Tag Archive | teenagers

Laugh, Love and Be Grateful

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Laugh, Love and Be Grateful

Lately I find that perhaps because it’s November and the start of the holiday season that I stop periodically throughout the day to just breathe for a moment and to be grateful.  Do you ever take a moment to simply breathe and count your blessings?  It’s not exactly a meditation for you may remember how I fared with Deepak and Oprah awhile back.  Click here!  A full-sitdown meditation session even if it’s only for 20 minutes is still too much for me to handle.  But these itty bitty snapshots of gratitude have been lifesavers lately.  I feel a bit more grounded.  I feel a release of stress and I feel a relaxation and almost like I”m dropping my troubles at the door again. Remember the Trouble Tree?  Click here!

Every morning my son and I walk to his bus.  It’s early and the world is quiet ~ such a magical time for us both!  It’s our together time, before the hustle and bustle of our days begin and I treasure it with all of my heart.  We look up at the sky, notice nature and enjoy each other’s company for a few precious minutes each morning.  Even bundled up against the wind, the rain and the cold weather, I wouldn’t change a thing because as we walk, we talk, we notice the sky, the leaves, the trees and all the bounties that Mother Nature provides.  Sometimes I am even gifted with linking arms with him as we walk (especially when it’s cold out and oh, how I love the cold or the rain for just that reason!).  I sip my coffee as we wait and chat.  Some mornings we share a laugh, sometimes we are simply quiet.  But I always feel we are surrounded by love.  He’s a teenager, but such a loving, typical teenage boy ~ I love his spirit, his kindness and he’s growing up to be a good man.  He’s not a Mama’s boy ~ far from it ~ but he’s a caring, kind and good person who keeps his teenager-ness with all its bells and whistles intact.  But it’s in these mornings, that I see the man he is growing to be and I”m proud to say he’s my son.  And as I walk back down the silent street after the bus has come to take him to school, I notice all the graciousness in my life.  I give thanks for the gifts of the day, I send up my silent please for whatever I may need and I imagine that red carpet ahead, leading me and my family on the path of our highest good.  I bless the world we have made and I look joyfully towards my day.

`Tis the season to be grateful, to appreciate and to expand the blessings that we have been given.  Look around.  Who needs a smile from you?  Who needs a hug?  Who needs a few extra moments in your day?  You have plenty of all ~ why not share?  You know that what you focus on expands, what you give out you receive one hundred fold back in return and what you give out you get!

Since we know all of those little ditties (and surely there are more so please comment with them) then why don’t we make it a daily practice?  Just take a few moments everyday to stop, to be breathe, to be grateful, to count our blessings and to smile.  Imagine how much sweeter the world would be if we could all do this everyday?!

Want to join me? 

Shine On!

xo

Lovely Valentine Liebsters!

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Happy Valentine’s Day to ALL!

I wish you a lifetime filled with love!

I thought today would be the perfect day to share the love of the Liebster because it’s all about our connections!  I am thankful to all of you who read my blog and especially thankful for your taking the time to like and comment on it! xo

My special thank you’s go to Patty from  http://thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/liebster-award/  and sweet pup Wiley of  http://wileyschmidt.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/it-only-takes-a-seed/  who recently nominated me for the Liebster!  Please make sure you check out their special blogs!  You won’t be disappointed!

My heartfelt thanks to you both!  Forgive me for putting you both together, but alas, it is VALENTINE’S DAY so I figured I could really make the Liebster powerful today!  I am so honored ~ thank you for making my heart sing!  Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

Here are the rules

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award Presenter on your blog and link back to their blog

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been chosen.

4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.

11 Random Facts about Me!

1.  I love to wake up early every morning so that I can have a quiet cup of coffee in my home while my family sleeps.

2.  My new favorite treat is Limited Edition Triple Stuffed Oreos ~ Oh so delish!

3.  I am excited to say I am in the middle of writing an inspirational e-book!

4.  I dislike cooking, but love to watch cooking shows!

5.  I smile at strangers.

6.  I love to be out on a boat on a sunny day!

7.  I could watch snowflakes falling for hours.

8.  I am happily and gratefully married almost 18 years.

9.  My teenagers still hug and kiss us everyday!

10.  My kitten (who is 5 yrs old) meows Mama when she’s looking for me ~ really!

 Here are my answers from Patty’s questions:

1. What is your favorite season?  I love them all ~ but I guess Summer because I love having my kids at home!

2. What is your favorite non-profit organization?   ACS ~ American Cancer Society and Society of the Little Flower (St. Therese)

3. If you can choose one place to live where would it be?  I believe that home is where your family is so I wouldn’t care as long as there was a season of summer!

4. What is your favorite song? I Love You Just the Way You Are! by Billy Joel

5. When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?  A Spanish teacher (which I was for 11 years!)

6. What is the one thing you always wanted to do that you never told anyone?  Drive a racecar

7. What is your favorite movie?  Gone With The Wind

8. How many brothers and sisters do you have?  1 sister

9. What is your pet peeve?  Narcissists

10. What is your favorite restaurant?  I love many restaurants!

11. Who do you admire the most and why?  Mother Teresa because she lived a life of loving everyone.

And from my favorite puppy blogger Wiley….

1) If money weren’t involved, what would you choose as a forever career?  A writer

2) What causes do you support, why, and how can we get involved?  I am a Reach to Recovery volunteer for the American Cancer Society.  You can get involved in many ways!

3) What is the first item on your bucket list?  Swim with dolphins in Hawaii followed by a helicopter ride

4) What is your personal life philosophy?  SendOutLove ~ which means smiling ~ helping ~ appreciating others ~ and letting them know!

5) If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?  I would be less afraid!

6) What is the most important life lesson you have for your child/children? If you don’t have children, what is the most important life lesson you’ve learned and who did you learn it from?  I want my children to be good people ~ to have integrity, kindness and to use their intelligence to change the world. 🙂

7) What is your favorite quote?  “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change, ” from Dr. Wayne Dyer.

8) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Australia, Alaska, return to Spain.

9) If you could bring anyone back from the dead, who would you choose? Why?  My dad because I have so many questions and my Mom misses him so much.

10) Tell me about your favorite pet.  I have 2 cats currently whom I adore, but my  Chessie is almost 17 yrs old ~ she never left my side throughout my battle with breast cancer, she purred next to me whenever I slept and stayed close so that I was never alone.  Her dedication is a blessing in my life.  Tiffy, her 5 year old sister, makes me laugh all day and raises my spirits when needed.  They both give the best fur therapy ever!

11) In what do you find the simplest of joys?  My children, my husband, our pets, my life and hugs and kisses.

Here’s a special list in no particular order of some amazing blogs to follow!  Come share the love and visit them!

1.  Julia at http://defeatdespair.wordpress.com/

2.  Judy at http://judysp.wordpress.com/

3.  Ralph at http://bluefishway.com/

4.  Bobbi at  http://www.openyourjourney.com

5.  Diana at http://talktodiana.wordpress.com/

6.  Gail at http://nightowlgail.wordpress.com/

7.  Russ at http://russtowne.com/

8.  Ray at http://villageundertaker.wordpress.com/

9.  De at http://dlcloe.com/

10.  Carolyn at http://carolynhughesthehurthealer.com/

11.  http://cancerinmythirties.wordpress.com/

12.  Lisa at http://thelissachronicles.wordpress.com/

And  the questions for you to answer are:

1.  What’s your favorite day of the week and why?

2.  Why do you blog?

3.  Who do you love?

4.    What’s your favorite holiday and why?

5.  Do you have a guilty pleasure?

6.  Do you play an instrument?

7.  Can you please recommend a good book to read?

8.  Do you laugh everyday?

9.  What’s your favorite post on your blog?

1o.  Are you on Facebook?  If so, tell us where to find you!

Hugs to All!

SendOutLove Today!

xo