Helen Lee: Fashion, Life, and Learning

Happiness consists in contentment.

 

Give more love or get more love from others?

 

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Some people said, love is selfless, we should give more love to others. While other people said, how can we love others if we don’t love ourselves? Our love philosophy is different from each other, which raises different oaths about love. In any case, which would you choose, give more love or get more love from others?

It seems that the question is so easy ,however,it doesn't.we couldn't simply answer "give more or get more".there is no absolutely equal affection for everybody.for example,parents always love their kids more than themself ,but the kids don't think so untill they get married and have a baby.because only when they are mature enough could they realize how much parents had already paid for them!so we shouldn't concerned too much about who give or get more,because it only increases your troubles.

Just remember "Love make the world go around."

Thought and Action

 

Some people go through life standing at the excuse counter.

People say they'd like to do this or that, but . . . then they offer all the excuses in the world why they can't do whatever 'it' is. No matter what the excuses are, the only thing usually limiting them is their own self-perception.

If I've learned anything, I've learned a person - any person - can do just about anything they set their mind to do. The only thing you need is a willingness to work for what you want, patience to learn what you need to know, and just a little bit of belief in yourself. The most important of these is belief in yourself, but you only need a seed. Your faith in yourself will grow with you as you move forward.

If your self-perception is that you can't accomplish something because you're not smart enough, then take the time to learn what you need to know and your self-perception will change.

If your self-perception is that you can't accomplish something because you never finish anything you start, then go finish something and change your self-perception.

If your self-perception is that you're too lazy, too busy, too unworthy, too unfocused, too depressed, too dependent on others, too anything to accomplish great things, then you're right. You are that because you believe that, but you can change that!

Life is change, and the past doesn't equal the future. Your reality today is the result of your past beliefs and actions. Change your beliefs and actions and you change your future. If you think you can or you can't, you're right. You are what you think.

Think about that the next time you need an excuse.

TV and My Family

 

With the advance of science television has played a vital part in the day-to- day life of the people in developed or developing countries and its influence is simply astounding when I was young my family did not own a television set; so whenever we were free my younger sister and I would slip to a neighbor's where to watch their TV awhile Al though TV programs in those days were generally inferior we still had a good time for as young and indiscriminate children we were interested only in novelty and excitement Not until my family had bought a television set did I quit the habit of fooling around with my younger sister then this wonder of scientific wonders did do us a great service we now had more chances to chat with each other in front of the box I hope our television companies will keep on upgrading their programs so that the viewers can be benefited both morally and intellectually I t is our conviction hat television in addition its entertaining aspect should be educational as well.

Stamps

 

When we send a letter or a postcard, we have to put stamps on the envelope or on the card. When did people first begin to use stamps? Who was the first to think of this idea? Here is some information about it.

In the early nineteenth century, people did mot use stamps. They had to pay for the letters or postcards they received. People didn' t like it. First, it was not convenient. Second, sometimes they had to pay for the letters they didn't want to receive at all, such as advertisements. Third, the postage was high at that time. And it was difficult for postmen to collect the postage.

Then one person thought out an idea to solve this problem. He was Rolland Hill, a schoolmaster in England. He was the first to put forward a proposal to use stamps in 1850s. He thought it would be much more convenient for people. They could go to a nearby post office to buy stamps and put them on the envelopes before they sent letters. The post office could simply put seals on the stamps to prevent them from being used again. That was a good idea and it was accepted by tile government finally.

The Mid-Autumn Festival

 

The Mid-Autumn is a very important Chinese festival. It falls on the 15th day of August. A few days before the festival, everyone in the family will help to make the house clean and beautiful. Lanterns will be hung in front of the house.

On the evening there will be a big family dinner. People who work far away from their homes will try to come back for the union. After dinner, people will light the lanterns which are usually red and round. Children will play with their own toy lanterns happily.

At night the moon is usually round and bright. People can enjoy the moon while eating moon-cakes which are the special food for this festival. They can look back on the past and look forward to the future together. It is said that there was a dragon in the sky. The dragon wanted to swallow up the moon. To protect the frighten the dragon away.

The Four seasons

 

A year has four seasons. Every season has three months. The weather of one season is different from that of any other. The life cycles of plants are controlled by the seasons.

The first season is spring. The three months in it are March, April and May. During that time we have warm weather and fine days. All plants come to life. Animals wake up from hibernation. It is time for farmers to get ready for their fields.

The second season is summer. The three months are June, July and August. The weather is very hot and it often rains. People can go swimming and sightseeing. It is time for all things to grow up.

The third season is autumn. The three months are September, October and November. The weather becomes cooler and cooler. Leaves begin to fall to the ground. It is the harvest time for farmers.

The fourth season is winter. December, January and February are the three months of that season. The weather is very cold, and most of the plants die at that time. Sometimes it snows. People can enjoy skating and skiing. But winter doesn' t stay with us for a long time, for spring comes again soon.

Hold Your Head up High

 

I was fifteen months old, a happy carefree kid . . . until the day I fell. It was a bad fall. I landed on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it. Trying to save the eye, the doctors stitched the eyeball together where it was cut, leaving a big ugly scar in the middle of my eye. The attempt failed, but my mama, in all of her wisdom, found a doctor who knew that if the eye were removed entirely, my face would grow up badly distorted, so my scarred, sightless, cloudy and gray eye lived on with me. And as I grew, this sightless eye in so many ways controlled me.

I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me. Sometimes people, even strangers, asked me embarrassing questions or made hurtful remarks. When the kids played games, I was always the "monster." I grew up imagining that everyone looked at me with disdain, as if my appearance were my fault. I always felt like I was a freak.

Yet Mama would say to me, at every turn, "Hold your head up high and face the world." It became a litany that I relied on. She had started when I was young. She would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say, "If you hold your head up high, it will be okay, and people will see your beautiful soul." She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide.

Those words have meant different things to me over the years. As a little child, I thought Mama meant, "Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking." As an adolescent, even though I tended to look down to hide my shame, I found that sometimes when I held my head up high and let people know me, they liked me. My mama's words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face, I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind both eyes even if they couldn't see it on the surface.

In high school I was successful both academically and socially. I was even elected class president, but on the inside I still felt like a freak. All I really wanted was to look like everyone else. When things got really bad, I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside."

When I met the man who became my partner for life, we looked each other straight in the eye, and he told me I was beautiful inside and out. He meant it. My mama's love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt. I had faced adversity, encountered my problems head on, and learned not only to appreciate myself but to have deep compassion for others.

"Hold your head up high," has been heard many times in my home. Each of my children has felt its invitation. The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation.

The Best Kind of Love

 

I have a friend who is falling in love. She honestly claims the sky is bluer. Mozart moves her to tears. She has lost 15 pounds and looks like a cover girl.
"I'm young again!" she shouts exuberantly.

As my friend raves on about her new love, I've taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows the signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home.

When my friend asked me "What will make this love last?" I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication. Yet there's more. We still have fun. Spontaneous good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled up newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first. Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together.

And there are surprises. One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me to another note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a "pot of gold" (my cooking kettle) and the "treasure" of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow.

There is understanding. I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And he understands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids—and even him-to meet my sisters for a few days of nonstop talking and laughing.

There is sharing. Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens—we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction, he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I'd read it.

There is forgiveness. When I'm embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It's okay. It's only money."

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year-old woman who'd had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman's husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover? I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality. On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor's house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he'll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I'll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.
I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it's just a familiar hue. We don't feel particularly young: we've experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.

I hope we've got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott's wedding band engraved with Robert Browning's line "Grow old along with me!" We're following those instructions.

If anything is real, the heart will make it plain.

Life comes in a package

 

Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to handle various situations.

Love

Love plays a pivotal role on out life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could go hayward and also become cruel and ferocious. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who shower us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad. But we always tend to take this for granted. It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings. Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.

Happiness and Sorrow

Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment. Peace of mind is the main link to happiness. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow. Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and pass away.

Failure and Success

Failure is the path to success. It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way. Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect. Here it becomes very important to keep our head on out shoulder. The only way to show our gratitude to God for bestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the less fortunate ones.

Hope and Despair

Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day. Nothing remains the same we have only one choice keep moving on in life and be hopeful.

Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. So the only alternative is work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

Life is the coffee

 

Group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and in life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

"What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and do not change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided. So, don't let the cups drive you ... enjoy the coffee instead."