Snarkology Halloween Blog Hop

          The History of Jack-O’-Lanterns

 Where did we get the tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween? Supposedly, the practice of decorating and carving jack-o’-lanterns comes from the Celts who held a festival of Samhain each year and believed Samhain was a time when supernatural beings and souls of the dead roamed the earth. The custom arrived in America with Irish immigrants where it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.

According to Irish folktale, a miserable man and drunk named Stingy Jack enjoyed playing tricks on people, including the devil. Unable to enter heaven or hell after his death, he was destined to roam the earth listlessly. Jack placed a piece of coal into a carved-out, large turnip and used it as a lantern to keep the evil spirits away. Today in America, pumpkins are carved into jack-o-lanterns, lit, and placed outside of doorways for the same purpose.

                            

Find Judy Ann Davis at:

Blog: http://judyanndavis.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.judyanndavis.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Ann-Davis/e/B006GXN502/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyAnnDavis4

                         

Take a Peek at UNDER STARRY SKIES

Hired as the town’s school teacher, Maria O’Donnell and her sister Abigail arrive in the Colorado Territory in 1875, only to find the uncle they were to stay with has been murdered.

Rancher Tye Ashmore is content with life until he meets quiet and beautiful Maria. He falls in love at first sight, but her reluctance to jeopardize her teaching position by accepting his marriage proposal only makes him more determined to make her part of his life.

When their lives are threatened by gunshots and a gunnysack of dangerous wildlife, Tye believes he is the target of an unknown enemy. Not until Maria receives written threats urging her to leave does she realize she might be the target instead of the handsome rancher.

With the help of Tye, Abigail, and a wily Indian called Two Bears, Maria works to uncover her uncle’s killer and put aside her fears. But will she discover happiness and true love under Colorado’s starry skies?    Link: UNDER STARRY SKIES

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FALL CHORES: Learning Patience

With fall officially here, I start to think of all the projects I have to accomplish before the winter snows fly in Pennsylvania. I'm reminded of a phrase: “If you don’t have the time to do it right, when will you get the time to do it over?”

 

Everyone loves to finish his or her projects. Completing them gives you a feeling of self-confidence and personal joy. But sometimes I find myself rushing through chores, not enjoying the moment, but always thinking of the next thing that needs to be done after I’m finished with the work at hand.

I’ve learned my need to find closure with one chore, if done quickly, can sometimes lead to carelessness and can sometimes add more complications and time while I fix what I’ve done in haste. 

My mother called it “patience.” And boy, oh boy, did she have patience with every task she accomplished. She was a perfectionist, but she never grew tired of performing at only her best. 

This fall I’m going to try to be more patient even if I don’t accomplish my long list of “things to do.” 

What fall tasks are on your list for October?  Whatever they are, I’m wishing you lots of patience to get them done!

STRESS FREE LIFE: Learning to be Assertive

Do you often find yourself doing what others want you to do? Or do you put the needs of others first? Being assertive is sometimes the hardest thing for women to achieve. We are nurturers by nature; and we hate to disappoint people or make others unhappy. We don’t feel comfortable saying “no.” Many times we rush through life doing a host of activities we don’t even like to do.

I can truly admit that I really didn’t become assertive until I started to work and joined the 70 percent of women who worked outside the home. My children were little and my time was valuable. And there were only so many hours in the day. Learning to be assertive was not easy, especially when it meant doing or saying things that others may not have viewed favorably. 

Learning to stand up for your rights by learning to say “no” to activities you don’t want to do—whether it’s volunteering for a project, working overtime, or baking ten dozen cookies for a bake sale—is the only way to learn how to express your true feelings. When you think about it, being assertive is a way of protecting yourself and your health, and allowing yourself to be the master of your own life. 

Assertive people don’t let others take advantage of them and aren’t afraid to let go of the nagging feeling that “they have let someone down.” They have overcome the guilt and belief that people will think unkind thoughts if they don’t cave in to the pressures and demands asked of them

And once you’ve taken the first step—once you said the first no, it’s a liberating feeling that makes the second “no” even easier. Doesn’t everyone deserve a more stress free, healthy life?

Don't Confuse Living and Being Alive

How aware are you of the world around you?
Do you take time to hear the song of the birds in the morning or the serenade of insects at night? Do you pause to hear the far off lonely sound of a train whistle? Do you stop what you’re doing to gaze skyward and enjoy a colorful cloud formation floating across the sky? When you see a bed of vibrant flowers that catches your eye, do you stoop to touch their soft petals and smell their fragrance?

Too often in life, we are rushing through the world, heading from one activity to another, unaware of the universe around us. We become so caught up in our personal activities that we confuse being alive with living. True living means we’re connected with the universe around and cognizant of it. Being alive is merely breathing and being functional, and often we erroneously confuse rushing from one activity to the next as living. It's not.

We all need to take time to pay attention to what is around us and make a connection to the world and the people in it. To live means seeing, sensing, and connecting with everything and everyone around us—using our five senses of taste, sight, touch, hearing and smell.  It’s taking time to appreciate our marvelous planet and its people. It’s also a wonderful way to squeeze in a few moments of calmness, awareness, and sheer enjoyment in our chaotic lives...and maybe share those moments with others as well.