Smile

Today is National Smile Day!

There is much to smile about.

Yesterday I got lots of my favorite things ..

HUGS!

The tiny gentle ones, from a two year old,

that just melt an already mushy heart.

The sweet and heartfelt ones

from a hopeful future family member

that just seemed to brighten

an already blessed day.

The ones from a son

who's been absent too long

from my days.

The kind where he just squeezed

all the broken pieces back together

and made me whole again.

And the one across a few miles

from my child

who had her second.

THAT is a hug indescribable.

Smile people.

There is much to be happy about.

Gams' Circle

When you have children,

you come to realize

that you've received this incredible gift.

It is not always simple.

There are no instructions.

You do the best you can

with what you have

and instill all the love

and faith and patience and kindness

and peace and purpose you can in them.

And some years later,

they gift you back with a child of their own.

A little human

who will test their parent's patience

as much as those parents tested yours.

And offer all the magical moments

that yours gave you,

only you get to see it

in a whole new perspective.

And it is a beautiful circle

of life and love.

Can't wait for number two.

Testing ...

This is a test

as I have never done this from my phone.

We are never too old to learn.

And we are never too old

to entertain the active, complex,

constantly working mind

of a very-close-to-two year old.

What a joy and a treat

and a privilege.

On an adventure ...

And ........ she's off!

I will be on and off of here for the next two weeks.

I've got myself sort of set up to add posts,

but I'm going to go play with Amelia

and wait on Bennett to make his appearance,

so I cannot promise consistency.

I hope that you enjoy your days,

look for your blessings,

practice kindness,

and make life magical

however you may touch it.

Stay in touch.

Be well.

Know that you are loved.

Birthday musings

Today,
I celebrate

my daughter!

Sweet 16 for the second time!

How can this be?

You entered this world

on your own terms;

stubbornly, 

slowly,

the grand entrance.

Born EXACTLY

in between your father and I.

Three months and 2 days after dad.

Three months and 2 days before me.

And with that,

you inherited all the best parts

of both of us in one tiny human form.

You are fierce and fluffy;

bold and bubbly;

determined and dedicated;

loyal and loving.

You are precious and inspiring.

Never, for one second,

forget or question,

your value, your worth, your purpose.

Celebrate YOU!

Wishing we were closer.

I'd bake you a cake.

Love you til forever ...

and then some.

Happy Birthday, Beautiful!

Light

It is your light
that offers hope for the world.

It is your hope

that fuels the day.

It is your smile

that sparks the fuel.

It is your uniqueness

that ignites the spark.

It is your light

that is the base for the ignition.

YOU

are everything!

Thursday Byrne

Saw this by Rhonda Byrne
and truly touched me this morning.

Maybe it needs to touch someone else ...

Never let a day pass

without looking for the good,

feeling the good within you,

praising,

appreciating,

blessing,

and being grateful.

Make it 

your life commitment,

and you will stand

in utter awe

of what will happen

in your life.

Volunteer

A Wednesday smile for you ...
and don't test me,
cause I'll do it!

I would like to volunteer

to hug you

until it all feels better.

It might take a while.

I'll bring snacks.

Love

Oscar Wilde said it best:

To love oneself

is the beginning

of a life-long romance.

Get out there

and treat yourself amazingly.

You deserve it.

Heavy

Not sure who said it, 

and of course I couldn't leave it be,

but ...

You will find

that it is necessary

to let things go;

simply for the reason

that they are heavy.

Friendships.

Loves.

Pursuits.

Ideas.

And then you realize,

that the strength you gained

from carrying them

has prepared you for something

so much better.

M.O.M.

So it's Mother's Day Weekend.
Hoping you're making the most of it.

Eventually, there comes a tiny bitter sting to it,

but you learn to see the beauty in what the departed

have instilled that lingers on.

When my beautiful Momma passed,

I wrote a poem.

It's what I do.

It is cathartic.

It is therapy.

It is comforting.

The first line of hers said,

M.O.M. means Master of Magic

and so, as this weekend pressed in on me,

I began to think about that and expand a little.

If you know these people ... you may even chuckle.

In reference to my grandmother, Poppa:

Magistrate of Marvelous

Regarding my own self ...

Mayor of Mayhem

Pertaining to my daughter who's about to welcome #2 ~

Maestro of Magnificence

To all you maestros, mayors, masters, magistrates and more ...

God bless you and know that you're doing an awesome job.

Friday Mom

As a mom,
we fear the world
we bring a new life into.
We protect.

We nurture.

We teach.

We coddle.

We reprimand.

We cheer.

We steer.

We speak.

We listen.

We forgive.

We forgo.

We retrieve.

We release.

We push.

We pull.

We laugh.

We cry.

We hope.

We pray.

We love.

There is no manual.

You come without directions.

We do the best we can.

We give you wings to soar,

optimistic that you might

occasionally return to the nest.

Mostly payless and thankless,

it is a job we wouldn't give up for anything.

It is a privilege and a pleasure.

Thursday Momspeak

Another wonderful tidbit

that my Momma shared

is something that I have shared

with my own kids

and a plethora of people:

Be nice ...

until it's time to not be nice.

That doesn't mean

that you are rude or ugly

or belittling or demeaning.

It simply means that you

will no longer allow yourself

to be used as a doormat,

to be lessened,

to be trivialized,

to be marginalized.

You speak your mind and/or

(a favorite from my Grandfather)

you point your shoes in another direction.

There is NEVER a circumstance

in which you should let another human

disrespect or diminish you.

Momma-ism

So, for absolutely ever,
one of my Momma's favorite quotes was,
"This too shall pass."

After far too many years of 

"wiping noses" (IYKYK),

and I'm pretty sure a decent loss of patience,

she altered her catchphrase to

"NEXT!"

It is incredibly applicable.

Bad day? Next!

Stupid job? Next!

Ridiculous person? Next!

Broken heart? Next!

Terrible service? Next!

You could always dwell

on the actions or folks that may 'interrupt' your day,

or you could search for the next fantastic thing.

NEXT!

You bet!

Mom Stuff #2

One of the greatest lessons
I ever learned,
and continue to learn,
and re-learn,
and teach,
and re-teach,

is ...

just because they don't love you

they way you'd like them to love you,

doesn't mean

that they don't love you

with everything they are.

Mother Stuff

I think that this week,
leading up the Mother's Day,
I will dedicate my blogs
to all you Mothers out there,
whether it be your own,
someone else's, or fur babies.

A mom is a mom is a mom.

This gem is from Mother Theresa ...

You will teach them to fly,

but they will not fly your flight.

You will teach them to dream,

but they will not dream your dream.

You will teach them to live,

but they will not live your life.

Nevertheless,

in every flight,

in every life,

in every dream,

the print of the way you taught

will always remain.

Dogs

A little Saturday silly for ya
(although it is the truth!) ...

I don't care

what anyone thinks

of me ...

except dogs ...

I want dogs

to like me.

Winds

Well this was kind of a 'wow' moment.
Love this little quip.

When the winds of change blow,

some people build walls,

others build windmills.

There is nothing political

about this post.

It is just the opening

of an opportunity

to see things

(all kinds of things)

from a different perspective.

Forward

As usual ...

I found this,

embellished,

and made it mine.

Enjoy ...

You may be changed

by things

that have happened to you,

by people

that have interacted with you,

by time

that has crept by like a snail in molasses,

or sped by in the flap of a hummingbird wing.

Never allow yourself

to be reduced,

to be marginalized,

to be minimalized.

Use the negatives

to grow,

to become stronger,

to gain wisdom,

to think.

Use the positives

to praise,

to pass it along,

to build on,

to begin again.

Forward ...

always forward.

Simple Things

From one Miss Mary Davis:

May the joy

of simple things

color the canvas

of your soul.

Sometimes,

it is the singular,

simple statement

that creates

the biggest impact.

Go do

what makes

your heart happy.

Rest

I do believe I've posted this before.
I'm pretty sure I'm re-telling myself,
but perhaps someone else needs to hear this, too.

If you get tired,

learn to rest,

not to quit.

JOMO

Joy Of Missing Out!

Feeling content with

staying in,

self care,

disconnecting,

self love,

thinking for yourself,

self indulgence,

unplugging,

recharging,

simply existing,

breathing.