HOPE THROUGH POSITIVE THINKING

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.
--Anon

What are you driving away due to negativity?

Risks Worth Taking!

We are approaching the week of Valentines Day which is always difficult for me. I have many reasons but don't wish to spill my guts about that. I try to always remember those "moments" that were wonderful for the week of this holiday. I have some thoughts about Love, however, that I am feeling the prodding to share.

Love is faithful, Love is Kind, Love is Patient, Love is Romantic, Love is forgiving, Love is new each and every day no matter what happened the day before, Love is faith, Love is taking risks, Love is honor, Love is thoughtful, Love is not impatient, Love is sometimes not explainable, Love is magnetic, magical, electrifying, sustainable, lifting, sharing, growing, but most of all, Love is a gift from God.

When given or placed or blessed, it should not be abused, used, taken for granted, passed up, feared, or turned away from. Love is awesome and those that are lucky enough to find it, are never alone, have unending support, are accepted for all of human's imperfections or areas of improvement. Why do life alone? Love gives you the opportunity to make the journey through life, enriched and blessed.

I believe that those that embrace it will be glad to share in the marvel of God's relationships. If you are a believer, you know and understand the gifts of love that He gives us. You recognize them and do not waste them. If you are skeptical about Love, then you need to read the bible, talk to others, and realize how great relationships are.

Happy Valentines Day.

It is the perfect day to begin the rest of your life filled with love!

What's in YOUR Wallet?

Well, we have gotten to know each other through me writing my deepest darkest secrets and telling stories about my crazy antics..... Well, yesterday, I had one more of those uh-oh moments. One might wonder why I divulge these incidents...as it makes me look a little flaky but, it also just adds to who I am and if we can't laugh at ourselves and use stories to make others smile, then it all happens for nothing.

I have a very floppy, unstructured purse. When I am at home and am getting ready in the morning, I always set my purse in the sink as the sides are narrow and it ends up falling off if I set it there. That particular day I had two wallets, my camera, receipts, my makeup bag, brush, and mints among other things in my wallet. I was at work and after lunch I usually like to freshen up a bit, reapply some lip gloss, and brush through my hair, etc. I walked into the bathroom and set my purse in the sink and then proceeded to do what you do in the bathroom. I heard a noise and looked about not seeing where it was coming from until I looked over at the sink where my purse was and discovered that my purse had "triggered" the automatic on mechanism of the faucet and my purse was filled with water....everything was floating including my camera, my all melted mints (the container looked like it had milk in it as they all melted) . First things first I grabbed my precious camera and dried it off with paper towels, and tested it to make sure it hadn't been ruined. Then, I grabbed my soggy wallets.... my receipts were ink smeared, my makeup, well, we won't talk about that, and then my checkbook. Have you heard about "liquid assets"? I had a whole pack full of just that. Needless to say, I stayed in there for quite some time drying it all out and squeezing endless water from the bottom two corners of the purse. There was water all over the floor that I had to clean up.

My purse is very clean now but still there is evidence that I have had water damage.

Just another in the series of stories I can laugh at myself over and another one to bring a giggle or two to others.

My three children, my friends!

Lindsay

Jon

Ej

Mom, Children, Mom

I take a lot of pride in being a mother. When I was blessed with children, I promised God that I would devote my entire life to shaping my three with loving, ethical, servant hearts and hopefully I was a good role model for them. I must have done something right because all three are successful, loving, caring, sensitive and very hard working. Early on, with the help of Disney magic, my children all learned that dreaming was good, working hard for those dreams was necessary, and a never give up attitude was sustaining.

My older son is a successful drummer/musician whose band, Underground Orchestra, recently won two LA Music Awards. My middle son is such a people person and now works for US Cellular as a store manager, trainer, mentor, coach. My daughter has had many positions that required emotional strength like when she worked for a daycare that consisted of children that had been abused, abandoned, or worse. All had many emotional problems both mentally and behaviorally. Now she works at Granger Community Church where she works to honor God by arranging learning workshops for other churches to attend to learn and grow. She has another job which is why I decided to post my thoughts.

No matter what kind of day Lindsay has and no matter what Lindsay faces, her love and devotion to her son is absolutely amazing. She always puts her own feelings aside so that she can be the best mom she can be. Her unselfish love for her son shines bright especially in the roughest of situations. Her son has also grown up with the Disney magic and his tender, sensitive heart shows his ability to "feel" when things aren't quite right and offers his hugs and love to make others feel better. The two are a funny pair. They can giggle, laugh, and be silly together. In the toughest mommy moments, her patience and determination to show love to her son is obvious.

Parenthood is the toughest of all jobs. It isn't something you can close up shop on and go home. It isn't a job that has any off time and the responsibility is staggering but in Lindsay's case, she embraces it with both humor and the seriousness it needs so that her little boy can grow up to be a caring, ethical, responsible man.

I love my job as a parent even more now that my children are my friends. I enjoy my new job as a "grandma" because I get to see the "magic" happen all over again. So my hat goes off to my three kids, Ej, Jon, and Lindsay for being adults God is proud of and to Lindsay for being a mom that God is proud of too!

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Daughter

It is hard to believe that almost 27 years ago this weekend, I was getting prepared to meet this little life I had been carrying.

A little history. This one was one of those "oops" you hear about. I had made my appointment to have my tubes tied after feeling incredibly blessed to have my two wonderful sons. Jon was only 3 months old and Ej was 2 years old. I was a bit shocked when the nurse told me that they would be most happy to do the tie job but not until the baby was born. I had just lost all my baby weight only to find out that I would be climbing the scale again. I had a scare though within the first couple of months, and a trip to the emergency room brought the fear I was going to lose the precious life I was carrying. Through a lot of prayers, my pregnancy was able to continue. I had a very life changing experience the evening I returned home from the hospital. I can't explain it other than I was blessed with knowledge that the child I was carrying was my much wanted little girl. The doctor insisted it was another boy according to the heartbeat but I knew that the message I had received was divine in nature so I relaxed the rest of the pregnancy and was content.

My little girl came two weeks early and was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. She has enriched my life ever since. As a little girl, she was kind and thoughtful and caring. When I broke my neck, she stayed by my side for 3 1/2 months taking care of me, drying my hair for me, and helping me with anything I needed. As a teenager, she never went through the "nasty" stages of a teenage girl, but instead embraced volunteering and serving others as her primary focus. As a college student, she was fast to share her academic experiences and successes as she moved towards her teaching career. Her life took a change that produced the most beautiful, wonderful grandson I could ever hope for. She has endured heartbreak and heartache and has emerged to have even a more loving heart. She now serves God in many ways within her job at G.C.C. and in her volunteer work at church.

She is about to turn 27 on February 6Th and to me it is a most wonderful holiday to celebrate. I get to be among the lucky ones that have Lindsay in their lives. Though I am her mom, I am most blessed to have her as a friend. God not only blessed me with my little girl, but a lifelong friend that walks with me in my Christian walk as well. It doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Birthday, Lindsay!

A Moment Like This

So I am on a bus for hours to go to and from the most awesome "outing" in Chicago for my company, U.S. Cellular.

On the long bus ride home, everyone nestled up in their seats to either chat quietly or to catch a snooze. I had my ipod and stretched out on the seat and listened first to two of my favorite praise songs, Revolutionary Love and Marvelous Light. My church is so awesome and leaves such a lasting impression that I can close my eyes and see our band up there playing and jamming to these two songs. It's great.

I then listened to my Kelly Clarkson songs. Some of her lyrics just cut through your soul. Not only does she have a great, soulful voice but her choice in songs adds to that soulfulness with real life feelings. I am including some that really impacted me last night:

A moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime,

For a moment like this

Some people search forever,

For that one special kiss

Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me

Some people wait a lifetime,

For a moment like this

How many people in this world "miss" their moment? Listening to just some of the chatter with friends, their children, teenagers, family, and strangers ......quite a few people I suspect. God talks to us....but we need to listen and look so we don't miss those moments. (are you listening?)

I lose my way

And it's not too long before you point it out

I cannot cry

Because I know that's weakness in your eyes

I'm forced to fake

A smile, a laugh everyday of my life

My heart can't possibly break

When it wasn't even whole to start with

This made me think of all the "tough guys" our society is creating. Girls cry and release their emotions so they can deal with whatever they are feeling and sometimes are made to feel they are big babies but it is more acceptable for girls. Guys have to be strong and hold back so they are miserable because they have no outlet for their emotions that is acceptable. It is a sign of weakness if they indulge their feelings. Well, BUNK! I say if we are going to live God's way, we need to all be sensitive to what causes tears in the first place. They don't just "happen" and are there for a reason of pain, frustration, love, happiness. They are never for "no reason". Granted there are some that use tears because they are good at dramatics.....but I have made the mistake of thinking that only to find out "the rest of the story" and that those tears represent far more pain than I thought.

So, on my trip back from Chicago, I was blessed with a quiet moment to hear songs of praise, a serious moment to think about human emotions, and a thankful moment to be alive and to have the chance to have all of my moments. They all come and go so quickly. When you think you have a lifetime, reality is, grab your happiness today because none of us is promised a tomorrow and the happiness we choose to have today may actually be a lifetime full.