Most of the news concerning Afghanistan consists of lies being presented as truths and fiction posing as fact. It is rather depressing. So let's look away from that for now and focus on the positive things in life, such as the Granddaughter telling about how her Grandmother used to carry an old notebook with her wherever she went. She would fill it with beautiful thoughts she gathered along the way.

The granddaughter said she always thought these were secret, but when her grandmother was on her deathbed she let it be known that she really wanted to share these thoughts with others. Her granddaughter titled this collection "Things my grandmother taught me before she passed away." Here is just a small sample of those things:

(1) Life can be simple. Even thoug we often feel life is too complicated, it can always be simple. All we need to do is focus on one thing at a time and do the best we can;
(2) Be true to yourself;
(3) There is a purpose for everything. Be it joyous or sad, everything that happens to us builds us and helps us grow. In the end, everything is just a small part of life's larger plan;
(4) Embrace things that really matter, and in the end we will understand that the best things in life are those that money can't buy - Love & Friendship;
(5) Give the people you love your full attention. We can get used to being surrounded by loved ones and start taking them for granted. Let them KNOW how much they mean to you. Let them know you LOVE them; (6) Learn to set a loved one free. At times, we need to set a loved one free to allow them to grow and evolve. It's not so much what we do for our loved ones that will help them grow, but rather how we teach them and how they use that knowledge;
(7) Decide to be positive. One of the most important things we should understand about life is that if we're not happy, it's not the circumstances that are to blame, it's our decision to be unhappy. So every time life places obstacles in your path, accept the obstacle's existence and overcome it. Make the decision to be happy and stand by your decisions. This is the true secret to happiness;
(8) and finally, accept things with love and understanding. No matter where you are, or what you're doing, always believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel, because there truly is!

Now to close on a humorous note: A retired man purchased a home near a high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace. Then the school year began. One afternoon, early in the first semester, a group of loud young boys came down his street beating merrily on every bin they came across. They did so the following day and the day after that, until the retiree decided it was time to take some action.

The next afternoon he walked out to meet the boys as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are a lot of fun. I used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing." The boys were more than happy and continued to bang on the bins every day.

After a week, the man walked out and greeted the boys. However, this time he didn't have a smile on his face. "This recession's really putting a big dent in my income," he told them, "I'm going to have to cut it down to 50 cents a day to keep you kids banging on the bins." The kids were obviously unimpressed , but they accepted the reduction and continued their afternoon activities.

A few days later the man approached them again. "Look," he said, "I haven't received my retirement check yet so I'm not going to be able to give you more that 25 cents a day to bang on the bins. Will that be okay?" "That's it`?", the drum leader exclaimed. "If you think we're going to waste our time beating these bins for 25 cents a day, no way, Mister. We quit!" And the man enjoyed peace and serenity for the rest of his days. HAVE A GREAT DAY!