Positive Aspects – Page 2

A Most Awesome Father’s Day & Night!

Posted on June 21, 2015June 15, 2022 by Neal Saye

I hope your Father’s Day (and night) 2015 has been a peaceful and joyful one. Mine was/is. Spent time with both daughters and all four grandies. What a blessing to have them all in my Savannah. My cards:

And an incredible Facebook post by older daughter Amy:

“Happy Father’s Day to my very hip and high impact dad! I am blessed to have a dad who taught me to love without discrimination, to have joy in all circumstances, and who creates an environment of safety and acceptance where I am free to develop into my best and truest self.”

What a Difficult and Unparalleled Joy Fatherhood is!

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers — 5/22/15

Posted on May 22, 2015November 6, 2021 by Neal Saye

MAY — an incredibly joyful month, don’t you think?

Five Reasons for Happy:

1. An early morning walk along the McQueens-Tybee Island trail (between Savannah and Tybee Island–10 mins from my apartment).

2. Grandson Daniel in his end-of-year Who Am I? Research Biography presentation. (He was Paul McCartney, btw.)

(Okay. okay, maybe I helped him a little with the tri-board.)

(He could only get such coolness from his grandfather. Seriously.)

The kids had to explain their research, poster-board-presentation-style, to the folks in attendance.

They do that kinda stuff nowadays in 2nd Grade?! Research?! All I did in 2nd grade was spend a year of trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to stop crying for mama.

3. Being a judge for the 2015 Savannah Authors Anthology. Such fun!

(I want to be a judge … full time. And get paid. Exorbitantly. Call me if you or yours need high-end judging.)

4. Getting 2015 Beach Ready.

5. Seafood at Safe Harbor in Mayport, FL. (After taking the ferry across the St. John’s River on the south end of Amelia Island.)

Safe, Joyful Weekend ahead to you all!

The Joy and Wisdom of Children

G

Posted on May 6, 2015March 30, 2022 by Neal Saye

I have FOUR grandchildren. (Yes, you’re right, I’m FAR too young. We all know that. It’s a given. But sometimes Mother Nature has a way of bypassing her laws of when people should have grandchildren–and presents them in, well, early, early middle age.)

Anyway, the second-from-the-oldest-grandchild is Gabriel, 5, a rambunctious bundle of pure little boy-ness. He’s often affectionately referred to simply as “G.” In his most recent pre-K school report, the patient-as-a-saint and give-her-a-raise teacher wrote that Gabriel is “smart, funny, with many friends … and has a touch of naughtiness.”

Here’s G (on the far right) with a few school buddies,

And here he is the other night with older brother Daniel (8).

Today I received this text from my daughter/G mom Amy:

The brutal honesty of children.

Encouragement

HH – Holiday Happiness

Posted on December 28, 2014November 6, 2021 by Neal Saye

It’s Sunday night. December 28. Three days after the big day. Christmas gifts and meals are opened and eaten.

Just a few more days left in 2014.

Sometimes there’s a bit of a letdown after the glitter is gone.

So … what is there to be Happy About? Especially if you’re alone? Or sick? Or frustrated? Or angry? Or not where you wanna be?

To be honest, I don’t know.

BUT I encourage you to do this: Go on a Gratitude Rampage. Start listing — or just thinking about — what you have to be grateful for as 2014 wanes.

Go ahead — try it. Make a list.

Here’s a tad of mine:

1. Air to breathe.

2. Legs that help me to walk.

3. Imperfect family members.

4. A mind that allows me to think.

5. Shoes.

6. Eyesight.

7. Collard greens (I just sautéed some for dinner).

8. Music.

9. Sunshine.

10. Cinnamon.

11. Grandchildren.

12. People who know my name.

13. Insurance.

14. Roaring laughter.

15. Pecans.

This list could go on and on.

May peace, joy and love be your portion now and forever!

Gratitude is powerful. Try it and see how it makes you feel.

Holiday Joy

Have You Counted Your Holiday Blessings? (Part Two)

Posted on December 23, 2014November 23, 2021 by Neal Saye

A couple of days ago I encouraged you to consider, and attend to, the blessings that are in your life. I hope you have taken a brief break from the Christmas rush, and done so.

Here’s my Counting Continued:

6. Sitting Down and Sitting Still for a few minutes.

7. A Christmas Visit with my parents (father–91, mother 87).

8. Sparkly Lights.

9. Appreciating my local Savannah Police. Our police men and women are the first folks we usually call when something goes awry in our homes, neighborhoods and cities.

THANK YOU, BLUE!

10. The ability to see.

Are you counting your holiday blessings?

College Teaching

The Smile — and Happiness Shared

Posted on November 11, 2014November 6, 2021 by Neal Saye

The students in my English 123 (Freshman Composition) classes at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) are doing what I call Visual Essays in this, their next-to-the-last week of Fall Quarter 2014. We read two books this term, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Tal Ben-Shahar’s Happier, both relating to our course theme of “Happiness and the Exploration of Joy.” The Visual Essay project invites the students to MAKE, rather than write, their papers. Traditional essay requirements are still required: a focus and thesis, structure, detail and support, etc. But this essay morphs into a drawing or painting, a sculpture, a collage, a video, a food, etc. Basically this project is a visual representation of one topic narrowed into a clear thesis/perspective/idea. The challenge: how to “show” their thesis.

Debora Jacob (from Brazil) went to Forsyth Park here in Savannah last Saturday. Here’s her Visual Essay titled “Happiness Shared” on the topic of the smile and its significance.

Thanks for the encouragement, Debora.

Let’s all SMILE more often.

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers (10/31/14)

Posted on October 31, 2014November 6, 2021 by Neal Saye

It’s All Hallow’s Eve! (Wasn’t it just July 4th last week?) And I am spookily happy. Seriously. Here’s why.

1. Yesterday going to my grandtwins’ nursery school and carving a Jack O’ Lantern. Here it is:

Okay, that’s a lie. I took that pic near my place in historic district Savannah. Here’s the one I did:

Sorry but that’s a lie as well. (Is that a bat?) Here’s mine:

For more decades than I care to mention, my Jack O’Lanterns have looked EXACTLY the same. But what fun with Matthew and Madison and their little classmates.

2. Speaking of pumpkins, here’s my dinner Wednesday night–Butternut Squash Soup in Pumpkin Bowls.

Oh. My. Goodness. Gourmet heaven.

3. The Savannah Film Festival this week, hosted by my SCAD–Savannah College of Art and Design.

Such fun.

What incredible films I saw, including a fascinating documentary about Summerville, GA artist Americana Howard Finster and a mesmerizing selection of short films from Ireland.

4. Singing with James Brown in Augusts, GA.

We’re belting out “Papa’s Got a Brand new Bag,” followed by “Make it Funky.”

5. The joy of holidays.

Happy, Happy Halloween to you all!

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers — 9/11/14

Posted on September 12, 2014November 6, 2021 by Neal Saye

Summer is slipping away. Can you believe that Sept 22 is the First Day of Fall?! Would someone please tell Savannah’s daily temperatures that bit of info?

1. Even though it caused a catch in my throat, seeing the pics my daughter Emily sent of the grandtwins yesterday morning — September 11.

2. Actually borrowing an egg from my next door neighbor. (Is it okay to still do that?)

(Of course she put the egg in a cute tiny bowl she found in Italy.)

I paid Vivian back with some Werther’s Originals–Chewy Caramels in the same bowl. (Is that normal?)

3. This green lion who (which?) lives nearby in Savannah’s historic district.

4. Taking four-year-old grandson Gabriel to his first-ever tennis lesson.

Looking back at me, “Abu,” to make sure I’m watching.

5. And speaking of Gabriel, when I picked him and brother Daniel (7) up from school yesterday, G told us that he made a BIG picture of Batman in pre-K art class. When we got to his house, of course we hung it in the dining room.

After a few minutes, big brother Daniel, after pointing out that Gabriel had spelled Batman with an M (Matman), said to me, “Matman sure looks like a monkey to me.”

Gabriel screamed, “IT’S BATMAN!”

Happy Friday Folks!

Tag: Positive Aspects

A Most Awesome Father’s Day & Night!

Five Friday Happy Bringers — 5/22/15

G

Top Ten Happiness Questions

HH – Holiday Happiness

Have You Counted Your Holiday Blessings? (Part Two)

The Smile — and Happiness Shared

Five Friday Happy Bringers (10/31/14)

Five Friday Happy Bringers — 9/11/14