This year it came about two months early. Seriously?! At first I kept ignoring the word since there were still a few months left in the year and I loved my word for 2019…..joy. I used it to guide my actions; always looking for ways joy could make by days brighter. Even if things weren’t going as planned I always tried to look for the silver lining; ultimately things automatically improved just from a little shift in my thinking.

I’m embarrassed to say but didn’t get out of my pajamas for three days……..YIKES! Truth be told I love when that happens. Day one, I got out of bed and headed directly to the dining room table. Making sure to get up to move from time to time in order to avoid being stiff. Hour after hour finishing sections, sending emails, receiving replies, writing this, creating that……on and on. The good news…..by the end of the day, I was already dressed for bed, no extra effort was needed…HAHA!

Happy, shiny, infinite possibilities of another new year and new decade. It’s hard to believe another twelve months have flown by. For the last several years, I’ve gotten quiet, listened to my heart, picked my word of the new year and set intentions and goals for the next 12 months. Not necessarily a new year’s resolution, but a plan for what I want to create and manifest in my life.

It's hard to believe the end of another year is just around the corner and within a few short days it'll be the end of 2019 and the start of a new year and new decade. As you look back and reflect on the year, what comes to mind? What's been most important to you? 

I had been staying at my parents house once we brought my Dad home to Hospice. It was a Sunday morning and I could hear lots of voices and activity going on. I headed downstairs and not surprisingly the house was filled with people. It was bustling with friends and family that had gathered to spend time with my Dad. The word had gotten around he didn't have much time and they flocked to say goodbye and spend precious moments with him one last time.

Every year since I can remember, we've always worn pajama pants or "jammie pants" as we call them, for Christmas Day. Wherever Christmas Day dinner was held, the order of the day was wear your jammie pants......and the crazier the better. It was always such a fun and comfortable holiday being able to wear your pajamas.

It's launch day.....WOO to the HOO! It's the official launch day of the compilation book titled Kindness Crusader andI'm one of the contributing authors. This project has been in the making for almost a year and I'm feeling giddy inside. I've had aspirations of writing a book for a while but always felt overwhelmed by the process. Being part of this compilation book has been a wonderful learning experience for future projects.

My heart is full when we're together as a family and I'm thankful for a son that is kind, smart, funny and humble. I'm grateful for a daughter-in-law that is determined, creative, happy and loves my son fiercely. I'm blessed to have a daughter who is sassy, spicy and knows exactly what she wants and won't give up until she succeeds.

When my cousin reached out to me, she was leery and afraid I wouldn't want anything to do with her or her search. She wrote a little about her life, her fiancé and a few bits and pieces I could connect with. She even went as far to explain she wasn't a weirdo, which made me chuckle. All she wanted was to connect to her past and the legacy of her father and his family. She made mention how much my Dad meant to her grandfather's family.

I'm not gonna lie, it was hard. It was damn hard and many nights my children would find me at the dining room table crying or frustrated over some statistic problem I was trying to solve or a  paper I had worked on for hours that somehow got deleted from my computer because I didn't save it correctly. Those days I wanted to give up. I never showed that side to my children but trust me, inside I just wanted to quit....throw in the towel and settle for mediocrity.However, there was a fire in me that kept burning and wouldn't let me give up. So, day after day, week after week and year after year I've been doing the hard work to make my life better. To make a difference in the world.

The evening started off by donning our tall, white chef's hat and black apron, then the owner described the good, bad and ugly of olive oil. Have you ever stood in front of scads of olive oil bottles at the grocery store and wondered which one to pick. I have, on many occasions, often picking either the prettiest bottle or the one on sale. I learned that wasn't such a great idea.

When my website designer mentioned she wanted to move my site, I dug my heels in at first and then slowly over time realized I needed something easier to manage. Since I'm not tech-savvy by any means, I was afraid to take the leap but a few weeks ago while meeting with her, it somehow took a turn for the unexpected. I agreed to not only change my platform and web hosting but I also agreed to use another name for my life coaching and soon I'll have my hypnotherapy certification. Let me tell you......this was a GIANT LEAP for me.

For three days and two nights, 10 women came together and formed a close bond and sisterhood. We trusted, laughed, supported, cried and held space for one another as we took a leap, head first into a heart healing program. So often we get paralyzed from moving forward in our lives by fear and self-doubt and we’d rather stay stuck than risk the vulnerability of change. If we can trust in our inner guidance and follow our heart, it changes everything.

We all have what we define as our core values and principles on how we choose to live our lives. You may live by integrity, compassion, motivation, service to others, kindness, humor, respect or courage. The list goes on and on. You may not even realize what all your core values are but you have them.

Long before September 11, I had made plans with a few girlfriends that included travel to New York City in November of 2001.. We weren’t sure until closer to the date if we’d be able to safely travel or if we still wanted to travel but as it turned out we were able to go. Even though the trip was sprinkled with happy events, 9/11 still loomed over the city and the hearts of the world.

A few weekends ago, I had dinner with 151 dear and mostly new friends on a beautiful summer’s eve. It was a night under the stars and farm-to-table dinner, held in an opened-roof greenhouse. Farm-to-table dinners are all the rage now and would recommend to give one a try. I’ve been to a few in the past, but this night specifically, far exceeded any expectations.

Two of my girlfriends decided they didn’t want me to bring them sweet corn, they wanted to learn how to select and pick their own. I loved they wanted to learn a little bit about the farm. I had been in the field picking the day before, just after a good rain and needless to say, have a new pair, now old pair, of shoes for mowing and picking corn….haha. I mentioned to the girls it’s best they bring their boots.

The visit from my daughter was a good reminder of connection and how warm and wonderful it felt to a mother’s heart. Even though we talk several times a week, the human and physical touch was a blessing. Just hanging with my girl was exactly what this mama needed on a sunny summer day and I’m pretty confident it’s just what she needed too. Connect with loved ones you haven’t seen in a while……it’s good for the soul.