WNCTIMES Blog

Spoonful of Positive: Stand Up   "Be an encourager, the world has enough critics already." Dave Willis “The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.”   "I allowed myself to be bullied because I was scared and didn't know how to defend myself. I was bullied until I prevented a new student from being bullied. By standing up hor him, I learned to stand up for myself," Jackie Chan "I ...

Spoonful of Positive: Friday Yay!   "Life is Beautiful! (Especially on Friday)  "It's Friday...any plan of being a productive member of society is officially thrown out the window."   " May today be the Fridayest Friday that ever Fridayed."     "It's Friday! Let's Dance!"   "Mandatory Law of the Universe On Fridays, you have to do something a little fun." "I never met a Friday I didn't like!"  

Valentine's Day - The Funny Side      "Who makes most dates on Valentines Day? The delivery guy." - Unknown  Please remember that Valentine’s Day is a polite reminder that Christmas decorations must go down! - Unknown   "Who makes most dates on Valentines Day? The delivery guy." Unknown "It would be great if Vanlentine's Day came with a fast-forward button." - Unknown   "Valentine's Day is when a lot of people are reminded what a poor shot Cupid ...

Valentine's Day -- The Down Side      The Other Side of Valentine's Day / City on a Hill Press While Valentine’s Day generally conjures up images of happy couples and romantic proposals, for some the holiday represents something else entirely — the beginning of a predicted increased suicide rate on the Central Coast. “The myth is that Christmas is the most high risk time for people to become suicidal, but actually it’s springtime,” said Diane Bri...

Griffin told SI that he hopes to inspire others with his success in professional sports.  “If I keep doing what I’m doing, it’s going to create a better future for someone else,” he said. “It just goes on and on. … Maybe I can help this kid who can help another kid who can help a thousand kids later.”

  Spoonful of Positive: Humor (we all need it)   "A day without laughter is a day wasted." -- Charlie Chaplin "Humor is man's greatest blessing." -- Mark Twain   'Humor can be one of the best survival tools." -- Allen Klein  "From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere." -- Dr. Seuss   "You can't really be strong until you see the funny side to things." -- Ken Kesey  "The ability to find humor in the ups and downs of life c...

Spoonful of Positive: Joy   “If we can just let go and trust that things will work out they way they're supposed to, without trying to control the outcome, then we can begin to enjoy the moment more fully. The joy of the freedom it brings becomes more pleasurable than the experience itself.”  -- Goldie Hawn “Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.”  -- Marianne Williamson “Happiness is part of wh...

Spoonful of Positive: What Positive Role Does Regret Play in Our Lives?     "Regrets, I've had a few ... but then again, too few to mention." -- "My Way" song written by Paul Anka "Regrets? I look at life as a roller coaster, ups and downs, anticipation, excitement,fear. Eventually the ride ends. If I hold onto regrets, I will miss why I was here ... " -- Marjorie Farrington   "I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you ...

Saying Goodbye Until We Meet Again to an Online Friend.   There's been a lot of negative news where Face Book is concerned. This post is my personal opionion based on my personal experience... I belonged to a social network before Face Book was even online. It was for people 40 years old and older. I made some awesome friends, that social network went offline before Face Book. I was able to reconnect with so many of my online friends again on Fac...

Spoonful of Positive: Hope   "Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future." -- Robert H. Schuller "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." -- Albert Einstein "Hope is a waking dream." -- Aristotle "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." -- Helen Keller "Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart." -- Emanuel ...

Spoonful of Positive:    “Music always sounds better on Friday.“ Lou Brutus “It’s Friday… any plan of being a productive member of society is officially thrown out the window.“ Unknown   “Oh! It’s Friday again. Share the love that was missing during the week, In a worthy moment of peace and bliss.“ S. O’ Sade “I know every day is a gift but where are the receipts for Mondays? I want to return it for another Friday.“ Unknown   "Happy Friday! Here’...

Spoonful of Positive -- Pets are the Gift that Keep on Giving!   “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France “Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” –George Eliot   “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” –Martin Buber “I call my horses ‘divine mirrors’—they reflect back the emotions you put in. If you put in love and respect and kindne...

Wednesday Thoughts: Quotes from the Heart Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. – Swami Sivananda You change your life by changing your heart. – Max Lucado “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”— John C. Maxwell “A person’s world is only as big as their heart.”— Tanya A. Moore “Only do what your heart tells you.”— Princess Diana “As we let our own light shine...

Spoonful of Positiver: Hero with a Heart  --  A Manchester Fire Fighter is a Hero with a Heart. A young mom told her story on Face Book and shared the heart warming story in a video. Amy McCall Face Book Post January 31, 2019  Our apartment building was evacuated tonight when all of the fire alarms went off. Everything ended up fine, but we had to wait outside while the firefighters checked all 3 floors. They were so nice to all of the kids, givi...

Spoonful of Positive: Emapthy  Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all he or she needs is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for his or her suffering can be a big comfort.” ― Roy T. Bennett “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” ― Roger Ebert   “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other...

Spoonful of Positive: Humor (It's Monday) "God gave us Mondays to punish us for the things we did on the weekend."  "What's the best part of Monday? The end."    "Shortest Horror Story: Monday,"  "Monday is like a math problem. Add the irritation, subtract the sleep, multiply the problems, divide the happiness.” Monday Morning."    “Mondays are a lot like getting fat. They make you feel sad, sometimes angry and there is not much scope for liking ...

 Spoonful of Positive: "Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The Competition opportunity to play." --  Mike Singletary "Sports do not build character. They reveal it." --  Heywood Broun  "It's not whether you get knocked DOWN, it's whether you get UP."--Vince Lombardi "Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” –George S. Halas   “The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” –Peyton Manning “football is...

  Spoonful of Positive: Reflection Spoonful of Positive  “Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” -- Charles Bukowski "Music is my life, it is a reflection of what I go through." -- Lenny Kravitz "A personal library is a reflection of who you are and who you want to be, of what you value and what you desire, of how much you know and how much more you'd like to know." -- Michael Dirda "Follow effective action w...

  Spoonful of Positive: Let Your Voice Be Heard "Don't let fear keep you quiet. You have a voice so use it. Speak up. Raise your hands. Shout your answers. Make yourself heard. Whatever it takes, just find your voice, and when you do, fill the damn silence." - Meredith Grey "Be a voice.Not an echo." - Unknown   "I use my voice to make people feel like they belong." - Gina Rodriguez "I raise up my voice - not so that I can shout, but so that thsoe...

Brother Wolf Asheville -- Happy Sweet 16 Birthday, Skeeter!  This handsome boy turned 16 and got a new set of wheels! You may remember Skeeter from when we helped rehome him to a sanctuary when his human mom couldn't care for him any more (https://bit.ly/2RuqIzu). He's loving his new life at Primarily Primates and we're so happy for him! SKEETER IS LEARNING HOW TO BE A MONKEY You may be most familiar with the work we do rescuing dogs and cats in ...