Requesting the Power of Prayer

May the power of prayer comfort and lift your burdens.

I, myself, believe in the power of prayer.  I also believe in the Power of Positive Thinking.  I have friends who ‘vibe’ for me as they are not inclined to call it prayer, but more akin to sending powerful, positive, healing vibrations to me.  Believe me, I accept any and all good thoughts, healing feelings, powerful prayers etc. and I am blessed to say that I have enjoyed the fruits of their Reiki, their loving energy and their healing messages.

So when I ask today for a bit of help from you all, I hope you won’t mind taking a moment of your time to think of me.  You see, it’s been a really hard year for me.  Perhaps I’m throwing a bit of a pity party this morning ~ because in reality, there’s nobody who is always 100% happy and inspirational 100% of the time ~ not even me, although I do try to be ~ I try with all of my heart and being to be.

But this morning, I’m not feeling it and although I debated whether to write this post, I think that it’s only fair to show that I’m a real person who gets down like everyone else, but who, I hope, inspires you all by getting back up everyday and moving forward ~ even if it’s only a baby step forward.  I try to look at the sunshine through the clouds, remember that the rain falls to feed the beautiful flowers (and to make rainbows) and that the age old mantra of what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger makes me a 2 ton indestructable ox today. 🙂

My body is tired and needs extra care now after this surgery.  It seems that after 4 this year alone, it’s just not bouncing back the way it ought to and it’s having some difficulties in healing as I found out from my surgeon’s visit yesterday.  I need my body to heal so that I can continue on with Christmas as it’s only a week away and I’m floundering under this new burden.  Sometimes, we all need a bit of help and for some of us, it’s more difficult to ask for than it is to give.  So I’m learning…and I”m asking…and I have faith that I’ll receive.

I know we’re cyberly connected ~ that’s the beauty of blogs ~ so my request is simple…Please take a moment and send me a healing thought, message, vibe, prayer, Reiki ~ whatever you choose.  I need a little extra strength today and I’m counting on you.  I’m sending blessings out to the Universe with every post and especially this one so if you would please send back some love, I’d be most appreciative.  I started counting my blessings and not my troubles this morning in hopes of turning this situation around, but I feel like I could use a bit of back up ~ hence my post and request.

I believe we are a community ~ I believe that each of us has the power to change lives and together ~ well, together we can make miracles.  I’m not asking for a miracle, just a little healing.  I’m not dying any faster than anyone else ~ but I could sure use some powerful vibes to heal me.  So, if you are inclined, I’d be grateful to you today.

Hugs to all of you ~ you make my heart sing with your words, your blogs and your energies!

Shine On my friends…Shine On!

Thank you!

xo

I Feel the LOVE ~ Blog of the Year 2012 Award!

With my surgery coming up quickly, I apologize for putting both of my stars into one post, but I would be remiss in not sending my heartfelt thanks to my dear ShareChair at  http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/long-overdue-award-post/ and also to sweet Marcia aka Who’s Your Granny? at http://mmeara.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/an-award-for-wyg-wow/  for nominating me for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award!  I am so honored and I appreciate their kind words about my blog!  Please make sure you get on over to see their blogs!

Now as to the award.  This is slightly different from the others as you can add extra stars to it every time someone nominates you for it.  That’s a fun variation.  Here are the rules, as explained by the creator of the award, and my nominations for other bloggers, as well.

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

 

 

Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!  Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different.  When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given this award by another blog – you can add another star!

 

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.  Which means that you can check out your favorite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

Need to know more? Check out our FAQ page

And Congratulations! on being chosen for the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award.

Nominees: Here are the 6 awards in thumbnail size for your sidebar – feel free to Right Click and save any of the images on this page:

**********

Okay, now to fulfill the only real rule for receiving the award–my nominations for Blog of the Year.  Hope you have time to collect all six stars before the year is up! I am sure you will because these are awesome bloggers! Hugs to all of you! 

http://deepandwonderfulthoughts.wordpress.com/

http://womenswindow.com/

http://inspired2ignite.com/

http://enchantedseashells.com/

http://sharingmemyselfandi.wordpress.com/

http://momentumofjoy.com/

http://evatenter.wordpress.com/

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/

http://marciameara.wordpress.com/

http://letlifeinpractices.com/

http://russtowne.com/

http://thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com/

http://elisacashiola.com/

http://help-me-rhonda.com/

http://russelrayphotos2.com/

http://davidkanigan.com/

http://brainsnorts.wordpress.com/

Please check them out as they are sure to become favorites in your Reader!

Shine On my friends!

Congratulations to YOU!

xo

Christmas All Year Long…

Christmas is a little bit of home that we hold in our hearts

Have you noticed that a few blogs have snow gently falling?  How cool is that?  Thanks WordPress as the virtual snow just raised my spirits up a notch!  My heartfelt thanks to my blogger friend David at http://davidkanigan.com/  for kindly letting me in on the way to make it snow!  FYI:  You should stop by and see him as well ~ he’s a master of cool stuff!

I love snow, don’t you?  Watching it gently fall outside while I”m cozy and nestled warmly inside?  Ahh…it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas…and it feels so good!  Now if the Jersey weather would just be less tropical, I’d be happy!  I know, I know, there’s time for cold ~ I agree…but a nip in the air would make it feel more like Christmas!

Lucky for me, I found this card last night when I was working and when I found this one, I knew that I had to use it for my inspiration.  You see, for me, it brings up the possibility that if we were to keep that little bit of home in our hearts all year long, we could make the Christmas Spirit last all year long…how wonderful would that be?  Can you imagine it?  Wouldn’t you like it?  A bit of holiday spirit everyday?!

Imagine a Baker’s Dozen of Warm, Gooey Ways Our Lives Would Change

When We Keep the Christmas Spirit in Our Hearts for 12 Months

1.  We feel the love and generosity in the air all year long.

2.  Everyone stays on their best behavior so that Santa and his Elves don’t put them on the Naughty List!

3.  More people are singing and smiling everyday!

4.  The Season of Giving and of World Peace is an everyday occurrence.

5.  Gratefulness is a daily sentiment ~ instead of tipping only at Christmas!

6.  Happy memories with family and friends occur more often!

7.  Reminiscing about those who have passed keeps their memories alive.

8.  A lightness in heart keeps people huggable.

9.  We sit down and enjoy our meals ~ with our families and friends!

10.  We send cards filled with loving words and pictures of our families and connect more often!

11.  I Believe is a sentiment heard more often than not!

12.  We enjoy the twinkling of lights and take time to contemplate their beauty.

13.  We embrace The Presents of Presence each and everyday!

Join me…let’s keep the Holiday Spirit glowing!

Keep Twinkling and Shine On!

xo

In my search for a good  follow up to yesterday’s post, I checked out the newest cards to find one as my inspiration.  You may not know that most of the images that I feature in my blog are actual cards from my business which I use to springboard my blog post ~ hopefully bringing to you, a bit of inspiration.  If the picture/card is not from the card catalog, then it’s one that I made in about 5 minutes from my own photo and the templates/elements of the free system.  If you want to try it for yourself, you can click below…

http://www.rememberchristmas.com/deanery

Christmas Spirit on its way!

So after I put in one of my favorite scenes in movieland ~ Mame’s rendition of We Need a Little Christmas Now, into yesterday’s post, I began thinking about that special movie ~ all the amazing quotes from it that I loved.  Now the one I gave you, was the 1973 version with Lucille Ball and Bea Arthur which is a classic unto itself.  However, my favorite rendition is the original movie called Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell from 1958.

So I got my computer, put it on the kitchen table, started some broth in a pot on the stove and checked out my trusty Amazon account (thinking of ShareChair http://sharechair.wordpress.com/in the back of my head…what would she do to find a free version of a the movie) and began!  What I found was a FREE VERSION with my Prime account…and I could watch it from my computer, while I made comfort food for my family and myself.

So as I chopped veggies and chicken and whipped up homemade chicken soup complete with a dash of love and then scooped Nestle Toll House chocolate chip ready made dough from a container and ‘baked’ chocolate chip cookies, I watched my movie in the kitchen by myself…fresh balsam candle twinkling and making the house smell like love and Christmas…and with food ready for our bellies, filled with love and comfort.

In the midst of all of my kitchen antics, my doorbell rang ~ my neighbor brought me a huge homemade wreath ~ made with the branches from our street which had fallen and are being picked up by the town this week…TAngel and her husband had painstakingly picked up branches of magnolia trees, spruce and pine and she had woven the most beautiful wreath I have ever seen, complete with colorful Christmas ball ornaments to brighten my day.  I was in awe of her talent, let alone the fact that she had made it for me.  I feel so grateful and so blessed.  To be given such amazing holiday spirit by a kind friend! (See pic above ~ I just took a pic of it, added a border and voila!  It’s the front of her thank you card from me!  If you’re new, check out my website ~ http://www.rememberchristmas.com/deanery

And when I was all done with my movie, chicken soup ready for the family dinner and homemade (ahem) cookies for dessert, I got online to see if I had any emails waiting…and there you all were…our beautiful blogging community…

Thank you my friends.  Your outpouring of loving comments made me cry…

and I want you to know how blessed I feel…thank you.

I BELIEVE ~  Shine On!

xo

A Thanksgiving Feast of Super Sweet Bloggers!

I figured with the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, a bit of gratitude during Thanksgiving week would be appropriate ~ and give you a chance to expand your blogging reader instead of your waistlines!  🙂  So…first of all, my sincere and sweet thanks to Holly Michael at award-party(her blog is called Holly Michael’s Writing Straight ~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life’s Crooked Lines by Author & Freelance Writer Holly Michael).  Holly’s inspirational blog along with her amazing photos of faraway places that she’s visited in her blessed lifetime will keep you coming back post after post!  Thank you again Holly for all!  I feel so grateful! xo

Now for the super sweet and gooey:

Rules for this award include:  Thank the super sweet blogger who made the nomination, Nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers (below) and answer five questions:

1. Cookie or cake?  Cookie – good, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies (no nuts, raisins ok)
2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Both
3. What is your favorite sweet treat? Too many to name! 🙂
4. When do you crave sweet things the most? Equally all the time, except when I’m sleeping. LOL
5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? Bon Bon

And for the sweetness award, I nominate these super-sweet blogs:

1.  serenityspell.com

Christina’s got the amazing wildlife in Florida front and center!  She makes this big ol’ world seem manageable with her photogenic views of Florida and its inhabitants.  Sprinkle in a big of inspiration and you’ve got FeyGirl’s number.  Not to be missed!

2.  waitingforthekarmatruck.com

Mimi’s got it going on at the Karma Truck!  Stop by and see her…share a cup of coffee on her porch as she’s always got something fun over there on her blog!

3.  antodesimone.wordpress.com

Antonio’s poems in English and Italian will delight you as well as his photographs!  Perhaps you’ll be inspired to learn Italian?!

4.  brainsnorts.wordpress.com

Rich’s blog is full of fun ~ stories to be read, cartoons to write captions for, news to understand…there’s so much to enjoy!  Make sure you stop by to check him out!  You won’t be disappointed!

5.  paperkeeper.wordpress.com

Bonnie’s blog always has something special for you as does her Etsy business.  She’s a lovely lady who may keep her heart in her pocket, but captures all of ours.

6. jumpingonclouds.com

Jump on clouds and ride along the journey of a woman who speaks so openly and lovingly about her recovery from PTSD and her Mom’s recent brain cancer diagnosis.

7.  livingsuccess3d.wordpress.com

Judit is an amazing  coach who will give you tools, strategies and tactics to help you with successfully transforming not only your own personal and professional world, but the world around us ~ you can count on inspirational stories, straight talk and no mumbo jumbo…what a special find!

8.  letlifeinpractices.com

Kristin’s blog is a plethora of information, inspiration and tips for your life!  Get ready to find how to Let Life…and soar!

9.  hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com

Esperanza will hug you in her special way…enjoy her special brand of Hope & Hugs!  You know you’ll get hope because that’s what Esperanza means!

10.  thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com

Patty helps those in the military connect ~ in addition, she shares heartwarming stories that will always bring a smile to your face!

Please check out these super sweet bloggers…you will be happy that you did!  They are awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving week!   I”m grateful to ALL of You for your amazing posts!

Keep on Blogging!

xo

Gratitude Made Easy…

Gratitude is a habit and like many habits, it takes time to develop.  Being thankful for all things in our lives and all people in our lives can sometimes be a challenge ~ especially when Mother Nature wallops you with unforeseen, epic storms.

However, it’s sometimes when life is darkest that you can find gratitude in the most minute things that can increase your life’s abundance exponentially.  I gave out the 30 day Gratitude Challenge yesterday and I thought I’d follow up today with some suggestions.  I know that before I took the challenge myself, I floundered at the thought of 30 different people to thank, but as I went along, every morning, I popped out of bed excited to find my next person to thank ~ and magically they were delivered to me!

Here, you will find my first gratitude card that I began earlier this year.  gratitude-day-1    I did the gratitude challenge which morphed into something bigger as time went on for me.  It changed me just like the death of my Dad did.  Perhaps that’s why I’ve reached out to my cousins and found peace.

Life is short…don’t live with regrets…now’s the time to say how you feel…enjoy the beauty in the written word.  It doesn’t have to be fancy nor cost a lot…it just has to come from the heart!

Hugs to you!

126830

xo

Bras, Friendship and October…

Bras, friendship & October all come together as the month of  “All Things PINK” continues.  It’s in the camaraderie of breast cancer (BC) survivors that we immediately understand what the other person is enduring once we identify ourselves as having or having had BC.  It’s like with any other club or illness I think…it’s just that the month of October puts it out in front of everyone’s face for an entire month, wrapping it up tightly in pink ribbons for all to see.

I am a survivor which you know already because quite frankly, I am proud that I continue to endure after having been diagnosed 10 years ago.  BC gave me a tough run for my femininity as well as for my health.  It’s beaten me down, only to have me rise up from the ashes of my life and to great each day with the happiness that I am here to experience life ~ to Enjoy the Presents of Presence ~ to Send Out Love with my cards and to hopefully inspire others with my blog and to help women who are enduring the same.  Because we’re all here together, all connected and in helping others, I am even helping myself.

Truthfully, I’ve endured a lot in my life ~ with BC, I’ve endured multiple surgeries in 10 years ~ actually this Tuesday I’ll be enduring #8 for breast cancer which is also #13 total in my lifetime.  I think enough is enough quite frankly, but I know there looms one more after this which will be the last for BC.  I will have come full circle finally once I am finished with them all.  I will have had my breasts removed completely with a double mastectomy, been replaced with hard implants twice, been explanted (removed implants) and now, I am finally putting my breasts back completely using my own flesh ~ all within the span of 10 years which is quite a feat I think.  To me, it is a full circle in a decade ~ one that I had never even dreamed of 10 years ago when I was diagnosed.  The reality of the situation makes me stop at times to cry tears of gratitude…I want to thank my surgeons who made it all possible and who are giving me the opportunity to regain what was taken so many years ago.  I am thankful that medicine has come so very far in 10 years!

So, although I never wanted to be a part of the Pink Ribbon Club, I am happy today that I can give back and teach what I’ve learned to those who are sad, angry and enduring all of what BC brings to our lives.  I have been blessed to continue to be able to fight, live and learn as well as help others.  My life is richer now because of the suffering I have endured.  Without having first-hand experienced BC, I would never be able to appreciate every day the way I do now.

I am grateful for where I am now 10 years later…and now I”m excited for my next decade!

I’ve made it so far…and I’m going to keep looking up and taking baby steps

and enjoying The Presents of Presence

with YOU!

xo

Welcome to October!

Ribbons Ribbons Everywhere…

As a breast cancer survivor myself, I am grateful for the unity which encompasses the month of October, but…I dislike the fact that although we continue to buy yogurt for the cure, run for it, walk for it, buy paper towels for it, donate outright to it, etc…the fact is…Breast Cancer is still here.

I won’t bemoan the fact that I was diagnosed with BC nor that I have endured the ravages of the disease for the past 10 years of my life.  It’s changed my body, my mind, my heart (medically), and my life.  It’s made me weaker and stronger and it’s changed the way I view my world.

It’s given me a gift amidst all that it’s taken from me.  Throughout this journey of endurance I’ve earned courage, inspiration, and strengthened my will to survive.  I’ve been given me an extraordinary view of life for which I am grateful as I would be whom I am now.

So my celebration this month is in gratefulness…in enduring…in enjoying

THE PRESENTS OF PRESENCE every single day!

Come with me, my friends…start with our first of the month saying.

Repeat after me…

Rabbit, Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit

xo

Happiness…

You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. Ruth E. Renkl

I had an epiphany recently which I thought I would share as it goes along so beautifully with this card, summer and life!  This year I declared was MY YEAR, but it hasn’t worked out the way I planned it to at all.  But then, sometimes the Best Miracles arrive without fanfare, without warning and certainly not within our control.

I am a worrier at times and I know the saying, “worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair ~ it gets you nowhere even though you keep rocking” or something like that… I can’t ever seem to get the exact quote, but please tell me that you get what I’m trying to say?  Anyway, as a family, we often take our boat out to an island which is about an hour away.  It is an ever popular spot amongst boaters as it marries the bay and the ocean via an island which allows you to anchor nearby and enjoy the day.

My thoughts and life have been changing this year and the proof was in the day yesterday that I’ve come a long way, Baby!  For the first time in years, I sat on our boat and enjoyed the day without driving my husband crazy by worrying about the other boaters who are not always careful when they are ‘parking’ and anchoring their boats.  Because it is such a popular spot, many people try to squeeze in-between boats in order to have the closest spot to the island.  We get there early so that we get a prime spot before the droves arrive and it’s that worry that someone will anchor too close that used to have me worrying the entire time we were there.  I would enjoy the day, but I couldn’t keep the worry out of my head nor out of my mouth.  I would motor on as such in a diatribe of worry that it drove my family crazy as well.

Yesterday was the first trip of the season (better late than never) and as the other boats neared, I smiled instead of scowling and simply enjoyed my day.  When the first boat came too close, my first reaction was to worry immediately if they were going to hit us, run over our anchor etc, and the peaceful thought of “Everything is fine,” allowed me to relax and stop the incessant worry which had plagued me for too many past summers.  And…it was WONDERFUL!  I let go!

I am finding that my life is changing for the better when I allow it which is more and more often.  My first thought it to imagine the worst, but it’s simply a bad habit which I’ve grown accustomed to over the years and I now know, has not served me well.  Like many habits, it’s breakable which is great news and it’s simply consistency in my thought process to change it.  Notice I am not being negative about breaking this undesirable habit of mine, I am being positive ~ positive that with time, effort and confidence I can have it licked soon!

Happy Sunday to You!

Enjoy the Miracle of Today!

xo

Thanks Mom…

Mother’s Day is around the corner…for many of us, it’s happy day as it’s OUR DAY because we are Mothers…there are those who are not Moms, but have Moms who are living and that makes it special as well…then there are those whose Moms have passed away and for them it’s a bittersweet day…

My friend JAngel recently had her Grandmother and her Mom pass away within months of each other and I find it so sad to think of how this coming holiday will be for her and her lovely family.  As a wonderful Mom herself, I know her family will pay special attention to her and honor her on Mother’s Day…and for that, I am grateful.

I am grateful that my Mom and I had lunch recently and I love how our relationship has evolved over the years.  We’ve all seen the comics of how daughters grow up and grow apart from their Moms and then realize that Mom knew what she was talking about ~ what an amazing journey Mothers and Daughters travel.  I know I am very blessed to enjoy my Mom’s wisdom and company every day and I can’t wait to honor her on her special day!

Moms come in all different forms and they don’t necessarily have to be your own biological Mom to be honored on Mother’s Day!  Many of us are blessed with women who seem to just be so very nurturing that the bond that you have with them is as strong as any Mom’s could be.  Hopefully during your life, you’ve been blessed with a special woman (or even women!)  in your life who love you with all of her heart…

I know it’s early to talk about Mother’s Day, but I don’t want you to forget to thank your Mom, take a moment and be grateful for her patience and love and if you can, give her a heartfelt hug ~ she deserves it!

My gift to you is a card to your Mom for free…no pressure, just spreading love.

Please watch the following video to see an array of Mother’s Day cards…

DRy3wWjJvSA

And contact me

126830

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th…take a moment to tell her how you feel!

xo