Now......

My Thought for this Day.......last night I watched an amazing group of young people walk through a huge Portal of Life. They are now set free of the bonds of BHS. Those bonds were at times velvet ropes......sometimes chain links. Today I will attend the saying goodbye to a woman who lived life long and well. She raised wonderful daughters, walked with God and lived many years on this earth. My reflection is this........new promises lead to certain endings. So as we rise and meet each one of our own days, the success is not in action but in the awareness that leads to that action, the awareness that each day you leave your very own impact on this earth. How, this day, will you love, help, instruct? What matters isn't your past nor your future, it's your now.

Shoot Myself....

I wrote this blog and did this actions months ago. Now.....I think I wanna shoot myself. ................. Now you might find this a very strange subject three days before Christmas but I am about to take a huge leap. And quite frankly I am scared. No......one step further...I am terrified. I am going to throw away ALL OF MY BATHING SUITS. There it's out in the open and you should hold me accountable for this statement. You do know what this entails....right? Yep.....you got it. Doing the scariest shopping ever known to any woman....A N Y W O M A N!! I don't care who you are...that's some scary shopping. But since my very favorite thing to do is broil in the hot sun further advancing my brown spots and wrinkling my face, I will charge into the mall with Debit Card firmly tucked in hand and buy some new suits......I will not be shy, I will not hide in the dressing room afraid to come out and let anybody see me, I will boldly buy new suits.....and I am lying through my teeth. I will cower, I will be a shrinking violet, I will be a mess. But ya know what? That's months away, so I'm going to act as if that day will never come and clean out the bathing suit drawer. Thank you for your support. Months away has arrived!!!!

Plans......

My Thought for this Day......What plans God has in my future may not be in yours. Nor yours in mine. But here's the thing. The blessing is to go on living no matter what your stepping stones are. Today they may be pebbles and tomorrow boulders. It is the walking in truth and light that makes your steps straight, strong and miraculous. So you stumble? Don't we all? So you're weary? Aren't we all? But nothing continues forever....not good nor bad fortune. Not sunshine nor storms. Not darkness nor light. What does continue with a certainty that has lasted from the beginning of time is the strength of the human spirit and heart. We are all touched everyday by unseen powerful forces that lift us from out depths and carry us on wings of goodness and grace. Don't you dare turn your back on this. Don't you dare disregard the power that can be yours for the taking. Stop! Think! Act! And then as is written, pass it on. For your power will lift those who stumble before you. And those behind you will carry you when you falter. Draw in this truth. It is life changing. It is how you and I and generations to come must live if we are truly to know what miracles surround us.

Teach....

My Thought for this Day.....Sometimes it's hard to teach the lessons we must teach. But as parents, bosses, teachers, or whatever role you find yourself, in certain circumstances, the challenge of teaching is ours. When and if this is your duty, and the lesson is hard, learn to instruct with grace and hope.......not with criticism and power. To tear and rip a soul is something irreparable. Don't be the person who does that.

Receiving.......

My Thought for this Day.......There is an old saying........It is better to give than to receive. Indeed, giving is a true blessing. But think of this.......if you don't receive with gratitude and thankfulness, then you are stealing the blessing and joy from the giver. So whichever 'end' you're on.......remember you are part of a wonderfully uplifting action. Learn to receive with Grace. . With that heart you are in fact giving.

Honor.......

My Thought. of this Day.....I heard someone say the other day that Memorial Day is not the day to honor Veterans. Instead, they said, it is the day to honor those who had lost their lives in the line of duty. It is for the ultimate sacrifice. And to that I will proudly stand in honor. I would never presume to belittle that death, that event. But, I will go further and say that any Veteran who fought, had Boots on the Ground, in a combat zone, in a foreign land, also lost their lives. Maybe not physically, but truly emotionally. And on Memorial Day they too should be Honored. Not one returned as the same man or woman who left this country. Not one lived through the trauma of war unscathed. Not one has nor will ever emotionally, mentally, or even physically be the same. The human mind can not take in nor process the brutality of combat without psychological changes. As is known, I have seen this first hand. I have witnessed an emotional battle that has spanned 40+ years. I am now seeing a physical battle begin with this Viet Nam vet that began most probably 40+ years ago. And you know what, he will attack and fight this next battle with the honor and fierceness and with the same courage that he has fought the emotional battle. And so today, we, as a couple, salute those who did die for the United States of America. An I, as a wife of a Viet Nam vet, will salute my husband who has for nearly 5 decades fought and will continue to fight for his country. There is Honor among our military men and women. There is sacrifice and courage. And hats off to you who will stand for the rest of us. Thank You!

Another Repost...Oldie but Goodie!

Boundaries Hippies......I am NOT speaking of the length of a tape measure going around yours or my derriere ....of this I will NEVER SPEAK. Hippies.....those wonderfully free spirits of the 60's. I always wanted to be one......wanted to wear those long flowing skirts and have long flowing hair and do the things that Hippies did. My mother wouldn't let me. Do you think I was the only one ON THE PLANET who asked their mother IF they could be a Hippie? "Hey Mom....can I be a Hippie?" "Sure sweetie...I just spent thousands of dollars on your education at UT, but you go on and get in that van and head out to the Haight." Groovy Dude. Here's the thing. We all need boundaries in our lives. And if we're not smart enough to set them ourselves, we need to learn to allow others to at least offer opinions and then we need to consider those opinions. Boundaries don't always have to be constraints. They can be safety nets, common sense, responsible values used to make sense of our days. It goes without saying that the young need their boundaries set for them and sadly, every day I see parents turn their heads and allow their children to set their own boundaries. For the most part this becomes a TRAIN WRECK. Today I want to encourage you to see your boundaries as a part of life that allows you to live freely but in a respectable manner and most importantly, if you're a parent of a young child, to not be afraid to make those boundaries tall and strong and made of brick. Trust me when I say....at some point that child who thinks you hate them will someday know that you were right.....being that Hippie might have been fun and free and 'in the moment'....but at the end of the day, possibly, just possibly life would have been a wreck in a tie dyed van.