Happy New Year!

Have a safe and spectacular New Year's Eve!

Enjoy Every Second and Dream of What Will Be!

Emily Dickinson put it best:

We turn not older with years,

but newer every day!

That's some good stuff to kiss the old one goodbye,

and open your arms to a new one!

Can I be Frank?

A beautiful reminder from Anne Frank:

How wonderful it is

that nobody need wait

a single moment

before starting

to improve the world.

You're welcome!

Ends and Beginnings

As one year comes to an end,
and as we usher in a new one,
it is a time of resolutions.

A clean slate, if you will,

to reinvent, reinvigorate,

or reimagine yourself.

A fresh page to write

the story that you'd like.

An opportunity

to find little positives

in every day.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

We all stumble.

We all make mistakes.

And when we fall ...

we rise again.

And as one year ends ...

a new one starts.

And so it is with you.

Hey there, Sunshine

No author noted.
No need.

Stay close to people

who feel

like sunshine.

Practice

It takes time
and much practice
to learn to tune out
the loud opinions around you
and listen to
the quiet beating
of your own heart.

~ E. Layne

Merry Christmas

Linus, man! Linus!

And there were in the same country

shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them,

and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not

for behold, I bring you

good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day

in the city of David, a Savior,

which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you.

Ye shall find the baby

wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,

and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.

And though this came from so much more,

it is a warm and comforting memory 

to simply think back to this beautiful scene

and smile.

Hope

So a dear, old friend, who recently lost a sibling,
shared a post she'd written years ago and
there were a few words that immediately caught my attention.
They were weighing on me ever since, until I had a moment,
and then ...

Hope

by Lyn Marinello

The Christmas lights are twinkling

but I'm struggling to cope

Adrift in a sea of festive faces

I seem to have misplaced my hope

The carolers are singing

I trudge along mired in mope

I cannot shake the worldly weight

I've truly disconnected from my hope

The skaters jump and twirl

The sledders race down every slope

And in the midst of this jubilance

I simply cannot find my hope

Off to church I went

my pant knees all thread bare

Head bowed, hands folded tightly

I was fervently in prayer

Jeremiah 29:11

His plans He did declare

I felt the tiniest of sparks

and continued in my prayer

Within the book of Romans

Instead of searching for what's fair

We rejoice within our sufferings

and are thankful in our prayer

All at once its brilliance came to me

Christ's unwavering love in full kaleidoscope

Seek not joy in tangible things

But in Jesus' Christmas gift of hope

I sure hope that the friend who inspired this,

not only sees it,

but understands I tried my best to capture your message.

Love you

Angel wings

There is kindness out there ...
eeking its way into hearts and lives
that never knew it existed or

perhaps thought it cold and dead.

When touched by

that warm hand of generosity,

be gracious and joyous,

for you have been blessed

by the tips of Angel wings

directed by the hand of God.

When searching my teeny brain

and thankful heart for something potent today,

this is what fell out of my fingers.

I am thankful for those Angel wings ...

The lesson

Joseph Campbell penned this beauty.
It couldn't be more true.
It is, however, a tediously difficult lesson to master.

When the heart speaks,

take good notes.

Whispers

I did not write this,
but I sure do love it
and absolutely believe it.

Whisper of Angels Wings

Today I stumbled and once again

was lifted up by an unseen hand.

What comfort & joy that knowledge brings

for I hear the Whisper of Angels Wings.

The Guardian Angels God sends to all

to bear us up when we stumble & fall.

Trust Him, my friend, and often you'll hear

the Whisper of Angels Wings hovering near.

Mountains

Two of my most favorite quotes ~
one is by Confucius; the other I am unaware.

We are given mountains

to show others they can be moved.

The man who moves a mountain

begins by carrying away small stones.

Whatever mountain you're facing,

there are lessons to be learned and shared

and just take one step at a time.

You got this!

Make up your mind

 " ... it's been my experience

that you can nearly always enjoy things

if you make up your mind firmly

that you will."

~ Anne of Green Gables

YOU!

I did not write this ...
but I write this every day!

You may think that

you are completely insignificant

in this world.

But someone drinks coffee

from the favorite cup you gave them.

Someone heard a song on the radio

that reminded them of you.

Someone bought the book you recommended

and plunged headfirst into it.

Someone smiled after a hard day's work

because they remembered a joke that you told.

Someone loves themselves a little bit more

because of a compliment you gave them.

Never think that

you have no influence whatsoever.

Your touch, word, and good deeds

that you leave behind

cannot be erased.

Leading

I have written about this before.
I truly believe this.

I've been the president

and I've been the worker bee

and every dadgum thing in between.

I've read leadership books.

I am married

to an extraordinary leader

for like a gazillion years.

This is a lesson,

learned by too few,

and not practiced nearly enough.

To lead people,

walk behind them.

Strength

I am abusing a quote I found and, of course, embellishing.
It's not plagiarism if you make it better. LOL!

There is nothing stronger

than a broken soul

that has rebuilt itself.

There is strength

in the pieces.

There is beauty

in the mosaic

that comes

from tenacity.

Head and Hands

It would seem as though
I am in a little bit of a funk.
It kind of just fell on me yesterday.
I saw this and thought it might help me
and maybe someone else as well.

The past

is in your head.

The future

is in your hands.

Much love, friends.

Why vs What

I've long loved this little snippet.
Still trying to practice it.
It is a difficult lesson to grasp.

If you are grappling,

know that you are not alone

and there is something to learn.

When you replace,

"Why is this happening to me?"

with

"What is this trying to teach me?"

everything shifts.

Quiet

By Miss Angela Weiland-Crosby ...
and thank you for this ...

Everyone needs

a place to retreat;

a spot where the world

grows quiet enough

for the soul to speak.

Nothing

A little friendly reminder for your Thursday ...

There is nothing

in this world

that can trouble you

as much as

your own thoughts.

Get out of your head ~

and into your heart.

Gifts

It is a joyous moment when you are given a gift.

At least it should be.

I've been at homes where the piles were just moved in front of a person

who randomly and thoughtlessly ripped each package open

and moved on to the next one.

That's not for me.

When I receive a gift, I am deeply moved.

That someone took a moment, thought about me,

spent money and/or time to give me a piece of their heart ...

that is gifting.

The store name, price tag, and technology means nothing.

I am overwhelmed by their kindness and selflessness.

Now ...

To be the giver of those ...

you are gifted twice.

To have lifted someone's spirits,

lifts your own as well.

Enjoy the holiday season.

Be the gift that someone needs.

Share your heart and time.

Kindness

It is true that kindness
seems to have stepped back into the shadows
as of late.

But, if not you ... who?

Who will resurrect that small, brief act

that can turn, not just a moment,

but an entire life around?

Who will speak a gentle word?

Who will offer unrewarded assistance?

Who will give selflessly?

Who will reach out - as an offer -

not in expectation?

Kindness is not lost.

It is hiding ... in plain sight.

Dust it off.

Bring it out.

Share it eagerly.

Gift it freely.

It is in the gracious moment

of kindness

that we can truly change the world.

Cracked

We all have flaws.
We all have issues.

We all have challenges.

We all are cracked.

Do not let those

tiny imperfections

defeat you.

It is in that uniqueness,

that quirkiness,

the beauty that is you,

that there is hope.

Those very cracks

that you despise

or fret over

are what let the light in ...

and allow your light out.

Where is your key?

This is written in the 'she',
but can be exchanged
with whatever pronoun makes you happy!

One morning, she woke up different.

Done with trying to figure out

who was with her, against her,

or wandering in the middle

because they didn't have the guts to choose.

She was done with things

that did not bring her peace.

She realized that

opinions were a dime a dozen,

validation was for parking,

and loyalty was more than a word ~

it was a lifestyle.

It was this day that her life changed.

It was this day that she realized

that life is way too short

to leave the key to your happiness

in someone else's pocket.

And yes, of course,

I tweaked it and made it my own

...

because I hold my key.

Enjoy your day!

National Mutt Day

I penned this a few years ago.
It still, very much, holds true.


Rescue
by Lyn Marinello


The quiet in the house

was deafeningly sad
The lack of wagging tails
was driving me quite mad
The loneliness at home
without the wiggly greet
Was only matched in depth
by the cold of uncovered feet
And so we took a ride
to the shelter down the road
And found a furry little friend
to brighten up our abode
He quickly stole our hearts
and a stuffed animal or two
But, honestly, I'm just not sure
who exactly rescued who

Art

Here's a mash-up of two very powerful points.
I hope whoever needs to see this, does.

Your art (in whatever medium)

is not about how many people

like your work.

Your art is about

if your heart likes your work,

if your soul likes your work.

It's about how honest you are

with yourself

and you must never trade

honesty for relatability.

Behind every strong person

is a story

that gave them no choice.

Tell your story

in your art.