Thankful Thursday

Linking with awesome Cami at Thankful Thursday 

 

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”  Maya Angelou 

Life happens...the good, the bad and the ugly. I used to think I was the only one that got hit with the bad and ugly and little of the good. Believing that made me close my heart from trusting and living life open and free. 

But I figured out.....the yuck stuff passes and the good always comes again just like springtime after winter. I refuse to get stuck in the not so good anymore...or paint the world and everyone in it, the same. This week I'm thankful for.....

-Finishing my book. It's done and at the publisher. It'll be out end of this month and I already have a growing list of people who want it. That amazes me. The book is called Dancing Softly. It's a story of the resilience of the human spirit and the touch of a gentle God.
-Writing. Started a new website that focuses on giving back through my writing. If you like...you can check it out at www.write2empower.webs.com. Working on it reminded me how grateful I am for this gift of writing....When I write I always feel pumped with amazing courage and hope.
-The kindness of my oldest girl...she's 16 and tops the list right next to her sister as my favorite people in the whole world. I needed help with something and she pushed aside all her stuff to help me even though it took forever.
-The women in the empowerment workshop I'm running. They said I'm their role model...but it reality...they're mind b/c all of them have the courage to try one more time. 
-Mostly that nothing goes to waste...not even the horrible stuff that happens to us. He uses it all to give hope to someone else.

 Guys....I feel bad...I haven't been around a lot this week. Been so busy getting my book done. Promise this week....will stop by everyone and say hi.

Thankful Thursday

Linking with Cami at Thankful Thursday

 "Love is not a because, it's a no matter what." Jodi Picoult

There are people that have come and gone in my life.....some died....others moved across the country....a few just left. 

Some stayed....and journeyed with me through all the ups and downs. They stayed through the good...the bad and the in betweens. These are the people that have become family...my forever people.

I discovered something about these forever people...their life journeys have become mine...their struggles and pain...also mine. Their joys and triumphs....yep....mine too. 

So this Thursday....

-I'm most grateful for all the forever people.....some gone....some living around the corner....some right here in cyberspace.....all of them phenomenal people.

-Finished my novel, Dancing Softly. It's now in the review and edit stage. Once done....on to publication. Can't wait.Yeahhhh.
-Watching fireworks with friends at the lake. The night was perfect...the sights spectacular. A definite WoW evening.
-The city and community where I live. People here are friendly, giving, caring. Someone told me we were voted one of the best places to live in the country. I believe that. 
-That He is a definite forever...always there in my corner...helping me live my best life...teaching me to forgive...let go...move on...to give back....and to live my life with gratitude.

Passion

Linking with Cami at Thankful Thursday

"Passion - it lies in all of us...sleeping...waiting... speaking to us...guiding us. Passion is the source of our finest moments. Josh Whedon.

Passion - it's the thing that drives me.....it keeps me focused and gives me purpose. 
Passion - it tips the scale to living life full, rich and wonderful. 

There was a man, Wilson Bentley, whose passion was snowflakes. He loved those white bits of snow. He studied them and analyzed every aspect of their makeup. He spent his whole life focused on the white stuff. Many called him crazy...different.....but he didn't care. His passion drove his life. Bentley was the guy who discovered that no two flakes are the same. 

I want to live my life with passion!!! This week I'm grateful for.....

-Writing....it's a definite passion that feels so much like breathing. That writer's block is broken. I've been writing like crazy...caught up in trying to finish the two novels I'm working on. 
-Phone lines. We had an outage. That meant no use of the phone or internet for a couple of days. It was agony. Thank you Alexander Graham Bell for following your passion. 
-Meeting J...she's got a wild passion for the topic I'm writing about. We both couldn't talk fast enough. Love that. We're getting together to brainstorm....
-Flowers...we planted a whole bunch of different plants and they're all growing. It's so neat to go outside and see.
-Mostly for Him being in my world and opening my heart to so many neat things....

Thankful Thursday

Linking with Cami at Thankful Thursday

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."  Melody Beattie

Gratitude...it makes everything seem like a gift...even the things that don't at first seem as if they are. Gratitude...it makes life flow easier, softer, kinder. This week I'm grateful for the simple things like....

-A/C.....it's been unbelievably hot here....we've hit record highs. I'm grateful for air conditioning.
-Crying with my oldest. My daughter bought me the movie Sarah's Key and her and I watched it together. Although the movie wasn't the best, the concept of the story made us cry. It's weird but it felt really good to cry together....
-sharing an ice cream sundae....hot fudge over cold vanilla ice cream....the absolute best and eating together with people you love...makes it even better
-Buying flowers on sale....marigolds....yellows and oranges...brilliant colors that make the garden smile every time I look at them.
-His love...that opened my eyes to the beauty in the world. At one time everything I saw was dark and awful. Now even the darkness has His Light in it....

Thankful Thursday

"We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.

Even longer,' Pooh answered." A.A. Milne

Funny how some people are friends forever.....even after they're not here anymore. I still think of those people who made a difference in my world.....who changed the way I look at things.....and who believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself.  People...even some animals showed me a different way of living than I knew. I never wanted them to leave but I've discovered even in death or life changes they still live on in me. Today I'm grateful for all those who happened in my life and made a difference.

-Mr. W. for his neat stories and words of wisdom. The thing I remember most about this wonderful elderly Jamaican man.....his simple words that still play in my head.....especially his phrase 'inch by inch it's a cinch. Yard by yard it's hard.'

-my first dog S. She was the best. A true friend who gave me incredible comfort at a time I desperately needed it. 

-My friend S who loved Anne Murray tunes. At night when she couldn't sleep she'd call and ask if I'd just hold the phone and listen. I did.
-Gaye....we connected on twitter. She told me I'm a fighter. I told her so was she. She lost her battle with cancer but her words and awesome slant of seeing things still live in my heart.
-I don't like changes. I don't like when people have to leave....I'm glad He's a constant....always there.....I'm totally grateful for that. 

Thankful Thursday

Linking up with Joan at Reflections of His Grace

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”  Dr. Seuss

I've been feeling overwhelmed....
stressed....from the insane pressure of having to chose the perfect gift for so many people. I love giving and making people smile but this is nuts. I have only a few weeks to dash out, scout through as many stores as I can and find those perfect gifts that I hope people will like. I agonize too much over the task. What if I buy something and they don't like it. And some I know want a specific thing....and I can't find it!!! I've gone in one store...then another....and no one's got it.  Okay. I got to remember to take a breathe....slow down.....and focus on what's really important....like those things I'm thankful for......

-My best friend and her family who always remind me no matter what...love rules.
-A teen who read my book....and emailed to tell me she loved it and it's inspired her to push forward and fight those things in her life.
-Spoke at Toastmasters......about Finding Your Voice. And it's true...I've found my voice through writing......and grateful for that.
-Went to my daughter's school play.....watching her shine....seeing her happy face....and the happy faces of all those kids. They're all so different....and each one so special.  
-The perfect gift...the one He gave....that has gifted me with Light....Love......and Life

Thankful Thursday

"Without gratitude, we have no wings. The highest and best freedom is to feel ever-increasing gratitude." Laura Teresa Marquez

Some weeks are amazing....in fact.....they're almost perfect.. This week has been one of those....an awesome week....a week that's been affirming..... empowering. And it's been a reminder life really does hold meaning.. I'm grateful for......

-the group of women who came to hear me speak....for the opportunity to tell my story....and to show that nothing is impossible to overcome. They left hopeful....I left humbled. And I get to do it again next week.
-Won the Barnabes Award for my writing. A sign for me...there's purpose in my writing.
-Writing ....I've written 53,000 words in my Dancing Softly story. I get so caught up in it....in the hope I want to show...spending hours trying to string words together in a way that slides down into the heart of whoever's gonna read it.....it's the best feeling ever.  
-Friends that are kindred spirits...and like the family I never had. People like M and R and S who are there always.....steady.....supportive....in my corner....believing the best in me...They give me wings to fly.
-Mostly for Him reaching so far down to pull me out of darkness. He's the one that really gave me wings to fly.....and He's the one who truly made me a  winner. He's become my anchor and hope.....no matter how dark things might get.....His Light will always eventually shine.  

Thankful Thrsday

Linking up with Dayle at Simple Pleasures

"Meditate. Breathe consciously. Listen. Pay attention. Treasure every moment. Make the connection." Oprah Winfrey
 

The week's been great - busy, fun, laid back. I have so many neat things in my world....things that make life interesting and full....things like.



-Squirrels. They're everywhere and so fun..We were hiking when this little grey one started following us. When we stopped. He stopped. When we moved...he moved. It started getting freaky so my dgt. yelled at him to quit following us. He jumped onto a tree....and my dgt.  snapped a pic of him sticking out his tongue. Too funny.
-Rain. It rained for two days and brought a cool breeze...and perfect temps. And the bonus...it's going to be like this right through the weekend!
-Close friends......there's nothing better than laughing with a buddy...especially the kind of laughing that's hard to stop.....
-Purpose....met with someone I'll be running events with. Plans are in the works for the two of us to run community forums on hope at the end of Sept.....
-Peace...mostly for Him never giving up on me...never turning away. Some people will come and go...but He never leaves...never lets go....and loves me just because.....