October 31, 2011

TRUST YOUR INTUITION!!!

I am going to apologize in advance, because I think I blogged about this topic in the past. If I did, I am sorry, but this is a very important lesson that needs to be learned. My gut has always tried to warn me of impending danger. Every time in the past when I ignored my gut or intuition, I regretted the decision at a later date. If you do not have peace about a situation, it is pretty safe to say that your intuition might be trying to tell you something. 

People are blessed with intuition; however, we have to train ourselves to recognize these warning signs. Intuition is that feeling that wells up from within you that lets you know that something is either right or wrong. Remember that Christmas dinner that I have been talking about lately, well, in the last several days, I have had no peace about the idea. The more I thought about having the celebration, the more anxious I became. The excitement that I had initially felt vanished and was replaced by apprehension. Now, you are probably thinking that my mother's negative comments got the better of me, but I have to be honest and say they did not. I actually wasn't quite sure if I wanted to go through with it even before I mentioned the party to my mother. I seriously think that I just need more time to heal from past hurts, and that intuition is telling me that I do not need any kind of potential drama in my life two weeks before the holidays. 

As Albert Einstein once said, your intuition is a precious gift! Do not ignore it! If you learn how to listen and if you learn how to get still long enough to recognize your intuition, you might keep yourself from making huge mistakes. However, your intuition might just lead you down the right path of life. If you don't have peace about a situation in life, then your intuition might be trying to take you some place else. Trust your intuition!!! You will be glad you did!!!

October 30, 2011

WHEN THEY ASK, "IS IT WORTH IT?" 

TELL THEM, "YES!!!"

The other day I wrote to you about an idea I had about having a Christmas dinner celebration including all my friends and family members. Well, this evening I told my mother about this idea my family has, and if you have read my past blogs, you will know that my mother is not a positive person. The first question she asked was, "Is it going to be worth it?" She then followed that question with, "Who on your side of the family will even come?" I told her that my one brother and sister-in-law will come, and I told her that I really do not care if any of my other family members attend. I know that many of my friends will be there, and that is all that matters. I told her, "YES!!! It will be worth it!"

Sometimes we have to be the ones in life who takes the initiative to pull things or people together. I always said that my father was the glue that held our family together, and when he passed on, our family lost our cornerstone, our rock that held it all together. There may be times in your life when you will need to put all your differences with people to the side, and try one more time to get everyone in agreement or even to try to get everyone in the same room together.

It seems like people only see each other any more at either funerals or weddings. In my family's case it is funerals, because we never get invited to any weddings. I don't want my next meeting with family members to be at a gloomy function, such as a funeral, so I want to try to get everyone together at a fun celebration, and what better holiday than Christmas. There will be plenty of people to tell me I am crazy, but that's okay. I will tell them that all my efforts will be worth it!!!

October 29, 2011

ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON!!!

Today is only October 29, and we are still only in the autumn season; however, mother nature must think that it is winter time because it is snowing in Pennsylvania! I am 38 years old, and I never remember it snowing before Halloween! This weekend was supposed to consist of me raking up my yard full of leaves; however, they are now covered with several inches of snow. Some people might be upset and angry about this premature snowfall, but I think it is beautiful! I am going to enjoy this first snowfall of the season!

I have a friend who bakes cookies with her son whenever we have a snow day from school. Even though today is Saturday, I wonder if she and her son are sharing their tradition together. Whenever it is snowing outside, and we are forced to stay indoors, that is special time we are given to spend with our families (if we have families) or special me time that we can use to get caught up on projects or to just lounge around and enjoy the day. 

Sometimes I think God gives us days like this in order to slow us down. As I am typing this and looking out my window, the beauty of the  freshly, fallen snow on the trees and ground is breathtaking. Enjoy the beauty that nature gives you! If you don't live in a part of the world that gets snow, then look up pictures on the internet of the beauty snow can bring. Enjoy the beauty of the first snowfall of the season!!!

October 28, 2011

DON'T STOP LIVING JUST BECAUSE TIMES ARE TOUGH!!!

Years ago my family would host several holiday celebrations within the year. We would usually host a Christmas dinner in December for our families, and then we would host another celebration in the summer time for our son's birthday. In the last several years, my family stopped hosting such celebrations, because of our financial situation. However, last night while speaking to my husband, he mentioned that it would be nice if the families would get together again for a holiday meal, so I posted a message on Facebook asking if any of our friends and family members would be interested in chipping in together to rent a hall in order to have a potluck Christmas celebration. So far, the response has been positive. Several of our friends and family members have messaged me saying they would love to participate in the dinner. 

Sometimes life gets too busy and hectic, and we forget to spend time with the people who mean the most to us. Sometimes we discount things that we used to do just because times are now tough, but we don't realize that people will be willing to help with putting these celebrations together if we can no longer do it ourselves. All we need to do is have ourselves a slice of humble pie, and let people know that we enjoyed the past celebrations, but explain to them that we cannot do it our own any longer. Most people will be more than willing to help us out. 

The more people who respond about our anticipated Christmas celebration, the more excited I become. It will be really nice to see people whom I have not seen in years. I just hope and pray that many people can put their differences aside in order to come together for a day of fun and love. Don't stop living your life with those who mean the most to you just because money might be tight. Ask if your friends or family members might be willing to help you put the celebration together. You might be surprised at the positive response you receive.

October 27, 2011

TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WANT NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T WANT!!!

How often do you get caught up in talking about what you do not want in life? When we talk about what we do not want in life, we are focusing our thoughts on the negative aspects of life. These thoughts go out into the Universe and reflect back to your own life. So in essence, you are creating for yourself a negative life by talking about what you do not want. Instead talk about what you do want in life. This way you are focusing on the positive things you want to happen in your life. In other words, like attracts like or positive attracts positive. 

As a society, I think we were conditioned to talk about what we do not want in life instead of what we do want. For instance, have you ever been running late for an appointment and the whole way out the door you keep saying, "I don't want to get caught in traffic!" What happens? You get caught in traffic! There is one time in my past that I remember very vividly, and I would like to share it with you now to prove how we get what we think about whether positive or negative. I was attending a church dinner with a friend of mine, and I was so worried about spilling my drink. I guess I was a little clumsy as a child. The entire way to the function I kept thinking about spilling my drink. The whole time while waiting for our food I kept thinking about spilling my drink. Guess what happened? I spilled my drink. The one thing that I did NOT want to happen did in fact happen, and I do believe it happened because I thought it into existence. I was focusing on the negative when I should have been thinking about what a good time I was going to have. Of course my day was ruined once I spilled my drink, because the negative came true. 

Now, I used an example of thinking a negative thought and it coming true, but the same is true with speaking words out loud. That is why it is very important that we think before we speak. If we are always complaining about our circumstances, the Universe is going to give us more things to complain about. You ask why? Because that is what we focus on more in life...the negative, and that is what you will see more clearly. Learn to think before you speak, and speak only what you want in your life! I am speaking positive into my life. I am speaking a wonderful job for myself into existence, because my family needs desperate help with our finances. I am speaking health to my husband, and I am believing that all his test results will be turn out fine. I am speaking only positive and wonderful things into my family's life. Talk about what you DO want and not so much about what you DON'T want in your life!!!

October 26, 2011

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEG FOR FRIENDSHIP!!!

Today was a bit stressful for my husband and I. The more I thought about the upcoming medical tests my husband needs to get done tonight, the more angry, upset, and frustrated I became throughout the day. My thoughts kept revolving around our families, or maybe I should say our families' lack of concern about my husband. Many of our family members turned their backs on my family, and when I confronted them as to why, some of them responded that I never asked for help. So, no one visited my husband in two years because I never begged them to come to our house and visit with my sick husband. Maybe I am an old fashioned type thinker, but I really do not think that anyone should need to beg for friendships including familial friendships. 

Has the world really become so busy that family no longer has time to visit with sick relatives? Do people really need a personal invitation to visit during trying times, so that you know that someone cares? Or are people so uncaring anymore and so wrapped up in their own lives that they truly do not have time to be bothered with anyone else or anything that someone else may be facing. I wonder how these "busy" people would feel if they took a walk in the other person's shoes. I wonder how they would feel if they were fighting for their lives, and no one had the time to call or visit them to cheer them on or to simply ask how they are feeling? Speaking from personal experience, going through a life-threatening illness alone is extremely difficult.

These past two years have left me disappointed with many of my family members. I find it hard to believe that in two years none of these people had an extra five minutes to just stop by and say, "Hey, how is it going?" I just need to accept the fact that these people have changed, and they no longer have room in their lives for my family. Does it hurt? Absolutely! We spent many family celebrations with these people over the years, but now our chapter in their lives is over. There is no need for me to keep wondering why these people have never visited or called my husband while he was ill. It is pretty safe to say that if they have not cared in two years, they are not going to care now just because we may be facing a new trial. You should never have to beg anyone to be your friend! A true friend will be there for you, and you will not have to ask them to be by your side! They will sense that you need them, and you will never have to beg!

October 25, 2011

PRACTICE COMMON COURTESY!!!

As I was driving home from picking up my son after school, I realized that not too many people practice common courtesy any longer. As I was trying to pull out of the parking lot of our local post office, five cars pulled in without letting me out. The parking lot is very narrow, so it would be a lot easier to get into it if you let the people out who are waiting to leave. However, I sat there and counted five cars pull in, and not one of them offered me the courtesy to go out before they pulled in. Am I the only person who recognizes that there is a lack of common courtesy in our society in the 21st century? Learn to practice common courtesy, and maybe together we can help change the world. 

What is common courtesy? Well, the courtesy I usually give to others are things like holding the door for them, allowing them to go ahead of me in the checkout line if they only have a few items, letting someone go ahead of me if we pull up to a four-way stop sign at the same time, and allowing others to pull out of the post office parking lot so I can pull in more easily. These are just a few examples, and I am sure you can think of many more. 

What is going on with people in the world these days? It seems people are in so much of a rush getting to where they are going that they no longer want to participate in acts of courtesy. Are we living in such a "ME" world that others and their feelings no longer matter? I am not liking what I am seeing while out and about in our communities, and maybe, if we each start showing a little more kindness each day by practicing some common courtesy, maybe we can make the world a better place!

October 24, 2011

PEOPLE CARE ABOUT YOU!!!

Do you ever feel like you are alone in this world? Do you feel like you are the only one who is going through difficult times? Do you feel like nobody cares what you may be facing in life? Well, my friend, let me be the one to tell you that you are not the only person in this world who is facing difficult times. You are not alone in this world, because many people may be facing the exact same things you are facing, or they may be facing things a whole heck of a lot worse than what you may ever face in your life. If you feel like no one cares, be reassured that I care and many other people care about you as well.

When my husband was first diagnosed with cancer two years ago, I felt that nobody cared about what my family was facing. However, I was wrong! Maybe, the people whom I wanted to care turned their backs on my family in our greatest time of need; however, strangers whom we didn't even know stepped up to the plate and showed us how much they cared. People cared about what we're facing! 

It is a very selfish act to think that you are the only person who is facing challenges in life. We face challenges and hard times in order to build our character, to strengthen our faith, and to make us appreciate our many blessings that have graced our lives. As my family faces a new journey, I am focusing on spending as much quality time with my family as possible. I am going to focus on another beautiful day with my wonderful family. Sure the difficulties are still there; however, I do not have to be down in the dumps and depressed every hour out of each of my days. I need to share good times with the people I love and whom love me, because I might not have the opportunity tomorrow! So, if you are thinking that you are all alone, or that no one cares what you are going through, please remember, there are people out there who care!!! Look for them!

October 23, 2011

BE KIND TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT!!!

Like some of my past titles, this title might seem a little silly to you. You might be thinking, "Well, I am kind to the people I care about!" However, I have a differing opinion. We become complacent with the people we care about, and we tend to take our aggressions and frustrations out on the people we care about the most. Why do we do this? They are the ones who know us the best, and they are the ones who are willing to put up with our unkind behavior. If you think that you are not unkind to the people you care about, think about how you talk to these people. Do you snap at these people on a regular basis or find yourself becoming agitated if these people do not jump when you want them to do a task for you. Start observing people around you and watch how they treat each other. I find myself cringing when walking through a public place, and I hear parents yelling at their children especially if the children aren't doing anything wrong. Learn to recognize how you interact with the people you care about and show kindness to everyone!

Today my family went to see the movie, The Three Musketeers." However, before we left to go to the mall, I was becoming irritated because my husband was taking longer than I liked to get ready to leave the house. When I am ready to leave, I expect everyone to be ready to walk out the door. I get frustrated when I have to wait a few minutes. However, after the movie was over, I was reminded that I need to show the people I care about more kindness. As we were leaving the movie theatre, my husband fainted in the middle of the mall. A few young men were kind enough to help my son and I get my husband to our car, so that I could rush him to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, we found out that my husband's blood sugar and blood pressure were extremely low! I was immediately reminded not to become complacent with my family members and to treat them with kindness every day, because we never know what is going to happen minute to minute. 

The people we are closest to deserve to be treated kindly, and we are the ones who need to treat them this way! Sometimes, we get caught up in the rush of everyday life, and we forget that the people we interact with daily need extra love from us. Even if we have been through life-threatening circumstances, we tend to forget and we tend to fall back into the ways we treated each other before the illness or situation. Learn to treat each other with kindness!!! ALWAYS!!!

October 22, 2011

DON'T WASTE TODAY BY WORRYING ABOUT TOMORROW!!!

Today I found myself becoming stressed about the holidays. I started to think of how my family will once again have to celebrate the holidays alone without our family members and friends. For the last several years, my family has not been invited to any kind of family functions. I am not quite sure why. I am not sure if people are afraid to be around my husband since he was diagnosed with cancer, or if people no longer invite us, because my family can no longer afford to host these types of parties, so we are not invited because we no longer invite people over to our own house. Whatever the reason, my family stays home and celebrates alone. However, what I am doing today is wasting today by worrying about the holidays which are a few months away. Don't waste today by worrying about tomorrow!

What I was doing today was wasting my precious time with my family. I was letting the future ruin my today. I was getting angry thinking about the holidays and about the possibility of my family being alone, and I was allowing those thoughts to invoke anger onto my family members. This action was not right at all, because my husband and son had no idea why I was getting angry. Looking at it now, it was very silly, because I cannot foresee the future, and I have no idea what the holidays may bring for us this year. 

Allowing your thoughts to ruin today is a practice in which you should break if you are one who makes this mistake. We need to learn to enjoy our NOW! We never know what is going to happen day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute. So, please learn from my own experiences, do not allow yourself to waste your precious time today by worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow!

October 21, 2011

TALK LESS, LISTEN MORE!!!

Do you pray? Normally in my blog and on Facebook, I do not like to bring up my religious views, because religion usually causes a lot of controversy. However, I do believe in God who is the Creator of the Universe and everything in the Universe. Praying to this God has gotten me through some of the toughest battles that my family has faced. I can truly say that I would not have made it through these difficult situations if it weren't for my prayer sessions with God. What I have had to do over the years is to learn not to talk so much, but to open up my ears and to listen to what God has to say. 

There are times in our lives when we get wrapped up in trying to solve our own problems. Did you notice when you are trying to control everything in your life that things seem to fall apart. The more you try to "fix" things the worse of a mess you seem to make. This is how it used to be in my life. I would analyze certain situations, and I would try to fix things, and instead of fixing anything, I usually ended up making people angry with me and I only made the matter worse. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is pray and let God handle the situation. 

When we pray, it is okay to ask God for help, but we also need to learn to become silent and listen to what God has to say. I have to admit that this has been an extremely hard lesson to learn. For instance, when I was trying to deal with difficult family members who enjoyed bringing drama into my life, I had the tendency to voice my own feelings and opinions to these drama makers. What I needed to do was become silent and listen to God. During these times, I knew that God was speaking to me. He would say things like, "Don't say anything" or "Delete that email and ignore it." However, my flesh would take over and I would tell myself that I did not deserve to be treated with disrespect, and I was not going to put up with rude people, so I would give them back what they were giving to me. I have to admit that I handled my situations all wrong! 

When you hear God tell you to, "Say nothing" then you need to listen and do as God says. This is not an easy task to learn, and I am still learning on a daily basis. However, I am getting better each day, and I am learning to listen to that voice known as God. Learn to listen, and watch all your relationships in life improve! 

October 20, 2011

CHOOSE WISELY WHAT YOU WILL OR WILL NOT ALLOW IN YOUR LIFE!!!

Did you realize that it is a personal choice what  you allow in your life? Did you realize that you do not need to allow any kind of negativity into your life just because someone else thinks you should? Sometimes, when we are dealing with family members, we think that it is a given that we have to accept all of our family members regardless of what kind of lifestyle they may be living. However, if these people are negative forces in your life, and they try to bring you down to a level you are not comfortable with, then you do not have to allow these people into your life. It is your choice what you will or will not allow into your life!

My husband and I both come from huge families, and some of our family members are not the most supportive people to hang out with. Honestly, they can be downright insulting, rude, and vulgar. Years ago my husband and I made a decision that we would not take our son to any parties that certain family members hosted just because of the antics that went on at these parties. These parties were adult parties, and no child needed to be privy to such craziness. Throughout the years, some of our family members have become offended that we have not attended family functions, but through time we just stopped receiving invitations to family functions, and we are okay with that.

If you are uncomfortable around certain people or certain situations, then you do not need to allow it into your life. If someone close to you is extremely opinionated, and you do not like their opinions which you never asked for, then you do not need to allow this person access into your surroundings. Once you start allowing only positive thoughts and positive people into your life, then it is extremely difficult to be around negative influences. You will feel very uncomfortable, and you will realize that you really do not like being in these situations. It is your choice what you will or will not allow into your life, so choose wisely!!! It is your life, and no one else's!

October 19, 2011

TRUST THAT THINGS WILL WORK OUT FOR THE BETTER!!!

How is life treating you at the present time? Are you facing difficulties which make you wonder if you will be able to get through another day? Do you sit and wonder what life is going to throw your way next? Well, my friend, I can speak from experience that sometimes life can throw us curve balls that we do not like, and we especially do not want to have to deal with. However, we have to TRUST that our circumstances will not stay the way they are, but things will eventually get better.

Things may not get better as quickly as we might like, but I can reassure you that "You can only stay at the bottom for a certain amount of time before you start coming up again." A wise man told me that, and that wise man is my husband, and if anyone knows about being at the bottom, it is him! We need to have TRUST in the Universe that our life's situations will get better.

Each difficulty we face in life is meant to make us stronger. If you are anything like me, that statement might tick you off! Just remember that you will not face a challenge unless you are ready to receive the lesson that comes with the challenge. Mike Dooley in his book, Infinite Possibilities, teaches more on this matter. If you are in need of a good book, check it out!

Keep telling yourself every day and TRUST that things WILL get better!!! Nothing ever stays the same!!! 

October 18, 2011

LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN EVERYONE!!!

Now, I know what you are thinking...LOL! You are thinking about the person who brings you the most grief in your life, and you are thinking, "Well, you do not know this person or that person in my life!" Your statement is true. I do not know the people in your life, but I do know the people who have brought me disappointment, drama, and grief in my own life. It might be a little difficult to think of these people as having good within them, but if you think about it long and hard, I bet you will remember some good that these people may have done since you have known them even if they may have let you down at this point in your life. I guarantee you that everyone has some good in them if you decide to look for it within them.

When I look back at the last two years of my family's life, the fact remains that more people walked out of our lives at this point in time than any other time in our past. Now, I can be bitter toward these people who no longer want to associate with my family since my husband was diagnosed with cancer, or I can look at the good that my family shared with these people in the past. We shared many family gatherings over the years with these people, including holiday celebrations and birthday parties, and these are pleasant memories that my family will never forget. These people were good then and they are good now. They have just decided to live their lives differently, and my family is no longer included in their plans. This does not make them bad people! They still have good within them! 

Everyone of us has good within us! We just have to be willing to search harder for the good in some more than others. If someone has let you down, just remember the good times that you once shared with that person. Sometimes, people move on, and they no longer have a need for us to be included in their lives. We just have to accept their decision, and move on with our own life. However, do not look at this person as bad! Just look for the good that you shared with this person at a different junction in your lives! Everyone has good within them!