It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to close down my small business. I thought I had a good idea and a good statement for my products, but it just didn’t sell. So, in the next coming weeks be on the lookout for a liquidation sale. I’m hoping to get a little out of what I spent to start up the company. Marketing just isn’t my forte, I guess.
Larry Justus, Owner
We have had a very busy 15 months with Let’s Bee Positive. We have met many wonderful people and had experiences that are very sweet to remember. However, we need to face up to the fact that we are not salesmen. Our strengths tend more to personal contact, providing emotional support to others and one-on-one ministering. We will always maintain our positive outlook and we will encourage others to do the same.
Our closeout liquidation sale will run from March 12th – March 25th. The prices are slashed deep. Happy Shopping.
A Child’s Prayer
“Thank you for the world so sweet;
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the stars at night;
Thank you for the moon so bright.
Thank you for the birds that sing;
Thank you Lord for everything.”
Come Ye Thankful People Come
One of my favorite hymns is “Come Ye Thankful People Come”. It reminds me of some of the blessings the early immigrants received. We all know the story of how they came and struggled. The native inhabitants gathered them and invited them to a feast of harvested vegetables, grain, and fowl. I wonder if they had pumpkin pie?
It reminds me of one of my favorite Thanksgiving meals. I was 5 years old. My parents and two siblings and I had been living with my grandparents. On Thanksgiving Day we moved into our very own new home that my father, uncle and grandfather had built for us. It was wonderful. We had a bedroom for my brother and my sister and I had a nice big bedroom to share. We were close so sharing a room was fine. We had a big yard to play in and more room than furniture. Our Thanksgiving dinner was hot dogs and chips our table was several large boxes and our chairs consisted of several lower boxes to sit on or, in the case of my brother, to stand on. We were so happy.
We had always had a roof over our heads and family to help us. We lived in a series of rented apartments and sometimes a house to rent, but this was ours. We understood the difference even at that young age. We talked, laughed and sang. We furnished the house as we could afford things. My parents made picnicking fun. We had special blankets and quilts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; which we ate sometimes in the kitchen and other times in the dining room. We made our beds where ever we wanted to sleep. We thanked our Heavenly Father every morning and every night for our blessings.
We hope that you will find blessings to be thankful for at this Thanksgiving season.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
Maya Angelou
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Choose to Be a Good Person
I originally found this article on Facebook and loved the description of a person who has elected to live life with a positive mindset. He intimately knows sorrow and hard times; yet he has chosen to live a life dedicated to doing good and looking for opportunities to help others. He doesn’t ask for, or even hope for accolades. He just quietly does things to help those who cannot help themselves. The way I see it is that he has his priorities and in the right order.
Keanu Reeves was abandoned by his father at 3 years old and grew up with 3 different stepfathers. He is dyslexic. His dream of becoming a hockey player was shattered by a serious accident. His daughter died at birth. His wife died in a car accident. His best friend, River Phoenix, died of an overdose. His sister has leukemia.
And with everything that has happened, Keanu Reeves never misses an opportunity to help people in need. When he was filming the movie “The Lake House,” he overheard the conversation of two costume assistants; One cried because he would lose his house if he did not pay $20,000 and on the same day Keanu deposited the necessary amount in the woman’s bank account; He also donated stratospheric sums to hospitals.
In 2010, on his birthday, Keanu walked into a bakery and bought a brioche with a single candle, ate it in front of the bakery, and offered coffee to people who stopped to talk to him.
After winning astronomical sums for the Matrix trilogy, the actor donated more than $50 million to the staff who handled the costumes and special effects – the true heroes of the trilogy, as he called them.
He also gave a Harley-Davidson to each of the stunt doubles. A total expense of several million dollars. And for many successful films, he has even given up 90% of his salary to allow the production to hire other stars.
In 1997 some paparazzi found him walking one morning in the company of a homeless man in Los Angeles, listening to him and sharing his life for a few hours.
Most stars when they make a charitable gesture they declare it to all the media. He has never claimed to be doing charity, he simply does it as a matter of moral principles and not to look better in the eyes of others.
This man could buy everything, and instead every day he gets up and chooses one thing that cannot be bought: To be a good person.
Keanu Reeves’ father is of Native Hawaiian descent Visit the store to support Native American products
Do you have a favorite charity? Do you know about an organization that could use some additional funds? Let’s Bee Positive is opening a fund raising opportunity. We will feature one charity a month. In the first week of the program we will work closely with the beneficiary. Together we will design a “T-Shirt On-Line Fundraiser”. We will set up a special page with information about the beneficiary and why we are running this fundraising event.
The beneficiary will select a shirt color and determine whether or not they want to include baseball caps or other products in this fundraiser. The website will publish and except donations and product orders for the fundraiser/beneficiary during second and third weeks. Donators will have the option to purchase shirts and hats, and maybe other products, in the color selected by the Beneficiary and/or simply donating to the cause. At the close of the third week we will take the fundraising page down. We will determine how many of each size hats and shirts need to be ordered and we will send the order to our vendor via online ordering. We will pay for the order and then cut a check for the beneficiary which contains all of the donated funds and 50% of the funds raised from the sale of shirts and hats.
Shirts should be back to us generally in about 12 days. We will be ready to prep, double-check and ship the orders to respective customers. Each on-line t-shirt and hat fundraiser will take a total of 5 weeks to process and the beneficiary charity only needs to spend a couple of hours with us to help us tailor the cover page and authorize the event.
Who is reading this blog?
As I was working on our next initiative, I began to wonder if anyone has taken the time to read this blog. So, just for fun, and in an effort to see if we are attracting any attention, I am going to start inserting a small picture of Sammie, the Bee. Please understand that there are postings here on the website, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Tik Tok. If you see Sammie’s picture inserted somewhere on the posting, take a screen shot and forward it to Service@letsbeepositive.com with your name and phone number. The first one I see each week will earn a gift card to Kneader’s. This is what we are looking for.
Hi, I’m Sammie.
Darin’s Story
Good morning. Welcome to a new week. Let’s get down to business. I have two special needs children. One is Larry, who owns Let’s Bee Positive. You can read his story on the “About Our Owner” page. Larry’s disabilities are the result of a car-bicycle accident when he was 6 years old. The other special needs son is his younger brother James Darin. Official records and many employers use James. To me, and the rest of his family, he is Darin.
Darin was born with a congenital chromosome condition called Fragile X. It was evidenced at birth with a single “life line” on the palm of his hand where the majority of us have two lines. There has been lots of research done to try to identify the source of this condition. There were chromosome studies done of every member of our family tree, parents, grandparents, great grandparents (where available) aunts and uncles. There were no indications that could account for this anomaly. They looked at our work environments. I was working as a radiological technician in a doctor’s office when I got pregnant. A review of my monitoring badges did not show any incidents of over exposure but it was the only reasonable conclusion. It must have been my fault since I worked with elements that emit radiation.
Darin and I joined a program named “JEIP” when he was three months old. JEIP stands for Jefferson County Early Intervention Program. This program was provided through the Jefferson County Schools. There was a Physical Therapist, an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Therapist, a Medical Social Worker and a teacher for each group of five children. The children and one parent or guardian met every week-day morning for two hours. I learned how to exercise his legs, arms, feet, hands, shoulders and neck. We also learned how to exercise his tongue and jaw which was vital to his ability to eat, chew and form words. This program took Darin and his four buddies thru kindergarten.
Darin’s milestones were measured in months and years rather than weeks. Even with all of this exercising he did not sit unaided until he was nine months old. He crawled at about 18 months, pulled himself up with the aid of furniture at almost two years old. He walked at about two and one-half years. His muscles were very tight which added to the difficulty he had running. Talking was another issue. It was very hard for him to vocally express his needs. Sometimes it led to frustration and tantrums. The only way to calm him down was to pick him up, hug him tight and, when reasonable, go outside to concentrate on something totally unrelated to his frustration. We looked at bugs, flowers, trees, the moon and stars; anything to divert his attention. If it was storming outside we would leave the room and find a place that was quiet and with “interesting” things like pictures, especially pictures of the family, books, toys, or just stand at a window and look at the storm. That worked for several years however, he is much taller that I am, weighs more than I do, and toys and pictures don’t work like they used to.
Beginning in elementary school and through out high school, and several years there after, Darin received valuable attention via the Special Olympics Unified program. This association gave him opportunities to play softball, basketball, bowling, participate in the Special Olympics “field days” and monthly dances. He learned about teamwork, he got some needed exercise and he made lots of friends. Due to his height and strength he could throw a softball a good long way. More than one softball ended up in the parking lot. He could make most of the long shots in the basketball games so the strategy was to get on “our” side of the court and get the ball to Darin.
Darin attended school where he could receive specialized teaching. He can read and print, he can handle basic financial transactions and he can get almost anyplace in the metropolitan area via RTD. In high school he learned to do basic janitorial work. He worked for a company, that owned three high rise apartment buildings, as a maintenance man’s helper for 14 years. There he cleaned the garage and swimming pool, managed the dumpsters (rotating them in and out of the collection shut) cleaned public restrooms, and helped with the yard and garden work. He has also worked many years for Eliche’s with their grounds crew cleaning restrooms, keeping the trash receptacles cleared and cleaning up the evidences of nausea (vomit). He currently works for Dollar Tree. There he keeps the restrooms clean, restocks shelves, helps with unloading the truck when orders come in, cleans and mops the store. I have heard him say that his customers deserve a clean store and clean bathrooms. He is restricted to 24 hours a weeks, preferably six hours over four days, as he gets stressed out, frustrated and sometimes returns to inappropriate actions such as slamming doors, throwing things and punching holes in walls. He knows that he should take a walk, or walk the dog, when these feelings begin to take away his ability to think clearly.
Darin is very social. He likes to help the customers find things and he gladly carries their purchases to the car. He shovels snow and mows lawns for neighbors and he attends the monthly dances when he can. He is kind and loving and deserves our respect. He says he was put on earth to fish and to play basketball. Basketball is not something he can do any longer as his back and legs cannot take the strain.
Larry and Darin live in a two bedroom basement apartment that belongs to another brother. Their strengths complement each other. Larry does most of the cooking and he provides transportation for both of them when he can. They are typical brothers; they may fight now and then but when they are separated they spend lots of time talking to each other via phone, Duo, Face-time, and Messenger. These days he helps Larry with his business. He packs items for shipping, he helps load and unload the van, helps set up the canopy and tables, and he stays to help when the company has a vendor opportunity. He helps take inventory and he helps Larry remember things.
I am so proud of both of these boys (okay, men). They work, they are responsible, caring, loving individuals. They have both been helped by organizations that exist for the purpose of making life better for those with disabilities. Now it is time for us to step up and help give back to those who have helped us.
Watch for news of our latest project.
Larry likes to be involved in every aspect of his company. Here he is wrapping a mug. (Double click on the image to show in full screen with nothing cut off)
Tags: #BeePositive #BeePositive #Be Positive #Rainbow #Maya Angelou #Positive Mind Set
Adjusting to Life in the 70’s
I guess that first I should say that I am not stuck in the 70’s. I gave up shag rugs and green appliances a few years ago. I was introduced to computers when I worked as a keypunch operator. My position as a keypunch operator morphed into using a “desktop” computer in the same bank. I learned about word-processing and spreadsheets and became pretty proficient within a few weeks. I could take dictation from one of the bank officers, transcribe the message in “Word Star” and then use Mail-merge to send out 650+ individual letters or inter-office memos to the bank employees easily done in one day.
The more I used the computer, the more I liked it. The bank had several training opportunities that I took advantage of including courses on bookkeeping, payroll processing and on a variety of customer service skills at the local community college. I was a student hungry for more information and skills. I knew that life had more to offer me if I could just learn the necessary skills and be allowed to implement them.
I opened my own business at one point when I needed to be available to my parents during and after my father’s heart transplant surgery. I kept books for eight owner/operator truck drivers and transcribed documents for several professors at the University of Colorado Denver campus using my personal computer, accounting software, word-processing and spreadsheet software. I figured out how to handle mathematical equations, super-script, sub-script and other special signs, etc.
My father thrived after his transplant. He made news at the first surviving heart transplant patient in the new Colorado based transplant clinic and he lived over 10 years after that surgery. He never hesitated about his future. He knew that he would have a productive life after the procedure when most people would be frightened and would feel that there is no hope for a future. They stop dreaming and planning. My father never stopped dreaming and planning. His bucket list had more to do and he was going to do everything he could to complete it.
I needed medical insurance and some type of pension plan, both options were not affordable with my home-based business. So I began the search for a new career. I hired on with Kelly Girls as a way to sample working for a variety of companies needing a wide range of temporary skills. I could take dictation, do double entry bookkeeping and my computer skills were growing as fast as the projects I worked on. The last temporary assignment was to a trust company needing full-time help in their Transfer-In department. The wages were good for the eighties and they had great benefits including a matching 401k plan.
I really liked working there. I received regular salary increases and I voluntarily moved to almost every department in the company. I liked working with the staff and I took advantage of extra perks, like tuition-paid classes at the community college. I took several Project Management courses and eventually sat for, and passed my Project Management Proficiency test. At that point I transferred to the systems department as a systems liaison. I really loved that job, although the hours were outrageous. Sometimes I worked eight hour days but most of the time it was 10 or 12 hours and quarter-end hours were more like 18 to 20 hours a day. I loved my job and I learned so many things as the company stayed abreast of technological advances. We grew the company from 70 employees to over 700; 300 customers to over 300,000 customers and the asset holding values topped out at nearly $3 billion.
Fast forward 20 years and I am in retirement. I am in my 70s and trying to help my son, who has met and exceeded everyone’s expectations, start his own business. Now I read, and re-read, about SEO, Tik Tok vs Instagram, Google marketing, Facebook and website development, etc. Then I call one of my boys to help explain and help develop our marketing-plan. I know there is a way that we can use these tools, if only I could understand them better. How is it that once I was responsible for multi-million dollar projects and programs and now I can’t get my head around “free” e-commerce software? I know that I am not stupid. For 18 years I helped develop, test and train end-users in new processes that made their job much more streamlined. I know I just have to keep praying for help and continue to work at it.
#computers #keypunch #desk-top #training opportunities #student #word-processing#spreadsheets #learn new skills #community college #thrive #Productive life #Pension #401k #like working #love my job #develop skills #Positive attitude #Bee Positive #Be Positive #positive mind-set #seek happiness #BeePositive
tags: #Sunshine #Be the Sunshine #find the Sunshine
What is so Important about Developing a Positive Attitude?
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Maya Angelou
When you have a negative attitude, your brain gives itself permission to develop negative thinking patterns, and, in turn, difficult and dark emotions. You spend all your days worrying about the same thing over and over again. As the dark emotions begin to take over you don’t allow positive answers or actions in. Over time it will be harder and harder to stand back, take a deep breath and face up to the fact that you need help.
At one time or another everyone has to deal with some form of depression. Generally, it is a short-lived bout of disappointment or general sadness. Depression is weeks or months, or even years, of extreme fatigue, self-talk that no one needs you or that you can’t do “anything” right or the thought if you disappeared no one would even notice. You need to do something about it, don’t just think it will go away. Call for help. There are hotlines available in most counties in the USA. I am sure there are similar resources available in most countries. Once you have the resources to take care of the immediate problem you will need to talk to a counselor and plan your next moves. There are several strategies that I was able to use and I am sure they can be of help to others.
Strategies to help combat depression
I went through some very traumatic events in my life and I did not have a healthy way of handling them. As a result my zest for life sank to the bottom of a very big pit. Initially, all I could see and feel was the hurt, anger, intimidation and humiliation. I had a hard time seeing my responsibility for the situation. However, with some guidance, I was able to see that I had actually given him permission to mentally and emotionally abuse me. I tried and tried for 5 years to become the person he wanted me to be. The harder I tried the harder he made it for me. He even bullied me into a hysterectomy which threw me into immediate menopause. When I became suicidal, I realized that I could not do that in the house we lived in. I had to get out.
I really did not have any place to go, so I walked into a 72-hour intake center that was located in another county. I knew that I would get food and shelter there and hopefully help in figuring out how and where I was going to “live”. At the end of that hold I knew that I would never go back to that house. I also knew that I was not strong enough to challenge him for care of our children until they were older and able to voice their opinion to a judge. It took several years, several jobs and lots of acting out, that did not make the situation better, before I found the right counselor.
It took years of counseling, reading, trial and error before I realized that I really did have options available to me. I was lucky to find a counselor that I could really connect with. She taught me a lot about how to change my attitude toward life and in the process gain some measure of control of my life. I would like to share some of that knowledge here.
Here are some of the behaviors that I learned:
Get out and help someone else. At first you will probably say, “I can’t even help myself, how am I supposed to help others now?” It can seem impossible to do, but
“A positive mind finds opportunity in everything. A negative mind finds fault in everything.” Unknown
There are lots of things you can do to help others. Some are group opportunities that you may do with neighbors, church members, or other recognized groups like Red Cross or Salvation Army. I found that working alone was best for me. I had better control over when I served and what I did. Some of the activities that you can do are:
Volunteer to work in a soup kitchen one day a week.
Contact a local food bank and ask what you could do to help them out. It way be sorting through donations and stocking shelves or boxing orders.
Call the Ronald McDonald House and ask what kind of help you might be able to provide there. I put together a large box of craft supplies and went over one afternoon and set up a craft station for the siblings of young patients in Children’s Hospital. Some of the children did finger-painting to make a picture for their brother or sister. Some cut out pictures and made happy collages for their room. Some made a “puppet-glove”. They all had fun and the parents had a couple of hours to spend as they felt needed.
One of my favorite service projects was when I contacted Children’s Hospital and told them that I would like to volunteer on Christmas Day. They had 19-month old twins, Jimmy and Timmy, which were still too sick to go home. They were from Wyoming and their parents were going to be at home with older siblings on Christmas Day. I collected several storybooks and made a “puppet-glove”. I arrived at feeding time and fed one of the twins while a CNA fed the other. Then we settled in for the afternoon while I read from the storybooks. Sometimes I would act out the story with the puppet-glove. We played some Christmas songs and some children’s songs. I taught them some simple actions for a children’s song that they laughed about. I sat and read silently while they napped. I stayed to help with the dinner feeding. It was a very special Christmas for me. Although I was not able to be with my children, I was able to spend the day with these sweet little boys who enjoyed some special attention that day.
Contact a nursing home and ask if there would be any service you could provide. Examples might be playing dominoes or Chinese checkers with some of the patients, read to a group or read to a few patients one-on-one in their rooms.
2. Change Your Attitude. This will not happen overnight, but it might surprise you to realize that your perseverance will be easier as time goes by. A positive attitude allows you to overcome most challenges. It isn’t a matter of not paying attention to problems that arise. It isn’t a manic smile as you constantly look away from problems. It is realizing that you can overcome most problems without having to hit the bottom of the pit.
You first calm yourself who will help release the immediate fear or anger and you take a deep breath.
Analyze what lead to the problem that you are now facing.
Calmly determine what needs to happen to put things right.
Understand what you need to be aware of to keep the problem(s) from happening again.
3. Stay in the Moment. Life is full of ups and downs.
For instance, graduation from College is an up. Sometimes finding “the job” can be a down. Using your positive attitude you will look at the last interview and determine what went wrong. Did you realize that the job was not what you expected or did the interviewer ask questions you were not prepared to answer well? Make the necessary adjustments and then your next interview will go better. When you are positive about a situation you are less stressed and you can calmly take charge of the problem in front of you.
We all face losing a loved one. It is especially hard when that someone was the center of your world or your anchor to sanity. This is a time when a positive attitude is needed. Instead of focusing on the loss and seeing it as the end of your happiness, find a way to make a positive outcome possible. For some that will be relying on faith that there is life after death and we will see our loved ones again. For some it will be finding way to contribute to a cause dedicated to the disease or cause of your loved ones death. You can become a beacon of hope for yourself and for others.
4. Surround your self with positive people. Have you even noticed how some people seem to attract others who are genuinely happy? They have a wonderful smile and you can almost see light radiating from them. When the rules change at work they don’t grumble or complain.
It would seem that they don’t have any problems at home. Their kids and spouse are always happy and love doing things with the family. The odds are 2-to-1 that they are dealing with a trial of their own. However, they have also learned to stay calm. They don’t waste their time, or your time, dwelling on the dark and depressing negatives. That is the type of person you want, need, to be around. They attractive positive energy
It would seem that they don’t have any problems at home. Their kids and spouse are always happy and love doing things with the family. The odds are 2 to 1 that they are dealing with a trial of their own. However, they have also learned to stay calm. They don’t waste their time, or your time, dwelling on the dark and depressing negatives. That is the type of person you want, need, to be around. They attract positive energy.
I worked with a young man with Cerebral Palsy. He had grand maul seizures almost daily. He had one weak side of his body and it slowed down his ability to get around. However, he was one of the most positive people that I have had the pleasure of knowing. When someone asked him how he is doing, he would flash a big smile and respond with “perfect”, “great”, “better every-day” or “couldn’t be better”. He had every reason to be negative yet he chose to be positive because negative attitudes don’t get the work done. He has learned that a positive attitude will get things done much faster and with fewer mistakes.
5. Take responsibility for your behavior. Don’t play the role of victim. Acknowledge your role in the situation. That was very hard for me to do. The value is that you can then analyze why the problem occurred and you can determine what needs to be done and how it will be handled. You also have the options to mitigate the likelihood of a repeat problem.
This is what I like about Colorado! You have to be flexible to live here. One day you are dealing with temperatures in the mid-80s and the next day the high temp is in the mid-30s. One day there is a slight breeze that gently tosses your long curls back and the next day the wind (and I do mean WIND) pushes you back one step for every two you take forward. On Thursday we had the doors and windows open to bring in the fresh spring air filled with the aroma of lilacs, apple blossoms, and early bulbs. Friday, we had a high school graduation to attend at Echo stadium and the wind did not stop all morning. Rain and snow mixed with rain pelted us and we could barely see all of the graduates on the field. Two plus hours of talks and diplomas later, and everyone returned to their cars, dripping wet and ready for the head cold that promised a miserable night. However, a hot shower and some warm coco brushed those dismal thoughts away. This morning when I checked the yard I found plenty of bent branches and all of the blossoms are gone. The good news is that we will probably get to the mid-40s before night-fall. Now, isn’t it more fun to have variety in your life than the constant 75 degrees of Southern California or the constant 100+ of Arizona?
So, to climb back on the Positive Chart, lets look at some fun merchandise. Have you tried our hats yet? They come in a wide variety of colors, some are flex-fit and others are Velcro-band adjustable. Check them out below:
“Any day above ground is a good day. Before you complain about anything, be thankful for your life and the things that are still going well.” ― Germany Kent
tags: #Optimism #magnet #happiness #positive #good things #good people #positive attitude, #positive mindset #bee positive #be positive
Let’s Hear it for El Paso County Fairgrounds Raceway!!
If you are looking for a fun family adventure on a Saturday Night, we have one that may be just what you are looking for. The track is dirt (or mud) in the early events, and there was lots of competition. Our driver did a great job in the qualifying heats. He earned the #3 starting slot in the final event. The final event was full of action. One of the cars ended up on the brick wall, and it was difficult to extract him from his perch up there. The hero of that incident was a back hoe who finally got a-hold of the car and lifted it high enough for the wheels to clear the wall. As the last lap developed, an additional sense of competition, the three leading cars managed to pile up on the last turn, leaving almost no room for the following cars to get around them. As the crowd cheered the follow-up cars started to clear a path to skirt the pile-up. I am happy to report that our capable driver, Toby Rice, was not on the wall and was not in the pile-up. He finished in 7th place, a very respectable spot given the conditions.
Did I mention the track was muddy?
Let’s Bee Positive (LBP) is proud to sponsor Toby Rice, driving the #1 car, Mud-Sucker, in the Hobby Stock Car division.
Last Saturday night we were at the El Paso County Raceway (EPCR) for the 2022 Season Opener. What a night that was. Our first journey into the world of “vendorship”. It was our first look at the venue. We were located inside the tunnel under the grandstand. Being opening night, there were lots of vendors there, however, we felt lucky to be assigned a space inside out of the wind. It was still quite cold but warmer than outside.
When the racing was hot, most of the attendees were outside watching the action, but there were plenty of children with too much energy to sit in the grandstands. They came in to see what treasures were hiding on our tables. They would leave with instructions to us to make sure there was a “Sammie” available for them when they bring their parents back.
About halfway through the evening there was an intermission and most of the viewers came into the tunnel to get something hot to eat or drink. Our location meant that most of these patrons would slowly move past our stand. The children had time to show Mom or Dad the “Sammie”. There was also time for Mom or Dad to see the rest of our wares.
Kids’ Favorite
Dads’ Favorite
Moms’ Favorite
Teens’ Favorite
Leaders of the night were baseball caps for Dad, mugs for Mom, “Sammies” for the younger children and tees for the teens. We listened to their requests for hoodies and sweats. Other special items for the kids such as flags and plastic cups with lids and straws. We also noted changes that we want to make in our booth and presentation.
We will be back next week. We will have some additional merchandise as well as an improved set-up. Note to all: When we are set up at an event we offer 20% discounts on all merchandise. We also set the website up to reflect the 20% sale. So, if you are not able to drop by the event, you can still take advantage of the 20% savings by purchasing directly through the website.
Gratitude is a very good way to foster and maintain a positive mind set
We all have those days when we are “grumpy”. Whether it is a week of “stomach bug”, as the story below this post suggests, or a series of disappointments, some negatives can begin to seep in to our normally positive disposition. It is easy to simply give in and let a spirit of contention enter our home, school or workplace. Then things will quickly spiral down to depression or even aggression.
What happens next is one of two things: 1) You can sit back a bit and look at the damage that has been done and then you can strive to undo, or make restitution where possible. or 2) you can close your eyes to the actions you are responsible for and continue with the attitude of negativity. If you would prefer the first option, what are some actions can you take to turn this swirl of negativity around? I have a few suggestions:
A) Take a couple of minutes to think of those things you are grateful for. There are more things to be grateful for if you think about it a little bit. If you are at work when this happens you might be able to adopt my short list: I am grateful that I have a job. I have the ability to earn wages that will help pay my bills. I am grateful for my family. I have a wonderful family at home that I dearly love and they love me. I am grateful that I live in a country where I still can exercise some of our “unalienable” rights. I have the right to speak my mind, I have the right to pursue happiness. I have the right to worship in the way that pleases me. I do not have the right to interfere with another person’s pursuit of happiness or . I am grateful for the opportunity to serve others. I have the right, and responsibility, to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others “trespasses” against me. I am grateful that I have the ability to make amends for unkind words and actions that I directed to others.
I had a job several years ago where I met “Greg”, a young man in his 20s who had epilepsy. He was subject to frequent grand mal seizures. He has to be the most “positive” aligned individual I ever saw. He might spend the majority of the evening/night in seizure mode and be full of bruises (from hitting a wall or piece of furniture during a seizure) but he would more often than not be at work the next day. He would have strong reasons to be angry or depressed. He has to wear a helmet to protect his head. He has partial paralysis due to damage in his brain. He carries a card in his shirt pocket that explains his seizures and what a bystander can to to help him. He had several seizures at work, some of which “freaked” some of the employees out. However when someone would ask him how he was he would answer “Perfect” or “Great” or “Upright and taking nourishment” (if he was in the lunch room). He was dating a very sweet girl who said that the reason she loves him is because he always sees the silver lining.
I’m sure he has had bad days or moments when he was angry at the world because he has to deal with chronic pain and totally debilitating seizures. He has learned to look at his blessings and give thanks that he has a job and people who love him, care about him, understand him and want to help him anyway they can.
Please read the post below from Emily Ricks. It is a good demonstration of how one of her children has learned to find the good in every situation.
This is what my son said to me after 5 days of being home with a stomach bug. By the end of a week full of changing plans and cleaning up bodily fluids at all hours, I had gotten a little grumpy. Instead of focusing on things that are lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy (as Paul suggests, in Philippians 4:8), I had let my mind drift to thinking about things that are frustrating, annoying, unfair, and dumb.
As a result, of course, I was FEELING annoyed, frustrated, done-to, and fed-up. When I realized it, I told Tyler I was sorry I had gotten grumpy and that I wanted to celebrate 4:8 day (April 8th!) by refocusing my mind.
As a result, of course, I was FEELING annoyed, frustrated, done-to, and fed-up. When I realized it, I told Tyler I was sorry I had gotten grumpy and that I wanted to celebrate 4:8 day (April 8th!) by refocusing my mind. We went outside and sat on the back patio, and took turns saying things we were grateful for. My favorite, of Tyler’s, was: “I’m grateful for being sick because it teaches us to be patient when we don’t know what’s coming.”
My favorite, of Tyler’s, was: “I’m grateful for being sick because it teaches us to be patient when we don’t know what’s coming.”I felt my whole body embrace new thoughts and feelings. Yes! We are learning patience. This is a beautiful experience to be learning together. We WANT experiences like this. We are growing from this. It’s hard, but it’s GOOD!
We closed our eyes and listened to the birds chirping and the cars driving and any other sounds we could hear. Tyler observed: “Wow, changing your thoughts into positive thoughts really does change your mindset.”
Yes, it sure does!! When have YOU been transformed by the renewing of your mind?? (Romans 12:2)
Bee Positive is going to be more visible in the coming weeks.
We will be at the El Paso County Raceway. We are sponsoring a car in the Hobby Stock division driven by Toby Rice. Come check it out. Sammie, our Bee with a Positive attitude, is riding on the rear deck. I think that is pretty sweet. We will have shirts and hats and maybe Stadium Tumblers.
If you know of a special event coming up, feel free to tell us about it and who we should contact to set up our canopy filled with fun Bee Positive collections. We will offer all of our product line at a 20% discount while at the event. If you would like to purchase items for out of state friends or family, you can get the 20% deduction and we will ship your products for free. Those checking in on the webpage while we are out “partying” can also partake of the 20% discount. Each weekend that we are set up at an event you will notice special pricing on the website.
We hope to see all of our friends and acquaintances at these events. We are Positive that we will have fun.
It is officially Spring and time to begin Baseball games.
Have you noticed that some plants are peeking through with nice healthy green stocks. I have a few hale and hardy daffodils bobbing their heads and there are about 50 tulips beginning to grow. We have had rain rather than snow and we can see some green around the edges of the lawn. Birds are coming back and most of the geese have left for cooler climes. Spring is definitely in the air.
Football is over for a few months and we see the kids playing baseball, conditioning for track and field. At this time of year I like going to a baseball game. Although I don’t particularly enjoy baseball at home on the TV, I love to be in the stadium with good friends, some popcorn, nachos, or better yet a juicy hot dog with relish, kraut, mustard, and ketchup. Add a snow cone if the temps are getting out of hand. Okay, I won’t want to eat dinner tonight because I have just consumed my calorie quota. I would remind my fellow Baseball friends that it still can get really cold at these games. I have sat out on a beautiful spring day and the weather ran the gamete; starting with a sunny, balmy morning moving through winds picking up speed and the thermostat racing down. Suddenly the team has to leave the field because of lightening strikes in the neighborhood.
To share the fun of the season we have a great selection of “BeePositive” Baseball caps and a line of BeePositive T-shirts with Sammie front and center. We would love to show up at the stadium with a our latest color in T-shirts and one of the new baseball caps. Take a look at them on the shopping pages. If you have something that you would like us to carry, please let us know. Just email us at service@letsbeepositive.com.
The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
Winston Churchill
A positive attitude is something everyone can work on, and everyone can learn how to employ it.
Joan Lunden
“Always look on the bright side of life….” If you are a fan of Monty Python, you may remember this line from the closing song in The Life of Brian. The song is sung by Brian and several others who are hanging on crosses as they sing the song. Some may consider the movie to be sacrilegious, and they are probably right. But the song from this movie reminds me to find the bright side to the challenges that life throws our way.
Last week, we spent time talking about negative attitudes and positive attitudes. Understanding the benefits of a positive attitude and the downsides of a negative attitude is great, but it doesn’t mean much if we don’t take steps to improve our attitude. Here are several tips that will help you become more positive.
10 Ways to Develop a Positive Attitude
Turn away from the negative. Becoming a more positive person starts with a decision. Decide today to be more positive and less negative. Stop reading and watching things that cause you to have a negative attitude.
Fight the power of negativity. Despite your decision to be more positive, you will run into people who will drag you down with their negativity. Stand up to the people who are negative in your life.
Look for the silver lining. In life, we will experience difficult circumstances. Intentionally, look for the blessings in these circumstances.
Practice positivity. In Philippians 4:4, Paul challenges readers to be positive again and again, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Becoming more positive is not a once and done event. Becoming more positive requires practice over and over and over again.
Fill your mind with positive. In Philippians 4:8, Paul continues to instruct readers on the topic of becoming more positive, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Read things that are positive. Watch things that are positive.
Surround yourself with positive people. Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If you want to develop a positive attitude, hang out with positive people.
Practice positive activities. Exercise. Get outside. Write thank you notes. Hold the door open for people. The more time you spend on positive activities the less time you will have for negativity to creep into your life.
Get help if necessary. Some of us are predisposed to negativity, and sometimes life circumstances make it very challenging for us to become positive. You may need some outside help. I few years ago, I was going through some really big challenges. I sought out a trained counselor to help me work through my challenges. My counselor was instrumental in me developing a more positive attitude. Help may also come in the form of a close friend or accountability partner. If you’re struggling with a negative attitude, get help!
Encourage others to be positive. I try to be positive here on my blog. I try to be positive at work. If you want to make the world a more positive place, you must first lead by example. Then you can speak into the lives of others.
Serve others. Serving others has the amazing ability to put things in the proper perspective. Whenever I serve others, I naturally become more positive about my current situation. I feel better about myself. And I want to keep serving. Serving others has the potential of perpetually pumping up your positivity.
“Keep Going
Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
I found this article while searching for Positive articles and quotes. This was a good read, and I want to share these thoughts with you. I have met several individuals who have the means to purchase almost anything they need or want. Most of them live ordinary lives. They are conservative in their spending habits. They have learned the secret to a happy and satisfying life is to “Love your neighbor, Have charity towards those in your circle of influence, serve others, allow others to serve you, and look for the silver lining.”
Did you know, the song “It Is Well With My Soul” was written by a successful Christian lawyer Heratio Spafford. His only son died at age 4 in 1871. In 1872, the great Chicago fire wiped out his vast estate, made from a successful legal career.
In 1873 he sent his wife and four daughters over to Europe on a summer trip on the ill fated SS Ville du Havre. Since he had a lot of work to do, he planned to follow them later. The ship sank and he lost his four daughters with the wife being the only survivor. She sent him a famous telegram which simply read, “SAVED ALONE……”
On his return home, his Law firm was burned down and the insurance company refused to pay him. They said, iIt’s an act of God.”
He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what’s happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song – “Whatever, my Lord, You have taught me to say – It is well, it is well with my soul.”
My dear friend, a good attitude will determine your altitude. When you look at your life, career, job or family life, what do you say? Do you praise God? Do you blame the devil? A good attitude towards God makes Him move on your behalf.
Just sit down and say, “Today, God, it is well with my soul, I am thankful I had a peaceful sleep, I am thankful I am alive with possibilities, I am thankful I have a roof over me, I am thankful I have a job, I am thankful that I have family and friends. Above all, I am thankful that I have the Lord Jesus Christ on my side.”
Be blessed and don’t be envious or shocked when others are prospering because you don’t know what they have been through to get there (test, trials and tribulation) so thank God for what you have. “Little is much when God is in it. It is well with my soul!”
Touch someone’s life with this message. If God is for us, who can be against us?
God bless to all and have a good day!!
Boy is it cold outside. The wind is blowing and we have had a couple of snow flurries. Time to finish working on quilts, a wonderful winter activity for me. It is also time for hot chocolate and Mulled Apple Cider. I like to snuggle down with Sammie the bee, whose picture is on our big 15oz mugs. So, this week’s Deal of the Week is a BOGO. You buy 1 mug and you will get a free mug. If you buy 2 mugs, we will send you two free mugs. There is a limit of 2 free mugs. This sale runs from Sunday, 1/30/ 2022 thru Saturday 2/5/2022.
Established in November 2021, LetsBeePositive.com is dedicated to the idea that “A positive outlook makes all the difference in life’s experiences and undertakings”. On this blog page you will find quotes, short notes and longer articles that we hope will motivate you with a positive attitude. If you have not already done so, please read “About Our Owner” – the story behind our company and its owner.
Let’s Bee Positive Ambassadors
As many of you know, Larry has opened a business dedicated to helping people look on the bright side of life. As I am not a hands-off mother, I am helping him get the business started. To that end, we have a wonderful game to play with our followers. We recently received a shipment of T-Shirts and we really like them. If you would like to win a Bee Positive T-Shirt, here is how to play the game:
We are sending our Let’s Bee Positive Ambassadors out into the public wearing a bright green Bee Positive T-Shirt. Keep your eyes open. If you spot the shirt you should ask if you can take a picture that clearly shows the shirt. Then ask the Ambassador for the secret phrase. Post the picture along with the secret words to our Let’s Bee Positive Facebook page, and if you are the first in your state you will win a free T-shirt of the size and color of your choice. The second person to post in each state will win a 10% discount on any one product on our website.
We have ambassadors in several states, and we are continuing to grow. If you have purchased a shirt for yourself and would like to be an ambassador too, please contact us at service@letsbeepositive.com. Obviously you have to be willing to have your picture taken and posted on Facebook.
‘A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.”
Joyce Meyer
” ‘Ya Gotta Have Heart”
The story of Larry’s Grandfather
In 1988 my grandfather underwent a heart transplant at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, CO. At that time no heart transplants had yet been successfully performed in Colorado. At that time people living in Colorado had to seek help in another state. In that year a new research thoracic surgeon came to Denver and organized a team of doctors and nurses to perform this procedure at the St. Luke’s and Presbyterian hospitals.
Grandpa had previously had bypass surgery in 1981. In 1987 he had to return to Denver for another set of bypasses, as the first set were no longer functioning well. The second set of bypasses failed, and grandpa was quickly thrown into a condition called Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) The heart was enlarged and overworked trying to provide oxygenated blood to the heart, lungs and body. Grandpa was weak, often unable to get out of bed, and when he did get up he went no farther than the big chair in the living room. The cardiologist was aware of the research that was going on at St. Luke’s and he asked to have Grandpa added to the list of potential recipients.
My grandparents were the property managers for a group of high-rise apartment buildings in Denver, and with this new status, Grandma became the property manager since Grandpa was no longer able to do the work. Grandpa made an arrangement with the landlord to set aside a special apartment for short-term use by families and patients of the St. Luke’s heart transplant program. This gave Grandpa the opportunity to get to know other patients in the program that he was entering. He became close friends with a couple of the families. He noticed a lot of fear and mixed feelings in the patients who were “on the list”. One patient he got to know received a transplanted heart in early March, 1988, but only lived an additional 11 days, never even being released from the hospital.
My Grandpa was always able to see the positive side of life. When the doctors told him he was in critical condition with congestive heart failure, they presented him with the option to become part of the research program. Grandpa was delighted and agreed to participate. His attitude was, “It is the only option at this point”. He was going to die sometime and he had an opportunity to live a little longer, or at least contribute to a much-needed research project. We were at the hospital the night they took him from Cardiac ICU to surgery. He was smiling and he told Grandma, “Don’t worry, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Grandpa did see her in the morning and was released from the hospital eight days later. Although there were many doctor visits to come, constant check-ups, intensive care, and testing, Grandpa lived another 10 years. He was the first “survivor” heart transplant patient in the state of Colorado. Grandpa lived his remaining years to the fullest. He took lots of fishing trips, some as far away as Juno, Alaska. He and Grandma went to Hawaii for their 50th wedding Anniversary. And Grandpa was with us for 10 more Christmas celebrations.
A year after his operations, Grandpa started a program called Heart II. This was created to give pending patients and families an opportunity to interact with survivors and their families. He knew he had been given an incredible gift, and he was determined to help others see the potential for a positive life. At his funeral 10 years later, the doctors told us they had never worked on a patient who was totally at ease and looking forward to more time with his family. They knew it was his positive attitude that propelled him to success.
After my accident, he taught me how important it was to look life in the face and opt for the positive potential.
Visit the store to support Native American products 
