Moving Forward

Is it the Law of Attraction or what? I hope so, I don’t know about all of that, but what I do know is that right after I posted my blogspot post for Christmas Cards for our soldiers I received a phone call.

I have been kind of draggin’ for the last few months not seeming to get anything accomplished (I felt) and this last week it was like I really need to do something, I need to get something moving and now today seems to be the day.

I read and listen and watch trying to figure this Internet thing out and nothing seems to make any difference, but when I give it up and tell myself I need to start moving forward even if it is just one small step then things start to open up.

So what happened today? Well I had been challenged to get something on my blog and send out an email to my list, because of the calls and emails I have received about doing the Christmas Cards and deciding this would be a perfect time with a sort of lag in the calendar for people to get an early start on making their cards, I received a call from the Central City Chamber of Commerce asking me to speak at their luncheon.

I had been to their craft fair a year ago and Nancy, who was in charge, was so impressed with what I was doing that she wanted the Chamber to invite me to one of their luncheons! What perfect timing! This will be good to get their juices flowing with ideas and how they can help.

Oh, now I need to decide what to write and what to say. I am not the best at either so my friend Connie says to come from the heart so I think that is what I will do.

Check out our website http://www.make2tell2.com

Have a Glorious Day,

Renita Farrall

TV Spot Spurs Action from Viewer

It has been a long time since you have heard from me and many things have happened since the last writing. But the thing I want to share with you today is that with kids back in school and everyone back at work, there maybe some extra time for you do something worthwhile now.

What am I talking about? Well, it is the middle of September and it won’t be long before the holidays show up on our doorstep. So, while you have a few days yet I thought it would be a good time to get this email out and let you know that this would be a great time for you to start making those Christmas Cards for our soldiers. I have already had a few emails and phone calls asking if I was still doing this and the neat part was a woman called me, because she was getting together with about 4 other ladies in her small town and they were trying to think of a reason to make cards.

Lois remembered seeing me on the local TV news station. She wrote my name and information down (smart lady). Lois decided this would be a great project to do. She called to get the details and she even knows of a soldier that she can get me her name and information so we can send the cards to. Did I say Lois told me maybe 4 times in our conversation how she loves to make cards.

Can you do something like that? Do you have some neighbors or friends that would welcome the idea of getting together for a time of getting reacquainted and doing a good turn at the same time?

Another organization emailed me and asked me to come visit them when they work on their project in Oct. They have done several projects for me in the past and I would love to see them and have some faces to put to the names. Also enjoying a cup of coffee and friendly chat is always fun.

So see what you can do. Get together or do your own and send them to me at :

Make 2 Tell 2
991 Road 325
Harvard, NE 68944

Also, round up some soldiers names and addresses and how many is in their troop. I always need names. Be sure and let the family members know that we will take special care of those names and not give them out.

Have a fun day,

Renita Farrall
Executive Director
That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!
http://www.make2tell2.com

　

Share Your Experience

Have you ever thought about volunteering?

Have you done any volunteering?

How did it feel?

Was it worth the time?

Please share with us your experience and thoughts in the comment box.

My latest experience with volunteering has been with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. I was blown away when I received a letter and certificate from Governor Dave Heineman and the NDCS Director Robert P. Houston, for supporting the TSCI Self-Betterment Club.

I have been going down to Tecumseh, NE to the state correctional facility to visit the men in the Toastmasters Club and found myself being a volunteer. The blessings that have come from doing this small act are to many to mention. I have learned to love these men that I thought could never be loved and learned that they are as human as the rest of us. They all have feelings and hurts just like us and they appreciate being honored, they want to do good and grow just like we do. They have made mistakes and now are paying the price and some of them are willing to learn and make corrections in their ways so that they can give back when they get out.

To answer my questions:

Have you ever thought about volunteering?
Yes. As far as I knew I was doing it for That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! but it has been a real blessing to the men and myself. How it backfires is totally amazing.

Have you done any volunteering?
I never thought I did until I recieved the letter and certificate yesterday, but as I think back I have done a lot of it at church by being on boards, helping with meals, going on a mission trip to Russia, helping at school when my kids were in school, working at Vacation Bible School now with my grandkids etc. It can go on forever I am thinking.

How did it feel?
I always seem to enjoy it. I grow and learn new things that I can do. With the prison thing I have never felt so good, even thinking about it now puts a smile on my face and a bounce in my step.

Was it worth the time? Yes, even though with all the other stuff I think I need to do at the time, I can see the growth in myself as well as what I was able to do for the other people involved at the time.

Some volunteering can be as simple as making a card for the soldiers overseas. That time is coming real fast to get Thank You cards send to them by the 4th of July. So get out your paper and crayons and make those cards and send them to me at:
Make 2 Tell 2
991 Road 325
Harvard, NE 68944

Feel free to click on Make 2 Tell 2 to learn more about how you can help send cards to the soldiers overseas.

We look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Many Blessings,

Renita Farrall

Focus! Direct! Ask!

As I look back over 2008 there was much growth and changes in my life.  January was the beginning of starting to move "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!" along.  We started with getting some Valentine Cards made and delivered to the area Nursing Homes.  Then we extended that to Thank you cards for our Soldiers.  Now I am also working with reading to the young children that come to the Library.  We also provide one morning a month for the adults to come in and share what they are reading.

All of this has been a real growing process for me. I am not one that likes to be out in the lime light.   I would be happy just sitting at home doing something that no one can see.  My growth has really expanded but I have a long ways to go.

Focus is one of the points I need to work on. I notice things seem to get in the way of what I should be doing. So sometimes I need to switch on my windshield wiper and clean the lens so that I can get refocused. When I do this my vision becomes clearer so then I can see more clearly as to the direction I am going.

Direction is another area to work on.  I get my compass out and find that most of the time I am headed in the wrong direction, so then I have to do a lot of back tracking to make up for lost time. By keeping my one eye on the compass I can make the right corrections.  Different situations create constantly changing. Constantly checking the compass will help me to know if I am heading in the right direction.

Ask! I need to work on asking for assistance when I am in doubt.  That will help to clear my perception and refresh it.  As I grow I find that it is easier to keep going back to the same old worn out path as I took before.  Now it is dawning on me that again I need to get out the windshield washer and clean my lens again to be able to go in a more current direction to fulfill my mission.

Life is always changing, evolving and growing.

Renita Farrall

Goals for 2009

Sorry guys and gals, I have taken a long siesta. Why?  I don't know, other then I just got overwhelmed with other things going on. No excuses.  Just me.

For my New Years Resolutions or I am calling them my goals for 2009 I want to change some things. So for the last couple of weeks I have been thinking what it is I want to accomplish for 2009. 2009 represents to me the year of increasing my income of improving myself as a business person and to do what I am going to have to become more proficient in keeping my focus and not letting myself getting sidetracked.  I seem to have a tendency to doing that.

I just read an email from Marna Goldstein Thail about goals and I thought they were great so I would like to share them with you. She is a weigh loss coach so the examples relate to that. Whaever your goals are -- make them to fit your situations as I have done for myself.

1. "Focus on what you want. Many people focus on what they don't want. "They don't want fat thighs" - they might say. Say instead "I want thin toned thighs that I am excited to show off."
Renita's Goal- I have a $500/month increase in my income. I am excited to pay off an existing bill.

2. "Write your goals as though they already exist. Write out your goals as if you have already achieved them. Start out by saying, "On March 31st, I'm so happy and grateful now that I am wearing a size 8." Goals that say "I hope" or "I will" or "I want" will keep you hoping, willing, and wanting for the future. You want your goals to be magnetic. "

Renita's Goal- On March 31st, I'm so happy and grateful now that I am writing one blog post each day and an email to my Aweber account each week.

3. "Only set three to five goals. If you set more than five goals, you may be overwhelming yourself. Have a few body goals, a financial goal, a spiritual goal, or whatever area you want
to focus on. Too many goals = distraction.

4. Set goals in a three month time frame. If today is December 31st, set your goal achievement day for three months from now, March 31st. I can work on anything for 12 weeks, but once it becomes 6-12 months, it's just too long and you most likely you will lose focus.

5. Ignite your senses. Take a moment every few days to read at least one goal that really inspires you. Then take one minute and feel this goal as if it has already occurred. Then go further - walk the walk, talk the talk, and BE the person who has accomplished this goal. Your whole physiology will change. If I'm walking around like I'm a size 8 when I'm a size 22, you better believe I'm going to see an immediate shift. The key is to just keep it up."

My Goals are:
1. I have a $500/month increase in my income. I am excited to pay off an existing bill.

2. On March 31st, I'm so happy and grateful now that I am writing one blog post each day and adding one email to my Aweber account each week.

3. On March 31st, I'm so happy and grateful now that I am seeing an increase in children coming to the Library.

4. On March 31st, I'm so happy and grateful now that I am making money online because I was one of Jeff Wellman, Dixie Brown and Paul Counts winners for their free Rapid Cash Marketing coaching.

5. I have received the city building in Harvard for That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's! I am so excited about this because that means to me that the city feels I have something important to offer our community and it gives me exposure to the citizens in Harvard and surrounding area.

I wish you a Happy New Year and much success in 2009.

Renita Farrall

What Are YOUR Possibilities?

Friday, April 18, 2008

Jim Connors and Hastings Mayor, Matt Rossen met with Tracy and Sherry Watson and myself at the hotel for breakfast. We discussed Senator Carlson's legislative bill, LB609, which was passed the day before. The Mayor was excited about this bill. He has been aware of the need for this in his city and it was very exciting for him. As the morning talk continued he offered free office space to "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!" I shared with Mayor Rossen about our new project: Make 2 Tell 2. This is a card program for our soldiers overseas. You make 2 cards and tell 2 people to do the same and send the cards to:

Make 2 Tell 2
991 road 325
Harvard, NE 68944

These are homemade cards we will send to our military people, letting them know they are being thought of and prayed for. Side note: We are now doing it for Christmas so please be sure to make your cards and send them to the address above.

At the end of our meeting Jim Connors stressed to me that I need to speak with confidence about the services and programs of "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!"

We departed from the hotel and moved on to meet with the Executive Director, Dianne Fowler of the Midland Area Agency on Aging. She was very supportive of "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!" and saw true value in bringing the generations together. She could see that it is rooted in and an advocate for "Money Follows the Person" and could be involved in the Nursing Home Transition Project. This is another area we are looking at to get involved in.

She immediately booked me on several of the board's agendas for their meetings to give a presentation!

From there we moved on to the Hastings Public Library, where we met with Library Director, Linda Rae. She was open to bringing new services to the Library. She was especially interested in a Financial Literacy Class. We discussed partnering to provide a class. We discussed several other possibilities with her.

Next we moved on to Grand Island, NE, 25 miles to the North.

There we went to the Center for Independent Living of Central Nebraska, Inc.

Ray Norris, the Executive Director shared with us the services they provide. Their biggest needs at this time are housing and transportation. He said coalitions need to be built. During our visit he offered me the use of their large boardroom at any time. He invited me to their next board meeting to give a presentation about "That's It, I'm Going to Grandma's!"

We moved on to our last destination for the day: Christian Resource Center, outside of Giltner, NE. This is the day camp where my pastor and his wife, Paul and Kathy Nauman, provide many resources for the youth of the surrounding area. They gave us several recommendations and offered their facilities for any classes that we may have.

Then it was a straight shot to our house to pick up my husband to head to a wonderful restaurant in the area for a great prime rib supper. On our way, we had to give them a tour of our great metropolis Harvard, NE, population 998. At the restaurant we discussed and shared with my husband the day's events.

"Just a farmer's wife" couldn't believe what all had transpired in a 10-hour day. First, being offered a free city office in a city that I am not even a resident of and then another offer to use a board room in another facility and another city! We were even offered classroom space not far from home! It was almost more than I could handle. Besides, it was an eye-opening and overwhelming opportunity to see what was ahead for "just a farmer's wife."

These are all possibilities that can happen when you are connected with the right people and desiring to make a difference in the lives of people.

The following quote sums up everything that has happened and will happen in the future for me:
"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." - William Arthur Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)

Thanks, Sherry Watson , for showing me these possibilities.

Renita Farrall

Where are you on YOUR legacy adventure?

We Interrupt This Posting for a Special Announcement:

Grandma’s Story received the ‘Blog of the Day Award’ on Sunday!
You see the button on the left hand side click on it and it will take you to the Blog of the Day website. It will explain to you how to nominate your favorite blog for the award.

This award was a complete surprise even though I knew my friend Connie Baum had nominated this website for the award. I never gave a thought that it would happen so it was a very pleasant surprise to see it when I got home from a rather eventful weekend.

Now it is time to pick up where we left off with the last post.

After our Hastings Chamber of Commerce 'After Hours' event. We continued on to a restaurant for supper-dinner, for most of you. Mr. Jim Connors joined Sherry and Tracy and my husband, Jerry and me.. While we were getting acquainted, Sherry asked me to share with Jim what my program was all about. I gave him my mind map and a couple of flyers that I had with me that explained it better then I could tell it.

He looked them over and then looked up from the table and looked me square in the eye and said, “Renita, do you know what you have here?” That scared me. I said, “I am not sure what you mean by that.” He proceeded to say “This is huge, this is what is needed, this is going to be big.” I was in awe. I was really scared. I thought, “What have I done? What has this “just a farmer’s wife” gotten herself into?” He then turned to me and asked me, “What can I do for you?”

Jim Connors is a man of high caliber, he is a businessman; he has done many things. I gulped several times and in a weak voice said “I feel like I am going to need a mentor.” Jim said “you’ve got it.” I was stunned beyond believe. Sherry gave me a hug.

Sherry told me that Jim calls her “the most effective train wreck he has ever met” and she said “now you will join me with that.” We all had a good laugh over that.

We had a great meal and learned a ton of information from both Sherry and Jim.

After supper I rode with Sherry and Tracy back to the hotel to pick up my vehicle and Sherry turned to me and said “Renita do you know what you just did?” “NO!” I said.
She said you just received free mentorship from a man who charges $______ for his services to anyone else.” I was really shaking by that time. I knew then that I could not waste his time on frivolous stuff. I would need to glean much good information from him.

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with what had happened from the whole day.
Here is the recap:
1. Meeting and having the Leading Grant Expert taking me around the Capitol City and introducing me to my Senator and teaching me how to gain information.
2. Meeting with the Mayor of Hastings, NE and the Hastings President of the Chamber of Commerce.
3. Meeting and being mentored by Jim Connors who is Managing Partner of the Governance and Goals Gurus Consulting Team and very influential in his area of expertise.
4. Learning that I have a tiger by the tail as far as ‘That’s It, I’m Going to Grandma’s!” is concerned.
5. Realizing that when you hobnob with the gurus you will learn from them and, hopefully--someday soon become one.

We still have one more day to learn about. So come back and expect to hear about another day with Leading Grant Expert Sherry Watson

Renita Farrall


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