Is Tomorrow Another Day?

Have you ever lost a loved one suddenly and felt as if you’d been sucker punched? I got the news yesterday that a dear ‘uncle’ had passed suddenly and before I could even croak out words of sympathy to his son, tears sprung to my eyes and I began crying…a lot. Because ‘Uncle’ Mike and his beautiful family were like family to us. We spent Thanksgivings and Christmas Days with them throughout my childhood. Although we were not blood nor legally family, we all felt like family. Have you ever had another family with whom you are connected like this?

‘Aunt’ Nancy and ‘Uncle’ Mike were my parents’ best friends and hold a special place in my heart, for after my parents passed and when I was going through the divorce, they checked in and made sure that I knew I still had ‘parents’ who cared. It goes without saying, although you know I will, that I am ever so grateful for their love, their kindness and their caring. They hold a special place in my heart. Because when you feel alone, to have someone reach out, well…it’s more than comforting. Sometimes, it feels like a blessed lifeline.

There’s also a sharp reminder that we are all here for a limited time. I think our mistake is in thinking we have all the time in the world to do it all. Like Scarlett O’Hara’s famous line from Gone With The Wind, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Yet, I am reminded that most of us never know our expiration date…so we need to enjoy The Presents of Presence…the here and now…and not wait until tomorrow to enjoy ourselves today.

I have been richly blessed by all of the connections I have made over the years. To me, each of you is a precious gem in my life and together we’ve weaved our stories like a tapestry. What a miracle! What a blessing! What a beautiful collection of souls!

Last night on the radio, randomly the song Elvira by the Oak Ridge Boys came on. Now that’s an oldie, but a goodie. Do you know it? Anyway, I haven’t heard it in years and yet, it reminds me 100% of my Dad who went through a country music phase during my childhood. When I heard that song, I knew that my Dad was letting me know that he knew about ‘Uncle’ Mike as at the same time the song came on, I was in the car talking with my son about him and reminiscing.

Do you get signs from the ‘other side’ too? You know that I do! If you are wanting them, then become more aware as they are trying to reach you…you just need to be a little more present…and notice…

Well my friends, this post isn’t one of my usuals. In fact, I’ve been all over the place while writing it. But I just wanted to send up a smoke signal to you to let you know I’m still here…keep shining your heartlights! I love to see them all!

Shine On!

xo

**Original photo by me, this morning as the sun rose in the sky…no filters.

Gone With The Wind

One of my favorite all time movies is Gone With The Wind (aka GWTW).  I was raised on that movie, having read the book back when I was in middle school.  Luckily for me, it’s a TV staple that comes on every year and whenever I get the chance, I watch it, even if it’s only in bits and pieces.  Because it’s a long 4 hour movie so watching it in its entirety is a time commitment.

Recently GWTW had been released for a limited viewing on the big screen in honor of its 80th anniversary.  My cousin and I went to see it and it was lovely!  Seated in a quiet theater, we watched the movie in its entirety while snacking on popcorn.

What a difference watching it makes on the big screen as opposed to television.  While I held back from reciting every line by heart aloud (because after watching it so many times I can!), I just sat back and enjoyed it.

I never tire of watching this movie.  It’s been a staple in my life for years.  As my Mom is from the South, there are ties that remind me even though that wasn’t her era.  I love the complexity of the characters and their relationships and how they evolve.  Scarlett has been my favorite character my whole life.  Her resilience has given me strength.  Her relationship with Rhett, though complicated, touched my soul.  The humanness of her character, the wholeness in which she was not perfect, did regrettable things and yet did what needed to be done to help her family adds to my understanding of her.  While Melanie was a kinder, more loving soul, she touched me as well for she understood Scarlett with all of her foibles.  While I may lean more towards Scarlett, it is Melanie whom I strive to be in life.  Someone who understands the loving humanness of those around her and someone who keeps her rose-colored glasses on because she loves with her whole heart.

I could go on and on about GWTW and how my viewing has evolved from a young girl first watching it to a woman of a certain age with experiences and choices that now resonate certain parts of the characters with me that didn’t in years past.

Have you ever seen Gone With The Wind?  Are you a big fan as I am?  Have you ever seen it on the big screen?  It is even more magical on the big screen for sure!

Shine On!

xo

A Book Lover’s Tag

I just saw a lovely post over on Ivon Prefontaine’s blog called A Book Lover’s Tag  and it inspired me to answer the questions and post them here and give a call out to all of you book lovers who have been on this journey with the book tour for Jay.  This was my post contribution for Jay’s debut novel #Watching Glass Shatter!  I’m not nominating anyone in particular, but if you feel so inclined, please let me know you did it as I’d love to read your responses!

1. Do you have a favorite place to read? Yes, I like to read in bed or on the couch.
2. Do you use bookmarks or random pieces of paper? I use random pieces of paper if it’s a real book.  If not, then I use the bookmarks on the kindle.
3. Do you eat or drink while you read? Not usually.
4. Do you listen to music or watch TV? No, I like to read in silence.
5. Do you read one book or several at a time? If I’m power-reading (meaning so into the book I can’t put it down) like I was with Jay’s book, then it’s one at a time.  But I enjoy reading a few books at a time too.
6. Do you prefer reading at home or elsewhere? I will take the kindle on trips with me, but normally, I just read at home.
7. Do you read silently or out loud? I read silently.
8. Do you read ahead or skip about? I read straight through the book.  I never like to skip about or read ahead.
9. Do you break the spine or treat it like new? I usually don’t break the spine and I tend to treat the book well so that I can pass it along in good shape.
10. Do you write in books? If it’s a favorite self-help book, then I will turn down pages or maybe even underline.  But for the most part, I don’t mark them up.
11. What books are you reading now? I am reading The Tao of Equus:  A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation Through The Way Of The Horse by Linda Kohanov on my kindle.  Thanks Karel at Peace With My Life for the suggestion.
12. What is your childhood favorite book? The Secret Garden comes to mind as well as Gone With The Wind which my best friend read to me in sixth grade when I was home sick for awhile.  For children’s books, Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss’ books.
13. What is your favorite book of all time?  Oh my, I don’t think I have a true absolute favorite book – maybe Gone With The Wind if I had to choose one.  But I have many books that I enjoy re-reading.  The authors Louise Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue, Tosha Silver, Florence Scovel Shinn and many others come to mind as favorites that I can reread at leisure when I need a little pick me up!  I also like the romance author Kaitlin O’Riley’s many historical romance novels.

Thanks for playing along and reading my post!  I love to read other people’s responses so feel free to answer the questions in a post and let me know so I can visit you too!

Shine On!

xo

P.S.  The Daily Prompt’s HONK made me think of making a bumper sticker!  What do you think of mine?

 

I’m Fine

The average person tells 4 lies a day

or 1460 a year;

a total of 86,700 by the age of 60. 

And the most common lie is:

I’m fine.

How many of us go about our day telling ourselves and anyone else who asks, “I’m fine,” even when we know we aren’t.  Denying the state of unrest within us doesn’t do anyone else any good, least of all ourselves.

Sure there are those of us who think we are inner powerhouses, who believe innately that we can work through the chaos and if we just put a little more effort into it, we can survive.  We continue to take each hurdle as it comes and keep moving forward, even when our body, mind, heart and soul yearn to rest.  But there’s no rest when we are amidst chaos.  We can’t let someone else down, nor ourselves.  We have to keep on, keeping on, in order to make it through, putting our best foot forward, because we are the responsible ones.  We are the ones whom everyone else is counting on and we just can’t let them down, nor can we face that sorry fact that we need help where we are.

If we were observant, we would face the truth and tell ourselves to reach out and we would know in our hearts that there are people who can and would help us.  Sometimes we do reach out, but if the person to whom we reach out can’t help us or won’t help us, we are doubly determined to just do it alone.  And so goes on that vicious circle of “I’m fine.”

But honestly. we are not alone.  You are not alone, nor am I.

And at times, we are certainly, NOT FINE.

Sure, I could tell you to rest and allow the weight of the world to fall off your shoulders at night so that you could sleep in peace.  You could hang your worries on a branch and give them over to God.  You could pray for solutions and look for signs from above.  You could reach out to friends and family for support or to trained professionals for guidance.  You could hire someone to do what it is you are so determined to do yourself.  It all depends on what is weighing you down and what is not fine.

But will you do that?

It’s a choice to get help when things are chaotic (and even when they aren’t).  It’s a letting go of the control and of the belief that I can do it.  It’s dropping the role that you’ve lead your entire life of being the responsible one and taking on obligations that maybe weren’t really even yours in the first place, but because nobody else stepped up, you did.

There will be those who criticize you if you choose to allow yourself to honestly say, “I’m not fine.”  There will be those who simply don’t understand what’s so hard for you when they look from the outside with their perception into your life.  There are those who will turn their backs and walk away.  Then there will be those who stay, who hold your hand, listen and pick up a shovel to help you get rid of the mess.

Those are the ones I want at my side.  What about you?

Trust in those who hold your hand with a loving heart space.  Allow their kindness, generosity and love to heal you, to help you and to ease the burdens you carry.  Trust in God that He can help you through these tough times.  And for goodness sake, get rid of the I’m fine, except when you know it will fall on deaf ears or when you really mean it.  Trust in I’m not fine, with those whose hearts are open to yours.

So if you’re asking me, “I’m not fine” today, but as Scarlett O’Hara once said, “Tomorrow is another day.”

How are you?

Shine On!

xo

Book Shares Wanted

I love to share books.  Having a kindle means I can keep my favorites all in one spot.  I can reference quickly and easily when needed.  One of my staples is  You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay (click for more info on blog post) which I frequently search when a friend confides an ailment to me and wants more information about it.  The books written by Florence Scovel Shinn are also in my fingertip library to keep me humming along with my affirmations when distractions slide me away from the Law of Attraction.

There are little escape books which make me feel good to read, relax and rejuvenate.  There are long-time favorites like Gone With the Wind, The Secret Garden and various books written by friends who are authors.  There are the usual array of positive, inspiring books in there as well.

I love to read (and to write).  Usually I read before bedtime for a bit.  My tastes vary, but I have found my local library on my kindle to be a plethora of great reading material for free.  I like to learn when I read and I don’t mean manuals.  I usually have one or two books going at a time on my reading list.

Do you enjoy reading?  What type of books do you gravitate toward?  Would you please list a book or two that you find enjoyable or meaningful in the comments below?  Even an author that you like is appreciated!  I love to read all types of books so it doesn’t have to be spiritual, although I don’t enjoy reading horror-type books.   I’d love to add to my list of future reading material and I thought it would be wonderful if we could all share what we are reading or what we have read and enjoyed.  Thank you in advance for sharing!

Shine On!

xo

What’s The Trouble?

The trouble is, you think you have time.  ~ Buddha

Procrastination weighs heavily on our shoulders at times.  We put off what we might have accomplished if we simply dug in and did whatever it is today.  Like Scarlett, in Gone With the Wind, we tend to say to ourselves, ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow.  After all, tomorrow is another day.”

But what if tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow and so on, we continue to put off?  What if, we decide to call a friend who’s been on our minds there and then instead of waiting a few days for a more convenient time?  What if we wait to call and something happens?  I’m not saying to live in fear that something could happen.  Oh no, I’m just trying to remind you to ‘just do it’ as Nike so grandly put it.  Why?  Because you’ll be so glad you did.

We need to trust our intuition.  There have been times in my life when I reached out and made sure I told someone how special they were, how much I loved them and how much I appreciated them.  Most times, it was simply a fond connection and maybe on some level it made the other person feel good.  But there have been a few times, when I am so grateful that I did because due to circumstances, I had no idea that it was to be our last conversation ever on the human plane.

As I look back on those experiences, my heartlight fills because unknowingly, I was able to tell them how much they meant to me before they passed away.  I hold dear those conversations that were divinely orchestrated and it has given me much peace in my heart that I didn’t put off saying how I felt and hearing how they felt as well.

For who knows how much time we have here on Earth?  Truly, we only have the present moment to count on for the future is unsure and the past is gone.  We don’t know when our time here on Earth ends and we move on to our next chapter.  Living in the present in the best way we can is the only way to find peace.

Christine over at A Gratitude Diva is hosting a gratitude challenge which I found yesterday.  I have done gratitude challenges before and enjoyed them.  You can peruse my blog for gratitude challenge and see my results which I found, dare I say, gratifying? ♥  If you are interested in joining the challenge with Christine and many others, here’s the link!  Please feel free to pass it along to your friends, family and readers.  Wouldn’t it be lovely if we all did it together?  Imagine how the energy level of our world would increase?

Here, I’ll start…I am grateful for my family, friends and loved ones.  I am grateful that I have the beautiful opportunity to connect with all of you for each and every one of you shines your heartlight into my life and into the lives of others with such beauty.  Thanks for being you! ♥

Shine On!

xo

 

 

The Less You Worry

The less you worry about what people think, the less complicated life becomes.

I saw this quote this morning and had to write about it because it was my mantra this week in stretching out of my comfort zone!  I just couldn’t resist because it’s a great one!  I don’t know about you, but many people worry about what others think.  Are you one of those people?

Well, in stretching our comfort zones here at Inner Hotshot University (IHU), this is sometimes a big issue for people! I don’t know about you, but there’s that inner voice in my head from childhood which says, “Don’t do/say/act like that because what will people think?”

We are taught that we mustn’t talk with our mouths full because, “people will think you don’t have any manners!”

Don’t cause a commotion because, “what will the neighbors think?”

Etc Etc Etc…I’m sure you can make a huge list!

I think in letting go of those limits in our lives, we allow ourselves more power, more room to grow, more space in which to live, to breathe and to flow!  Being taught manners, I still abide by the rules ~ but in speaking out, stretching out of my comfort zone, I’m finding inner peace!  How about you?

It’s a daily practice for me to not seek acceptance and approval from others in my life.  It’s a habit that I’m finding that I want to let go of ~ because I want my inner Hotshot, the little spitfire inside who danced without music, who loved and enjoyed life, wants out of the confines of the self-imposed prison which I set up for her.

Sure, I still enjoy being a Mom, Wife, Daughter etc…I just want to allow ME to shine through as well!  I’ve been talking with a few friends lately and it seems that there are times where we all go through this stage in our lives.  Some have taken different routes to find their Inner Hotshot ~ but for me, it’s that small stretching everyday out of my comfort zone by gently pushing myself to do a bit more, to allow myself to dance a bit (figuratively) and to revel in the freedom of not worrying about what others think, that allows me to shine again.

Frankly, I’ve missed that part of me that I’d hidden away.  And it’s time to call her back into action and integrate her into my life again!

I hope I’m making sense to you ~ but to quote my favorite movie Gone With The Wind, even if I don’t make a lot of sense to you, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!”  Ha ha…only kidding! 🙂

So did you stretch out of your comfort zone this week? 

Tell me all about it!

Shine On!

Happy Friday!

xo

Loving the Liebster!

My dear friend at Enchanted Seashells winner-winner-winner-liebster-award  was kind enough to nominate me for the Liebster!  I am honored to be blessed twice by the lovable Liebster although this one is a bit different from the last one I received.  A different Liebster emblem and now the magic of 11s.  As a game player and rule breaker, I accept with much appreciation!  Thank you my friend!

So the rules are: 
I need to nominate 11 other under-appreciated blogs with less than 200 followers. Next comes 11 juicy tidbits about myself and then answer the 11 questions sent to me, and create 11 questions for my chosen group.

11 Tidbits About Me:

1.  I love ‘old’ music and know all the lyrics for songs way before my time.

2.  I am an incurable romantic.

3.  I’m a Pisces.

4.  I met my very best friend in 4th grade when she moved to our school ~ and we’ve been best friends for over 30 years!

5.  My favorite holiday is Christmas!

6.  I love celebrating my birthday and I celebrate for as long as my family will allow ~ usually 2 weeks!

7.  I love gadgets ~ especially for the kitchen.

8.  I’d prefer to make reservations than to actually MAKE dinner!

9.  I long to learn to horseback ride.

10.  I love my SendOutCards business because it allows you to send cards for less than $1 ~ and the feeling you give and get is priceless!

11.  I really love my life.

Here are the questions I was required to answer:

1. How old were you when you first learned to read?  I don’t remember ~ probably 5?

2. Name two of your favorite books.  Oh, so many to choose from!  You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay, The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovell Shinn and I have to put in Gone With The Wind…

3. What’s your favorite holiday dessert?  Chocolate…anything…but without nuts!

4. What is a Merchant Marine?  Ok, so I took so long to write this post that you answered it for me! 🙂  But for those who didn’t already know the answer:  The Merchant Marine supplements the military in times of war, transporting goods and equipment to areas where it is needed.

5. Who is your role model? I have too many to list…

6. Who is your favorite movie star?  Tough one…first one who came to mind was Vivien Leigh

7. Do you make new year’s resolutions?  Yes

8. What’s cluttering up your life?  Paperwork which isn’t mine!

9. Do you drive a car or a truck?  SUV

10. Do you know how to change the battery in a smoke alarm?  Yes

11. What is your best home remedy for a sore throat? honey

Your questions to answer are:

1. Name your favorite part of your body.

2. Name a book you have reread.

3.  What is your astrology sign?

4. What’s your favorite time of day?

5.  If money were no object, where would you go on your next trip?

6.  What’s your most priceless possession?

7.  Are you a dog lover, a cat lover or both?

8.  Are you happy?

9.  Have you ever seen a double rainbow?

10.  What’s your favorite dessert?

11.  What’s your favorite season?

So here are my nominees!  Please check out their awesome blogs ~ you won’t be disappointed!  Hugs!

Congratulations to:

http://spiritualmysticism.wordpress.com/

http://bluekyanite.com/

http://unshakablehope.wordpress.com/

http://www.dancingsunvt.com/

http://lifesjourneyblog.com/

http://beeskneesphotographync.com/

http://www.tracielouisephotography.com/

http://hopeforheather.wordpress.com/

http://tchistorygal.wordpress.com/

http://msmigraine.wordpress.com/

http://daddylee1969.wordpress.com/