Embrace your Uniqueness…

Unique. Embrace your uniqueness.

Time is much too short to be living someone else’s life.

~ Kobi Yamada.

I think as we get older, it becomes easier to be ourselves.  Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel that there’s an awakening, a releasing of caring about what someone else’s thoughts are about me and a freedom which makes life so enjoyable!

I spoke with CAngel yesterday whom I only just recently met.  She was very open in telling me about her life and the recent events which had changed her life so dramatically.  Instead of being negative about the events which changed her entire life recently, when I asked her how she was, she answered, “I am well.”  She went on to tell me that she was not going to succumb to negativity in thought nor in word.  She would accept the growth that the experiences were giving her and she would take this opportunity to get to know herself better.  She looks up, reads scripture and is delving into knowing herself better in order to strengthen herself.  She even shared with me that she has intuitive skills with spirits which I found fascinating and I loved that she was embracing her uniqueness in such a grand way.  Good for you CAngel!

We all have a UNIQUENESS that is OURS ALONE!  We all have talents, strengths and weaknesses which make us ourselves.  We can live our lives covering up what makes us unique or we can celebrate our uniqueness and strengthen it.  It’s all up to You!

For me, I love my Uniqueness ~ I’m not quite sure what makes me Unique though…

Do you know what makes you Unique?  Do you celebrate your Uniqueness?

Embrace your Uniqueness!

xo

Key to Success…Key to Failure…

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. ~Bill Cosby

Happy Monday to You!  I found this card this morning and just knew it was for today’s message.  In digging through my Dad’s personal items, I’ve found a ton of keys ~ most of which I have no clue as to what doors they open, but I find it interesting that there are so many doors that they could open and I wonder if I’ll ever find them.

On my own keyring, I have a key which I can’t figure out whose door it opens.  It’s been on there so long that I am afraid to throw it out for fear that it is a key I need.  Do you have any keys which don’t serve you anymore because you don’t know to which door they belong?  Have you thrown them out or are you holding onto them like me?

I feel like many of us hold onto keys in hopes of finding the doors to which they belong and in doing so, we somehow hold onto that ‘key of failure’ in the process.  Trying to keep the peace, helping to keep everyone happy and perhaps not keeping ourselves happy in the process is a key to failure.

It’s Your Life…it’s My Life…and I’m a guilty as the next key holder when it comes to trying to please everyone from time to time.  I’m not advocating not smoothing the road of life from time to time for others, but living your life to please everyone is not a life to live.  Giving yourself up in order to make others happy doesn’t allow you to be happy nor to grow by experiencing life as it could be.

As for my dilemma with an unknown door key ~ I’m going to take my own advice today ~ for the next week, I will truly try to figure out to which door it belongs and if at the end of a week I am unable to find it, I will simply take it off my keyring and put it away in my desk.  It’s not serving me and I feel like it’s weighing me down.  Perhaps it’ll be my symbolic key to failure that I’ll finally lay to rest.  I’m still unable to throw it out, but I think there will come a time that I will simply throw it away knowing that the door to that key is permanently closed…and I’ll feel good about it.

Do you carry keys to success on your key ring?  Or do you carry keys to failure?

xo

Summer ~ Today’s Gift to YOU!

Summer. Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. Sam Keen

Happy Saturday to You!  I hope you are enjoying the warm summer weather which seems to seep into my bones whenever I am outside in the sunshine lately.  I thought this sentiment was perfect for today because I think with the hustle and bustle of life, we sometimes forget to simply enjoy the weather, the season and nature.  It’s important to get off of the hamster wheel for awhile and just ‘be’ for a bit.  Many of us feel guilty (myself included) when we’re not doing something and we let our minds race with all of the woulda-coulda-shouldas instead of just breathing, observing, enjoying what is offered in The Presents of Presence (my FB page).

In fact, even in the card, it’s described as laziness finding respectability when it’s not that at all, but in our frenzy to continue to be busy, laziness is how we explain our doing nothing for awhile and enjoying it.  How sad that we need to label being present and just enjoying the moment as laziness.  Is that a label you use as well?  Or are you comfortable just being able to take time to be?

Even for a moment today, my challenge to you is to find 5 minutes in the sunshine ~ drop your burdens, your cares, your woes ~ allow the beauty, warmth and happiness of sunshine to seep into your bones for a bit, soak up some of the sun’s vitamin D (with sunscreen of course!) and take a break from that hamster wheel.   Hum a little tune, sing a little song, notice the sky, the sun, the world around you…take a moment to breathe in nature today and be grateful for this moment in time.

Time is all we have and it is limited.  None of us know when our time is up, but I can tell you that the clock is ticking…who’s life is this anyway?   It’s YOURS!  So enjoy it!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Summer!

xo

P.S.  And if it’s cloudy where you are today, look at a peaceful scene of sunshine and imagine what the sun feels like on your face…and if you can’t imagine that feeling, then we need to talk…you need sunshine! xo

Dad’s Day ~ 23rd Psalm

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’ sake.

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

Gratitude 30 ~ Challenge Complete

Today marks my 30th day of the gratitude challenge…and it’s not how I thought it would end at all.  I had thought that I would be sending a card a day to different people (which I did) and hopefully sending love along the way to so many.  Spreading sunshine as it were to all those who touch my life ~ so that they would know how much I appreciated them.  But along the way, Dad passed away and today marks the anniversary of his first week which is hard.  I’m told that the first year is marked by 1sts along the way which become easier as time heals.  Right now, I’m still a bit overwhelmed, but I am grateful that he is at peace.

I enjoyed sending my cards everyday which was so easy because there’s always someone to thank and to be grateful for if you take a moment to just look at your life.  I’ve learned and shared that we only have today in which to make a difference in someone else’s life.  We only have today to tell those whom we appreciate, whom we love, whom we care about ~ how much they truly mean to us.

I loved hearing the excitement in their voices when the card recipients called me ~ telling me over and over how much I made their day.  Going out to the mailbox, expecting junk mail and bills and finding a personalized enveloped tucked inside with a heartfelt message from me…reading how much they mean to me, how much they are loved, how important they are ~ my personalized message and sometimes even pictures ~ I know for me, with the passing of my Dad and my last surgery, I received many heartfelt, personalized cards which never failed to make me smile, even when I was so very sad.

Cards have a special way of making others feel good ~ spreading sunshine ~ making the world a brighter place.  And that’s what I’m all about…I want everyone to know how special they are ~ and I want to do it easily, conveniently and cost-effectively which is why I love SendOutCards…

Regrets are for a lifetime and I don’t want any regrets.  I’ve found that what you give out, you receive in abundance…So if I can offer you any wisdom from my 30 days, let it be this:

Appreciate…Love…Forgive…Love…Smile…Love…Cherish…Love…

Remember…Love…Care…Love…Repeat…

 www.socgratitude.com

Sponsor # 126830

Gratitude Day 9 ~ Being Thankful is So Easy!

www.thethankyouchallenge.com

Coach # 126830

Today’s gratitude card is above which I made especially for this occasion.  Although I’m not sharing what I wrote inside today to one of my parents’ friends who helped us immensely yesterday as my Dad is in the hospital.  DAngel stayed and visited with my parents, helping to sort out all of the complications of my Dad’s illness.  I am unfortunately not allowed to visit nor be in the hospital due to my own recent surgery and complications so it’s been very hard to help by phone.  My sister AAngel has been our ROCK and has taken over helping my parents daily, but she’s got her job as well as her own busy family ~ I am amazed at her ability to juggle so many hats in such a caring and loving way.  My heart goes out to her as she’s taken over the care taking of everyone while still taking care of her own responsibilities, family and life. xo

Our family appreciated DAngel and his wife LAngel just stepping in and helping my Mom when the doctor came around as more ears hear better ~ especially when you are hearing information that may sound foreign to you (medical speak you know!)  So that’s why I am sending this card to them.

I also thought I’d take the opportunity to share a bit more about the Gratitude Challenge by posting a website and a bit more information on the how to do it yourself.

If you click on the link above, you will see more information on the challenge that I’m participating in which is bringing me so much joy!  Although I didn’t create this website, you can easily put my Coach # 126830 in and send a card or 2 for free so that you can get the gist of what it’s all about!  Isn’t there someone that you’d like to thank?  Someone who went the extra mile to make your day brighter?   It’s all about karma, the law of attraction and giving ~ sending out love just brings more joy to your life!  I guarantee it…it’s changing mine so quickly!  The more grateful I am, the more I have to be grateful for it seems…and I am loving the changes in my life!

I find that sending cards brings so much joy to my life in so many ways.  It’s been over a week of gratitude already and I am finding that everyday brings more reasons to be thankful to more people who are showing kindness to me in my life.  It’s the little things, the big things and even the mundane that bring me so much joy!

Don’t let today go by without telling the special people in your life how you feel…

We aren’t guaranteed anything except this present moment…

Enjoy The Presents of Presence…on FB!

xo

Gratitude Day 6 ~ It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Thank you for your kindness, taking care of me when I needed it the most.

I’ll never forget it, I’ll always appreciate it, and I’m looking forward to being able to gladly return the favor.

Dear Cathy, Steve & Jeter,

I just don’t know where to begin to thank you for being YOU!  You are the BEST Neighbors ever!  Your delicious meals for our family were greatly appreciated!  You always ‘knew’ when we needed you most!  Thank you!

I also loved the jasmine plant you gave me as it reminds me of when I lived in Spain!  I love the smell of jasmine!

Thank you again for everything.  We are so blessed to know and to love you!

Lots of Love,

Misifusa & Family

Kindness is so welcome at all times.  My neighborhood is wonderful as I am surrounded by such amazing families.  We all band together and enjoy eachother’s company.  We look out for eachother and take care of our little ‘peace of Heaven.’  We have been here 14 years and we’ve had the same neighbors.  It’s like having an extended family for which I am grateful.

I believe you can find what you are looking for ~ if you seek loving people, you find them…if you seek grumpy people, you find them.  The trick is to see the good in all so that the grumpies never get a chance to flourish!

Happy Monday ~

May your week start off right ~

with loving people surrounding you with support!

xo

Gratitude Day 5

You are a real treasure in my life. A constant source of Joy and Happiness.

To My Dearest Son,

I cannot believe that today is your 14th birthday.  It seems like just yesterday you were born and our lives changed for the better in an instant!  You are an amazing young man and we feel so blessed to know and to love you.  We are so very proud of you and we are so proud to be your parents!  You are everything we ever wanted in a son and more!  My heart fills with happiness every morning when I hug you good morning and I love watching you as you go about your day ~ I love how kind, loving, caring and beautiful you are both inside and out ~ you are handsome, intelligent, compassionate and athletic.  Your gracefulness in how you treat others and how you move throughout your day is astounding to me.  With such amazing ease, you travel your days and nights and I am so blessed to watch as you live your life in such a loving way.   I love to hear about your day when you get home from school and I am grateful that we can chat like friends and like Mom and Son…I love that you share your day with me and that we can talk about anything.  I love that you have built friendships with many different people and that you are friendly to everyone.  I love that every night when we kiss and hug goodnight, I now have to put my head on your shoulder…I am amazed how fast you’ve grown up and I am proud of who you are!  I was so happy to make your favorite meal last night which was one of my meals…I was so happy that you like my cooking!  I am very excited today to celebrate your birthday with you ~ and have our entire family together to celebrate YOU!  What a beautiful day it is today!  The sun is shining, the weather is perfect ~ all is as it should be in order to celebrate YOU!  You continue to make us so proud of you in everything that you do…thank you for being our perfect son!   We love you with all of our hearts for always and forever!  xoxo

I hope this says it all…I always believed in praising my children and disciplining them as well…but I always want them to know how special they are to me and how much they can make a difference in life by being kind.  I am very blessed to have such amazing children and during this period of time, I thought it appropriate to be grateful for them!  So here it is!

Have you told your family how grateful you are for them?  Perhaps today’s the day?

Have a grateful Sunday!

xo

Gratitude Day 3

May All of Your Weeds Be Wildflowers

Dear Janice,

I just wanted to thank you for all of your help during my surgery.  Thank you for coordinating the soccer rides for R and for continuing to keep me in the loop in all things!

I also love the pictures you send me everyday!  You are an amazing photographer and I love the different array of pictures you send me daily!  For me, it’s something fun to look forward to every morning and I love starting my day out on a happy note!

Thanks for being such a great friend ~ and for being YOU!

Warmly, xo
Misifusa

Janice began sending me pictures that she has taken over the years awhile ago.  She has a great eye for the unusual and also for the mundane, but she shoots them in such a way that the colors are stunning and they are simply beautiful.  I keep telling her that she needs to make a book of her amazing photographs or at least a calendar!  I love the ‘backstory’ that she always has for the pictures as well…where they were taken etc.

It is just such a joy for me to see among my other emails, this little bit of sunshine everyday.  I love to try and guess where she took the picture and how/why.  And to see a bit of beauty every morning on my computer is a treat as well.

So this one is for you Janice…thanks for keeping my world so pretty and colorful!

xo

A Grateful Heart

A Grateful Heart Knows No Bounds

I have a grateful heart and I want to share it with you today because it’s Thankful Thursday. 🙂  I believe that when life happens to hand you a few speed bumps, you have a few choices in how you deal with the situations that arise ~ you can have a pity party and stay depressed, you can grow angry with the “WHY ME?” and stay that way, you can ignore it and keep on truckin’ or you can flow through it and deal with what comes as it comes along and come out in the end with a grateful heart.

Enjoying the Presents of Presence means staying in the moment and just ‘being’ grateful for what we have right now…no doubts, no pity, just a moment of calm in the sea of life!  When the speed bumps seem to come in waves like the ocean on a stormy day, I try to take a moment here and there to connect, to calm and to breathe.

In those moments, I ‘distract’ myself by thinking of who needs to hear from me today.  Honestly, I send at least a card a day…and the list above is supposedly the top 10 reasons to send a card.  But if you listen to the smaller moments in life, you can add a billion reasons to that list.

Recently, I sent a card to an assistant in a doctor’s office who not only did her job, but she went above and beyond the call of duty to help me…I just wanted her to know that I appreciated her help.  I sent a card to a friend who’s feeling down and has to have surgery, just to let her know I am thinking of her.  I sent a card to a woman whom I recently met simply because she was such a ray of sunshine!  I could go on and on!  The best part is hearing their happiness when they call to tell me that nestled among the junk mail and bills was a heartfelt, personalized card just for them!  That to me, is the priceless part of connecting!  It made both of our hearts sing ~ and who doesn’t want a happy tune in their day?

But the reason is that I have a grateful heart ~ I appreciate so many people who are kind, who smile and who care…and if you don’t have smile, I will give you mine.

Who are you grateful for?

Have you told them lately?

It’s Thankful Thursday…

Take a moment and know

I am thankful for you!

xo