Clay Aiken - Sparkle and Shine

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
~ Elizabeth K. Ross

Clay Aiken is an example of someone with the true inner beauty, he spreads hope and happiness even on the darkest of days.

Grace of God

AmazingCA graciously sent me most of the Clay Aiken graphics for this this montage.
Thank you "T"!

The World Won’t Make You Happy

Happiness does not come wrapped in brightly colored packages as a “gift” given to us by others. Happiness comes when we uncover the gifts that lie within us and begin to use them to please God and bless others.

Happiness flows from within. It is found in the moments of life we label as “quality’ rather than quantity. George Bernard Shaw once said, “This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one…Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish, little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

The only person who can truly make you happy is yourself. You simply have to decide to be.

Exercise for Happiness!

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks. Then try 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

This entry is dedicated to our recently departed friend, xxx4clay.
Her sparkle and shine will be forever remembered through her beautiful photos and friendship on the fan boards.

graphics by Ashes

See Carolina Clay's blog - Clay Nation celebrates Aiken Fan


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#105 Live Well-Laugh Often-Love Much

"The most wasted day of all is that in which we have not laughed."
Sebastian Roch Nicolas Chamfort

Please 'click' the player on!






The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar.
The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze.

Considering the inestimable benefits of humor it only makes sense to bring as much laughter into our lives as possible. What other medicine is this powerful, yet completely free and has no bad side effects?

(The person who wrote the above didn't know about Clay, he's the best medicine I've ever had!)












Laughter's Effects on the Body

Laughter lowers blood pressure.
People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure rises, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.

Humor changes our biochemical state.

Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.

Laughter protects the heart

Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack. A recent study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Laughter gives our bodies a good workout.

Laughter can be a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles. It massages abdominal organs, tones intestinal functioning, and strengthens the muscles that hold the abdominal structures in place. It is estimated that hearty laughter can burn calories equivalent to several minutes of exercise.

Humor improves brain function and relieves stress.

Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information.









Fun photos are thanks to Invisible926; Leslie42; Fivegoldens; Scrpkym; dc4clay; Toni7babe
Thank you Ladies!




We need to laugh more and seek stress reducing humor in our everyday lives. Laughter is the human gift for coping and for survival. Laughter ringing, laughter pealing, laughter roaring, laughter bubbling. Chuckling. Giggling. Snickering. Snorting. These are the sounds of soul saving laughter which springs from our emotional core and helps us feel better, see things more clearly, and creatively weigh and use our options. Laughter helps us roll with the punches that inevitably come our way. The power of laughter is unleashed every time we laugh. In today's stressful world, we need to laugh much more.

Laughter Therapist, Enda Junkins, LCSW, LMFT, BCD



It is not the number of breaths you take that matter, it is the number of moments that take your breath away. (unknown)



I don't know what was so funny to use the ROTFL, he just makes me grin. If I were a good writer I'd think of something witty to go with it!
So where and how did this laughing health lesson come about? I'm not sure, other than when looking at the photos I've collected I was remembering the videos I'd watched that had me laughing like crazy. It made me feel good!