"I truly believe we are to treasure life to the fullest. Too often we take this incredible gift of life too much for granted. Appreciation for everything-minor and major events- puts things in perspective and allows us to live a more abundant life. When we feel grateful it affects our whole being. All the trivial issues seems to fall away-and i've discovered that often there's a laugh at the end of the rainbow!"-Emilie Barnes

The reason that there is a laugh is often because someone else has my back and all comes out better than I could ever have imagined.  I have gone through tough times and have been hurt.  But I can look back now and am amazed how much I have to be thankful for.  I write in a journal every day and the first thing I do is write what I am grateful for.  That really does set the stage for the rest of my day.  We should all look at our own roads and stop comparing or competing and instead celebrate our different journeys.  What fun would it be if our experiences were all the same?  We should be there for each other and not against.  Enjoy your life and don't seek to be on another road.  Look at where you are and see all that you have to be grateful for and it will compound those blessings, make you trust, and put you at peace.  Gratitude is indeed the attitude! Peace.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." J.R.R. Tolkien

The mystery is how much time.  We never know how long we have to get our work done, our road traveled upon, our gifts shared.  This is your journey-you can't just sit down in the path you are on just regretting the past or avoiding the future.  Sit if you must but don't quit-get moving.  Take the first step-that takes courage and trust.  Know you are not alone-someone is by your side and on your side.  You might encounter a stumbling block-you decide what to do.  It can be the scariest thing you have ever done but nothing given means nothing gained.  How will you travel on your journey?  Now get going-you have places to go. Peace.

"There are two ways of spreading light:: to be the candle or the mirror that receives it" - Edith Wharton

As we venture along our paths on our own journey, we may learn many lessons.  Those lessons help us to be the very best that we can be.  Maybe we can even help others who are struggling with their own lessons.  I've always thought that my lessons are mine alone.  Then I see others who seem lost and maybe I could shed some kind of light so they can see their own way more clearly.  Would I be selfish if I did not lend a hand?  I will not choose for another...we need to be on our own journey not living through others nor copying others.  Answers will come to you if you listen and look.  We can be a candle burning to help others see the road they are on or we can be a mirror reflecting back on what others have helped us to see.  Whether we are a candle or a mirror, we are not saying we are better than others.  We are just saying- I know how you feel.  I have been there.  This is how I learned and maybe I can help you.  This is your life-it isn't a dress rehearsal.  Live it.  Peace.

"I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow, And each road leads you where you want to go, And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window. If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile"-Rascal Flats-"My Wish"

This song has so many wonderful things to say.  We are on a journey with many roads.  We choose in which direction we want to go but sometimes there are better plans for us than we could even imagine so sometimes doors are closed.  Do we want to go over the top because we want it that much? Or do we look for another door or window?  That is the mystery of life.  Choices are for us to make.  And it is a very good thing that we don't know the answers.  We need to live life.  We need to trust that we are headed in the correct direction or we will know.  Like a parents guides a toddler headed to danger-we are supported and helped.  We always have choices and we can choose to smile and give that warmth to others.  So many people are hurting and are not at peace-how can you help? If you travel too fast on your journey you will miss those just off of your road-in the ditches.  Stop for awhile.  Reach out and lend a hand. Smile.  Your destination is still there.  Remember it is not really about the destination-it is about the journey.  Safe travels. Peace.

"Sometimes, when things take longer than you thought they would, it's just a gentle reminder from your greater self that you have more time than you thought, and that there's a journey to enjoy."-Mike Dooley

Love this.  I say that to my adult children all the time.  I believe that God does want us to dream and set goals.  And I do believe that dreams do come true especially if your dreams are about following your instincts and using your gifts and talents for goodness.  BUT time has a different meaning for Him than for us.  Our time references our life span on earth which doesn't even compare to His timeline.  We are too busy trying to hurry to the next stage and in reality it will come when the time is right and only then.  So we should be patient and trust that it will work out for the very best at the right time.  So enjoy the place where you are and listen and learn from your experiences.  Strive for your dreams but realize that you are not alone and you are using His watch.  I loved how this quote also referred to your "greater self".  I do believe that within each of us is our spirit self and we should listen to that self far more than our ego self.  Peace.

"All the destinations that we have and strive to get to and scurry to be on time for mean nothing, however much they are touted and advertised. The wonders are to be found on the way to those places; what really matters and is worth seeing and experiencing happens on the way to those destinations. Maybe we have to concoct an intinerary and set a destination in order to find what's worth seeing on the way. I think we forget, as we get older, about what's really worth seeing; we get sucked into believing that the destination is all that matters and that traveling is about getting to a place."-Frank Crocitto

We often get caught up in making goals and when we reach that goal then we realize we have another goal to meet.  Making goals is good in that it sets our course but we can't forget where we are.  We need to enjoy the now. Appreciate where we are while striving for our dreams.  Trusting our instincts.  Learning our lessons.  Appreciating it all.  Don't be impatient to get to the destination.  Believe it will come when it should.  But look around you. See what is there right now.  Focus is okay but don't hurry it because in reality you don't control that anyways.  If you journey to get to a place-there is always someplace to go after that place.  Don't miss out.  I read somewhere that life is what happens when you are making plans.  Plans are good but living life is necessary so we can appreciate the realization of our dreams and the hard work it took.  Focus but look around because you don't want to miss anything. Peace.

"It's amazing what can truely happen, how your life can be so grand, when you give up trying on your own, and let an angel hold your hand."-Jane Seymour

I've often wondered if the whole reason for our journey is to learn how to trust.  To trust is to give up control. A scary thought indeed.  Fear means you are trying to control life and hope is not there.  Strength comes from hope.  We need to trust in life no matter what happens-believe it will all be okay.  Sometimes I have wished for the ability to look into the future and see how it all turns out so that I could stop worrying.  But knowing would blow the purpose of the journey.  I realize that I need to learn to trust along the way.  Even though I can't see I need to trust that all matter of things will be good.  I am not alone.  I can believe and trust and let go of worry and fear because they don't change what is happening.  With trust comes joy and peace.  Even in bad times, the challenge is to find what opportunities are presented now.  Everything happens as it should so we can get to where we need to be.  It would be fun to have my present self sit down with my former self and say look-what were you so worked up about-it all works out- just as it should be. Peace.

"In a gentle way, you can shake the world."-Gandhi

In AA the last step a person must take is to pass the lessons learned on to others.  We all have  gifts and the lessons that we learn on our own journey are gifts.  If we don't share what we have learned with others than it is no real gift at all.  We have to leave our comfort zones.  We have to share- trusting that we can help others.  I don't have answers and am not an expert but I have had many lessons and learned a lot.  I continue to learn and to grow moving forward by time and hopefully with grace. We can all be a helping hand for others struggling on their own journey. 

The Dash by Linda Ellis

"I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning...to the end.  He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said that what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.  For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth and now only those who loved her know what that line is worth.. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars...the house...the cash.  What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.  So think about this long and hard: are there things you'd like to change?  For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.  If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel.  And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before.  If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile...remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.  So when your eulogy's being read with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?"  No extra comments are needed-this says it all-Peace.

"At any given moment you have the power to say:This is not how the story is going to end." Heal Ourselves, Heal the World

All things do happen for a reason.  We have lessons to learn-isn't that why we are here?  So maybe we don't always have control but we have the power.  Because of our choices we can determine how situations end.  Power and Control are not the same.  We may not control what happens but that is where trust comes in.  We need to trust that a greater power than us knows more than we do.  We are where we need to be-no control.  However we can decide how we will take this journey.. .we have that power.  Let someone else take the wheel as you choose the road you will travel.  When you trust you will have peace.

"It is not about what happens to you but how you handle it on your journey" Anonymous

It isn't about you really.  Things don't happen because you deserve it or you don't deserve it.  You don't earn what happens.  Life happens and sometimes it may seem like you have had more than your share.  What really matters is where do you go from here.  What road will you take?   Indecision. You need to believe that you will choose the right road for you.  You need to have faith.  You need to listen to your heart-your spirit.  Fear is there.  Remember you are not alone.  I am taking a leap of faith writing this blog.  I am not sure why I am being led to do this but I will trust.  Can you?  How will you handle it?