Texas ...

Love this shirt.
I think I'll order one :)

Happy Friday y'all -

Don't stop.

Some days are turtle days ... you move slow and steady. Those are good days ... the important thing is to keep moving.

Don't stop.

:)

Sometimes all you need is ...

This made me laugh out loud today ...

Sometimes it seems like a billion dollars will solve everything.

I'm pretty sure it won't ... :)

But I can dream of a lot of things I'd do with that much money.

How about you?!

All you have to do is fly ...

Your wings already exist ... All you have to do is fly

Such a great reminder!

Believe.

Go

Do

FLY!

Pink (on a gray day) -

Love the pink flowers ...

It's been gray here for a few days. Lots of fog around my house too - and it hangs around all day. I leave the porch lights on 24x7 so there's light!

I like winter. I do.

But I do better with winter and sunshine!

It's true, we need to experience 'gray times' so we will appreciate the sunshine and pink flowers even more!

Happy Monday - wearing pink on a gray day :)

Sending warm thoughts and prayers to the people in the Northeast tonight ... be safe. stay warm.

JOY

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.
~ Marianne Williamson

I think it's safe to say that Gratitude and Joy go hand in hand ... and make a very happy couple!

When you are feeling down, go to a place of gratitude. Count your blessings or play the 'What's Great about this?' game ... it's amazing what happens when we live in appreciation mode.

The bad and sad turns to joy.

I am thankful for that!

I love you through ...

We had a wonderful speaker at church on Sunday and he gave a talk about love.
He talked about 3 types of love.

The first type - I love you because ...
Because you are beautiful, because you are funny, because you are rich, because you are famous, because you dress nice, because you are never sick, because you never make mistakes, because you are popular ... (the list goes on)

The second type - I love you if ...
If you look gorgeous everyday, if you have a good job, if you make dinner at 5 pm every day, if you have 7 children, if you keep the house clean, if you pay the bills, if you drive a nice car, if you laugh at everything I say ... (the list goes on)

The third type - I love you through ...
I love you through tough times, I love you through illness, I love you through the education years, I love you through the lean times, I love you through the happy days, I love you through the young years, I love you through the older years, I love you through stress, I love you through winter, I love you through spring and summer too, I love you through your good and bad days  ... (the list goes on)

It's Thursday night and I'm still thinking about his talk.

It's easy to get caught up in the - I love you if and the I love you because zones.

Love, the true and lasting type, makes it through everything.

Love through.

Beautiful, really.

That's how the Savior loves ... And HE is the ultimate example of love.

What and Who ...

Energy is contagious, positive and negative alike.

I will forever be mindful of what and who I am allowing into my space.

And - I will forever be mindful of the energy I share.

26 simple ideas to enjoy the little moments that matter

26 little suggestions for enjoying the little moments that matter -

(26)

It all begins with LOVE ...

Keep your head up.

Little reminder on this 15th day of 2015 -

Keep your head up.

Trust God and believe in good things to come.

The pace of nature ...

Patience.

It's a virtue. One that takes patience to acquire.

Wait.

Believe.

Hope.

Blossom when it's time ...

Beautiful. Like nature.

God gave us Families ...

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—

This is how He shares His love, for the family is of God.

Families are Forever ...

Saturday, January 10th, 2015 -

Dear Self,

Remember this day! So filled with love, peace, hope and happiness!!  :)

Me.

We are all just walking each other home

We are all just walking each other home.

I remember as a kid walking to and from school every day. Early in my grade school education years, I was having problems seeing. My mom took me to the Eye Doctor and we found out I had a lazy eye. In order to correct it, they had to put a black patch over my good eye. Sadly, "Pirates of the Caribbean" did not exist and so pirate patches were not cool.

I believe this eye patch incident happened when I was in the 1st or 2nd grade. I was young and shy and the pirate patch was traumatic.

My mom and younger sister, Amy, would be outside the school each day to walk me home. They wanted to make sure I would be safe with just one eye!

One day, during art, we heard a knock at the classroom door. My art teacher opened the door and to my shock and dismay stood my little sister, Amy.

She was all alone.

My art teacher asked her what she needed and she boldly declared:
"I am here to walk my sister, Wendy, home!"

Embarrassment was an understatement.

I asked her where Mom was and she told me she was taking a nap. Amy figured it was time for me to get out of school so she walked over to get me without her. She wanted me to be safe.

I remember telling her we still had 2 hours left in school and that I could get home just fine. I told her to go back home.

She walked back out of the big classroom door and I watched (with my un-patched eye) her walk down the street towards home.

I was too young to appreciate her act of love and kindness at the time. My insecurity and embarrassment overshadowed my ability to accept her love.

I look back on that tender moment with fondness and gratitude.

It's true - we are all here to help each other home.

It's our choice to let others offer a helping hand, heart or in my case back then - a loving, watchful eye.

Thanks Amy, hindsight is always 20/20 - wish I could have hugged you on that day long ago and left school with you - so we could laugh and talk and share that afternoon together!

With my sister, Amy ...

I love you.

Dear Future ...

The past is gone.
Let it go.

Say HELLO to the future with open arms ... :)

When we put God first ...

It's the 7th day of 2015 ... It's still a NEW year! I love new years - always have. It's a new beginning, a fresh start - a new chapter to write!

The new year causes me to do a little reflecting on the past year and it's - challenges, joys, sorrows, ups, downs and so on. Ideally, I have grown through and with them and can say I am a better, stronger person. Mostly, I hope I can say I made a difference and influenced the people and world around me for good ...

I bumped into this quote by Ezra Taft Benson and love it's powerful truth and message:

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities."
~ Ezra Taft Benson

Beautiful to know that as we put God first, things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.

2015 - God first.

Be Mentally Attractive

Here are some mentally attractive suggestions -

Believe in yourself
Be committed to finding a solution
Share positive energy
Emit kindness
Cause good things to happen
Laugh easily
Embrace the incredible power of now
Dwell in possibility
Keep moving forward
Challenge yourself constantly
Find a way
Believe in good things to come
Trust God

Interrupt Anxiety ...

We've all had times of anxiety in our lives ... I like this quote. So true. Gratitude is the cure for most things!

Be grateful - there's power and peace in living with a thankful heart.

What are you ready for?

Great quote!

We attract what we're ready for.

It's a NEW YEAR ... what are you ready for?

Hello 2015 :)

Speak your love and then speak it again

This NEW YEAR, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.


From at talk given by Howard W. Hunter in 1994.
 

Unbroken

Last night, my family and I went to see "Unbroken" ... I was drawn to the movie due to it being based on a true story and the fact that it was about a runner. (I like running stories).

Anyhow, it was painful to watch. I almost had to get up and leave. The war beatings and conditions were more than I could handle on the big screen. I wanted to jump into the movie and make it stop.

It's a movie I would only see once. Once is enough. The story is touching, brutal and inspiring.

I went to sleep the last night of 2014 thinking of the movie and the main character and his ability to survive. How did he survive? How did so many of them survive being prisoners of war in Japan? They were subjected to the worst possible conditions and treated worse than animals.

We talked about it this morning ... The main character survived because of his optimism, his hope and his strong will to survive. He was tough and had incredible mental strength!

This movie will stay with me for a long long time ...

And it inspired me to make sure my mental strength is strong and that my ability to see the good (at all times and in all places) remains strong as well.

Happy 2015!

Cheers to being strong in mind, body and spirit!

Unbreakable. It's a good goal.

On a final note, he was able to heal and move on after his horrible treatment due to his ability to turn to God and forgive! Forgiveness matters.