A thought for the weekend

I did not write this,
but ... of course ...
I embellished!
(It's what I do.)
:-)

Today,

I stay centered

in my heart

and view everything I see

through the eyes of love.

I fill 

my entire being

with divine light and

the purity of His truth.

Therefore ...

I exist

as an influence of happiness

for myself

and everyone I encounter.

For in our journey,

if we are anything but kind,

we need to try again.

Friday Chuckle

Was wandering through some emails today
and came across this gem
that made me laugh
and immediate think of a few good friends.

On a plain white coffee cup

is printed:

What doesn't kill you ...

disappoints me.

:-)

Drink up.

Enjoy your day.

Change

Found this quite profound.
Hope it reaches its target ...

The nature of life

is change,

yet the nature

of human beings

is to resist change.

And how ironic

that the difficult times

we fear might ruin us,

are the very ones

that can break us open

and help us blossom

into who we were meant to be.

Enjoy your day, friend.

Weight

As we age,
a vast majority of us,
struggle to lose the few pounds
that life has intermittently shared with us.

It is a healthy endeavor

to battle this task to be healthier.

There is, however,

also this ...

A lot of

what weighs you down

isn't yours

to carry.

Motherhood

April always brings my own Momma to the forefront of my thoughts.
I celebrate her birth and her halo both.

I strive to use the gifts she blessed me with

to be purposeful and to hopefully make her proud.

I stare, in awe, at my own children,

pondering how in the world I was so blessed ...

not with simplicity or ease,

but with tenacity and determination in both

and yet they manage to be loving, kind, devoted humans.

And now, my daughter, has her own daughter ...

and it is a most precariously delightful hamster wheel to run on.

When I saw this quip,

it truly brought things to a very realistic circle for me.

Hoping it touches someone else out there as well ...

A mother's job is

to teach her children

not to need her

any more.

The hardest part

of that job

is accepting

success.

Ukiyo

Your Monday mantra:

Ukiyo:

(n.) living in the moment;

detached from

the bothers of life.

MOM

Ugh!
Thirteen years ago today ... I held your hand
and led you off to a much, much better place.
I miss you more than you know.


MOM
by Lyn Marinello

From my earliest recollections, MOM meant "master of magic"
A positive energy undenied, a lesson to learn from anything tragic
She'd feed the masses with whatever was near
Pray for a steak and bulls would appear
She taught us that play didn't require joysticks and Xbox
And there's always a choice - no matter the knocks
She mothered us all; and fathered us, too
She thrived on her family, overjoyed as it grew
She instilled many things in each life she did touch
Love of God first; faith's your greatest crutch
Music soothed her soul; a gift she loved and shared
Beholding many talents; blessed beyond compare
She turned molehills in mountains; pocket change to riches
The wit that she possessed; kept us all in stitches
And our laughter made her joyous. Her heart would beam so bright
As long as there was family, she knew Heaven shined its light
Her house was always open to all who needed rest
Every person that she greeted was a potential future guest
Her table always offered an extra chair and plate
Her arms were always open - of this there's no debate.
She encouraged each of us to pursue our wildest dreams,
Never doubted our abilities, instead assisted in our schemes.
And as we grew, so did her pride. Her kids were her whole world
And as each of us married, that pride multiplied; unfurled.
Cally, Billy, Danny, Jimmy, Lynnie, Skipper, Skeeter;
Lisa, Lisa, Colleen, Jamie, Victor, Cara - it just gets sweeter
Now stir in some grandkids, Alli & Nick, Dayna and Joel,
A dash of Sierra, Cheyenna & Robert makes 'em whole
Now Danny, another Robert, Danielle and Michael to boot.
Rebekah then follows and they are all just too cute!
Deanna and Miles are next in the order
Then Ava and Hannah round out the grandkid border!
She cherished each one - as a gift from above;
She did all she was able to shower each one with love.
The thrill of this growth was only surpassed
By Julia, Montana, Roary & Lily; although her Julia passed.
For her endeavors to date, God bared His great grace
She met Alfonso and her heart surely did race
His devotion to her showed through dance and through song.
Their love is eternal; bound by faith; it is strong.
He nursed her through illness. Sang her through pains.
Danced her through triumphs. held her hand through the strains.
She continued her gambling; continued her joys;
Delighted in her girlies and simply thrived upon her boys.
As I sat and held her hand for her final day on earth,
I assured her of her family's love and urged her toward rebirth.
I started with Alfonso and moved on through the crowd
Said that each of us adored her and thanked God for time allowed.
As she took her final breath; although my heart did break,
I knew what would be greeting her when, in Heaven, she did wake.
I think that I can safely say, for family & friends far and near
We're excited that you're finally home, but my God, you are missed here.
Enjoy when Julia sings. Greet your mom and dad with glee
Hug Joanie over bingo. Bask in the company of Thee!
Please know that we will miss you! You've left a trail of joy and love.
Always selfless and forgiving - revel in your days with God above.