New beginnings...

New Year's Eve.
And someone died this morning. Someone I knew.
Someone I always looked forward to seeing.
Someone who meant a lot to a lot of people.

Two weeks ago he entered the hospital. Days later, the family was told he had cancer. Throughout his entire body. The fastest-growing cancer they had ever seen.
He was literally moments from eternity.
And he was ushered in this morning.

2012 begins soon...
      and many people won't celebrate who celebrated New Year's a year ago.
They passed away this year. 2011 was their last year on this earth. Many probably had no clue that this would be their last year on this planet; after all, how many of us think about that as we blow horns, cheer, and kiss love ones when the moment strikes at midnight and we sing "Auld Lang Syne"?

Morbid as it may sound, my own thoughts roll that way as I wait for the midnight moment to arrive...
     and 2012 to be ushered in.
Who won't make it to 2013?
How many of my loved ones will pass from this life to eternity this year?
Will I be one?
Will that change any of my plans, goals, dreams, or resolutions?

No. I will happily begin this new year content and excited about what lies ahead and...
     if God should take me home this year...

Happy New Year! :) 

Acceptance

Accepted.

You are - or you're not. You do - or you don't. 

We long for acceptance - to belong - to be part. 

We long to be embraced for ourselves... in spite of ourselves. 

Acceptance. 

It is the true thing everyone longs for. The one thing everyone craves. 

To walk in a room and to be greeted by everyone with hugs and smiles. 

And, in that small passing moment, you truly know you're loved, needed, and accepted... :)

 ~ Rena Harmon

There may come a time when, try as you might, you realize that there are times and places when and where you won't be accepted. The pain of the reality can bite, can hit, can land and grow from a tiny seed to a huge and strong root of bitterness and discouragement. 

Don't let it. Smile. Be willing to get up, smile one last time, hold you head up...

and walk away.

‎At some point you will realize that you have done too much for someone and that 

the only next possible step to do is to stop. 

Leave them alone. Walk away. It’s not like you’re giving up, and it’s not like you shouldn’t try. 

It’s just that you have to draw the line of determination from desperation. 

What is truly yours would eventually be yours, and what is not, no matter how hard you try, 

will never be. 

 ~ unknown, Wisdom Quotes

The tear.

This morning I had an encounter that filled me with emotion. Have you ever been there? In a place – in a time – in a realm that fills you to overwhelming with emotion that just wants to…

Move. 

Move through you and move out of you. And, when it does, relief can thankfully fill and refresh so you can go forward to your next place – time – realm. Reality must be dealt with, so emotional interludes must pass.

But something remained this morning.

As memories rushed through me of days gone by, encounters shared, and life lived, emotions played their accompaniment. The symphony of life once lived in the past played briefly as I was enroute to where I needed to be and, as I prepared to leave the memories behind in my car and enter reality, I looked down.

One round circle looked back at me from my lap.

It was as small as a paper-punched hole; like a piece of my heart punched through that remained as one spilled tear in my lap. I couldn’t wipe it up, blot it up, or get rid of it. It simply stared at me, as a reminder of my humanity.

You can leave a piece of history behind, but you can’t leave memories. They will remain, ingrained in your inner fibers, and may exhibit themselves from time to time as pieces of your heart flow through your tears.

One tear. The reminder. It was a beautiful memory. 

Happy Thanksgiving... every day!

If Thanksgiving weren't synonymous with gravy, butter and other festively dressed saturated fats, it could be the healthiest holiday around. That's not just because the bird itself is a great source of lean protein... or because sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins (just replace the marshmallow stuff with toasted walnuts = YUM!!)... 

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and being with family and friends, and there's no question that both make us and you healthier. If you practice a life filled with consistent thanksgiving, research shows you're also likely to exercise more, have fewer aches and pains, and feel more optimistic than if you ramble on about things that drive you crazy or don't matter much. Consider... you can't complain and be thankful at the same time. Even better, studies show that 15 minutes of daily gratitude can dramatically decrease aging stress hormones in your body!

Celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday by showing your thanks. Remember people who are important in your life and write them a note of gratitude. Or maybe they'll be around your holiday table and you can thank them in person! You'll all feel more deeply connected and even happier to be together. While you're fussing with the bird, the centerpiece, or your new whole-grain stuffing, take a minute to put the "thanks" in "Thanksgiving." Your heart will be grateful, too.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Take time today to tell the people you love...

you're grateful they're in your life. 

I went back today.

Did you ever go back to a former life as a visitor, instead of a participant? Did you ever return to a former existence, when it's no longer your reality?

I went back to the place where I spent years of my life, where I poured a lot of my life - my heart - everything I had - and I went back as a spectator instead of the participant.

And it was exhilarating.

People I used to spend hours each day working with and for are now friends and acquaintances, and not my focus. I had time today to relax, to chat, and to pour my soul and being into others - instead of having it emptied from me.
I had time to love, to listen, to learn, to... enjoy.

I trust that if you ever leave a place in your life that seemed permanent,
but ended up not...
      a place that consumed you, but time gave replenishment...
            or a place that was your entire reality, but became a place in your history...
                  that you can return a better person - a bigger person - a stronger person
                         for the experience that made you that way.

I went back there today.
And for all of it - and for where I am today because of it - I am thankful.

Enjoying His grace... :)

The last day of the month. October 31. Two more to go, then the year's over. Wow!

So much has happened this year; yet, it went SO FAST.  It's almost 2012... Wow...

It's been a good year - a productive year. I trust it has for you too.

All of my goals have been met. *fist bump!* You know, those "New Year's Resolutions" that you put out on 12/31 and blow by 1/3?  I wouldn't let it happen. It's been a productively blessed year. I've got everything crossed off that list. Everything!  But... I never saw a lot of what happened this year coming when I flipped the new calendar on 1/1, and I wouldn't have imagined it anyway.

How about you? Has this year brought things into your life that you never would've thought of? 

So now I still have two months to get caught up with a to-do list I didn't count on and couldn't have thought of anyway, and it'll get done because everything's accomplished that I had set out to do this year. And then some. By God's grace, He smiled and made my life a blessed place with beautiful, Godly people. His grace is sufficient.  His love is unending! I have all that I need and much, much more, all provided from the Almighty hands of an all-loving and gracious God. I'm so thankful, and much too blessed to be stressed...

I hope that's true of you too.

A few random thoughts as I leave what's behind and go forward...

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." ~ Dr. Seuss

Good memories are a treasure for the heart to keep warm and cuddle with. Good memories encourage us when life can be rude, and can be the teddy bear that makes us feel safe and secure. It's good memories that travel with us like a blanket which we can wrap ourselves in when uncertainty frowns in our face.

It's the good memories I take with me as I enter this new adventure and leave the place where I thought I'd be for the rest of my life. I've learned so much during the past few years about how to love and care for people, and I'm grateful for the muscles built through the workouts I endured. I feel peace - anticipation - because I know the road ahead is waiting. I'm ready to go!

I take joy in where I've been, what I've learned, and how I've grown, and I look forward to where I'm going. And it all... starts... now...