Remember when you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer,never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~ Harriet Beecher StoweShine On!
xo
Take a Bow my friends!
This post is dedicated to all of you ~ can you hear my applause? It is thunderous ~ I am applauding YOU so please, take a bow. “Why?” you may ask. Why are we taking a bow and why are you applauding us? Well, it’s simple. You are here today. You matter. You are loved. You have a beautiful day ahead to make a positive difference in your life and in the lives of others! I believe in you ~ I know you can do it!
So…take a bow my friends! Your performance today counts.
Today is Yours!
Shine On!
xo
“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”
(Sign hanging in Einstein’s office at Princeton)
Happy Saturday! Happy last day of August ~ oh my, where has the summer gone to this year? It’s just inconceivable to me this morning that we’re counting down the last days of summer freedom before school begins. I know some of you already have children in school which is a mixed blessing/curse. For myself, I don’t want to lose the freedom of summer and the joy of being with my children, but on the other hand, I feel the intense need for a bit of routine in my life. So I welcome a bit of routine and Mommy time without feeling guilty (because when the kids are in school, I can’t feel guilty if I need a little bit of ME TIME because they’re not here anyway!) But on the other hand, I enjoy the vagueness of summertime ~ there’s no set time for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The athletics are at a minimum so we aren’t tied to practices, games etc. We can veg out all day or be on the go ~ it’s whatever suits our moods!
I saw this quote today and just thought it was perfect to think about ~ I’d love for you to share what it means to you! You all bring so much joy and learning to my life. When I count my blessings, I count you too! I hope you enjoy the last vestiges of summer (or winter if that’s where you live). My hope is that you simply enjoy your day!
Make Today Count!
Kindness. Generosity. Love. Gratitude. Faith. Hope. Courage.
Shine On!
xo
“I want to do the right thing, but often I don’t know just what the right thing is. Every day I know I have come short of what I would like to have done. Yet as the years pass and I see the very world itself with its oceans and mountains and plains as something unfinished, a peculiar little satisfaction hunts out the corners of my heart. Sunsets and evening shadows find me regretful at tasks undone, but sleep and the dawn and the air of the morning touch me with freshening hopes.”
—Carl Sandburg
I love mornings. I’ve told you before, but there is something about the dawn of a new day, fresh like a new school year in September that makes my heart leap with possibility. To me, it’s a siren’s song of freshening hopes and dreams. This quote happened to fit perfectly with me today. I’ve got more testing on the horizon so I’ve been feeling pretty bleak these days. But the coolness of the morning today perked me right up. I feel grateful to be alive.
I went outside with my coffee in hand, felt the dew tickling my toes, looked up to the sky and took a moment (more actually!) to be grateful for the present of presence. The stillness of the morning with the sweet chirping of birds intersected the silence. It was wondrous and something I highly recommend for you to do!
May your hopes be freshened today!
You are here!
You are alive!
Shine On!
xo
The quote above is taken from my blogger pal Paul over at Goal Habits today. With the help of my Send Out Cards account I was able to make his quote of the day into a picture which I liked. I love how we all find inspiration daily from eachother! Thank you Paul for inspiring me daily with your quotes! Make sure you stop by Goal Habits and be inspired!
We’ll just do our best, right?
Blogging connections happen sometimes over time and sometimes instantaneously. When it happens instantaneously, it’s that almost audible click between two souls, like when you buckle your seat-belt. Has this ever happened to you ~ you meet someone for the first time and you just know that you can trust each other and that you are friends with a special connection? It’s happened to me a few times in my life and it always makes me wonder what triggers that immediate friendship spark? Is it a soul to soul connection ~ perhaps our spiritual selves recognize a kinship? Or is it more profound, that we’ve perhaps been souls on similar journeys in the past and we’ve met up again suddenly? Or is it just the way life works ~ we are open to friendship and the other person is too so we become friends?
Well, when MoJo and I connected, it was like ‘we was peas and carrots’ (a la Forrest Gump!) and I knew my life had been ignited like a summer sparkler! We connected about a year ago. I can’t explain it any more than I can explain the Big Bang Theory to you. All I can say is that I am honored to be her friend and I am grateful for our connection. Because isn’t that what blogging is all about? Learning about others, connecting, inspiring, sharing, expanding our lives to unite this planet as one!
I awoke this morning to read her latest blog post ~ excited because she’s been away for a bit ~ and I was greeted with a phrase that I had said in response to one of her recent blogs. I hadn’t thought anything of it ~ I had commented as I normally do. But the phrase I used stuck with her ~ We’ll just do our best, right? ~ and I am honored to say that she used it in her blog! As we say in fishing, her blog’s a keeper (and not just because she used my phrase!) Check her out ~ you’ll be hooked like me!
Click here ~ While I Appreciate the Effort!
I guess it’s like I was saying in yesterday’s blog post, everyday we get a chance to make a difference and sometimes you don’t even realize the difference that you are making simply by being yourself! I know that for me,
I am truly grateful for the differences you all make in my life and I just want to thank you.
So please hug yourself for me!
Just do your best…and
Shine On!
xo
The strongest action for a woman is to love herself, be herself
and shine amongst those who never believed she could. ~ Unknown
In response to the Daily Prompt, breast cancer’s journey taught me about myself. I never believed I held so much inner strength, so much inspiration within my soul. I never knew how much my life could be affected and therefore could be so effective when I allowed myself to look inside to the glow of loving light and to allow it to shine on the outside as well.
There were many who didn’t believe that I would make it as I am a huge wimp. But I have survived 15 surgeries thus far in my life and I’m still here. Still trying to shine this little light o’ mine ~ to light my own path and to light the path for others. We all have our own special light inside ~ now’s the time to let it shine!
Come take my hand, Come with me…and Let’s Sing!
This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let it Shine!
Shine On!
xo
Tell us a moment or an incident that you treasure – not necessarily because it brought you happiness, but because it taught you something about yourself.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/daily-prompt-learning/
Lovin’ Pink
I’ve always liked the color pink and if truth be told, I’ve never been a tomboy…I’ve always been a bit of a girly girl. I was the one who didn’t want to get muddy or dirty, who threw like a girl (really!) and who always has her toenails painted pink (except during the holidays). However, for those of you who believe that PINK is a color that is for a wimpy girl, you are way wrong, baby!
Every breast cancer survivor will tell you that pink is NOT a wimpy color as it is a symbol of the survival of a journey of endurance which begins with a single step. This journey never truly ends even when the breast cancer is considered cured. Its tentacles, even 10 years later, slither through moments during the year when doctor appointments for check ups are necessary or when we wait a week for the blood test results. Even normal yearly trips to the gynecologist can result in an unbidden heightened sense of alarm if a Pap result isn’t normal because, quite frankly, the normal that we previously relied on isn’t normal anymore. In it’s place, comes a new normal that with time acclimates to our lives.
I was perusing blogs today and searched under breast cancer and what I found was alarming…so many women being diagnosed, being told their breast cancer had metastasized and even one who sadly told of her Mom’s recent passing from the disease. My heart went out to every one of them and all I wished to do was to hug them, let them know I understood and that it gets better ~ so here’s my short list of wisdom for today.
I want you to know that I am here for you, I’ve walked this journey.
I’m still on the path enduring everyday along with the rest of humanity.
Life is what you make of it, so make it good for you!
Happy Sunday ~ or for you ice cream lovers ~ Happy Sundae!
xo
Strength. Turn your face to the sun and shadows fall behind you.
Many of us have had tough times. By a certain age, most of us have endured moments or longer of hard times and with that, have some experience in disappointment, sadness, fear, loss and such. What I find most interesting though is how some people have endured hardships and yet they don’t allow those moments to define them.
Having been dealt the hand of breast cancer at age 34, I have experienced sadness, fear, loss and disappointment among other things…but that’s not to say that I haven’t been able to enjoy every sunrise, every cloud formation, every season and the precious moments of spontaneous hugs from my sons and family. I’ve seen the darkness and I’ve seen the light. Perhaps you feel that it’s not easy living on the roller coaster of life, a sentiment which I understand. However, what brings me comfort is that with every nightfall, I know that in a few hours, there’s a sunrise waiting for me and it’s that sunrise I choose to concentrate on and ‘turn my face to’ everyday. I feel grateful that I am here to experience it all ~ for without having experienced the darkness, how would we ever know how spectacular the sunrise is?
You own the power to choose everyday how you are going to face the day…
Turn your face to the sun and shadows fall behind you.
You’ll be glad you did!
xo
It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence
that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us,
as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. K.T. Jong
For those of you who are energized by a challenges, I challenge you this week to give yourself 5 minutes of uninterrupted silence a day ~ not multi-tasking silence where you turned off the radio while driving to work ~ that doesn’t count nor does taking 5 minutes on the toilet and instead of reading, you sit quietly ~ nor does the 5 minutes before you actually fall asleep and have your head on the pillow ready for sleep to envelope your mind ~ but 5 minutes where you are conscious, quiet, without doing something else and you just sit.
I recently started doing this myself and at first it was hard for me as I like to either zone out in front of the tv if I’m going to be quiet or I like to read if I”m not chatting. However, sitting quietly for 5 minutes without doing anything is a challenge. I started making lists in my head of what I needed to do, wondering what the noises I heard downstairs were (did one of the kids drop something?) and the continuous thought of ‘oh man, is 5 minutes up yet?” looped in my head.
So what I’ve done is started free writing during my 5 minutes which is akin to meditating, but offers my busy body a way to keep quiet for 5 minutes while doing something. I am not quite sure if 5 minutes of solitude allows for free writing, but for now it’s working like a charm for me and perhaps it will for you as well.
Free writing for me has been me typing on my computer for 5 minutes uninterrupted, just allowing whatever words that begin to show in my head, a space on paper. It’s just typing (or writing if you prefer) the stream of consciousness or unconsciousness that exudes from my fingertips without constraint. And boy oh boy has it been interesting to read. In fact, there have been times recently that I’ve gone over and beyond the 5 minutes as the words simply type themselves on the paper and continue to roll out in long, waves of sentences and paragraphs.
Sometimes it’s been just drivel that my fingers have typed, but some of the words/meanings that have come to fruition have been quite meaningful to my life and present situation. The thoughts have had insight to my experiences and have been able to give proper responsibility where its due.
My Monday post today is simply to TRY for 5 minutes to be quiet and just listen to yourself…take a few moments for you. Use it as an experiment. You have nothing to lose except 5 minutes of worry, work or multitasking…give it a week and let me know how it goes…I’d love to hear if you already do this as I’d love the feedback…and if you’re just starting, let me know if you’d prefer I keep my challenges to myself! Ha!
Happy Monday to You!
You’re worth 5 minutes…and more!
Be good to YOU!
xo
Don’t go through life. Grow through life.
Sometimes I think we mindlessly go through life, continuing the habit of work, eat, sleep, awaken repeat…we get into the routine of doing what needs to be done during each day because it needs to be done. Taking care of ourselves sometimes gets pushed aside in order to take care of everyone else’s needs and we allow routine and the easy thoughtless unmindful ways to take over.
Being that it’s Sunday, I thought this was a good time to broach the subject of taking care of ourselves ~ “the Sabbath is a day of rest” as my Mom puts it ~ is just the ticket to change the routine. If it’s an excuse you need to use in order to allow yourself some time to just ‘be’ and relax, well, then here it is!
Let me remind you that there are 24 hours in a day…and you can spare 10 minutes for yourself. The idea is to start at 10 minutes for you and then add minutes as you go. Perhaps a little meditation could be in order…or some free writing where you can just allow your thoughts some flight…or just taking a little time to look up at the sky and notice the beauty in nature that surrounds you.
Just going through life isn’t a life…you need to GROW through life so that you can experience all that life has to offer! I don’t want to look back at my life and wonder where the years went…I want to stroll down my own memory lane with many stops along the way, enjoying the laughter and even the tears of moments which impact my life and my family…I want to remember fun times and silly moments…I want to smile and feel peaceful for how I lived, how I treated others and even how I treated myself. I want to remember stretching out of my comfort zone to breathe happiness into my soul.
Enjoy this Sunday!
Grow through your life!
You are worth it!
xo
Misifusa's Blog 