Let your journey start now..... (a year in review)

As I sit and ponder the holiday coming and going and a New Year beginning; I think about what has transpired in 2012.  In this blog I share these highlights and encourage you to begin a new day with a new outlook..... a new journey.... a new beginning. 

Many things happened in 2012 that are blog worthy.  Some of my one word important events are as follows:

Baptism

Graduation

College

Empower

Disney

In July of 2012 I got baptized by pastors Chris Vanbuskirk and Matt Kysor.  This was a very important event in my life.  My walk with God began many years ago but became more personal in 2009 when I nearly experienced a nervous breakdown.  During that time in my life I made the commitment to begin a more personal walk with God.  He alone was able to pull me from the darkness of fear, anxiety and near destruction..... to freedom.  Once I made that commitment, I immediately began watching changes in my life take place right in front of me.  Although I am not perfect, I am forgiven.  The peace that God can give is unlike anything else I have experienced.

Also in the middle of 2012 my daughter graduated from high school.  Sometimes it seems like yesterday that I brought this 8lb 5oz girl home.  A strong independent young woman emerged from that 8lb 5oz bundle.  Lexie graduated 6th out of 222 students.  Her senior year in general was at best exhausting.  She applied to approximately twelve colleges and applied for many scholarships.  I spent a lot of the year proof reading and helping in the scholarship and college application process.

  In the end the important thing was to look for a college with a good chemical engineering program as well as a school that "marched" flutes or piccolos in their marching band.  Through this process we visited colleges and met with the music and engineering departments.  In the end the decision was down to Boise, Purdue and Toledo.  With the process of elimination and being smart about the money offered, the University of Toledo became her new "home" on August 10th 2012.

The thoughts of Lexie going to college were difficult for me.  I was a parent who knew where my child was at all times (mostly anyway) and I couldn't imagine the thought of her being "on her own."  However on that August day I took her 3 1/2 hours away and left her in a dorm.  Lexie didn't come home until Thanksgiving.  I had peace in the fact that she would make good decisions and excel in her studies.  Lexie landed a 3.5 her first quarter with a lot of classes and lots of commitments so I am more confident that she will continue doing well.

Another adventure that started in 2012 was my adventure with Danielle Ratcliff and Empower Life Skills.  I met Danielle in 2011 and we discovered that we had a lot in common,  including our passion for educating others and "coaching' others through life.  Empower Life Skills looks at helping individuals grow personally, professionally, emotionally and/or spiritually.  The goal is to help people meet their full potential in life.  I am excited as to where this journey will take us in 2013 and beyond.

Lastly, we had a great trip to Disney in 2012.  This trip was magically and stress free.  We were able to experience Disney's four parks and also we visited Cocoa Beach.  Lucas experienced his first plane ride.  This was a vacation to remember and even though Lexie didn't get to go, we were able to Skype with her through the week.  Disney makes vacationing magical, even for adults.

Now that I have shared my five highlights of 2012, I encourage you to think about your highlights as well.  One thing I realize is that family is the foundation of our highlights. I challenge you to start making memories today.

Let your journey start now......

"The Struggle" of Change....

Through a lot of transition,  I am trying to embrace change more than I ever have.  My personality is very change oriented but sometimes the idea of "change" isn't always for the better.  Sometimes our hard work is yet a memory when change comes around.  What I have learned the most is that the Serenity Prayer has become my new motto.  "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."  The key words are accept, courage, and wisdom.

Let's talk about these words a little more.  Sometimes we need to accept the fact that our vision is not the vision of others who lead.

Accept is defined as "to receive something, especially with favor."  It is an action verb.  For me, accepting things I cannot change is a matter of letting it go.  Even with a heavy heart it must be done.

Courage is defined as "The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery."  This one I struggle with a little more.  When you know that you can make positive changes but have been "put in your place" so to speak, it is often hard to try to continue making such argument.

Finally wisdom is defined as "The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight. Common sense; good judgment: "It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things."

Sometimes in the end we have to sit back and watch to cookie crumble and the walls fall.  It is in the struggle that we can find strength.

This reminds me of the story of the butterfly struggle......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqy00il0wac

One of my favorite quotes is "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  Sometimes being that change comes from making decisions and prayerfully considering the alternatives. Often times this can require us to struggle, leave the familiar and move on.

My challenge for you today is to think about the idea of change and answer these questions......  Are you doing what you can to be the change you wish to see?  Are there things/people that are holding you back from being such change?  What are some steps you can take to open up to new opportunities and new adventures?

How can we grow through our struggle?

The Extra Mile.....

I have had this blog topic on my mind for sometime now.  I saw a quote that said "it is never crowded along the extra mile."  I felt moved by this quote and I felt it to be worthy of a blog.  As I was traveling to a friends house along a road that was not frequently traveled I starting thinking about the poem by Robert Frost.  

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

The very last two lines strike me to the soul.  "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  My challenge to you is to take the road less traveled, as it is never crowded along that road and that is where you can make a difference. Embrace the challenge along that road.  These challenges often are what makes us stronger, dream bigger and love deeper.

This means to take a risk.  Speak to others who need a simple hello, be a shoulder for another.... travel that road in love and you never know what difference you can make!

An Attitude of Gratitude

 People often think it will come from having some great luck or fortune, but truly it is about having the right frame of mind.  The frame of mind of having an attitude of gratitude.

Your life is better when you feel blessed, when you can look around and say "Thank you, God." When you see life as a wonderful gift, your experience is a richer one. Imagine going through life like you're a child, and every morning is Christmas.

Of course, it is easy to think that gratitude comes from having what we want. We might imagine ourselves giving thanks if we had money, a loving family, and maybe a house on the beach. But we know there are ungrateful, unhappy people with these things. We also know that there are poor people full of gratitude for what little they have.  So where does this feeling come from?

An attitude of gratitude arises from how we look at things. It is the natural feeling that comes when you recognize the real value of the people and things in your life. Focus on the good and you cannot help but have a better attitude and experience of life. Gratitude, then, is something you can encourage, something you can learn.

The first step is to stop and smell the roses. How can you be thankful for something you don't notice or enjoy?

The second step is to make this appreciative approach to roses and life a habit. You don't need to ignore the ugliness in the world. Just consciously choose to see the good and  beautiful things, until doing so becomes automatic.

My challenge to you is to start writing down every positive thing that happens to you. Continue this until you start automatically seeing the good things in life. If you've ever bought a white car, and started seeing white cars all over, you know how awareness and focus can alter your perception of reality. In the same way, once you are aware of the good, and start looking for it, you'll start to see wonderful things all over.

When you are in the habit of "counting your blessings," gratitude, and a much richer experience of life is the natural result. You will have an attitude of gratitude. 

Invisible...........

This time last week I was in downtown Chicago.  The goal of the trip was to spend some family time with Lexie before she headed off to college this August.  We had a great time.  We enjoyed a Cubs game, the Museum of Science and Industry, all the different parks in the city; we ate Chicago pizza, checked out the Rain Forest Cafe, played cards, swam and enjoyed the tours of Chicago.  With that being said, I found myself at the end of the trip feeling guilty. 

I felt guilty for not helping the homeless more in Chicago.  My theory in life "The Starfish" is that we can make a difference to some, but not all.  The homeless situation in Chicago was devastating.  I found myself passing by many without even making eye contact.  When caring about people is such an important part of who I am, why did I walk by as if they were invisible?  It was not realistic to give to all, but I could have made more of a difference.  I could have smiled. I could have made eye contact.  I could have offered a caring word of encouragement and yes I could have given more money.  The weather was hot and many were asking for something to drink, I could have bought water.  I feel very selfish that I continued to consume my $67.00 pizza, $31.00 dessert and I did not do more......

I am not completely blind to the fact that many homeless are dependent on substances and/or have mental health issues, however it is not my place to judge.  We need to reach out and help others.  I failed to do this to the best of my ability in Chicago.  This was an eye opener for me on many levels.

We will be doing our own homeless count in Chillicothe this week.  I know that locally people have ill feelings towards those that panhandle, but my question to you is, do you ever get the stirring feeling to do more?  If you do I am asking that you listen to that feeling and consider making a small difference in the lives of others.  In the mean time, listen to this song because even those homeless individuals had "Moments."  My challenge for you today is simple, hand someone in need a cold water, a blessing bag of hygiene items, a dollar or a sandwich.  You never know when this small act of kindness could mean so much.  "To the world you may only be one person, but to that one person you may be the world."

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQXtZ-kZWDI

Never Give Up............

As I am thinking about this blog topic, I am reminded that we need to be strong, even in times of weakness.  We must continue on our journey and never give up.  I have been thinking a lot about my pursuit of health and well being.  I am always reminding myself how I need to do a better job with my eating habits and taking care of myself.   At approx 275 lbs I try to "trick" myself in to believing that I am "healthy for being a big girl" or that I exercise regularly so I must be okay.  The truth is, this is one of the only things in my life that I really WANT to change.  So even though I know how to do it.  Why don't I?  I start diets and then I stop.  I make a commitment for a while and then I stop.  In fact, my latest venture was to start a "100 day challenge" to exercise 100 days in a row.  I made it to day 10.  Something caused me to stumble and I didn't exercise again until like day 17.  I am starting to realize after fighting this battle all my life, I just can't give up.  So with that I start #myjourney once again. 

My mom who has smoked all her life stopped smoking on 4-1-12.  I keep thinking to myself, if my mom can stop smoking, I can surely make some much needed changes in my life.  As she reminds me, it is one day at a time, one hour at a time and one minute at a time that she can succeed.  She also credits prayer and help from God.

So with that I am going to continue my journey and never give up.  My commitment level needs to change, my patterns of not planning ahead needs to change and I am going to prayerfully start changing the little things one day at a time, one hour at a time and one minute at a time. 

My challenge for you today is "encourage someone."  Take a minute to encourage a friend, a family member or a stranger.  You will be glad that you did.

Always remember..... no matter what the struggle, make the commitment to never give up!

Thanks mom for your encouragement..........

Breathe Life....

As I have been pondering new thoughts for a blog, I have been continually led back to the topic of "breathing life into others."  In a world that can often be very stressful, I am reminded how important it is to make sure that we choose our words carefully. 

With this we also need to "evaluate the source of the people who are speaking in our lives."  Chris Vanbuskirk

As I think about the power of words I ponder the ideas of what a difference words can make.  I posted a video a few days back that showed a blind man asking for money.  His sign read "blind man, please help."  With this sign people did not pay much attention and went on about their day.  When the sign was changed to, "it is a beautiful day today and I cannot see it" people began giving money to the man. I attached the link below.

A very wise young man Logan Oates wrote the following... "what I learned today: subtle words, even when well intended can affect people in drastic ways.  Speak clearly, say what you mean and no more.  Be concise and effective with the words that you weave together.  Don't cast judgement and don't spew hate.  We never know who is standing on the ledge..... what you say to a person can cause their climbing down or jumping off..."  wow, what a powerful message with powerful words.

My challenge for you today is to think about what you say to others.  Are you breathing life into others with your words?  Are you "spewing" words of hurt and pain?  Make a decision to choose your words with purpose and well intention.  You won't regret it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

I believe.....

A new year 2012. My December challenge went very well. I continually thought about things I could do to offer random acts of kindness through the month of December. I did things everyday. Some significant in nature and others not so much. I left change in the soda machine, I sent notes to co-workers, I helped provide Christmas to others without judgment, I sent presents to people who would never expect it, I picked up all the basketballs at the YMCA so the night worker wouldn't have to, I surprised Lexie with strawberry milk (her favorite), I gave money to kids in an arcade and one of my favorites...

I took a Christmas novel to a Columbus doctors office and put a note on it that said "please enjoy this Christmas novel and pass it on to someone else when you are finished." I watched a lady pick it up and begin reading. When they called her name she slipped it in her purse and went on. The Random Acts of Kindness movement makes my heart sing. When we look at our purpose, I know that mine is geared toward the work of Wayne Dyer, Guandi, Mother Teresa, and others who value peace and coexistence. All in all what I discovered through the month of December is that I do BELIEVE. I believe in the kindness of others. The magic of Christmas is real and I do believe in everything it represents from the birth of the baby Jesus, to experiencing the joy of giving to others.

I watched a documentary last week called "I am." It was on Super Soul Sunday and was hosted by Opera. The documentary talked about a famous movie director who left a 17000 square foot, 17 bedroom and 13 bathroom house for a simple life. He had pool managers, other house managers, maintenance mangers etc. and left it all for a mobile home in Malibu. He said he realized that three bedrooms and two baths were enough. With this change came about a movement of happiness for him. Money does not buy happiness. This quote is something I most certainly BELIEVE. As I watched the documentary he talked in great links how we need to work together in cooperation and avoid competition. My challenge for you in this blog is to work in cooperate with others instead of competing with others.

Let's work toward this change. Making the change one step at a time, one day at a time and one moment at a time. "We can be the change we wish to see in the world!" We just have to BELIEVE we can make a difference......