With my recent closet clean-up, I was feeling I didn’t have the right combination of clothing to pack. Because of the location of my adventure, I needed to pack for cool as well as warm weather, and realizing I didn’t have enough, or better put, I just wanted a few new things…….the shopping began.

I have had a lot of things going on in recent weeks that have added stressful moments in my life, and I sent out an S.O.S. I mentioned I needed an in-person meeting and within minutes, it was arranged. To accommodate schedules, we planned meeting later than normal. Even though one girl was out of town, if possible, wanted to join by phone.

As my daughter gets ready to head to Canada for a summer internship program, she has been busy this week spending time with her friends. They travel in packs to each other’s apartments, homes, restaurants, stores and such. Recently, some have been over helping her pack, providing advice and encouragement, as well as just hanging out together. Usually I am in a different room, but can usually hear them laughing and chatting from anywhere in the house. It’s like music to my ears.

During my daughter’s senior year of college she applied for several domestic and international internships. She received her degree in Biology and has always dreamed of having a career working with animals. Fortunately for her, and not so fortunate for me, she was awarded her number one choice, Brazil. With all the talk of crime, human trafficking, and the Zika virus alert, I was less than enthusiastic about the news. She was also awarded another internship in British Columbia, Canada, that I was excited for her opportunity.

One woman from the church faithfully organizes everything to do with the children’s curriculum, and truth be told, I’ll gladly let her. However, if she asks for volunteers, I usually say yes. This year my role was to help in the craft area, as well as all around support for the group.

Several months ago I kept hearing about a book that described the life-changing magic of decluttering your life. The more I heard about it, the more intrigued I became. I thought the concept sounded good, but I needed a good chunk of time to dedicate to the first step.

Do you have weeks where you find yourself in a constant, crabby mood? That happened to me last week. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was causing so much irritation. Everyone has off days, but this was kind of extreme for me; and usually doesn’t linger for long. This time I couldn’t shake it.

I believe everyone was put on this earth with special gifts and talents that no one else can duplicate; making each of us, one-of-a-kind. Some may recognize this at an early age, while other’s lag far behind. For me….yep, you guessed it….. I was a lagger. Looking back, I believe mostly because I doubted I had anything to share, more special than the next person. What I didn’t realize until much later, we all possess something wonderful and great. Like me, I think many search for the answer to the burning question….”What was I put here to do?”

I’ve always thought of myself as a positive person, but once I heard the words within this video, I realized I was guilty of casting negative words upon myself. Then and there I decided to change those negative thoughts into positive ones by committing to meditation for forty days and forty nights on the Power of I Am.

Do you ever have those days when you think everything is going smoothly, but later learn, it just wasn’t so? Recently, I spent the day with two girlfriends, and in order to protect their identities from our lapse in judgement, I will refer to them as girlfriends one and two (GF1 and GF2). I am not sure if the outcome of the day was due to a few cocktails or our aging minds….HA!

As we began flipping through magazines, quotes, colors, and assorted art supplies, we each had growing piles of what we wanted to include on our boards. It happened to be an on-and-off stormy evening. About an hour into creating, my friend’s husband announced we may want to go outside to get some inspiration; there was a rainbow…..no, make it a double, we all but bolted out the door!

This week just so happens to be Volunteer Week, and the opportunity I volunteered for was beach clean-up. What made this opportunity more special to me was the lake is located within my community.

I’m envious of those people that can make a quick decision, without much effort or stress. Both my Mom and sister are wired this way, and never look back. Oh, how I wish this was me at times. My hesitation is like a foreign language to them. I like to take my time to weigh out the options and possible outcomes. Which I think is both a blessing and a curse.

Each year, I look forward to the second Sunday in May to celebrate Mother’s Day. Not only to honor my beautiful Mom, but to spend time with my children. Usually, there aren’t any issues with scheduling, but this year was an exception. My daughter needed to head back to college shortly after my son arrived home from out of town. We were only able to spend about an hour together that was consumed in pandemonium; not quite the picture I had in my head of the perfect “Mother’s Day”….HA.

We hope as parents that our positive actions, attitudes, and beliefs rub off on our children. We teach and guide them in the best way we know how, and are hopeful those positive examples become some their own actions, attitudes and beliefs. I was recently reminded how impactful positive impressions have on people outside the family circle as well.

I have been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness, and I will never forget how wonderful it made me feel. I was smiling from ear to ear, and my ordinary day suddenly turned to sunshine. I felt excited at the thought of passing it on. Even though I felt special receiving the kindness, I felt even better paying it forward. Simply because, I made someone feel as special as I felt.

When my daughter was a junior in high school she came to me and said she wanted to be the kicker for the varsity football team. I chuckled and basically brushed the idea aside. She was an excellent soccer player which gave her a definite advantage, however, I ignored her statement and assumed it was a passing whim. Her junior year came and went without any other conversations, and I didn’t give it a second thought.

At the end of last year, one of my girlfriends recognized this, and invited me to join a mastermind group, with her and two other like-minded woman. I knew one of the gals and have always admired her, so I didn’t hesitate to say yes. My friend organized the group simply for accountability and support.