You Can Find Joy and Contentment No Matter What

Most of us plan our holidays to share with family and/or friends. Especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yet, this year our plans may be altered or shattered for many of us.

This must be especially difficult for children to understand. I am thrilled that I have not had to make any changes to how we spend our holidays (dinners, travel, etc.) and look forward with enthusiasm and excitement to the impending celebrations. I trust you will be able to enjoy your holidays as well.

When Rochelle took the kids trick-or-treating, they passed a father walking with his kids. The father was dressed up as Jesus. 

In a loud scream of delight Brie shouted, "Mom, I see Jesus!" 

The man must have heard someone say Brie's name because he said, "Hello, Brie."

"Mommy. Jesus knows my name!" She was absolutely thrilled and I think the man felt pretty good about making that little girl's day.

What is the Secret to Handling the Little BIG Things?

I wanted to scream but resorted to talking to myself out loud. Could this day get any worse?

Stress Management. How many articles and books have been written on this subject?  How many medications are taken daily in hopes of managing the stress we experience? What coping mechanisms can we practice?  

Is Your Life a Rose Garden or Does Poop Mess it Up?

There must be a Murphy's Law that says: "When you are dressed to the nines, that is when mishaps/mini disasters/poop happens."

My daughter, her two children, my husband, and I had attended the Celebration of Life service for a dear friend of ours. It was exceptionally hot outside and we were anxious to get home. My husband was in the rear seat of the SUV facing our one-year-old granddaughter in her car seat. Hubby entertained the baby as she giggled having a great time with Papa.  

"Why did you give her chocolate?"  Hubby shouted from the rear of the SUV.

"What chocolate? I didn't give her any chocolate. William, did you give your sister some chocolate?

"MOM, it isn't chocolate.  It's POO!"

During Stressful Times, We Can Be Thankful We Have A Home

Every other year my Christmas shopping would be done by now. Usually, I shop in August and September and wrap gifts in October. By the time Christmas comes around I have forgotten what I purchased for everybody so it is a big surprise for me as well. I get my thrills where I can!

Not sure what happened this year except that it has been incredibly busy. Although I have not been on the road for any speaking tours during this pandemic, every other part of our businesses has soared. 

Angels Took on a New Form

Do You Avoid the Triggers That Remind You of Past Memories?

 

Memories are triggered in many different ways.  Sometimes it is when you smell a fragrance your friend used to wear. Or maybe a bad smell of food (cooked cabbage) that reminds you when your mother MADE you eat it.

Some memories are triggered by sounds  - especially music. I think most of us have vivid memories from our teen years or when we fell in love for the first time.

Each of us has good and bad memories. Hopefully, it is the good ones we hold on to and let the bad ones go. But both types of memories have triggers.

And then there are pictures. Pictures of when we were children. Pictures of our first date, dance, or graduation. Pictures of long lost friends or family members.

Do You Know How to Stay Focused During Trauma

Trauma affects us. Period. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. But, turning a negative into a positive is often easier said than done, isn't it?

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way. Pain is just that - PAIN. When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience. Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life. There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling. When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.

Pain takes on many forms in your life. Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

4 Funny Tips on How to Create an Awesome Profile Picture

How important is your profile picture? There are many people who post profile pictures that are not pictures of themselves at all. You may choose to do this for various reasons. Some people may be more interested in sharing their brand instead of a photo of themselves. Some may want to post a family picture (which tells a story about who they are). Some may post a picture of their furry friend.

What does someone see when they look at your profile picture? No matter how often we may say that we don't judge a book by the cover, it is human nature to do just that.

Be careful not to judge too quickly

4 Ways to Live Longer and Happier

Almost everyone wants to live longer and we spend a lot of money trying to find the secrets to living a longer life. We buy potions, pills, creams, and exercise equipment - all in an effort to maintain or regain/retain our youth. We spend a great deal of our hard-earned money to look younger. Some of it works, but most of it does not.

Don't Stop

Although longevity runs in my family, I know the reason most of them lived well into their 90s is that they don't stop. As my brother put it, "I'll have time to rest when I die." I  work harder than I did 40 years ago.  I love to be busy which helps me to think younger, act younger, and look younger. And an active brain is much better than the opposite. 

What you feed will grow

AND.....

What you starve will die