Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, my Angels!
The Angels were definitely with me yesterday! What a super fantabulous sort of day!
I got to write a few much needed little notes to a couple of beloved friends and family before popping up to the middle school for the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. Met one of my favorite front office peeps upon entering and we walked to the library together. It was a small crowd, but all amazing folks. We were introduced by the Volunteer Coordinator, Jackie who told of each person's individual talents and offerings. It was quite nice to learn about the other folks present. She then presented each of us with a gift specifically chosen per individual. Guess what I got?
A pair of beautiful coral-colored angels with an inspirational message printed between their flowing gowns. I was beaming. When we entered the room, we had been given a number from a basket. Mine just happened to be 22 - my birthday. We joked that it would mean good things. When Jackie got around to doling out the numbered door prizes, she finally made her way to 22 and . . . it was a bag of Angels. Crazy, huh?!
Next was the musical interlude by Mrs. Cavanagh, a woman who has the innate blessing of being able to draw the talents out of children. Her entertainment has always made me wish I had brought my mom. She would have loved it and this year's spectacle was no different. Even brought a tear to my eye. She really has an incredible gift of bringing the best out of these children.
From there, I went to four different stores looking for a comforter. Couldn't find what I wanted. Upon entering the fourth store, I was feeling a little defeated and brought a compromise to the counter. I inquired if they had a store room where maybe something else might be stored. She called a manager who walked me around for a bit while we chatted. I ended up getting an entire bed set for the price of a comforter and the manager even slid me an additional discount while ringing me up. $160 bed set for $60!!!
Oh yes, my Angels were with me. I adore them and just love when they lift me up so high with treats and treasures of friends and frivolity.
I hope your Angels are with you today. We all deserve our Angels, and we deserve to be showered with their love and attention. Today, may you ride on the wings of Angels!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sail on!
As I stand at the helm of the ship that is me, I face a daunting and very large ocean in front of me. There is always the option of heading back to the dock, throwing in the lines and remaining where it is safe; but if I don't sail my ship . . . I will never know what new adventures await me!
I may hit rough seas. I may find shallow waters. I might find treacherous reefs and unknown lands. But . . . without those obstacles, I will never appreciate the calm, open sea. I might not spy the conch shells near the shore. I would miss the spectacular colors, wildlife, and wild life that is out there. I choose to sail on. I choose to hoist those sails and see where the winds of chance, fortune, and destiny take me. Armed with the knowledge that I am able to steer is a wonderful thing. Even in the those winds, we still have options. We still have the power and the opportunity to alter our course should we need to.
Don't wait for someone else to take hold of your rudders. The horizon sets on nothing if you continue to sail into it. Keep your sights on whatever it is you want and sail in that direction. Some journeys take a little longer, but there is so very much to see and do along the way. Absorb it all. Get a little fun on ya! Chart yourself a path to get where you're going and stay the course.
No one will give you an island. No one is offering you a trip where you're going on a super yacht. You might arrive in a row boat, exhausted and sun burnt and in the dark of night, but you will arrive. And it will be your island. Enjoy your endeavors. Savor your successes. When it is yours, and you have truly earned it, the sand will be whiter and softer; the sun will be warmer, the breeze will be refreshing, and it will be YOURS!
Sail on, my friends. Sail on!
I may hit rough seas. I may find shallow waters. I might find treacherous reefs and unknown lands. But . . . without those obstacles, I will never appreciate the calm, open sea. I might not spy the conch shells near the shore. I would miss the spectacular colors, wildlife, and wild life that is out there. I choose to sail on. I choose to hoist those sails and see where the winds of chance, fortune, and destiny take me. Armed with the knowledge that I am able to steer is a wonderful thing. Even in the those winds, we still have options. We still have the power and the opportunity to alter our course should we need to.
Don't wait for someone else to take hold of your rudders. The horizon sets on nothing if you continue to sail into it. Keep your sights on whatever it is you want and sail in that direction. Some journeys take a little longer, but there is so very much to see and do along the way. Absorb it all. Get a little fun on ya! Chart yourself a path to get where you're going and stay the course.
No one will give you an island. No one is offering you a trip where you're going on a super yacht. You might arrive in a row boat, exhausted and sun burnt and in the dark of night, but you will arrive. And it will be your island. Enjoy your endeavors. Savor your successes. When it is yours, and you have truly earned it, the sand will be whiter and softer; the sun will be warmer, the breeze will be refreshing, and it will be YOURS!
Sail on, my friends. Sail on!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Be the Optimist!
We all are familiar with the eternal battles between the optimist and pessimist.
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill was no dummy when he spoke those words. And it just clarifies that age old wisdom about the glass being half empty or half full. Winston saw it more as, "Thank God I have something to drink!"
We have the God-given ability to make a choice! It is one of our true freedoms that cannot be dictated. You can choose to succumb to negative vibes, hurtful words, and chaos. Or, you can turn each one around and create a positive learning environment in which to grow and, should you do it in a grand way, fashion it into a teachable moment for others.
It's not about rose-colored glasses, or being naive, or even being simple-minded as some folks may claim. That is their dark cloud they need to walk beneath. If your perception is one of beauty, growth, and betterment, then that is where you'll go. Don't hang out under the dark clouds. Seek the sun. Find the greatness in everything that surrounds you, for it is there ~ in abundance!
Be the optimist!
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill was no dummy when he spoke those words. And it just clarifies that age old wisdom about the glass being half empty or half full. Winston saw it more as, "Thank God I have something to drink!"
We have the God-given ability to make a choice! It is one of our true freedoms that cannot be dictated. You can choose to succumb to negative vibes, hurtful words, and chaos. Or, you can turn each one around and create a positive learning environment in which to grow and, should you do it in a grand way, fashion it into a teachable moment for others.
It's not about rose-colored glasses, or being naive, or even being simple-minded as some folks may claim. That is their dark cloud they need to walk beneath. If your perception is one of beauty, growth, and betterment, then that is where you'll go. Don't hang out under the dark clouds. Seek the sun. Find the greatness in everything that surrounds you, for it is there ~ in abundance!
Be the optimist!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thank you!
Commemorating the fallen.
Countless, scoreless, innumerable heroes who have given selflessly of their time, their efforts, and ultimately their lives so that we may have our rights and our freedoms in tact. How do you appropriately thank them? Flags at half staff provide respect. Names etched in marble provide honor. A day set aside specifically for them provides very little in reconciliation.
I think the most profound way in which to thank our fallen soldiers is to truly, warmly, and sincerely embrace all those servicemen and women who are currently serving. Whether you believe in whatever battles they are fighting or not, they are there and they are fighting for you and your rights and your freedoms and the protection and preservation of those rights and those freedoms. They run toward the chaos when most would run away. They fight an enemy we don't fathom. The protect us from things we don't even know we need protection from. They are a unique class of human beings who are wired differently.
And thank God they are!
Thank you to Salvatore, Alfred, Calvin, Alfonso, Billy, Jimmy, Skip, Nick, Danny, Todd, Kane, Rachel, and the multitudes who have taken up arms for my sake, for your sake, for the United States of America!
Thank you!
Countless, scoreless, innumerable heroes who have given selflessly of their time, their efforts, and ultimately their lives so that we may have our rights and our freedoms in tact. How do you appropriately thank them? Flags at half staff provide respect. Names etched in marble provide honor. A day set aside specifically for them provides very little in reconciliation.
I think the most profound way in which to thank our fallen soldiers is to truly, warmly, and sincerely embrace all those servicemen and women who are currently serving. Whether you believe in whatever battles they are fighting or not, they are there and they are fighting for you and your rights and your freedoms and the protection and preservation of those rights and those freedoms. They run toward the chaos when most would run away. They fight an enemy we don't fathom. The protect us from things we don't even know we need protection from. They are a unique class of human beings who are wired differently.
And thank God they are!
Thank you to Salvatore, Alfred, Calvin, Alfonso, Billy, Jimmy, Skip, Nick, Danny, Todd, Kane, Rachel, and the multitudes who have taken up arms for my sake, for your sake, for the United States of America!
Thank you!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
More than a weekend . . .
Memorial Day!
It is a day to remember all those who served this incredible country and lost their lives. We also pay homage to those who continue to do so.
My father, both step-fathers and father-in-law were all military veterans. Half of my six brothers have served in the military. Two nephews have also served. What an absolute honor to be in the midst of these folks who gave of their time and of their lives for the freedoms we so highly regard, and sometimes take for granted.
Thank you, too, to the many friends and their children who have also served and are serving. I know there are a lot of moms, worried about their children, wherever they might be, serving this great nation. Wives worried about husbands, husbands worried about wives, and families worried about members near and far who are fighting a fight most of us cannot comprehend.
God bless the troops that have gone before us ~ to maintain, to battle, to lose their lives ~ so that we can enjoy our liberties. We owe them much more than a weekend!
Thank you!
It is a day to remember all those who served this incredible country and lost their lives. We also pay homage to those who continue to do so.
My father, both step-fathers and father-in-law were all military veterans. Half of my six brothers have served in the military. Two nephews have also served. What an absolute honor to be in the midst of these folks who gave of their time and of their lives for the freedoms we so highly regard, and sometimes take for granted.
Thank you, too, to the many friends and their children who have also served and are serving. I know there are a lot of moms, worried about their children, wherever they might be, serving this great nation. Wives worried about husbands, husbands worried about wives, and families worried about members near and far who are fighting a fight most of us cannot comprehend.
God bless the troops that have gone before us ~ to maintain, to battle, to lose their lives ~ so that we can enjoy our liberties. We owe them much more than a weekend!
Thank you!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Enjoy your wealth!
A dear and wonderful friend, from some thirty years ago, is having a birthday today. She posted on FB that:
I especially love FB on my birthday! I feel very special & loved!
And that, my friends, is life in a nutshell!!!
What else does anyone really want or need out of life? We simply want to be special and to be loved. You can have millions of dollars and be miserable. You can have all the newest and greatest gadgets and still be so very isolated and lonely. You can possess a great many things, but if they aren't friends and people who care about you and love you . . . you truly have nothing!
Lisa, you hit the proverbial nail on the head this morning and zeroed in on what could be the very secret of life. When we are very sad and distraught, what do we look for? Support from friends and family. When we have thrilling and exciting news, what do we want to do? Share it with friends and family. When we see something extraordinary, what is our mission? We want to give it and pass it on to our friends and family, so they too can admire and enjoy it. When we struggle with difficult choices, to whom do we turn for guidance? You got it! Our friends and family!
If you have a solid group of core folks who will always be by your side, stand firmly with you in times of trouble, lift you up in times of hardship, celebrate with you in times of joy, share the wonders of everything that surrounds you, and keep you grounded while pushing you forward, then you are the richest person on the planet!
Enjoy your wealth! It is the most precious sort on earth!
I especially love FB on my birthday! I feel very special & loved!
And that, my friends, is life in a nutshell!!!
What else does anyone really want or need out of life? We simply want to be special and to be loved. You can have millions of dollars and be miserable. You can have all the newest and greatest gadgets and still be so very isolated and lonely. You can possess a great many things, but if they aren't friends and people who care about you and love you . . . you truly have nothing!
Lisa, you hit the proverbial nail on the head this morning and zeroed in on what could be the very secret of life. When we are very sad and distraught, what do we look for? Support from friends and family. When we have thrilling and exciting news, what do we want to do? Share it with friends and family. When we see something extraordinary, what is our mission? We want to give it and pass it on to our friends and family, so they too can admire and enjoy it. When we struggle with difficult choices, to whom do we turn for guidance? You got it! Our friends and family!
If you have a solid group of core folks who will always be by your side, stand firmly with you in times of trouble, lift you up in times of hardship, celebrate with you in times of joy, share the wonders of everything that surrounds you, and keep you grounded while pushing you forward, then you are the richest person on the planet!
Enjoy your wealth! It is the most precious sort on earth!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Words
Smile, an everlasting smile, a smile can bring you near to me.
Don't ever let me find you gone, cause that would bring a tear to me.
This world has lost its glory, let's start a brand new story, now, my love.
Right now, there'll be no other time and I can show you how, my love.
Talk in everlasting words, and dedicate them all to me.
And I will give you all my life, I'm here if you should call to me.
You think that I don't even mean a single word I say.
It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away!
Loved that they did a snippet of this last night on Idol. I have loved this song since it came out about a hundred years ago. It's beautiful and when done correctly, the harmonies are bone-chillingly, spine-tingly brilliant.
And really . . . all we have are 'words'. They are quite powerful. Use them wisely!
Don't ever let me find you gone, cause that would bring a tear to me.
This world has lost its glory, let's start a brand new story, now, my love.
Right now, there'll be no other time and I can show you how, my love.
Talk in everlasting words, and dedicate them all to me.
And I will give you all my life, I'm here if you should call to me.
You think that I don't even mean a single word I say.
It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away!
Loved that they did a snippet of this last night on Idol. I have loved this song since it came out about a hundred years ago. It's beautiful and when done correctly, the harmonies are bone-chillingly, spine-tingly brilliant.
And really . . . all we have are 'words'. They are quite powerful. Use them wisely!
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