Belated BYBS#15 - Sacred Life Sunday ... and

.. Monday Motivator too ;--)

As you may know, I've been admittedly captivated by the Olympics ... continuing to post about the games in Beijing at Small Reflections. Hence I'm later with this post than I was last week, but hopefully I'll get back 'on schedule' eventually. The US Open (beginning today), the Democratic Convention (beginning tonight), and my advanced Photoshop Elements class (beginning tomorrow) may keep me scrambling for a while yet, but I'll do my best to take one thing at a time ... and forgive myself when I fall short.

Last week I offered this short Finish Strong movie from Simple Truths ... and it's still in my mind today together with this brief Dreams are Whispers from the Soul video from the same source. I've viewed both multiple times recently and feel 'lifted' each time ... so I add these links today for all who pass this way ... prayerfully and I'd like to pass along this award shared by Ramblings of a Villas Girl too. May you each have a marvelous Monday!

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Thought for Today
"Pay attention to your dreams - God's angels often speak directly to our hearts when we are asleep." Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias

BYBS#13 and Sacred Life Sunday

Really Good Things

1. We've been blessed with lovely weather all week at the beach in Southern California ... clear blue sunny skies and gentle on-shore breezes most afternoons kept temperatures in the mid-80s.

2. Watching Michael Phelps break his previous World Record (by 1.41 seconds) and win his first gold medal in the 400m Individual Medley last night was exciting ... and seeing 41 year old Dara Torres, swim the final leg of the 4 by 100m freestyle relay for the US warmed my heart as well. With 10 career Olympic medals to her credit before the start of the Beijing Olympics (won from the age of 17 through 37 between 1984-2004), this mom (with a toddler) is the first swimmer to compete in five consecutive summer Olympics. What an inspiration!

3. Here in Los Angeles, Andy Roddick won his 'semi-final match' at the Countrywide Classic Olympus tennis tournament yesterday and will play the 'final' against Juan Del Potro of Argentina this afternoon. After an excellent start to the 2008 season, Andy's experienced a series of physical issues that caused him to withdraw from several scheduled tournaments. He opted to skip the Olympics this year to concentrate on being healthy for the US Open Series because he believes the fast surface in New York is is best chance to win another 'major' ...

Photo source: Yahoo Sports

and after defeating Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic earlier this year ... he just might succeed with this goal. Late afternoon addendum: Unfortunately, Andy got off to a very slow start and dropped the first set 1-6. He picked up his game in the 2nd set and got it to a tie-breaker, but Juan Martin Del Potro won that ... defeating Roddick in straight sets. Thus, the 19 year old from Argentina now has his first win on American soil (his 3rd tournament win in a row this season) and is the first teenager to win this event since Pete Sampras won it at 19 ... the same year he won the US Open for the 1st time.

3. I've enjoyed using my newly acquired Photoshop skills to create collages like the one above, one I made and shared this morning with photos of Michael Phelps, and another shared yesterday (with photos of Roddick's quarter-final match against Marc Gicquel) in my Smiley Saturday post ... both at Small Reflections.

4. My sister and her husband have returned to the USA after spending the last couple of months traveling in eastern Canada, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. They're in Maine currently ... enjoying the sights along the East coast ... savoring delicious Maine lobster, visiting the place where Ben & Jerry's ice cream is made, and this morning they called to let me know they've purchased a new HP Laptop with camera ... so once we both figure out how to use this feature and Skype, we should be able to communicate via our computers in addition to using our cellphones.

5. In case you haven't seen this 'doggie lullaby' yet ... check it out to be delighted. Click Bedtime for a guarateed smile ;--)

For others who 'Blog Their Blessings'
go to My Blog Rolls and/or click on the logo
at the top of this post.

For those who participate in Sacred Life Sunday
click the logo below:

Thought for Today
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Harold Whitman