Word of the Day

Ripple.....v.,....to flow in small waves. Every thought you have, every word you speak, every action you take ripples. Nothing disappears, but continues to affect the world around you. Whether it be kindness, graciousness, hatred, offensiveness....you are changing your life, and the lives of others with every breath you take. If you can picture your Sea of Life with tiny ripples drifting out then those ripples becoming waves, I wonder if you would change things. Would your waves gently lap at the feet of your friends, neighbors and family......or would they become Tsunamis that destroy and wash away self-esteem and growth? Consider this........we are given chances every day to direct our Ripple Effect. And with these chances come responsibility. I hope you take your opportunities seriously because what is done today NEVER goes away. Just as you can remember words spoken to you years ago, actions taken for and against you, helping hands or crashing blows, so others can and will remember your Ripples. What you start today is endless and will crest and surge and be more powerful than you can imagine. Don't take your power for granted. It defines you.

But........

Word of the Day.....BUT.....what a seemingly little unimportant word....with a huge impact. I'm sorry I did that BUT........I guess I was a little late BUT.........Maybe I was wrong BUT........I apologize BUT. But is a word of negation....it wipes out all you have just said. It makes excuses, it covers up, it hazes apologies and meanings, it screams insincerity. Be careful. When you have the need to explain, say you're sorry, take responsibility.....DO IT! Then STOP!!! Offer no Buts. Live your life without the need to cover up. We all make mistakes.....let's shoulder them without trying to make ourselves look better with needless, useless, unapologetic BUTS.

My Thought of the Day

Today is another Big Travel Day......and sadly this journey will probably not be as exciting for you. You're not headed to spend several days with family and friends......eating, and greeting and shopping and doing all those Holiday Traditions that have made the last few days so fun. But think of it this way.....if you don't travel back to your 'normal' life, you don't get the thrill of your 'not normal' life. Ok...mull that over for a few and maybe it will make sense. If everyday was eating and greeting and shopping and fun, then it would become 'normal' and I think the festiveness of it would fade. If every day was dessert then dessert wouldn't be so special. If everyday was long naps and no jobs, then desserts and naps would become less appealing. If every day was a mountain top, then the view just might get old. I know you're thinking I'm way off base right now. And for you, maybe I am. But for me.....I want those wonderful holiday special times to be just that. I don't want them to be everyday happenings that lose their sparkle and shine. I'm willing to get back to normal so the looking forward to the next great gathering can occur. Keep this in mind......I'll leave you with this last thought. Traveling is part of life's journey.....that's what a journey is......and we all have a journey......we all walk the path of normal. I hope your travels are safe today; I hope your normal allows you to look forward to more special. And lastly, I hope you're in tune enough to realize that even your normal is grand because it's yours and yours alone.

Word of the Day....

Reflection....n.,....a thought, idea,or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation. Reflections on being sick on Thanksgiving Day.....I would love to act noble and say that it gave me alone time to give Thanks, Count my many Blessings and Relax on the couch while sending fond thoughts to my family gathered 150 miles away. I would love to say I was that great of a person......selfless, kind, serene, thoughtful. But sports fans....I'M NOT. I was a jealous woman. First, I spent 2 hours trying to convince myself that even though I was running a pretty good temperature I wasn't contagious and I could just take Advil and go on....spreading my joy. When I finally settled in to the fact that the couch was going to be my best friend...well, I pouted, frowned, flipped the television channels until even IT was dizzy and was the epitome of a grump. The cat wished I had gone, the dog wished I had gone and my husband wished HE had gone. I envisioned the perfect turkey, the amazing dressing with just the right amount of sage, the myriad of other food that sat on the bar of my brother and sister in law's house. I imagined the laughter and the screaming at the football games, the gossip and yes, even the piles of dirty china waiting to be washed. I missed my kids, I missed my friends and other family. I did appreciate the texts, and calls and especially the wonderful food friends from here delivered to my door..even though they walked into my house wrapped up like zombies to avoid the germs, they were troupers for bringing me TDay dinner. But at the end of the day.....this is my Reflection. It's not the food, it's the warmth of being with those who light up your life....or not.....it's the gathering of tradition, the seeing, the telling, the exchanging of news. It's that feeling of belonging there, in that crowd of people, who are yours and who have been put in your life for a reason. It's part of being a WE.....and not just a ME. If you had that yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, then know you are truly blessed.

Be Still and Know................

This is my thought for the day......and I'm NOT being blasphemous.....and I know this is somewhat of a copy. But here goes......Be Still and Know that You are You!! Indeed you are...with all your talents, thoughts, actions, faults...with your height and weight and fingerprints and hair and eyes and each individuality. Take all that is You and use it. Enjoy it. Work on it. Share it. And most of all Live It!

My Thought of the Day...

Even if you've built a wall around yourself, make sure you have a window or door to open for awhile. Everybody needs a little fresh air to breath, if only for a bit. Expand your soul to receive something besides yourself.

Word of the Day

Time...n.,..a measured or measurable period. Time is a funny thing. It races when you don't want it to, it drags when you don't want it to, it ages, it matures, it continues. Here's the thing....time flows in it's steady sure way. Each of us only has so much time.....so many minutes, days, months, years. Time can NOT be reclaimed. Time can NOT be undone. It begins and then it ends. Tick tick tick. It's nobody's business but yours how you fill your time. It's one thing that is your very own. So use it in whatever way you see fit. But just know that while time ....in itself....is infinite, YOUR time is finite. Make the most of your time......nobody can do that for you!

My Thought of the Day

There are things that are better left unsaid. Hurtful criticism, painful observations, rude sharp words that cut like knives need to stay hidden. Before you send out syllables that can never be taken back....breath for a minute. Those words will hopefully soften and dim and round out to something that doesn't break a heart or a spirit. Words are unseen, but their sound can reverberate for days, months and years. They hang in the air like pieces of ash that slowly float and adhere to walls, clothes and lives. Be very careful with your words. The tongue is a deadly sword.

My Thought of the Day

What is your gift? No, I'm not talking about what you're expecting under your Christmas tree this year. I'm wondering what your GIFT is. We all have them. Some have the gift of gab, some have understanding, some encouragement. The Bible speaks of Gifts of the Spirit. What a shame if we ignore the gifts and talents we've received. I don't think we should be stagnant. Easy to do...I know. But if you merely sit and let life pass you by...that's exactly what it does. It passes you by and not only do people around you miss out on YOUR gifts, but you do too. This is the busiest time of the year. So much is expected of us during the Holidays....cooking, buying, cleaning, traveling..the list goes on and on. Why not this year......you enter this Season with full acknowledgement that you are GIFTED. And taking one step forward....use those gifts to be somebody special. It is the thing to do!

Thought of the Day

What if your thoughts were visible? If every thought you had appeared above your head like a tiny neon sign.... Oh Baby!! Bet your mind just went blank for a second. Happy thoughts would blink yellow. Sad thoughts would be brown. Mean thoughts would be black. Commanding thoughts would be red and "I'm better than you' thoughts would be Royal Purple. I wonder what color would dominate your neon? Would your thought process change if I could see your thoughts and you could see mine? I'm gonna be the first to raise my hand and say......well h*ll yeah!! But I wonder if we could actually change our thought process. Think about it...Ha!! Couldn't resist that one....but in reality our thoughts pretty much pop in and out of our heads with randomness. Or at least mine do....maybe I'm not normal. Quit nodding!!! Yet I do believe that we can train our thoughts. Do we want to? That's another story and blog. But for the here and now......just consider the possibility of walking around with these tiny neon signs frantically blinking your thoughts. If that doesn't make ya want to stay home, I don't know what will. I think I'll consider this blog a while longer.......it's too colorful to contemplate all at once!

Thought of the Day.............

Get over yourself! I love people.....strange as we all are....and think about it....we're pretty strange. But we all need to get over ourselves. If I get over myself and help you. And you get over yourself and help the next person and on and on and on.....well think about it. O wait!! You have to get over yourself to think about it! Put away our hatreds, our nastiness, our holier than thou political views, our stinginess. Open up our helpfulness, our thoughtfulness, our lend a hand, our ability to see the world as what it can be.....not criticize what it is. Can we change forever? O heck no! Can we change for a day? Probably not! But if we all could just change for 30 minutes. Then maybe for 45 minutes tomorrow. Quit being the 'it's all about me' weak link in the chain. So hopefully when you get over yourself long enough to give this a little thought.....you'll be that person that opens a door, gives a wave, says hello. You'll be that person that has for maybe 30 minutes gotten over yourself. Start today....or whenever you have the courage. Yep......it does take a little courage to turn your thoughts to somebody else's welfare over yours. I hope your try it. Just think......if you don't like it, you can always go back to yourself!

Void

Word of the Day Void....n.,....empty space When something or someone cherished leaves our lives, there is a void. Sometimes the voids are small....sometimes they are deep craggy holes. I'm not sure we should try to fill these spaces. Much like wounds, because that's what they are, I think we must allow our voids to heal naturally and openly. Many people try to pack these spaces with artificial things. This is an avoidance, not a healing. We all lose special people and things. It is a natural process of life. Maybe it's a family member or friend...maybe it's through death or a move or other circumstance. Maybe it's your joy or creativeness or your enthusiasm. Whenever you experience a void in your life....and you surely will......allow yourself to grieve, or cry, or withdraw. Be kind to yourself, knowing that someday......maybe in a week, month or year......that void will slowly begin to fill with whatever it is that is destined to fill it. It will become packed with memories, and strength. The void that was so openly hurtful and raw, will evolve into the thing that most rewards, encourages and fills with trust and faith. Walk in the Light. Trust in the Process. Give the One who heals and fills....His time.... for surely, and without fail.... He is on and by your side.