Every morning wake up with a fresh start and a positive thought. Every day can be the best day if you realize the beauty around you.
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
I write a lot about my sister’s children because I feel so close to them and they are such an important part of my life. Sometimes I forget that we have five more nieces and nephews on my husband’s side of the family. Three of them are beginning adulthood and making lives for themselves, as are our sons. They are starting their careers and continuing their education. Some have significant others in their lives and some don’t. They are talented young people, and although they don’t call me Aunt Stacy, I am proud to be just that.
We also have two younger nieces. They are the most beautiful little girls inside and out. They are talented, smart, funny, and full of curiosity. We love spending time with them just as much as we love spending time with my sister’s children. I love hearing them call me Aunt Stacy, and I love watching their eyes light up when they tell a joke, and we laugh out loud. I also love braiding their hair and getting their gifts of love such as drawings and notes.
These two are seven and nine. They love spending time with their grandparents in the summer, and they do a week-long stay called “Camp Mo Mo”. During this “camp”, they spend time at the beach, do art projects, go to the pier, and eat too much ice cream (which was one of my favorite things to do with Sweet Gram!). Their parents get a little break and the girls get to spend some valuable time with their grandparents. I am thinking I need to start a “Camp Aunt Stacy.”
Because I never had children of my own, I get attached to these little people. I love their energy and their amazing spirit. I love how all of my younger nieces and nephews laugh with such innocence. They have no cares or worries. They are just happy being happy. They don’t need anything material. Just love.
Over the summer, we spent some time with our nieces at the beach. We walked through a cute little beach town and did some shopping. Their mom teaches them how to stay healthy by eating well. We showed them how to stay active by participating in a little workout on their grandparents’ deck. They were full of energy and loved doing burpees (I mean what child wouldn’t lol). They called me Aunt Stacy the whole time. They rode on my shoulders as well as my husband’s. They couldn’t get enough of us, and we couldn’t get enough of them.
I assume my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law as well as their significant others would really enjoy some time off from parenting and responsibility. I hope I can get these four little people together this year and host a “Camp Aunt Stacy” at our home in Florida. We will do crafts, play card games like “kings on the corner”, swim in the pool, and hopefully get Uncle Jeff to take us out on the boat.
Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy can become a yearly tradition. Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy will be a traveling camp of different experiences for these little people in different places. Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy will be as memorable for them as I know it will be for me. So, keep your fingers crossed, and let’s get Camp Aunt Stacy started!
It’s a new year. What do you want yours to look like? Are you happy where you are? Would you like to try something new? Then take the chance, make the changes, and change your story.
“New year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours.”
—Alex Morritt
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
Even though I grew up around the game of golf, I was never much interested in playing the sport. My whole family golfed including the women. I felt like the day was too long, it was too hard, and there wasn’t enough action for me. My grandfather ran a golf tournament all of my life. I got involved in selling candy bars at the tournament when I was in second grade. Then my sister and I became the beer girls and eventually, I ran the thing when he passed away.
Last month, I had a wonderful experience. I went to a networking group in Florida called #LEGS (Ladies Executive Golf Society). It’s all about women meeting women and learning a new skill, golf! My friend, Karen, introduced me to this group, and I felt like I was exactly in the right place at the right time. Tonight, we meet again, and we are learning how to putt before we socialize and learn more about each other. I can’t wait! The last time I went I left feeling excited and hopeful. I hope this organization continues to grow in the Fort Myers area. And I hope I can attend many more of these events!
#LEGS was started for women by women. Its vision is to empower women to try new things, build relationships, foster growth in communities, and have fun! If you think about it, many men develop business relationships and networking connections on the golf course whether they are any good at the sport or not. As women, we don’t always take that step to try something new, especially something as challenging and overwhelming as golf. #LEGS is trying to change that by giving us the confidence to step on the golf course and support other women in the community. Let’s get more women out on the golf course!
Whether you are into golf and whether you work or not, I highly suggest coming to at least one event. The events are posted on the website and occur once a month. Golf is just a tiny piece of what the group is all about and part of the event registration fee goes to a local charity. The one in Fort Myers is called Valerie’s House which is a nonprofit dedicated to helping children on their journey of grief after losing a parent or sibling.
There are #LEGS chapters in six cities in Florida, but the founder is always looking to expand. If you are willing to start a chapter in your area contact Jillian Foss at ladiesexecutivegolfsociety@gmail.com. If you are in the Fort Myers area, please sign up and take a chance at this event. Come meet other women and learn a new skill. There is still time to sign up for tonight’s event at Eastwood Country Club. See you there!
Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. Take the spirit of the season with you into the new year. Keep your head held high and spread joy and laughter to everyone you meet!
“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.”
–Mary Anne Radmacher
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Merry Christmas my Friends!
I hope you have an amazing Christmas day with friends and family! I didn’t want to leave you out in the cold (:)) without a little winter workout!
This one is done like the 12 days of Christmas. You start with 1. Then do 2 then 1. Then do 3, 2, and 1. Work up until you do 12 all the way down to 1. Here are the moves.
- Push-up (knees or toes)
- High Knees
- Standing abs (each side) reach and pull leg up
- Cossack squat (side to side)
- Jump Squats
- Butt Kicks
- Jumping Jacks
- Mountain Climbers
- Sumo Squats
- Lunges
- Squat Pulses
- Burpees
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Last year I wrote a post called “Letter from Above.” A friend told me I should republish it every year around the holidays so I thought I would remind you to check it out. Click on the link above and it will take you back to my letter. I hope it gives you a sense of peace as we embark on this holiday season. Even though the holidays are a beautiful time of year, they also can be very painful for some people who have suffered severe loss. I hope that you have the support you need to get through this season with a smile on your beautiful face and a light of hope in your heart.
As I was wasting time on Facebook the other day, I saw this letter that someone else shared. I also kept the links that will take you to their pages. I thought both of these women were very inspirational. I hope you take some time to scroll through their pages. Just reading a few of their posts made me feel better about myself, my journey, and the losses I have suffered. I hope they do the same for you.
A love letter from those who have passed on…
Take the love you have for me
And radiate it outwards
Allowing it to touch and impact others
Take the memory you have of me
And use it as a source of inspiration
To live fully, meaningfully and intentionally
Take the image you have of me in your mind
And allow it to fuel you
To take action
Seize the day
And be reminded of what is most important in life
Take the care you have for me
And let it remind you
To care for yourself fully
And shower yourself with your own love
And take the pain and grief you feel
Following my loss
And alchemize it into
Love, compassion and beauty
Build a castle
From the wreckage of my passing
And allow it to unlock your greatness and potential
And empower you to become more than you ever thought you were capable of being
And know that I can never truly leave you
And will always remain beside you
Watching over you in spirit
And that the love I have for you lives on
Through the connections you form
The kindness and compassion you share
And the future relationships and friendships you cultivate.
And until we are one day reunited
I will remain with you
Through the storms and chaos of life
And am always beside you
Walking with you, laughing with you, crying with you and smiling with you
And I am proud of you for being strong
I am proud of you for being brave
And I am proud of you for being you.
Words by Tahlia Hunter
I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy, Happy New Year!
Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash
Every day is a beautiful day to be appreciated. Even if it’s not your idea of a perfect day, it is a day to be lived. You never know when you won’t have tomorrow.
Today, I will not stress over the things I can’t control and I will enjoy this beautiful day.
~ Brigette Nicole
Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
This says it all. Let the people who don’t appreciate you or your worth go. You don’t need to be pulled down in other’s drama. Keep your head high and let them lose you.
You need to let people lose you.
Let them go along with the crowd.
Let them believe what they want to believe.
Let them think they have better.
Let them sleep on your worth.
Because in due time
they will realize the mistake they made,
And it will be just enough time for you
to accept that you’re better off without them.
~ Morgan Richard Olivier
Photo by Deborah L Carlson on Unsplash
A friend sent this prayer to me years ago. Just a little reminder that we are not perfect. We are doing the best we can. And there is something higher than us doing work on us as we go through this life.
Father, I thank you for accepting me as I am. I may not be perfect but You know I am trying my best and I am going out today with my head held high, knowing that You are in the process of changing me.
~ unknown
Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash