Celebrate YOU – Day 6

Good morning! Today I choose to celebrate the yellow daffodil for its essence of Joy. Likewise, I am choosing to celebrate a love that brings me joy. Dance! Watching, participating, dancing around the house while cleaning… They all bring joy!

I was a modern dancer in high school with a touch of ballet thrown in. Dancing allowed me to escape my fears and the pressures of high school even if it were just for a few moments. They were glorious moments. I am blessed to have a beautiful daughter who was a dancer from preschool through college. She took her dance to levels I could only imagine, and I loved experiencing them through her.

I dabbled with country swing in my 20’ but I have to admit a good Motown beat always gets me going. Lionel Richie, the Commodores, Billie Ocean, the list goes on and on…

So today, I celebrate my love of dance and all the joy that it brings! What do you love about you?

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For those who are joining today, I have declared January as a month to Celebrate YOU. Please join me by choosing to celebrate one attribute a day that you love about you.

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Celebrate YOU – Day 5

Today I am choosing sincerity. Sincerity is said to mean genuine in feeling, the absence of hypocrisy.

I usually write first thing in the morning. This is the time I feel led to share, the time I feel the most in touch with myself before the day seeps in and clouds my vision. This is the time I feel the strongest pull to follow. Today, however, has gotten away from me. It is late and the words are not flowing freely but I am committed to the challenge to celebrate and share. Maybe today’s attribute should have been commitment. I’ll have to save that one for another day. What are you celebrating today?

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For those who are joining today, I have declared January as a month to Celebrate YOU. Please join me by choosing to celebrate one attribute a day that you love about you.

Celebrate YOU – Day 4

Day 4… here we go. What are you choosing to celebrate today? I am choosing independent.

Aside from financial independence, independent is said to be one who is capable of thinking or acting for oneself. Okay Florence! I heard this many times growing up. And I came to love hearing it! It seems I inherited this trait from my Great Grandma Florence. She was a tiny woman in stature but there was nothing else tiny about her. She was soft spoken yet firm. Eventually she came to Albuquerque to live with my Grandma Ellen and Grandpa Bob. I used to spend my summers with them and relished the opportunity to get to know her better. One of my last memories of Grandma Florence was her asking to talk to Grandpa, watching and listening as she explained to him that she was responsible and fully capable of making decisions for herself. She had decided that she was going back to Ohio and into an assisted living facility. She had already made all the arrangements and was not taking no for an answer. Yes, I came to love hearing “okay Florence”.

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For those who are joining today, I have declared January as a month to Celebrate YOU. Please join me by choosing to celebrate one attribute a day that you love about you.

Here’s to choosing to celebrate one attribute each day! Here’s to finding our fascination together!

Celebrate YOU – Day 3

Today I choose to celebrate my love of family.

Love of family can be the love parents have for their children. The love children have for their parents. Brotherly and sisterly love. Family love means caring about each other even when feelings have been hurt or some have moved away. Family love transcends blood lines. I have been blessed to have know the love of a step grandmother, a step son, mother and father in law, sisters in law, brothers in law, daughter in law, friends who are family, and many more. The unconditional love of a pet is unparalleled and very much included in my love of family.

Love of family lifts me up during the up swings and drives me to persevere through the down swings of life. For me, love of family is my heart. Love of family is everything…

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For those who are joining today, I have declared January as a month to Celebrate YOU. Please join me by choosing to celebrate one attribute a day that you love about you.

CELEBRATE YOU

Who’s up for declaring January to be the month to celebrate you? Who’s up for finding an attribute to celebrate each day for the month of January? The January flower of the month is carnation with an essence of fascination. Fascination is defined as the state of feeling an intense interest in something. Who’s up for taking it a step further? Who’s up for discovering a fascination with you? Can I find 31 things to celebrate about me? Can you find 31 things to celebrate about you? Are you ready to do this together? I believe we can do this! Here’s to celebrating us! Here’s to discovering a fascination with ourselves!

January is a time for resolutions. One popular resolution is to begin working out. And yes, I have made this resolution many times over. This year, in addition to working out physically, I resolve to work out emotionally. If I am going to Blossom As I Am I am going to have to embrace who I am. As someone who struggles with feeling less than, who has spent a great amount of time hiding away from others and myself, celebrating an attribute a day is not going to be an easy task. But I am hopeful that at the end of this 31 days celebrating me will come easier. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Today I will celebrate two, one for yesterday and one for today. For yesterday’s attribute I choose bravery. Bravery is defined as the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. Yesterday I chose to publicly commit to follow His path for me without feeling equipped to do so. One of my greatest fears is stepping out and letting myself be seen. Following this path is going to require much bravery. Bravery to keep moving forward with faith that He is guiding my way and has my back.  

The attribute I choose for today is loyalty. One definition for loyalty is the quality of staying firm in your friendship or support for someone or something. As an introvert, letting others in does not come easily. Once you get in and have my friendship it is yours. I will walk with you through anything life brings. Having said that, I am coming to realize that loyalty can be both good and bad. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying… loyal to a fault. Being loyal to a fault means holding onto things and people longer than I should. So, while I am choosing to celebrate loyalty today as an attribute, I am also choosing to recognize my need to let go when loyalty is no longer warranted.

What is your celebrated attribute for today? Please join me by sharing your daily attributes in the comments below.

Here’s to choosing to celebrate one attribute each day! Here’s to finding our fascination together!

Cherish Every Moment…

 

Cherish every moment. It sounds so cliche. You hear it said so often, right? Never has it been felt so deeply within my heart as this past week.

My office has been blessed to have our sweet Kelly. She loved cooking and shared with the office regularly. Homemade baked bread was the most recent. Not one loaf, not one kind, but three different kinds and enough for the whole office to partake. That’s her heart. Big and wide!

When you met Kelly, she would ask the same kinds of questions that others ask. Do you have children? Do you have dogs? What do you like to do? And the next time you spoke, she would ask about your kids, your dog, your hobby. You see, she remembered and cared enough to ask. That’s her heart. Big and wide!

Her passion for others was apparent in all facets of her life. And if you were blessed to cross paths with Kelly you felt it. From her infectious smile to her long phone calls with clients to her putting others before herself, you felt blessed! That’s her heart. Big and wide!

On Friday, Jan 25th, our sweet Kelly crossed over. Gone too soon for those of us left behind. Having lunch in the breakroom one moment, suffering a severe hemorrhagic stroke the next. Within a day her family had to make the hardest decision of their lives. And our work family has been left to make sense of it, if that is possible. To move forward and love on each other as Kelly would want. We have gathered together many times since that moment. And I will hold one of those gatherings forever in my heart. A little past 3:00 on Jan 25th we gathered in the break room, joined hands, and said silent prayers. As we stood praying, a text came in… Kelly had crossed over… with love, big and wide! Just as she lived… big and wide!!

As her daughter reflected, she said “Mom loved big and she loved wide!” Yes! Yes, she did!!

Cherish every moment! For you truly do not know….

 
Photo Credit – I love that a co-worker brought in fresh blue hydrangea and purple astroemeria for Kelly. Blue Hydrangea Essence – Gratitude, Heartfelt, Perseverance, Peace. Purple Astroemeria Essence – Friendship, Aspiring, Admiration, Accomplishment

Creating My Quiet Place…

In today’s world of electronics and social media it can be hard to disconnect. I found this to be a welcomed side effect on our western holiday trip. We went for hours, either on the road between or at each location, without cell service. At first it was a bit unnerving. The thought that you are on your own should something happen can be unsettling. And then the freedom sets in. Freedom to be still. Freedom to listen. Freedom. It was glorious!

The real test I am finding is creating my quiet place amongst the noise. Carving out my area where I can go to be still, to be quiet, to listen and hear His voice. I have taken the first steps… making it a priority and acknowledging the importance of disconnecting. Now I am working to create my space.

How bout you? Do you have your quiet space?

 

Footnote: The peony picture above was chosen for its essence of peace and happy life.

What if….

Happy Monday! May your day be filled with gratitude and happiness!

 

 

 

 

 

Carving Out Time…

Carving out time…

My daughter and I recently ventured out west visiting 9 of Mother Nature’s wonders in 6 days. Not only were the locations magnificent, but the drive between each was equally as peaceful and beautiful. These wonders included National Parks, State Parks, Conservation Areas and one located on the Navajo Nation.

As I reflect on the vastness and digest the magnitude of years it took to create each, I am reminded that while each is spectacular in its own way, one thing they all have in common is time. It took time and patience to form the wonders we see today.

Time and patience do not always come easy for me. I tend to rush to judgement when I get off track. Is this something you do as well? Does this rush to judgement keep you from moving forward? I know I find myself letting it push me off track. It will take too long to get started again… I don’t have the time to give it… I have let it sit too long. These are some of the self-doubt chatters that can keep me from moving forward. This trip, these parks, these wonders, have reminded me that time is only an enemy if I allow it to be. I am reminded that each bit of time given is valuable whether it be large blocks or small blocks. Any amount of time will keep me moving forward. I am also reminded to be patient with myself. Patient when I encounter obstacles that can derail or delay my journey. Obstacles are inevitable, moving around them to continue forward is the task.

With this in mind, I will work to practice patient and forgiveness with myself when I get off track. I will work to remember that great journeys require time and patience. The important thing is to keep moving forward, to keep carving out time.

I am excited to see where this journey will take me…

Making My Way Back…

 

Making my way back… Much like these flowers, I have been covered up with life for a bit. This past year or so has been filled with changes, moves, new friends and blessed time with treasured friends and family.

I am filled with optimism and joy as I make my way back to His path for me. Optimism and renewed faith that tomorrow will bring new opportunities. Opportunities to grow, to share, to be quiet and allow His voice to guide me. For this truly is not about me, it is about Him. Listening, following, learning, growing, trusting…. Him.

Is there a path you have been afraid to follow? It only takes one step to get started. Let’s take that step. Follow that path. One day at a time, one step at a time. Let’s do it together!