“Pay it forward” is something that is talked about often, but until you experience both the giving and receiving I don’t think one fully understands the true impact. During a VERY icy, snowy wintery day, on the way home from an appointment one of my girls and I stopped at the local fast food restaurant. The line for the drive-through was long. As I was waiting, I saw three people get out of a car to go into the restaurant. Two of the people were walking together, the other was walking alone, on the ice, using…
As a boss and parent, I always make it clear that mistakes happen. When mistakes happen, if we all know about it we have time to solve the issue. Nothing good comes out of hiding mistakes. One of the biggest projection mistakes I made in business was when I was running a nonprofit. The team knew to put me in the loop regarding issues or problems so we could proactively figure out a solution. The biggest part of my job was solving problems. This particular day a manager came into my office and sat down. After the manager gathered composure…
Living in the moment is what summertime is all about for our family. Enjoying all the quality time that summer allows and capturing those lifetime memories. For me, I love summertime. I love that people are out of the house and walking around the neighborhood. I love that the kids are out and about exploring the woods and all there is to find. I love to look around and take in the moment and all the joy of green grass, blooming flowers, a great rain shower, a bike ride, a good book on the beach, a walk around the neighborhood…
Seeing a servant heart in action always brings me joy. As I was getting into line at a local grocery store, the man in front of me very nicely said, “I have a pile of coupons you may want to go to another line.” Without thinking I said, “That is not a problem, I can wait.” Anyone who knows me knows that I am always on the run. To have those words come out of my mouth was foreign to me. Normally I would have smiled graciously, thanked him, and moved to another line. There was no question that on…
Follow this link to read part 1 of this blog, Why I Live My Life Like Everything Is a Miracle – Part 1. Miracle #6 – Marriage and Children My marriage to my husband was truly a gift from God. It was as though I could feel people thinking, “How is it that they work so well together?” My answer is a match made in heaven. I knew all my life that I wanted to be a mother. I knew that for me raising children was a priority in life. I also knew that I wanted to be at home with…
I feel truly blessed that through my faith God has blessed me to live a life of abundant miracles. Miracle #1 – Family Admittedly, God blessed me with a family that was grounded in Christian principles and love. Everything my parents did was out of love for their family. I have two brothers, and they are my prince charming and my best friend. I would not be who I am today if it were not for my family. Miracle #2 – Perseverance I was born with an abundance of perseverance. Nothing came easy to me, but I was always in it for…
All of us get tangled up in the world of gossip from time to time. Although I do my best to stay out of the gossip lane, one inevitably has to figure out how to navigate that slippery path. First and foremost, I try to avoid gossip at all costs. I am not perfect; when I hear myself start to say something I do my best to change course and avoid any gossip. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, I slip and am always sorry that I opened my mouth. There are times that I am in the middle…
Perseverance is something that has served me well throughout my life. I remember when I was elementary school age participating in a race where you kicked a bag full of air across a finish line. I remember being in the lead very close to the finish line and a gust of wind took my bag way back beyond the start line. My mom said her first thoughts were that it was over for me and that race. I don’t ever remember thinking anything bad about having to start over. I don’t even remember thinking about starting over, I…
The cost of giving away a smile is priceless! Think about what a smile can do for someone. As we walk through our day there are so many times we can choose to be generous with our smile or choose to not share. There are days that I am not feeling much like smiling. I might be busy, stressed, feeling ill, heard bad news, or just had a day when business was not going as well as planned. Making a decision to put on a smile can change everything. Giving a smile can be as easy as tilting those lips…
So many of us struggle with the concept of friends and wanting to be liked by others. We think that feeling disappears as we progress through middle school, high school, and beyond; but often it does not. Living our lives worried if others will like us is a very stressful endeavor. It is important that we love ourselves and that we love others. It is important that we are content with ourselves and that we are proud of how we treat others. I pray and ask God to lead me down my intended path and to make me aware of…