A Fabulous Fabric

I flew out of Omaha yesterday, early in the morning.  It was cold and we were getting snow showers.  We had received 6 inches of fresh snow over the weekend.  I was heading for San Jose via Phoenix.  My flight departed at 6am and the sky was heavy and dark sprinkling the ground with snow.  We spend 45 minutes going through de-icing and finally we were ready for departure.  De-icing is an interesting phenomenon.  While it adds time to your travel and you would like to grow impatient you fight that urge because safety is far more important.  So we de-ice.   20 minutes in to the flight the light on one side of the airplane started to change it was the sunrise as 20,000 feet finally above the cloud cover.  It was one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen.  The clouds rippled like a fine carpet in front of me.  The sun rose and the reflection of color off of the clouds was amazing.  The hues of pink, purples and peach welcomed us to the sky. 

I was so happy to see the sunshine.  It was magnificent.   I was grateful for that moment.  The view.  It was breathtaking!

I hope you have a moment like this – drink it in and enjoy!

Please Read – I have an IDEA 4 YOU

Happy Hearts Day is just around the corner and I have an inexpensive, easy and fun idea for you.
How about going to the store and buying a box (or more) of the child Valentines. You can sign these “from someone who cares” OR “thinking of you.”

In the “TO:” field you can just add the word YOU.
There are many options for the TO and FROM fields – be creative. Place the Valentine in the envelope and on the the front of the envelope you can address it with something like:
To Someone Special
You Are Loved
Thoughts Of You……again be creative and use something generic.

Once you have completed the Valentines how about taking them to a nearby retirement community? Or you can drop them off at a Nursing Home. The residents will LOVE them. This is a fast and efficient way to bring much JOY to the lives of some of our most blessed souls. If you really want to get in to the spirit you can also make valentines. Pull out the paper, glue, rhinestones, glitter and have fun!

What a fabulous way to extend thanks, encourage a heart and give yourself the warmth of giving.  Perhaps this will become a Valentines tradition?
If you decide to do this, I would love to hear from you. Now get busy cupid.

A Ray of Sunshine

This week has been a very interesting week.  The snow is falling again and the gray skies seem commonplace.  I realized how much I enjoy the sunshine.  The warm rays caressing my face means a smile will follow.  Sunshine makes a big difference in my day.  I have noticed that it also makes a difference in everyone around me.  We all seem grumpier when it’s gray.  Our challenge is to find the sunshine in other things.

I found a different sunshine while helping others this week.  I made a quick decision to help someone get better (healthier) and it opened my eyes and my mind to how much need is right in front of me.  Actually it is in front of all of us if we just look.  However if you look you will be required to take action.  Even to ignore the need is taking action so the alternative of not looking becomes very attractive. 

I have SUNSHINE for you…..take a look at what and who is in front of you.  What do they need?  Can you provide part or all of what they are looking for?  Trust the abundance that life holds and give a little.  That’s where the sunshine takes over.  You will be beaming from all corners of your soul and the best part…..it’s contagious.  Can you start a little wave of sunshine?

A Song For Your Heart

From the voices of children come the words and sounds of angels.  Even if they are teenagers.

I have had the pleasure of listening to young people sing for quite some time.  Now for those of you that know me, you know that I am sentimental and I am never at a loss for tears.  I think that qualifies me as a sensitive person or something like that.  When I hear the sounds of young people in song, dance, music, drama and other types of expression, my heart hangs on to every word and note.  It is as though my world is transformed for the moment and I travel to a joyous and miraculous place.

Now given these details how could I not tear up?  The universe is illuminated in that moment and all is well in the world.  I cannot think of a greater blessing.  I am so glad for these moments and attempt to seal them in my memory for days, weeks and years to come.  These are truly the times that life is made of. 

They place me on the edge of my seat and eventually push me to my feet in rousing applause and glee.

Gratitude flows from the corners of my smile and the glow of my heart.  I wish for you a few of these moments.  They are awe-inspiring.

Listen for life’s melody along your journey today.

Working In Gratitude!

This past week I have had the honor of meeting some new people.  I travelled and that usually presents new opportunities and new acquaintances.  This trip was no exception.  What was different was that I was able to learn a lot of new stuff about areas outside of my usual work.  I found this invigorating.  It allowed me to look for new ways to contribute to situations.  I have been in my work role for a while and it is a challenge to stay on the cutting edge of things, continually innovate and rise to the next level.  My experiences of the last week help me to look at this area.  This was a blessing on so many fronts.  I am feeling renewed, inspired and ready to change the world…at least my small piece of it. 

I also cultivated gratitude for the opportunity that my work affords me.  I cannot think of another company that would bring so much life and energy to my role.  I am indeed blessed on many levels.  I know that my travels will lead me to a new place – not just in terms of geography.  I am thankful for my renewed sense of determination and I can’t wait to see what the next few months bring.  I hope the world is ready.

My challenge to you would be; what opportunities are you ignoring?  Are there things you could be doing better?  What may appear obvious may change if you look at it with a different focus.  Think outside of yourself.  Who else are you impacting?  What matters to them?  These answers may surprise you and I am hopeful they might also change your course.

The Blessed Weekend

The Girls

When was the last time a family member came for a visit and when they left – you’re heart was full?  I mean really full.

I had the honor and blessing of this exact experience this past weekend.  I had a family member visit for 48 hours.  It was one of the only times I remember resenting sleep.  The visit was so fulfilling and wonderful.  I didn’t want to miss a single minute.

We told stories, laughed, looked at old photos and really enjoyed each other.   The trip down memory lane proved to be an amazing and entertaining journey.   I was also astonished by some of our similarities.  It is amazing how people can grow up in separate places and circumstances and yet have similar mannerisms and viewpoints.  There was something familiar and heart-warming about this.

I am SO grateful for our time together and the memories will nourish my soul for many days to come.  It is times like these when the reflection of love out shines all other aspects of life.  I hope I can share this illumination with others.

Kimberly thank you for sharing the weekend with us!

This Is What It’s All About

Last week I spoke to a professional women’s organization about the power of gratitude and what it could mean in their lives; professionally and personally.  Two days after my presentation I was sent a story about the action of one of the participants.  It touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you.  (I am SO glad she shared it with me)

One of the things I stress is that gratitude does not require a grand gesture but rather simple actions are equally meaningful.  A couple of examples I touch upon; holding open a door, helping a person juggling too many things, being kind…the list goes on and on.

One of the women who heard my presentation took the following action.  After picking up her teenager from somewhere they stopped at a fast food restaurant.  On the way out she saw an older gentleman that was holding bags of groceries and he looked very “stressed”.   She asked him if everything was okay.  He explained that it wasn’t because he had been waiting for a taxi for 2.5 hours and was worried he wouldn’t get home to his wife before dark. 
She took him home and helped him put away his groceries.  He had to fight back tears.  

One simple, helpful step made a world of difference to everyone involved.

Isn’t this what life is all about?  Can you imagine what would happen if we all did just one thing?

This is my wish and I hope you will join me.  Have a blessed day….go in gratitude!

PS-if you have a story to share, I would love to hear it.

Dogs and Yoga?

I woke up exceptionally early this morning.  Normally this might annoy me however today was different.  Today this is good.  I have an early morning meeting and I still had time to do my yoga.  I have started doing yoga in the morning and my walks at night.  I am trying a new routine.  Well this morning was especially interesting, my dog decided to join me.  Can you imagine a dog doing yoga?  I can’t say it was very productive however I enjoyed the company.  She sat attentively next to me.  She would circle me when I was doing standing poses and she would try to prompt me to play in my sitting poses.  It was very entertaining.  We will see if this turns in to a ritual for her as well.

My morning began peacefully and I feel refreshed.  I enjoyed the simplicity of the laughter my dogs actions prompted.  Isn’t it the simple things in life that bring us the greatest joy?  When was the last time you did something silly unintentionally?  Did it make you smile?  Laugh?  Or better yet did it make others laugh?  Some of my most embarrassing moments have added to my personal folklore.  In the tempo of the day make sure to stop and notice these moments.  They will add a wonderful spice to your life and a smile to your face.

My Friday mantra; My yoga mornings have gone to the dogs.

What a blessing!

Prayer For Haiti

As you read this you have probably heard about the earthquake in Haiti.  The devastation in a small area of the world is tremendous.  The need is great and the suffering something inconceivable to most of us. 

We are a charitable people.  We can help. 

As you take on your daily activities; please take a moment to pray for this area of the world.  We have much to be grateful for, much to give, it can all start with a prayer.

Here she is…

Gracie and my daughter

Here she is…blond hair, brown eyes, cute little smile and four legs; Gracie.

She is an 11 week old golden doodle.  Mom is a golden retriever, dad a poodle.  She arrived in my home at 8pm on Saturday night.  She is a little ball of fur and a bundle of joy.

So far so good, she is training well and has a mild disposition.  I know it’s early but I will take whatever I can get.  Gracie will train to become a therapy dog.  This will start with puppy manner classes that I will enroll in within the next few weeks.  It should be fun and a learning experience for both of us. 

Yesterday I sent out calendars to family members as a delayed Happy New Year.  I am hopeful that they will add a little sunshine and warmth to this time of year.   Tomorrow I have more sunshine mail planned.

Last week was a real challenge with the cold, wind, snow and ice.  Today our temperatures got up to 28 degrees and it was wonderful.  The sunshine also felt bright and nourishing.  I am reading for an uplifting week.  Between my small activities and my new furry family member I can tell it’s going to be a great week.

If you are reading this – I am sending you my best, warm wishes and thank you for sharing my puppy sentiments.

Welcome Gracie!