Love Yourself

It is a hard thing to do.
To realize your value
without overdoing it.
To accept yourself,
in all your flawed grandeur,
without boasting.
To know your worth,
without blinding others
with your natural bling.
You must be comfortable
within your own beautiful skin,
whatever tone it may be,
before adding anyone else to the mix.
You are unique.
You are a joy.
You are a blessing.
Love yourself!
Love you.

Warm Fuzzies

Last night, my husband decided to flip between
two distinctly different tv presentations:

Rudolph and Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Now this might seem like a random occurrence,
had a customer yesterday not been singing the song

Arizona.

Now you're convinced I'm crazy.
How could those things possibly be connected?

My brother, Skip, now an Angel watching over me,
bought my kids Rudolph when they were little.
He also took me to see Ferris Beuller's Day Off
when it was in theaters because he found it so amusing.
It was. We laughed ~  a lot!
And, back in the day, we had our own special
gaggle of quotes that started with Monte Python and ended with
Arizona.

Sometimes, the Angels sneak into your day in subtle ways.
I miss my brother dearly.
So glad he's still around to give me warm fuzzies.

Hib!

Giving

Today is the National Day of Giving!
EVERY day
should be a day of giving.
But, in honor of the title,
choose an organization,
a committee,
a group,
a club,
and give.
Give local.
Give nationally.
Give to what you're passionate about.
Give to what you want to see succeed.
There is no better group,
no certain timing,
no right amount.
Each of us is dedicated to our own victories.
Educate others.
Bring awareness.
Cure things.
Help things.
Fix things.
Good luck to you
and give, give, give.

Yes

The power of 'Yes' is mighty.
Such a tiny word
yet it wields all sorts of power.
Focusing on the 'yes' diminishes the 'no'.
Concentrating on the positive, depletes the negative.
Expounding on the good, minimizes the bad.
Choose the positive.
Choose the good.
Choose the yes!

A simple task that allows so very much.

Yes yourself silly!

Whoa is Me

In my humble and honest opinion,
and partly why I write here,
I am convinced that we have very little control
beyond our own selves.

For those that are constantly attending pity parties;
for those that are all about the 'me';
for those that are trying to steal the shoes of Debbie Downer;
for those that think every deck is stacked against them . . .
your 'Woe is Me' attitude is really
a 'Whoa is Me' sentence.
You stand in your own way.
You create your own drama.
You deny access to supporters.
You give weight to what others think.

Get comfortable in your own skin.
Love that mirror and what you see in it.
Embrace the talents and gifts that you have.
You need not look any further than
the tips of your fingers and the end of your nose
to find an extraordinary person
who needs no applause;
who needs no grandeur;
who needs no back-patting;
who simply needs to love him/her self.

You're Welcome

A bit of information we all need to read:

No one is YOU.
THAT is your super power!

and

YOU are the one
you are waiting for.

Give yourself a little credit
and realize your worth.
I am thankful for you.
You are welcome!

Give Thanks

There is ALWAYS something
to be thankful for.
Life gives you lessons
or blessings.
Both are necessary to
guide and sustain you;
to build you;
to fortify you;
to support you;
to strengthen you;
to love you.
Give Thanks
for it all!

I am thankful for
YOU!

Enjoy your day ~ really!

Grateful

I am ever grateful!
Foremost for the Father.
A close second by my Momma.
And then, a warm and fuzzy appreciation to those that:
angered me;
told me no;
dared me;
said I couldn't;
said I wouldn't;
belittled me;
demeaned me;
ignored me;
scared me;
scarred me;
dismissed me;
and overlooked me.
You made me:
wiser;
stronger;
bolder;
braver;
determined;
persistent;
tenacious;
gritty;
faithful;
ambitious;
focused;
and resolute.
Thank You!
You choose . . . victim or victor!
Be grateful for what you face.

Be The One

One candle's flame
can light a multitude of other candles.
One good deed
can incite a plethora of others.
One kind smile
can create a generous outpouring of more.
One selfless gesture
can inspire the world to be better.

Be The One

Amen!

By an unknown author:

At the end of life what really matters,
is not what we bought,
but what we built;
not what we got,
but what we shared;
not our competence,
but our character;
and not our success,
but our significance.
Live a life that matters.
Live a life of love.

ALWAYS

There is ALWAYS something
to be thankful for.
I am convinced that it has nothing to do
with your situation,
and much, much more to do with your heart.
You might have money issues,
but you wake up each morning.
You might have health issues.
but you wake up each morning.
You might be fighting battles,
but you wake up each morning.
Each new day is another opportunity.
Each new day is another blessing.
Each new day is another chance.
Be thankful for the day.
Be thankful for the good that may come.
Be thankful for the wonders that you see.
Be thankful for your senses.
Be thankful for your friends and family.
Be thankful for the air you breathe.
There is ALWAYS something
to be thankful for.
ALWAYS.

Success

To have touched another heart;
to have made a difference;
to leave a positive impact;
THAT is success.

Wooooooosah!

Negativity is an ugly cloak
made heavier by self pity and doubt.
Positivity feels like a bath of warm sunshine;
the rustle of wind on a wooded walk;
the freedom of butterfly wings.
Grasp what makes you happy.
Life might present chasms ~
practice your leaping.
Life might present mountains ~
practice your hiking.
Life might present chaos ~
practice your wooooooosah!

You can do this.

Thankful!

So, I came across this quote
while visiting with my daughter this weekend.
It struck me as incredibly simple
and yet terribly important.
What you do DOES make a difference.
What you do IS important.
It is not always instant gratification that comes,
but faith in knowing the ripple has been started.

Someone is sitting in the shade today
because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

We may not know or realize who or what we impact,
but your presence is important and vital and beautiful
and I am thankful for it.

I Thank You!

A great big Thank You
to those that have served our country
to protect our freedoms.
Your sacrifices are immeasurable.
Your efforts are inspiring.
Your strength is encouraging.
Your determination is extraordinary.
To give your time, your years, your life
so that others may enjoy their independence
is an endeavor that should be met with
reverence and respect.
I salute you.
I admire you.
I respect you.
I Thank You!

Drama

Drama should really be left
on the stage or in front of the camera.
Life is too short for nonsense.
If you feel like you failed, do better.
Apologize, begin again, change something.
If you feel like your life's in shambles, fix it.
Find employment, a purpose, a plan.
If you feel like you're unimportant,
remember that you, your own self, are a miracle.
If you feel jealous of someone else,
realize that with a little elbow grease and determination
you can attain some pretty lofty goals on your own.
You can whine and cry and ask for pity,
or you can rise and shine and demand improvement.
Much like that little boy who cried wolf,
folks will quickly tire of your antics and woe-is-me attitude.

Take a look in the mirror.
See what I see.
Beauty. Intelligence. Bravery. Strength. Tenacity. Grit.
Possibility!

Rise

Before you grumble,
before you complain,
before you whine,
before you cry,
before you stomp your feet,
before you huff . . .
think!

How bad is this?
Can I fix it?
Will it last?
Will it define me?
Can I endure it?
Does it really, really matter?

Rise.
Above the situation.
Above the nonsense.
Above the reaction.
Above the ordeal.
Above the limitations.
Above the hate.

This too shall pass.
You will survive.
You, my friend, are amazing!

Be True

This world is a tad bit whacky sometimes.
Everything is immediate.
Everything seems automatic.
Everything seems disingenuous.
We are trying to please every body,
appease every body,
soothe every body,
smooth every body,
fight every body,
make it right for every body.
Life holds challenges.
Life holds defeat.
Life holds sorrow.
It is at these low points
when you must Be True to you.
Life holds acceptance.
Life holds victory.
Life holds joy.
It is at these high points
when you must Be True to you.
And in all the peaks and valleys in between,
is when you must Be True to you.
You are your unique self for a reason.
We don't need an imitation or duplication of someone else.
You are here because you're YOU!
Be True to YOU!
The world is waiting and in desperate need
of YOU!
Be True to all the wonders that you are!

And the Angels Smiled

I have a little Florida friend
that I have known for probably nearly 20 years.
We didn't pal around,
but we were always pals.
She's a great mom, a great friend,
and an extraordinary person.
She is selfless and giving.

Yesterday I got my mail.
Grocery flyer, bill and an envelope addressed to me.
Threw out the flyer, wanted to throw out the bill,
and wondered what this letter could be from this friend.
I stood at the counter, after a sweatfest at the gym,
grocery shopping, popping in to work for my schedule,
walking the dog, and putting up the food.
I slid my fingers across the envelope, opened the flap,
and pulled out a card with a photo of a lighthouse.
When I opened the card, my heart was happy.
"Hey Lyn" and a whole bunch of smiley face stickers.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
Just a happy note; a simple communication,
a little effort to make someone's day better . . .
and it did!

Thank you Ch-Angel Donna.
You make a difference! You are precious and wonderful.
I appreciate your time, your support and your smiley's!

Imagine if every mailbox had one of those in it . . .

You've Got This

Each morning,
I start my day with a tall glass of water
while wading through emails and Facebook
and then coming here
to try to be encouraging and uplifting.
Sometimes, I am inspired by happy things I read.
Sometimes, I am inspired by amazing folks I know or met.
Sometimes, I am inspired by negativity.
Yup ~ you heard me right!

Negativity can defeat you or embolden you.
When someone behaves poorly,
I think to myself . . . there's a good way NOT to act.
When someone dwells on their troubles,
I think to myself . . . how blessed am I for what I have?!
When someone thinks their life is torturous,
I think to myself . . . my life is really grand!

I may not be a phoenix, but I have risen from the ashes.
I have picked myself up more times than I can count.
I've dusted myself off and started over.
I have struggled and I have also overcome.
You can either whine and wallow,
or strengthen and survive.
The choice is yours.

Freedom and your future are in your own hands.
Plan, pursue, participate, prosper and be positive.
Nothing good ever came from sitting in your own filth.
Change is up to you!

I am betting

It is when we reach our limit
that we find our strength;
our resilience;
our stamina;
our fortitude;
our blessings;
our gifts;
our strengths;
our true self.

I am betting
that your are quite extraordinary!

Knock Knock

I saw this post and
whammo
like a sack o' hammers!
This is something far too many folks
have an issue with.
We have a plan for ourselves
and life doesn't always cooperate.
Doesn't mean you're not getting where you're going.


If it doesn't open;
it's not your door.


Doesn't mean the opportunity is lost.
That's just not the way you're supposed to get there.

NEXT!

S.M.I.L.E.

SMILE

Simply
Make
Indelible
Life
Everyday

Be that Ch-Angel that someone needs.
Be Kind.
Be Generous.
Be Helpful.
Be Positive.
Be Supportive.
Be Selfless.

SMILE!

Be the Inspiration

November is a month which, of course,
celebrates gratitude and the giving of thanks.
It is also National Inspirational Role Models Month.

It is a choice each day to be positive.
It is a choice each day to be supportive.
It is a choice each day to be selfless.
It is a choice each day to be helpful.
It is a choice each day to be kind.
It is a choice each day to be faithful and faith filled.
These, in my opinion, are traits of an
Inspirational Role Model.

It isn't difficult.
Sometimes challenging, but not difficult.

We can all be inspiring to others.
No need for fancy clothes or cars or talents.
It takes a listening ear, a kind heart, strong shoulders,
prayerful knees, and open arms.

You've got all the right parts.
What are you going to do with them.

Be the Inspiration you are intended to be.