Weekly Photo Challenge: Light

So many things to say about light.

Light of the world.

Light of my life.

Warm, bright, and cheerful.

So many ways to interpret light.

Observing, feeling, and seeking.

Light evokes emotions, thoughts, and desires.

Light lives, breathes, and dies.

But why say anything about light when you can see it’s brilliance in so many ways……..

Street Lights
A simple street lamp. A star.

Heart Light
A glowing heart. Love.

Neon Sign
A neon sign. A beacon of hospitality satisfying and full. Comfort in a dark night.

Sydney
A gentle glimpse of soft light in shadow.

Lake Marble Falls
Flowing action. Fluid movement. The wind chases the light. The light chases the day.


A static charge in a dark sky. To light the path in happy colors.


Illumination. A simple beauty in color and style.

Golden Reflection
A golden path. A hazy hillside bathed in heaven’s reflection.

Lake Sunset
Sunset. The last breath of sun. The end of a dying day. A sigh. A whisper. A goodnight.

Glorious light fitted with so many shades and tones. Can you feel it?

I think light is contagious and it’s thrilling to share it in this weekly photo challenge from The Daily Post at WordPress.

May light shine in and around you today, and always. Happy Monday!

Healthy Reflection on Monday

Because Sunday I just couldn’t, and I really need it today – something healthy to reflect upon that is – how about you?

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.

– Vietnamese saying

Expressing everyday gratitude

How often do you remember the people that have made little things possible for you? It’s easy to take our privileges for granted. Today, be more aware of your surroundings–everything from your shirt, house, food, and car–and who has made them possible for you. Who has made it possible for you to experience such wonderful things? One way to let someone know that you truly appreciate their efforts is to send them a quick note or return the kindness in your own way.

Brought to you by SPARKPEOPLE.
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Happy “short” week of the holiday! Can I thank the pilgrims? Thank you for making this holiday possible. Can I also thank all the turkeys out there? No, not your ex-boyfriends. The bird! No, not “Let’s all do the bird”, dance with Morris Day and the Time, or THE BIRDS by Alfred Hitchcock. I, totally, just dated myself.

I mean Turkey, and dressing served on platter. Yes, Yum! Happy Thanksgiving! I am so happy, and thankful – I swear it’s not just the extra days off (I think?).

This post is really about everyday grace, and not just the time of the year. My first thought that comes to mind is my mom. Hey, she wasn’t perfect by any means, but she PLAYED with us. She instilled manners, respect, morals, and fun. She is still fun, and she STILL plays. I love her! My delightful child-like mother, who encouraged independence, love of children, and animals, forever in my sentiment. Thanks mom for being you.

I am thankful for my health, and my limbs. Yes, that is what happens when you are raised by a handicap father. Suddenly, having healthy working legs is a BIG deal. How easy it is to take our mobility for granted. How quickly it can be taken from us.

Having and keeping a job in this economy. Can I just say, “WOW!” I never worried about my job during the Gulf War. I never worried when airlines stopped paying commissions to travel agencies, and the owners flipped their lids, and we had to start charging fees.

I was not even concerned when the internet arrived with Orbitz, and Travelocity, and the airlines following close behind, this book your own moxie. Why use a travel agent? But I knew not everyone would, especially larger corporate companies, which was my specialty. We were still needed.

Then, the devastating blow of 9/11 sucked the soul out of us, but not the heart. In spite of all that, NOTHING has compared to this last year in the travel industry. Nothing. So thank you, dear job, I am so grateful for you.

My sister, no we don’t live close. We are not close in age. I barely remember her living with us growing up. She was more of a little mommy than a sister. But oh, she is my livelihood. How I adore her, and look up to her, even now that I’m grown and can see, she actually has flaws. She will always be my big sister, and my best friend. God made us sisters, our hearts made us friends. That saying is so true with us.

My dear Jason, far and above, the most paramount man, I have ever met or known, besides my step dad. The thought this man puts into every single thing, a quiet responsible purpose of pursuit, with patience and utter endurance, just to offer the best of himself to those he loves.

Yet, he is always willing to listen to my flash bulbs of babbling brilliance. They pale in comparison to his “bigger” picture brain and burn out just as quickly in light of his deep embers. I can’t imagine a more fitting complement than what we are to each other.

Out of 9 MILLION people on Facebook, I found you, the one, and only you. How small I am compared to the grander illustration painted for both of us.

My daughter Sydney, you amaze and entertain me. Your quick wit, and non-typical teenage antics. By far you are more stylish than I ever could, would, or should be in this lifetime. Thank GOD, you know which shoes go with what. I will forever embarrass you with the wrong outfit just so you can say, “Mooooooommmmmmm, no.”

There are so many others, the scope of which encompasses to an eternity, and I hope you know who you are, because I don’t have enough words to attribute.

I hope I show my kindness to each of you in return. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I hope I express it, not just in words, or deeds, but in every hug, and in every email, text, or comment. I know where my appreciation comes from. It comes from YOU. It comes from your heart. It comes from where YOU came from. What a blessing you are. I am overjoyed to be in your life.

Graciously, I go into this wonderful week with you. Please share your gratitude with me. I’d love to hear it. And I know it will make you feel good (besides, I bet you have already typed it out, HA).

Sunday’s Healthy Reflection

On Sunday this time, yay!

Stop living life for what’s around the corner and start enjoying the walk down the street.

– Grant L. Miller, motivational guru

Enjoying the road to accomplishment

It’s possible to be a little too focused. With blinders on, it becomes easy to completely live in our vision of where we will be in the future, while ignoring the improvements that we have made in the present. The road to a healthy lifestyle is a long trip. While it’s very important to realize what we are shooting for, we also need to make sure that we keep our heads in the present to enjoy the progress we’ve made. If your goal is to lose weight, instead of waiting to celebrate until you lose it all, enjoy today’s small victories and take advantage of your improved health now. This approach serves as motivation for any aspiration in life. Set ambitious goals and enjoy the road to accomplishing those goals, because life might pass you by if you are always planning for tomorrow without ever seeing today.

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Brought to you by SPARKPEOPLE.

One of the first things that come to mind when I read this, is all the things you put off, or miss out on due to weight issues. My example, Laugh Fest at the Parks Mall –  for The Levity Project, Katie has actually posted our video under the videos tab on her website. How cool is that? Now, I was hesitant about being “filmed”. The camera adds ten pounds, I wasn’t wearing black, I hadn’t lost the TWENTY pounds – and had done nothing to try and lose it. Me self-conscious? Heck yah!

Obviously, We did it anyway. What it came down to was this, if I waited until I looked “perfect”. For one, it’d be never. HA. For two, I would have missed out on participating in this event. I wouldn’t have lived in the present. I would have planned a future event based on something that might happen – I could have missed it.

And you know what? I treasure that day. I treasure laughing with Sydney. I treasure our participation with the Chicago laugh flash project group at the same time. I am thrilled we did it. We will never have November 7, 2009 – 12 Noon again. Sydney will never be fifteen again, this year is it. For her to be fifteen – pretty amazing.

One thing I never did, was wish her older than she was. Some relatives would, they would want her to be a certain age, to do grown up things with her. They couldn’t wait til she was bigger. Every new age, it would be an older age they would pine for. I would nod quietly, but inside I celebrated that instant, and the milestone she was at. Maybe because, I couldn’t have any more, and that made me more aware of the here and now.  I couldn’t help but think, you are missing it.

Could it be, this span of your life, to you, is just a meaningless phase until you get to the next big thing?

Friends, you are missing it.

The last thing that comes to mind is this………
When I moved to Dallas, from a small town of 20,000 (actually I lived outside of that town), so it was even smaller. Think rural, no paved driveways –  not even a traffic light. I could not wait to get to the big city. Who needed a small town? Everyone knew your business, they didn’t have any major restaurants (back then). There was only one movie theater. We had Wal-Mart, but  no mall, the list goes on and on.

Back then, the country? The worst place ever. We couldn’t  even get cable when it first came out. It was a year before we could.  I missed out on all those MTV video premiers.  In my mind, the quicker I got out, the better.

And I did, at the tender age of seventeen. When did something change? Probably when Sydney was born. Suddenly the city lost its charm, and I worried my little girl would be swallowed up by it. I questioned myself, why did I leave the small town? How in the world could I raise my child in the city? What was I thinking? Panic and regret, and you know, I was missing it. I was missing out on life in the present.

Fact is, Sydney is a city girl. The country makes her go, “Ewww!”  This is where I chose to live, and this is where I make the best of it.  I think I mentioned, I don’t do unhappy, and my longing? Just didn’t suit me. This was it.

It  turned out wonderfully.  Sydney has done great in the city. I have no clue why I worried. She is smart, well-adjusted and thrilled to live here. (well, okay, it’s not FAIR she is not an OU fan, but I digress)

I do love it here.  Do I miss the small town I was raised in? Yeah. I realize all the benefits a small town has to offer.  All the things I did as a child, that I wanted her to do,  and have memories of.  But why miss out on all the opportunities around me?  And there is a lot – museums, zoos, gardens. I found the greatness in it all. New memories, new traditions.

Time is zipping by, I’m not getting younger (big surprise, I know). I am celebrating with joy. Today will never come again. I’m not going to let anything hold me back, not my weight, not what people think, not my regrets, not my mistakes – Nothing. I’m taking hold of today and enjoying it.

What victory are you going to take hold of today? What regret are you going to put in your past for good? What is holding you back from enjoying this instant? Don’t miss the journey, don’t let life pass you by, accomplish, thrive, and live.

Sunday’s Healthy Reflection

On Monday…..ooops.

What reason weaves, by passion is undone.

– Alexander Pope

Do you follow what your heart craves?

As odd as it sounds, sometimes our logical minds can hold us back. Have you ever wanted to attempt a new career, run a marathon, or start your own business? Our brains might scream at us that it is safer to do what has been tried and true in the past, but don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you! We all spend a lot of time worrying and little time examining the calling of our own hearts. What are you passionate about? Is there a way that you can honor these feelings in a responsible way? Trying new things can be terrifying, but following our passions can make us feel alive and become some of our most memorable moments in life. The thrill of love, the depths of grief, and the joys of a new career…all would be impossible without passion.

Brought to you by Sparkpeople.

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First off, my apologies, this wasn’t posted on Sunday. I woke up at three am Sunday morning very, very ill. I am rarely ill. I don’t know if it was a bug or if I just had too much chili at the annual chili cook-off.

All I know, is when I have trouble getting Pepto down the ole gullet AND am fearful it won’t stay down. It’s not a good thing. I wasn’t quite right all day yesterday. I started feeling a tiny bit better in the evening.

This morning I feel fine, whoo-hoo!

As for the reflection, I have mostly been a heart follower my whole life. I moved to a ginormous city (alone) at seventeen. Moved up the ladder at the company I began working for within six months. After a terrible loss in our family, I was brave enough to try and have another baby which resulted in Sydney.

My whole life, my heart has led most of the way and I am glad of it. There have been many instances where my mind took over. Doubt dominated the decision. I suffered needlessly because of it. Fear is a very funny thing, once it takes hold, it is very hard to shake.

NaNoWriMo would be most recent worry. My mind tells me I can’t do it, my heart says the story must be told. I hope by the time I get done examining it, the thirty days is not up.

My other head vs. heart battle is my current relationship. My heart loves Jason heart and soul with no doubt at all. My head tells me, being a step mom and trying to work with their mother, would be a very tough road. Don’t get me wrong, I love those children with ALL my heart, and if that’s all there was to it, I’d be in good shape.

The safer route? Definitely staying in my world, the one I know without a doubt, one primarily with me and Sydney. Maybe that one seems more in my control, definitely less danger. The heart route? Jason and the girls, a lifting and turning of a beautiful dance that might be hard to learn the steps, but so beautiful and rewarding when complete.

The unknown, a great abyss of doubt and wonder. The known, a river that flows gently with no dips or turns. The mind is certainly easier to tame doing what you know and staying safe. The heart is a little riskier, but with a greater achievement, a greater wealth of wild exaltation.

What is your battle today? Do you recognize your struggles? Will your passion win? Or your logic?