The Present

There is no better time than the present to get started on your dreams!!!!

Stressed but Blessed

Sometimes, the most stressful days are the days we are given blessings. Today has been stressful for me but I am seeing the ways I have been blessed. Little kisses from God.

The Beautiful Weeds

What some might think of as ugly weeds, others can understand and help them grow into beautiful flowers!!
Cara sees these "weeds" as "flowers" every spring and every spring it reminds me to look close to appreciate the beauty and the differences of people.
She picks them in the car line while we wait on Ellie to get out of middle school. I love to learn from the hearts of kids.

New Growth

Every year I get excited about spring and every year I look outside and my flower bed and little sidewalk look like this picture. All grown over with leaves from last year and the weeds have already started growing. Every year I look at the flower bed and feel overwhelmed. Then, when the bulbs and perennials start to grow, I feel like I can get it ready. I see the new growth and get inspired.

God always looks at our new growth. He lets go of our old weeds and helps us with the new growth. Yay!!!

Inspiring Things :)

Things that inspire me and teach me to be thankful and be a better person. Today, I saw movie critic Roger Ebert on Oprah. Since having cancer surgery, he can not eat, drink or talk. He has a computer that talks for him. He sat there on Oprah with his wife, and taught me (once again) to be thankful. He is choosing to be joyful and love life...this is so inspiring to me. I just don't know if I could do it in his situation. He DOES and his wife does too. Right now, I am thanking God for letting me watch Oprah today.
Also, I LOVE the show Undercover Boss. It is where the bosses of huge companies go undercover in the lower level positions and learn how it feels. The employees who put their hearts in those jobs are always so appreciated on this show. I love how the show gives the boss a chance to walk in the shoes of people they would never have met otherwise. Sometimes, they are promoted, sometimes, given scholarships. Most always, it makes me cry.
I just wanted to share these two things with you tonight. :)

Everyday is a New Day

It is a gift from God that we can start a new day everyday

we can keep climbing

keep trying

keep learning

find new ways to make

a diffence

find new ways to

share a smile

Introspective on Being Self Critical

My friend Kim sent me a picture of a painting today. I said "oh, that is pretty, who painted it"? Kim texted me and said "you ARE kidding right"? and I said "who Monet"? and she said "no, YOU painted it". Kim had taken a corner of my painting and made a picture out of it. I didn't recognize it out of context. I KNOW this makes me seem like a complete airhead but I wanted to write about it because Kim made a good point. I am VERY critical of my own art. I love painting it but I always dismiss it as not being good enough. When I thought someone else painted it, it was much prettier to me. Really, I paint from my heart and it can't be wrong because I paint what I feel.

Let's all try to look at ourselves and be thankful for the good qualities. Let's look at our lives without the judgement of self doubt.

Hanging on to Dreams

Hang on to dreams

God put them there

write it out

plan on dreams

being fullfilled

When the dream

stems from peace

and the desire to

help others

it can't go

wrong!

SMILE

Feb 7, 2010
"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."`-- Mother Teresa

Learning From My Child

I have learned much from my 11 year old. I have watched her succeed and watched her cry for not doing as well as she thought she should have done. Either way, she just keeps going. Never once saying "I want to give up my dream of singing"...she hangs onto her dream. It is not possible in her mind to ever give up. She wants to sing so she keeps singing.

It is possible in life for us to accomplish much. We will have troubles and successes.......it is important that through it all, we hang on to the dream that God planted in our hearts. If we give up on the dream, we may never know what might have been.

If we LOVE it, we should keep doing it until we succeed at it. We don't have to force it, just follow it.

Thanks Ellie being an inspiration to me. :)

Nourish Peace Painting

Listen to the Cardinals

the Hope Angel

Tears

Water is good

after a rain

everything seems greener

cleaner

tears are the same

after a good cry

the soul feel better

more vibrant

cleaner from the tears

It is much healthier to feel and cry and move on, than to not feel at all.

friendship

there should be no one

walking on the path alone

We can all be there for each other

we can be angel friends

lift up some one today

who needs it

love and true friendship

will be returned like

an encouraging circle

sometimes all it takes is a smile

Thanks all my friends!! I am so blessed!! I am so thankful for my online friends too who have become so much more than "online" friends to me!!!

Debby, your strength continues to amaze me even after all these years!!!

The Moon

The moon so gorgeous
so high in the sky
people all see it
at different times
It connects us really
though we don't know how
We all feel the beauty
and
sense the peaceful presence
If we just
sit back and look


Enjoy the beautiful gifts!!

a new day

Every day is a chance to start over

a chance to make a difference

a chance to move away from fear

what is holding you back

let it go

take baby steps

toward the sun

feel the warmth

on your face

you are important

and can be used by God

to help other sweet souls

in need

Hope

There is hope all around

waiting to be found

There is hope in a kind smile

There is hope in a gentle gesture

There is hope in a childs laugh

There is hope in a friends hug

Spread hope, receive joy

Spread joy, have hope