Sometimes it’s hard not to give up and say goodbye to family members who make things difficult. It can be very tempting especially if they are toxic. And maybe the relationship needs to change and that’s ok. But family is family. Don’t give up on each other.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, it’s that you can’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.”
~ Rick Riordan
Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Maybe we all don’t agree on many topics like politics, religion, or clothing styles but I think we can all agree that the Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing, and pies are something we all look forward to every year. I wish you and your family and friends the most blessed Thanksgiving Day and weekend.
“The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so.”
~ Nora Ephron
This month let’s take some time to show gratitude for the things we have and the people around us. Let’s not judge them because we disagree with their life choices. Let’s love them and remember the quality time together in our hearts and not in our minds.
“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.”
~ Lionel Hampton
Photo by Kit Ishimatsu on Unsplash
I think for us as humans it’s easy to pass judgment. It’s easy to say they should have done it this way. Or they shouldn’t be doing it that way. But we need to remember we are not here to judge. We are all different and we all make different choices. Sometimes we don’t agree with the choices of others but that’s where understanding comes in. Quit judging and start loving and understanding.
It’s easy to judge. It’s more difficult to understand. Understanding requires compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe that good hearts sometimes choose poor methods. Through judging, we separate. Through understanding, we grow.
– Doe Zantamata
Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash
I know it’s been a few weeks since I posted and I am sorry. We have been all over the country enjoying the fall weather and spending time with family and friends. I found this quote this morning and needed to post it before we take off for another adventure this weekend. We are so blessed in this life with our family and friends. I hope that every time you get to spend time with loved ones, I hope you feel grateful. I know it’s hard but you can’t take these things for granted. One day you will not be able to call up that person on the phone, dress up in sixties gear to celebrate their birthday, or drop by their house to drink too much beer and stay up too late. Be grateful for the times you get to share together and enjoy the many moments of laughter.
“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.”
~ Elie Wiesel
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
Autumn is such a beautiful time of year. The vibrant colors on the trees show us how magical nature is. Then it reminds us that you have to let things go. Don’t hold on to grudges. Don’t fixate on the past. Each year show your beautiful colors then let the things go that are holding you back.
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”
-unknown
Picture of Autumn in Park City downloaded from a Facebook post.
💙 Remembering My Dad 💙
Today, I want to take a moment to honor and celebrate my dad. He would have been 72 years old today. Happy heavenly birthday! Words cannot express how much I love and miss him every day.
My dad was my biggest cheerleader. He was at every sporting event I competed in when he could be. He worked different shifts so sometimes he could only be there for his 30-minute lunch break. But he was there. He taught me the importance of kindness, compassion, and integrity through his own actions. His unwavering support and belief in me gave me the confidence to chase my dreams and overcome any obstacles that came my way.
I cherish the memories we shared, from the simple moments of laughter to camping at Kinzua Dam or boating on Edinboro Lake. He never said too much but the conversations we did have shaped my perspective on life. Whether it was playing catch in the backyard, shooting hoops out the back door, or teaching me to drive a stick shift, his presence always brought comfort and reassurance.
His love was unconditional, and he never hesitated to put his family’s needs before his own. He worked tirelessly to provide for us, sacrificing his own desires to ensure we had everything we needed. Even during his nine-year battle with lung cancer, he continued to drive hours to and from work. He never showed us that he was in any pain or uncomfortable in any way. His strength was beyond measure. His selflessness and dedication continue to inspire me to be a better person every day.
Losing my dad was undoubtedly one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever faced. But even in his absence, his spirit lives on within me. I carry his values, his wisdom, and his love in my heart, and I strive to make him proud in everything I do.
Today, I encourage you all to take a moment to appreciate the special bond you share with your own fathers. Let them know how much they mean to you, for time is fleeting, and we never know what tomorrow may bring. If you have lost your father I hope you see signs from Heaven that he may be sending you every day.
Dad, I hope you can feel the love and gratitude that surrounds you. I hope the family gets together up there for a great heavenly birthday dinner. Tell everyone hello. Thank you for being my hero. You will forever hold a special place in my heart. I miss you more than words can express, but I find peace in knowing that your love will forever be with me.
I saw this on a friend’s Facebook page and had to repost it. This is a great quote as a follow-up to yesterday’s blog post about Mindset. We each have different talents but how far we take those talents is determined by our frame of mind, motivation, and attitude. Don’t let a bad attitude hold you back. Reach for the stars!
Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.
– Lou Holtz
Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about mindset and how it can impact our lives. I feel like two people can look at the same situation and have two completely different thoughts about it. Some look up at a beautiful blue sky and only see the sun while the person standing right beside them sees the one cloud in the sky and can only worry about when it is going to rain. It is very intriguing. I believe it comes down to our state of mind and how we view the events in our lives.
Depending on the circumstances thrown at us and the lessons we’ve learned, we have different ways of viewing and reacting to life’s circumstances. I think many times, we as humans, tend to lean towards the negative. Our brains seem to remember the bad times more than the good times. Why do we do that? According to the article below, psychologists refer to this as negativity bias. It’s easier to see and remember the negative because it has more of an impact on us. Therefore, we need to make a conscious effort to stay positive.
My husband says it all the time… life is about making choices (and living with the consequences of those choices). We are thrown into many circumstances in life. We have hundreds of choices to make every day. Are we washing our hair? Going to the gym? Drinking beer? Smoking cigarettes? Using sugar in our coffee or almond milk? Are we trying to eat healthy or stopping at the fast food restaurant? These are all choices, and they all have consequences that go with them. If you decide to eat out at a fast food restaurant every day for lunch and you get a double cheeseburger and fries then most likely you are going to gain weight and health problems may occur. On the flip side, if you have an important test coming up and you study and understand the material, the consequence is likely a good grade. This is your choice, and we are all free to make them. So what is your mindset? What are your goals? What do you want out of life? And are you happy with the choices you are making?
A positive mindset isn’t just for those day-to-day decisions. It also determines how we will react to those bigger life circumstances. Remember, we cannot control the circumstances around us (the event) but we can control our REACTIONS to the situations. We may lose a loved one. We may get laid off from a job. We may have our car broken into. The question is how do we react to these situations? What is our mindset?
If we have a negative mindset then we can get down, be depressed, blame others, and not take responsibility for our own lives. Yes, it’s ok to be sad sometimes. But we need to pick ourselves up. If we lose our job we can blame our employer, our family, or the economy. We can believe it is the worst thing that ever happened to us. We can sit at home and sulk about how terrible life is. OR we can take responsibility, change our mindset, and we can say wow this is a wonderful opportunity to go back to school, learn a new skill, or start our own business.
Having a positive mindset can be challenging. Sometimes it takes therapy. Maybe it takes good friends to help you realize life is not all bad. It definitely takes a conscious effort and hard work. The thing we need to realize is we cannot blame others for our situations, and we cannot compare our lives to others. Every single one of us has experienced heartbreak, death, disappointment, and sadness. And every single one of us has a different reaction to those experiences. Some of us have done the work and are striving for the silver lining. We cannot blame them. It does not mean they haven’t forgotten or that it doesn’t hurt anymore. It just means they are consciously reframing the negative thoughts in their head and striving for positive outcomes. We need to look within ourselves and see if we are stuck in a negative mindset. Then we need to decide what WE can do individually to help ourselves.
Just because “bad” things happen, doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. It just means there a different road is ahead and now we have a choice. Are we going to be strong and recover from the setback or are we going to continue letting circumstances control us? If we believe our life sucks then it will. If we see the world in a negative way we need to try to turn our thinking around as this helpful article suggests. Remember:
“Life is amazing. Even when it sucks, it is amazing, and we should be grateful for every moment.”
— Hal Elrod
Our mindset is the most critical piece of the puzzle. How we view our life and its’ circumstances is under our control. Believing in ourselves and trying to find the silver lining is well within us. We just need to do the work and change the way we see things.
Photo by Katrina Wright on Unsplash