Grateful Monday: Grateful For HelpMay. 20th

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With the tragedies that have hit Oklahoma this week. I cant think of anything to be more grateful of than help. The teacher who threw herself on top of children to protect them. The first responders that are on any scene at a moments notice. Two elementary schools leveled and the horror that those parents must feel wondering about their children. You have to be appreciative the selflessness of those that do anything they can to help. 

I know many of us feel helpless. What can we do? We aren’t there? We dont directly feel the pain of the residents of Oklahoma. I personally felt worry because my best friend lives in Edmond Oklahoma. I selfishly felt glad she was OK. Then my mind went to what can I do? I am anemic, I cant donate blood. I can donate money and items sure but I think the best thing we can do is spread the word of the ways people can help. 

Please donate to the Red Cross and also please click this link to see all of the different ways you can help. 

Grateful Monday: Grateful for TimeMay. 13th

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You may have noticed we have been away! We are so sorry because we missed you too. We were trying some new things out for our site and we will be adding lots of fun new things too so stay tuned. 

 

A Story:

Lately I have been spending a lot of time with my grandparents. A few years back my uncle took video of my grandparents talking about their lives. My grandfather was in WWII and actually landed on Normandy beach. He survived. He has led an amazing life. Earning his masters degree, working til he turned 80. Marrying the love of his life after only 6 dates. They had 3 children and 5 grandchildren. I am lucky enough to be the 2nd oldest of those 5. I love hearing their stories and learning about their lives. They are about to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. They still hold hands and make each other laugh and have inside jokes. I am so grateful for the time I have had with them. I am grateful that I am 29 years old and my grandparents are in amazing health at 89 and 80 years of age. 

Time is a funny thing. Sometimes we think it goes too fast, other times not fast enough. But what I’ve learned is that time is precious. Dont think about how fast or slow its going just enjoy it. Enjoy time with your family, your children, your grandparents, your friends, your significant other even time with yourself. 

 

You cant ever get it back. 

 

Have a beautiful day!!

Grateful Monday: Grateful For LearningMar. 25th

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They say learning begins in the womb. Others say it begins at home. Some stay learning stops when you leave school. I think learning is never ending. As children we are told to get up and go to school. We are told to pick a college, and pick a career. We are told to learn as much as we can while we can. But what does “while we can” mean? I am almost 29 years old and I think I learn more and more everyday. I am so grateful for living in a society where my learning never stops. We have so many chances to learn. We learn from our parents and grandparents, our friends, other family members and most importantly from our own mistakes and triumphs. 

Recently I was given an opportunity to spend a weekend learning more things about my passion. To me nothing is better. I got to listen to people I admire and look up to speak “my language.” I am so grateful for living in a country that allows women to learn. We dont realize how lucky we are to have such continued opportunities our whole lives to learn and grow in positive ways. 

We are at a place in time where people can change careers, go to graduate school, take classes at local community college completely focused on their passion. You can start a business and learn as you go. You can use the internet if you cant figure out an answer. 

Learning never stops until we let it stop. Learning is ongoing, learning is part of life. If you aren’t learning you aren’t growing as a person.

My goal in life is to learn something new each day and today I challenge you to do the same. 

Grateful Monday: Grateful for FriendshipsMar. 18th

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When I was 7 and kids were picking on me at school my mom gave me the best advice I have ever heard, “If you are lucky enough to have two friends in this world you can count on you have it made.” As an adult I find that to be more and more true. When we are younger its all about being popular and having tons of “friends.” I think once you hit your 20′s more so late 20′s you start to realize what a friendship is. 

If its that friend you can tell anything to and they will never judge you, they will sit there and listen and cry with you and lift you up when need be. They will celebrate your accomplishments and not be jealous of them. They will tell you the truth and never say something behind your back. 

I think its important to teach kids especially girls that friendships sometimes are fleeting. Some friends are meant to be in your life for a certain amount of time. Some you will lose touch with as you grow up. Some you will met under the weirdest and silliest of circumstances and they will change your life forever. Some you will hold on to from the age of five and when you see them you can remember that first day you met like it was yesterday. Some will disappoint you, some will surprise you, some will open you up to new things. 

The best friends though are the ones at the end of the day you know are there. No matter what. No matter what day or time. No matter whats happening in their lives. 

Friendships are one of the most valuable of things in this world and we should hold on to them with everything we have. 

Today especially I am grateful for my friendships. I know I have at least two people I can count on and my mom was very right. 

Grateful Monday: Grateful for SpringMar. 11th

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Spring has Sprung according to daylight savings time, and a good portion of the country. I love to think of Spring as a chance to start anew. They don’t call it Winter, Fall or Summer cleaning to they? ;-)  

In Spring you can rejuvenate your life, your schedule, your plans, your outlook. Spring is about shedding the Winter and in some ways maybe shedding bad habits, or that Winter funk. 

Another wonderful thing about Spring is that it stays light later. To me that means early evenings runs, outdoor time with family after work, picnics for dinner or just dining on the back patio. It means yummy Spring veggies you can grow in the garden. Tons of natural light brightening up your home and a chance to clean and have that whole “out with the old” saying put to good use. 

I am grateful for Spring because you really feel like in some ways you can start over. You can eat healthy salads and veggies that you can grow yourself or buy from local growers because maybe during the Winter months you weren’t eating so well. You can spend time outside getting amazing nutrients and staying healthy with your family. 

There is so much to be grateful for with Spring. I for one am glad Spring has sprung. 

Are you as grateful for Spring as I am?

Grateful Monday: Grateful for Being GreenMar. 5th

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I will be the first to admit that it took me a while to jump on the green bandwagon. I am the type of person who needs to research products and new information. 

I have been on the recycle bandwagon since I was about 5 years old when I said to my mom “we learned about recycling in school today, you shouldn’t throw that bottle in the garbage.” From that day forward our home had a recycle bin and I was in charge of it! Big deal for a Kindergartener. 

I was always intrigued with taking boxes that packages came in and making forts and tunnels with them(reuse). 

I loved using toilet paper rolls, and plastic bottles for fun art projects. 

Then the whole green cleaning thing came about in the last few years. At first I thought “my clorox works great! Why would I switch?” After a few hours at the local Target reading labels on green products, doing research on how to make my own laundry detergent, and dish soap I realized that being green with cleaning is not only a fad but a smart decision. 

Its good for your health because you aren’t breathing in toxins. It’s good for the environment and your home and for me in the future(far far future) it will be great for my kids. Going green isn’t about being in on the latest fads. The reasearch is out there so I encourage everyone to make their own decisions on this and really look at the ingredients on green brands vs. non green brands. 

From my perspective my health is important. When my dad was sick with cancer I convinced my stepmom to start using only green products. No toxins in that house anymore! 

I am grateful for being green because its been a life long commitment that started with a day of learning to reduce, reuse and recycle in my Kindergarten class. 

Grateful Monday: Grateful for GratitudeFeb. 25th

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I know it almost sounds silly being grateful for being grateful. But think for a second about that concept. Being grateful. 

Something I think a lot of us take for granted is recognizing when we are grateful for things. Be it a person in our life that treats us well, having a parent or family member to lean on when things get tough, having those few friends that are always there for you even when you dont realize you need them. Even a beautiful day when you really need one. 

Its a funny thing being grateful. We all think we are grateful for everything in our lives but stop and think about it. I sure did. I realized I was focusing on the minuscule parts of life that weren’t that great instead of the ones that were great. The bad days instead of the good days. The dark clouds instead of the beautiful sky. 

Stopping in those moments to be grateful even for the tough parts in life make us stronger. Life is hard and knocks us down from time to time but we should all be grateful for every part of life, even the kind that isn’t always pretty. Those are the times we should be the most grateful because those are the things in the end that make us the people we become. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this week lets be grateful for gratitude. Lets focus on gratitude. 

Grateful Monday: What inspires hope in you?Feb. 18th

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In a world where school shootings are just another Thursday and all you hear on the local news is awful things and death and destruction sometimes its hard to find hope. So what inspires hope in me? That’s a great question. A few nights ago sitting on my balcony looking at a sunset, drinking a delicious glass of water I realized hope is inspired by what’s inside you. I looked at that sunset and had hope of a beautiful day the next day. Drank that glass of water being hopeful that I am continually provided with such amazing natural resources. 

Hope is where you least expect it. In a sunset, in a silly glass of water, in a movie you’ve seen a thousand times. At the park hearing children giggle as they run from the swings to the slide in that carefree way that melts away with age. Hope is in thinking about the future of myself, my family, knowing my dad is cancer free. Hope is in watching a good friend have a new baby and knowing how precious that little new life is. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes its easy to lose hope, its easy to forget that the world is full of beautiful people, places and things. Turn off the sad stories on the TV, go outside and look at how beautiful the world is and to steal a line from one of my favorite movies….give hope a chance to float up and it will. 

What inspires hope in you? 

 

 

 

 

 

 *Questions provided by Cafe Gratitude and their daily ‘Question of the Day’ program that helps facilitate ‘clear and present’ employees at their amazing Cafes.

Grateful Monday: What do I believe in?Feb. 11th

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I was brought up in the house of please and thank you, clean your plate, help when you can, and give to those less fortunate than you. I believe that we can always help others. Be it helping them learn and grow(like we do with children) or helping a neighbor mow his lawn. It gives such a feeling of fulfillment when you know you are making a difference in someones life. 

Somedays that may be just sitting and listening to a friend who has had a rough day. Or your child who wants to tell you about their day at school even though the dishes need to be done, the laundry put away and the dog fed. 

Sometimes people need someone to believe in them, maybe thats supporting the kiddos at the soccer game, or helping a friend get a new business off the ground.

I believe in love, I believe in please and thank you, I believe in helping, I believe in loving our environment, ourselves, our neighbors and our friends and family. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe on person can change the world…if they want to. 

What do you believe in?

 

 

 *Questions provided by Cafe Gratitude and their daily ‘Question of the Day’ program that helps facilitate ‘clear and present’ employees at their amazing Cafes.

Grateful Monday: Grateful for the SunFeb. 7th

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Lately in the southern part of the country there has been a lot of rain which is great for our plants, flowers etc but there is something magical about when the sun appears beyond the clouds. 

Today I am grateful for the Sun. I think in general we dont realize how amazing the sun can be. How wonderful is it those days where you don’t have to have a light on in your house and can open the curtains and windows and let the sun fill each room. Not only are you getting vitamin D but you are showing your kids that natural sunlight can be better for you than turning on a lightbulb. 

Plants, animals and people NEED sunlight. 

Sunlight in the winter is such a rarity in most parts of the country that its easy for us to not appreciate it but as soon as those winter clouds part and and you get that wonderful sunlight filling your house you get to appreciate how wonderful it really is. 

Show your kids how great sunlight can be by placing a plant in the window and showing them how the plant needs sunlight to grow and bloom. Or even better have them take care of their own plant. Teach them how natural light can be helpful for not only plants and people but to the environment and being eco-friendly. 

 

I know for me personally sunlight always brightens my mood and spirits and inspires me to be outside more, go for a run, open my windows and breathe in fresh air. 

Today I am grateful for the Sun. After all its the natural little things that are the sweetest.