great product you purchased. They felt Linkedin was the more professional of the three social media sites, although they felt Twitter and Facebook are beneficial..
We were encouraged to share meaningful books. I have read just finished reading Crush It –a great book on using Social Media especially Twitter and Facebook to further your on-line business. The other is The Four Hour Work Week, this, too, is about on-line marketing. I ordered both from Amazon and saved a bit of money ordering used books.
Both were in great condition.
Another book I have found very useful in my Personal Historian business, Life’s Reflections, is Cyndi’s List.
It was most beneficial when I started Life’s Reflections several years ago.
I have interviewed over 500 people, who shared their personal stories and family memories .   56 are from one family –the Juan de Jesus Vigil family who settled in southern Colorado at the base of the Spanish Peaks aka Las Huajatollas.
The early family came from Spain in the l600’s and settled in Mexico, later moved to the New Mexico Territory and then into the Colorado Territory about 1860–several years before Colorado became a state. The Spanish Peaks. are located not far from Trinidad and Aguilar Colorado. The Vigil family settlement was called Trujillo Creeek. Several of the homestead houses are still standing as well as the school house, church and the family cemetary.
You can find their website on my website www.LifesReflections.com where you can find more about how to capture you or your loved one’s memories, family history and  family stories.  I can do it for you in a three hour interview in person or over the phone.  If you wish to do the story gathering yourself I have a Life’s Reflections Questions ebook you can order from my website.  The questions are comprehensive and are the same questions I use in the interviews I do.

Barry Ward, Western Musician

I met Barry Ward several years ago when he was performing at the Wet Mountain Western Music Festival in Westcliffe Colorado.  His talent and verse were immediately impacting.  After recently losing a loved one, Barry’s song “My Blood is in This Land” was so touching – I decided to have it be a part of the moving memorial service.   

In the years since, I have caught Barry’s performances several more times and have been equally inspired by his songs.  

Check out Barry at his website  www.BarryWardMusic.com

John and Ada Fultz Homestead circa 1900

My family on both my mother and father’s sides came  to Colorado in the early 1890’s.

My mother’s father, John Fultz, came from Illinois at the age of 17 to see if this Colorado dry climate would help with lung condition.  It surely did as he lived to age 87.

He settled in Saguache, CO in the San Luis Valley and became a partner  in  a group of cattle ranchers who called themselves the Company Ranch.  One of the partners,William Whitten, became John’s brother -in-law, as they married sisters, one of which is my grandmother, Ada Trebilcock Fultz.  Ada met my grandfather John when she came from Keosaqua, Iowa  to visit her sister, Flora Whitten.

My mother, Ethel Fultz, was born in Saguache in 1906 and lived on the homestead until age 12 when the family moved to Hooper Colorado, some 30 miles south.  John wanted to go out on his own, farming and raising both sheep and cattle.

The Barn on the Fultz Homestead

The old homestead near Saguache is still standing although unoccupied since the mid 30’s.  It is no longer in the family and the land is used for cattle grazing.

One of Bill Whitten’s sons, George, took my family and me to see the homestead a few years ago.  The north and west interior walls were covered with newspapers–later painted and wall papered over.  We did find a few still visible papers with dates of 1897 still on the walls.

I did spend quite a bit of time at that Hooper homestead as a child. Riding horses was my favorite pasttime there as well as time with my granddad’s second family, Carroll and Phyllis Fultz.

One always wonders what those old walls would say if they had a voice!

My dad’s father, C.W. Woody came to Salida, Colordo in 1893 to work for the railroad.  C.W. (Charlie) Woody came from Iowa, where his family were farmers.  Salida was a “railroad” town and Charlie became an engineer on the D&RG (Denver and Rio Grande) railroad.  He later owned a restaurant in Salida.

He met my grandmother, Ruth Rout, in Salida.  She and her sisters walked behind a covered wagon from St. Francis, Kansas.  The family was originally from Lewiston, Missouri where Ruth and her siblings were born.

Ruth’s brother Clarence and a sister or two came to Salida earlier and then their parents and the rest of the family came in 1894.  Her mother, Mary Ellen Barkley Zimmerman Rout wrote a letter that still exists about her doubts about moving to Colorado.  Her health was poor at  the time of the move.  She passed away shortly after the family came to Salida. 

This grandfather also wanted to ranch near Hooper and moved his family there about 1920.  It was in this community of Hooper where my parents, Les Woody and Ethel Fultz met and married in 1924.  The house in Hooper was torn down in the early 1980’s and is now a potato field.