What if..............

What if you are living your last moments of life? What if when you turned and walked away from a family member, friend or stranger, it was the last time they would see you? What if the words you spoke to the people surrounding you were the very last ones you said to them? Hey girl..it's Friday...lighten up!! I'm in no way trying to be depressive, I'm not trying to make you sad, mad or uneasy. What I'm trying to do this wonderful God given day is to make you understand that life happens in lots of ways. Curves, and bumps and valleys and mountains and precious time spent with your favorite loved ones or the person who is checking you out at a store. You are leaving an impression each second you spend with someone. You may see them 1,000 more times...or even more than that. But what IF, it is the last time? How did you leave them? What was your impression? What did they think? What did they feel? What did they see? How would they remember you? I hope you take this with the love and thought provoking emotion I hope to convey. We have no clue what the next second brings. We don't need to know. What we DO need to know is that everyone matters. Everyone is important. Everyone in your life for their own brief second or long years has been put there not randomly, but for a reason. And you do and have and will make a lasting impression. And at some point that impression will NOT be given a chance to change. Friday Food for thought. Be aware that you, nor your life is infinite. And that you will leave a dusting of emotions when you're gone from this world. You will leave a legacy. You will leave your own very special footprints that have either guided with grace or stomped with anger, self importance or hurtfulness. Where and how will your footprints lead? My hope is that you take these words with the intention they are written. Be aware, live with eyes wide open, hearts full, helping hands and if today IS your last day, then you have left something wonderful and sincere and hopeful and most of all you have left being well loved and well loving.

Life.................

We all have one. Yours may not be the one you've dreamed of having, nor the one you want. Yours might be more blessed than you've ever expected or more harsh than you can imagine. But here's the thing. I think we all must realize that life is ever changing. The valleys turn into mountaintops. The pot holes fill up into smooth pavement. Or the clear skies can become thunderheads and the sunflowers can become cactus. You and I, as human beings, should never take for granted the fact that what you have today is not promised for tomorrow. So whether or not your today is the mountain top or the valley, you have to accept the fact that you've been given the gifts to survive, be empowered, enjoy, fight back, step out, relish and live. Get your head out of your hands and be that person who is an example. Step out of your corner into the center of your ring of life. Walk onstage with your head held high and show the world that you are whom you are supposed to be, living your days as you are supposed to live them....with dignity and grace and honor and love. And if today, you're on your own personal mountaintop, enjoy the scenery, spread your arms and take it all in with thanks and glory. It is your life for today. I hope you can learn from all experiences. I hope you can be that person who understands we are merely runners in a Relay so much larger than we are and that at some point we will pass that baton off. And when your leg of this race called life is over, you are aware and proud and certain that you've squeezed every last drop out of what you've been given. You have a life.....do with it what you are called to do, and that's make every moment count.

Embrace................

What do you embrace? We all love certain things, people, places, but today, let's talk about feelings that we embrace. Well, that's easy you say. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....not so much. Sit and think for just a second. What do you truly embrace. Happiness? Sadness? Fear? Selfishness? Generosity? I'm hearing Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm again. But in reality we all embrace, enjoy, soak in different feelings. If you really give it some thought, I bet you can easily recognize those in your circle of family and friends who enjoy one of the above. Be truthful. We all know someone who loves to be sad. They go around with their shoulders slumped, their life seeping out of their pores, their neon signs hanging over their heads asking us to feel sorry for them. They embrace sadness, they embrace defeat, they actually only embrace the attention it gets them. Then we all know that person who embraces selfishness. Life is about them and only them. They do not engage in helping others. They do not want to hear about anybody's hurts, pains, fear nor accomplishments but theirs. When they hear a story,they always have one better. Life is a myriad of emotions and we all feel each one from time to time. But I truly believe that we choose what we truly embrace. We revel in it. We become it. We live it. So think long and hard just exactly what it is that you embrace. I hope it's something that brings you and your world joy. If you're sad, scared, selfish, mean, judgmental, I hope you fight it and win. Don't be an attention seeker through pain or the poor pitiful me's. Live your life as if it is exactly what it is.....short, filled to the brim with opportunity and hope. Be that person who embraces living. Set that example. Walk that walk. You are not meant to walk the slippery slope of life with negativism, but with delight that you have been given a huge present tied with an enormous bow. Unwrap that present and live it. You get one chance. Be very careful how you use it!

Filling Up.................

With what do you fill yourself? We have so many options in today's world. The internet gives us an infinite field of possibilities. Here's my thought. We all have empty spaces that need to be filled. We all suffer from holes somewhere deep inside us. Maybe from childhood wounds....maybe from adult situations. None of us can escape life without being 'shot' a time or two and because of these holes, we tend to seek out fillers. But the thing is that if you don't acknowledge you are vulnerable in some deep recess of your heart, mind and soul, then I don't think you can even begin to make wise choices that fill those weak spots. I remember a line from one of my favorite movies....Tombstone. I can't quote it exactly but it was said by Doc Holiday about Johnny Ringo. It was something along the lines of, "Why he just had a hole in his soul he couldn't fill." I think that is true of us all. But here is the deal. Those holes can be filled and filled with things that are wonderful and meaningful and increase our quality of life rather than make us so hardened and ugly that we can't deal with our realities. People tend to deal with their lives in various ways. And some of them make the daily news with their ugliness and revenge. And then some of them quietly and softly and wonderfully fill their holes with sacrifices and outreach and ministries that don't make the evening news, but do make the world a better place. I tend to believe the newsmakers never realize they have a void. They are so caught up in fear and darkness and hurt that they lash out with no regard to the fact that somewhere, somehow, sometime they have been slashed into tiny dark pieces of evil. Not making excuses. Not giving license. Just stating my opinion. So here's the Lesson of the Day. If you are human and have lived on this earth for even a very few years, you have been hurt. You have been disappointed, You have felt unloved, unappreciated, undervalued. Acknowledge that and then use it. Use it wisely. Use it kindly, Use it as a tool. Fill yourself with things that matter, things that create something of value for yourself or more importantly for others. Holes can be filled with many things and actions. Find something that makes your hole a Garden of Truth, a Landscape of Beauty, a Ministry of Hope. Be that person. Live that life.

Who......?

Who do you want to be? I may be just crazy...and yes, I can see your nods.....but I really want to be so many people. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....not Madonna, or Julia Roberts, or Kate Middleton. I'm not talking about 'being' specific people. I want to be that woman who wears big hats and gardens great huge plots of herbs and flowers and vegetables. I want to be that person who dresses very chic and runs a huge corporation and is a power person. I want to be that author who sits in a window and overlooks the sea and writes wonderful novels of deep thoughts. I want to be that chef who simmers and stews and broils and bakes wonderful plates and bowls of love. I want to be that volunteer who rocks preemies and holds the hands of those who are lying in hospital beds with no families or friends to come and see them. I want to be that athlete who is so dedicated that I stretch my body to its limits and then some. I want to be that meditative soul who can sit on piles of pillows and think with a hot cup of chamomile tea in hand and not be distracted by phones, or texts or Facebook, Twitter or Blogs. I want to experience life in every one of its corners and crevices and holes and mountaintops. Do you? I'm not saying I'm displeased with my life; I have a great one! I'm just saying that every type of person interests me and I would love to walk in different shoes for even a day. There are so many qualities I see in my friends and family that I admire and wish I had. But I don't and here's the Lesson. No one is everything. We were not made to be patchwork quilts. We were given specific traits and qualities and talents and yes, faults. Our job is to take what we have and round out the sharp edges, level out the bumps, fill in the pot holes and ride our own ride of life. Our job is to just grab what is ours and make it huge. You can't be anybody else but you, so stop trying. I hope you can take the time to contemplate what your presence means in this life, because we waste what we don't acknowledge. Think my friends about whom you are....not on the surface....not what you show the world, but whom you are deep in your core. Draw it out. Use it. Be you!

Soul Food.................

Disclaimer...IF you are a dermatologist stop now! There is just nothing in this world better for my soul than a lazy day in the pool.....throw in a group of wonderful women, great food and cold libations and you have fed your inner most being with golden rays of light. Whether you're in the water on a float, sunning on the deck or sitting in the shade, you're shedding those layers of worry and fretting and easing summer into your very being. This past Saturday I was able to spend delicious time with some very fine friends, some old, some new. What a delight. Conversations bounced around much like kernels of corn in a popper. Colorful suits, faces in the shadows of straw hats, freshly pedicured toes, and huge sunglasses were the order of the day. Conversations,laughter, and advice flowed like lazy rivers. The hint of coconut from sunscreen added an air of festivity to the group. We were relaxed. We were bobbles of pure delight. Did we possibly add a sunspot or two? Yep! Was it worth it...to me, it couldn't have been better. And now to my point...you KNOW I try to have one with every blog. We all need something in our days to feed our souls. We need soothers, and polishers and waxers and warmth. We need stretchers and benders and easers of tension. So no matter what is your passion, live it, if even for an hour or a day. Throw your arms out and embrace life. The present is a gift. Look forward to the days to come, but not at the expense of the day you're living right now. Be kind to yourself and your soul. The world will be glad to give you a beating, it's up to you, to throw it right back out and say...'You know what? I'm gonna turn my craggy rock of a world into a polished stone. And I'm starting today!" Happy Monday Guys and Dolls.

And You Are......................??

What? Are you a follower or a leader? A chief or an Indian? A driver or a passenger? A locomotive or a caboose? What are you? We all have choices in any situation. We can take charge or sit back and let others be the trail blazers, the machete holders, the pavers of the highways of lives. What we do and how we act is our prerogative. Nothing wrong with being either. There are those who just step out and get it done and those who can, do and should follow the lead of those more capable, more adept and more successful in a particular area. Here's the rub. KNOW IT and ACKNOWLEDGE IT when it's time for you to let someone else lead. One of the biggest weaknesses in life is not realizing when we are weak. No man is an island unto himself. We all need help from time to time. And if you think you don't, then God bless your tired, overworked, hiding behind your wall of power, heart. You need people to help you. You need shoulders to ease burdens. You need words to be heard and heeded. You need expertise to be followed in areas you know nothing about and never will. And then when it's your turn to step up to the plate, to captain the ship, to pilot the plane, do so. If we all knew everything about everything....and no, honey, you don't.......then we would all be independent beings that never intertwine. We would be branchless trees. Our storage shelves of need would be empty because we would be the only planet in our universe. How very sad would that be. Hit the home run when it's your turn at the plate. But when it's not, when you are in over your head, when life throws you a curve ball you can't catch, then step back. Rely on someone who can do it and when you do, then realize that yes, you are strong because you can accept help, you can override your pride, you can be sincere in your realization of your humanness. Be a leader AND a follower. That is the essence of life.

Building Fences.............

We build fences around all sorts of things. We build them around our yards to keep pets in and other animals out. We build them around our gardens to make sure our plants do not get nibbled upon by rabbits and deer and other wild things. We build them around our play grounds at schools to keep our children from running into the streets. We build and we build and we build fences. All kinds..........chain and board and yes, even wired and electric. But I think the very most important and sometime saddest fences we build are around our hearts. Self preservation. I'm not going to let him or her or them hurt me again....so up goes another piece of fence. It's somewhat of a mental protection from past hurts, insults and pain. But sometimes the building of those fences does just the opposite. O, it does its job, but it also keeps your heart so isolated that you miss out on things that are full of love and beauty and life. Sometimes those fences around our hearts harden into concrete that eventually seeps into our hearts and then changes us into creatures of indifference. We lose out on so much when this happens. A hardened heart is next to impossible to chip away. "I don't need anybody. Nobody can hurt me know. I don't care what people say or think!" Well, you do and you should! We all need somebody, we all really in our very inner being care what people say and if no one can hurt you then you are emotionally dead. So with all this being put out there, being said, written down, here is my point. Be o so very careful of your personal fences. Build what you must, but not so tall and wide and hard that you are a pillar of stone. Don't miss out on love and laughter and delight. Don't miss the joy of hugs and smiles and achievement and life. The days of our lives are fleeting, and to miss one instance of pure hope and enjoyment is so sad. Build what you must, protect what needs protecting, but make sure your fence is pliable and breathable and movable and most of all.....changeable.

Choices...................

Do you turn right or left? In which store do you buy your groceries, clothes, gas, other necessities? Which church do you attend? Do you rent or own? Do you drive or fly? Do you vote or not? Do you speak your mind or stay quiet? Do you buy or sell? Do you question or ignore? Which television programs do you watch? What movies do you see? Who are your friends? What is your job? What books do you read? What newspaper or magazine do you peruse? What are you hobbies? Your likes and dislikes? What websites do you visit? What games do you play? Choices...we have them. Thank a Veteran for your Independence and Right to make those choices. Happy Birthday U S of A!

Independence....................

Red, White and Blue......we are all about celebrating our July 4th holiday this week. When I think of this holiday, I think of fun, friends, family and food. But it goes without saying that it also is a time to reflect on Independence. No matter what your feelings are on the Good Ole U S of A at this moment, if you don't value the rights you have in this country, then you are sadly missing the opportunities offered. I can hear the Naysayers whisperings inside their heads how we're sinking fast...and I'll agree, we do need to stop treading water in a lot of areas, but that's not the point of today's blog. I am NOT a political person. I vote, I have my opinions, but I do not express them on any social media. Just don't. So......today I want to say that we are all independent thinkers and doers in all areas of our lives. That is what makes up the colors, and patterns and textures of the Great American Quilt. We are not birds on a wire all singing the same song. We are not soldiers marching in close rank with our hands out to signify allegiance to a mad man. We are a people with the ability to think on our own, freely voice our opinions if we want and vote our consciences. We are independent. And with this, comes responsibility. Responsibility to ourselves, and most of all to future generations. Look down the long road ahead and whether you're 20 or 50 or 80, you are going to walk that road and more importantly the next generation in your family will walk it. Whatever comes our way in this nation, our future generations will be left to deal with it. I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Independent or Tea Party or a spotted mongrel with a mix of all of the above, you are making a difference in the path of the people who will walk the path of The United States, who will sail under the flag of the Red, White and Blue. Who will enjoy their own independence. So at the end of this day, and tomorrow and next month and next year, please for all that is precious to you, value your independence. Value it so much that you never take it for granted. You have free will. Don't squander it, don't misuse it, don't hang it out to dry and let someone steal it off the clothes line. Then when you are through with it, when you've reached the end of the path you've walked, please pass it own. Talk to your young people about the value of being able to think, speak and act independently. I thank God everyday that we live in this great land. I hope you do.

A Blink.........................................

Life can change in the blink of an eye. Life can turn on a dime. Life is what it is...a series of events that can take your breath away or give it back. Circumstances change with each passing moment. Some go unnoticed. Some are so drastic that you recover slowly or never at all. I wonder how often we actually realize this. I wonder how many times a day you stop and think that what is humdrum is a blessing. I have many quirks. Surprising I know. One thing I ALWAYS do...every time I pass a hospital....is give thanks that I am going about my day and on that particular day it doesn't involve sickness. I think the key is being aware. When you're bored....be thankful. When you're with family and friends....be thankful. When you're living your routine...give thanks. It's no secret that every time we take a breath it's a gift. Just an ordinary breath. What is shameful is that most of our breathes go totally unnoticed. In and out.....without thought. Work, home, fun, routine, habit...whatever is happening in your life at this moment. Recognize that it is life and that is such a BIG deal. I hope you have many blinks left and many dimes to turn and that all those turns are good ones, but inevitably, they all won't be and you'll have to face something that takes your breath away. At that time, realize that you have the power to shoulder it, carry the burden and then become you again...only better. But in the mean time, in the routine time, in the humdrum, don't ever take your breaths for granted. Don't wish away the ordinary, waiting for the future that seems to promise more excitement, fun or adventure. Everyday life is an adventure, a trip, a miracle. Hold it dear and close to your heart. We are only promised a moment at a time...can you honestly dare to waste even one? Live large my friends, even in the ordinary.

Demons...........................

We all have them. Call them what you will.......weaknesses, character flaws, whatever. They are demons that if allowed, will ruin your minutes, days, months and years. They are niggling thoughts, jealousies, hatefulness. They can be brought to their knees, and disappear, but I'm telling you, they are never permanently gone. Do I sound sinister? I hope you don't take this blog that way. I hope you take it as just a few sentences of reality. You, nor anybody else you know, is completely free of these things. Everyday is a new day. Everyday you have the choice of a new attitude. Everyday you are equipped to fight off your particular demons. We are all strong, But from time to time, everybody faces moments of letting guards down, allowing emotions to creep into our hearts that are hurtful to others as well as to ourselves. We, as humans, are frail if we stand unaware. First step....recognize your own demons, second step, begin the fight......daily. Don't worry about your neighbor's demons......you can't control them. When we stand strong in our own presence, when we embrace the bad of life with the good, when we keep our faith, our strength and our fight, then and only then, do we control our demons. Bad things will happen.....out of the blue or expected, this life is not a bed of daisies.....it IS the proverbial bed or roses with the beauty of the flower, but also the thorns. Use those thorns to learn and grow. Then clip them off and concentrate on the flower unfolding. You are given this moment in time to enjoy and produce your own garden. Don't entangle yourself with thorns, instead fight whatever might slowly be creeping in your garden to kill your flowers. Tend your garden of life well. Then you will control your demons.