Keep Moving!!

As the end of the year comes to a close it leaves alot of us looking back over the past year & seeing what we may want to do differently in 2010. Is it go on a diet, quit smoking, getting out of an unhealthy relationship, learning to love yourself, appreciate what it is you have & not envy others that have more?! Whatever it is your thinking of changing or doing better just keep in mind it's not easy to change for the better. There will be trials along the way & people who will jump on your road to success trying to discourage you from moving forward in a positive manner. Keep moving! Learn to bob and weave around the road blocks. Duck and cover if you have to, but just keep moving!

Its when we push through the rough spots that we reap bigger rewards in the end. We will have a new found appreciation for different people, places and things. Not to mention a new appreciation of ourselves as well. That being the biggest reward of all. I once heard in a song "it is in our weakest moment when we find strength we never knew had..." in another verse it says "life has been patiently waiting for me..." How powerful is that? Life is sitting waiting on me to make up my mind what it is I want to do or be?!

No one is promised the next minute let alone the next day so we really should make the most of today, right now. Live as if this is your last moments on earth, around your loved ones. Ask yourself if right now was the end would you be ok with how things are? Would you look at how you treated people and say "yep I did good & showed love"? Would your loved ones know how much they mean to you? If right now you stood in front of God & he asked you "did you enjoy all that I gave you good & bad?" Would you be able to answer YES & mean it?! I know I could not & that is why I have to go back over some things and make some positive changes.

The bad times are as necessary as the good times or how else would we be able to appreciate the good. We have to dig deep down in our soul, spirit and our very being to find the courage and strength to rise above the bad; all the while knowing that the good is right over the crest.

As we think about the things that we are going to change this year, please remember the men and woman of all branches of the military as they fight for our healthy freedoms back here at home. So that they may one day soon have a safe return.

Good night & God Bless.

Merry Christmas

To all my family and friends;
My wish for you this holiday season it that you get all that you want and deserve.

May you have a safe, happy and joyous Christmas.

Please remember those men and woman that are serving in the armed forces and wont be home this holiday season, in your prayers for a safe return soon.

Good night and God bless

"Letting go of Hanging On"

It was a beautiful sunny mid August afternoon, when a group of us decided to go boating. Enjoying water sports & the good company of each other. Watching the others have so much fun skiing I decided to go ahead & give it a try. Now I've never been on skis before so needless to say I fell, but refused to let go of the handle allowing it to pull me under the water again & again & again. All I had to do was let go & let the life jacket hold me up until they could circle around to retrieve me. But I was to scared to do a simple thing as just letting go.

Isn't it funny how when something in life knocks us down we refuse to let go of the problem or situation much like the ski handle, causing us to get pulled down again & again & again. And all we have to do is let go of the situation & stay afloat as if we're wearing a life jacket. Trusting that our higher power will circle around & save us from any potential danger, just as our friends would on the boat. It is when we refuse to let go thinking we can do something to change the outcome if we just hang in there. That is when you put yourself in harm's way & that is when you will be pulled under repeatedly possibly drowning in the problem at hand.

Letting go & trusting in the unknown is a very scary thing, I know I've been there more time that I care to recollect. Let me share one of the big ones w/you. It was a Sunday & I had decided to go ahead w/my divorce & stay in the house we had bought. On Monday I had been let go from my job. Now I could of went home & acted out of fear & decided to stay in an unhealthy marriage, but I did not. I went thru w/the divorce trusting that something good was going to come out of all this. Scared? I was very scared of how I was going to make it. (All this being pre-Gabby) I had to ask myself "how bad do you want it?" , then made the decision to do what it took to get thru this challenging time. It was not easy & I was scared to death most of the journey but happy to report that all worked out & needs were met.

I choose to let go of the handle that was pulling me under, I choose to stay afloat & wait for my higher power to save me, I choose to enjoy the warm sunny days & cool breezes. And I hope you choose to do the same. I believe that when we are tested in life that is when we find our trues selves & what we are made of. It is in these times that we have to dig deep & look for solutions not hang onto the problem.

Going in to the holiday season let us remember the men & woman of all branches of the military in our prayers, that they may be kept safe & returned to their loved ones soon.

Good nite & God bless.

"It Is What It Is"

Have you ever been through something in life & then sat back to ask the question "why is this happening to me again?" Well I have, to often. What it all comes down to is accepting the situation for what it really is. Just that. It's a situation and life is full of situations. Whether good, bad or indifferent they just are.

A couple of my friends and I were talking about different life situations when one of them said, "I was ok when I just accepted the fact that sometimes we have to be ok with not knowing why something happened." That was such a profound thought for me that I have not stop thinking about it for almost 3 weeks. Really think about that. If we can allow our self to be ok with "it is what it is" then life would flow much smoother for us and big things would be just as little as the little things. Worry and stress would be down and everything around us even relationships with others would be a whole lot sweeter. Not to mention your health will improve.

One of the biggest things I have learned so far in life is that we all play a part in things that happen both to us and sometimes around us. If we clear our minds of anger or sadness about the situation and with an open mind ask the question "what was my part in this?" I'm sure it will shock you to see that you did have a part to play whether it was a little part or the leading roll, it was a part played. From there you have a choice to make. Decide what can you do differently or just be more aware of it the next time a similar situation arises. Two things will come from this. One you will become a better more aware person & two you will start moving forward with a more positive outlook on things.

Now don't get me wrong there are those certain situations that come up and will test you to the core of your very being. Keep in mind that people are like pigeons and they will do what they do regardless of what you do. But stay strong and remember no matter what you've been through god loves you and is always there for you. It is us that chooses to move not him! In the end it is not going to matter what the situation was, it will however matter how you handled it.

As always please remember the men and woman of all branches of the military in your prayers that they may have a safe return home to their loved ones.

Good night and God Bless.

"Stepping Out"

There is alot of truth to the theory of stepping outside of our comfort zone to either help another person or do something out of the norm for our self; it is then that we accomplish true achievement in personal satisfaction. Have you ever done something nice for someone just because you wanted to and then not told that person it was actually you? Have you ever pushed yourself to do something you really did not want to do, but knew that it was the right thing to do? And then stand back and said "that was not so bad." Now how did that feel?

Me personally I have found that some of the greatest rewards in life; have been when I push through even if its a painful but yet very necessary decision to be made about a situation. Or if I did not really feel like volunteering but went through with it anyhow and looked back and was glad that I did.

Some of the best things come out of our pain. God did not say anywhere, he would tell us everything we needed to know. However; he did say if we asked he would be there to guide us through all that life throws at us, all we have to do is ask. Now I'm not trying to sound all preachy because I promise you that as sure as I am sitting here typing this post I am in my head asking God to help me wake up tomorrow and look for his guidance and will for me, not Jen's will for Jen. LOL And I know this works from past experience's, I have seen it first hand.

Now get out of the way so that he can do his job and not how you see fit either. Step out of your comfort zone and do something uncomfortable but good today. You wont be sorry you did.

As always please remember the men and woman of all branches of service, so that they may return safely to their loved ones.

Good nite and God Bless

"Sack lunch for a solidier"

This has a powerful "Pay it forward" message. ENJOY!!

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.. I'm glad I have a good book to read, perhaps I will get a short nap, I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base, his friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. This is your thanks. After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand..' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You. Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, The United States of America for an amount of and up to and including my life. That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

F.E.A.R.

FEAR= Frustration, Ego, Anger and Resentment.

I read that & had to blog about this subject, because to me this is something that so many of us deal with but yet are in denial about. Why is that? Well for me it is because all my life I have been put in or put myself in situations that cause me to be the strong one, the one that everyone can count on to be upbeat & positive. The one to always be able to hold it together no matter what is going on. When the truth of the matter is I was acting out of fear!!

Afraid that if I did not act on these situations, that people would not like me or that people would fall apart if they did not have a go to person in their life. And really what was I thinking? That I am all knowing & all powerful that if "I" did not help them their lives would fall apart. Come on now if that is not a EGO then I don't know what is. When in all reality I needed them to help me believe I was going to be ok!

It was once explained to me that there are healthy fears & unhealthy fears we need to pay attention to. For example a healthy fear is crossing a busy intersection & afraid you might get hit by an automobile. An unhealthy fear is thinking someone is going to screw you over & they have done nothing wrong. The latter of these WILL come to pass as long as we are looking for it to; its called self-sabotage. And that is just as unhealthy as living a fear driven life.

My problem was that I never thought I was as worthy of receiving the same love & support as I gave to others. I always held on to the idea that my life was not as bad as everyone else's. And to some extent that was true. What is not true, is that I did not deserve the same that I gave. We are all deserving children of God, we all deserve good things & to be treated with love & respect. But we must demand it from others. Now I'm not saying to go up to someone & start shaking them demanding respect & love. What I am saying is to dig deep in your self & find some self respect & self love. Because the bottom line is how can you demand something you don't believe to be of yourself to begin with?!

This will relieve a lot of the anxiety & resentment that can come from false expectations of another. And trust me it is alot less frustrating when we allow people to just be who they are. Remember that we are ALL works in progress & that it took us this many years to become the way we are & it will take you that amount of time or more to be the person you want to be. Talk to yourself in the mirror as you would a dear friend or family member that was going through the same thing. Be good to yourself, love yourself & most importantly respect yourself!!

As I close please remember the men & woman of all branches of military as they fight for our Healthy Freedoms here at home. That they may have a save return someday soon.

Good night & God bless!!