February 18, 2010 – I think it’s working!

“Don’t just see the rainy day;  take note also of the rainbow struggling to peek from behind the clouds.” ~KSJ

Today I was in a car accident.  A man didn’t brake in time and hit my car from behind. It was early in the morning and a good bit of damage was done to my car.  Usually I would be cranky- cursing, angry about it all.  I certainly was, but it was different.  No sooner than I could get angry,  a feeling of overwhelming thankfulness that my children weren’t with me took over.  And even as the day wore on, dealing with body shops, insurance companies, more body shops, more insurance companies…. even through all of this…. the voice inside that acknowledged the positives about the situation, the positives that outweighed all the negatives was loud and was crystal clear.   

It’s not about permanently changing your personality or your hot headedness spunky qualities. It is more about recognizing what’s good in situations too and not letting these realizations pass you by.  It’s changing your awareness to take note of all things, not just the drama and the negative… and you know what?  I think it’s working! 

~K

February 17, 2010 – You’ve Got a Friend

Today, I have a  friend going through a difficult time.  It’s hard to be positive about anything when someone you love is in pain, -- justifiable, raw, undeserved pain.

I will try. 

I am so thankful for our friendship that has spanned now (gasp!) over a decade and hope that all the positive thoughts and well wishes that come with that friendship will provide him with some peace tonight.

He’s one of the few who I know reads this daily.  Today, to you, my friend, I am thankful for our friendship.  For you.  And I hope that you’re feeling these hugs and this positivity from miles away.

~K

February 16, 2010 – Think about it

Thoughts for today…

Be thankful for the questions… the thoughts… the wonders.

Welcome the ability to discuss and the freedom to challenge.   Open yourself to examination and feel free to allow for change.

Don’t be afraid of any of this… digest it… learn from it.  It is how we grow and should be always acknowledged and appreciated.

~K

February 15, 2010 – Calming Waters

Today, naptime came with a tight afternoon schedule. I didn’t have the time to do the hour long ritual that my toddler requires before finally settling into sleep.  Congruently, what time I did have, I lacked in energy otherwise.  I k-n-e-w it would be an hour of him screaming, getting out of bed, me walking him back into bed, lifting him, explaining (pleading) and starting again.  Rinse and repeat.  Times easily 60.  Even the strongest of souls will be worn out by the end of this cycle.  It is so ‘not peaceful’.   Today the children had a doctor’s appointment in about an hour and a half, so there simply wasn’t the time for the song and dance (typed loosely… more like a scream and shout) for an hour and then any type of reasonable nap.  It was just an inevitable mess if I chose to take part.  Today I chose not to.  Instead, I shut the blinds, lay both children down under the covers in front of a little Sesame and let them just relax.

It was quiet.  It was peaceful.   Was it perhaps, the calm before the storm as two hours later both children squealed in exhausted temper tantrums?  Sure.   Could I now focus on that?  Easily.   Instead, I really noticed and appreciated the peaceful, calm, quiet of two siblings cuddled up on a rainy day, listening to Ernie talk about his nose.   It was one of those moments that can be easily  overlooked in a shuffle of a busy day, but not today.  This perfect loving moment was acknowledged.  It was photographed for sharing, engrained forever in a mother’s memory, appreciated and absolutely adored.   My calm and quiet, love under covers…. with Ernie and Bert….my girl and my boy…. the three of us in a successful quest for afternoon peace.

~K

February 14, 2010 – Love

Today I am acknowledging love. 

New love, those who find every little quirk about each other exciting and who relish in each moment spent side by side.  It’s fun to watch, the butterflies, the newness and the appreciation of finding a special someone who seems just perfect for you.  

I’m grateful for accustomed love, those who have walked through storms and chased rainbows together.  Lovers who realize that staying together is sometimes harder than walking away, but who know that their love is far too precious to lose and well worth working for. 

I’m amazed by lifetime love, couples who have spent decades together, raised children and grandchildren.   These couples know every weakness and still sustain happily, with a closer bond than many will ever understand. 

I see my sweet cousin finding new love and the freshness on his face.  I see them discovering new aspects of each other and gazing at each other’s every move in infatuation and adoration.

I see my husband and I, nine years into our marriage, beaming with pride at our daughter’s first theatrical performance and kissing on either side of our baby boy’s cheeks in the mornings.  We know without speaking our worries and celebrate and appreciate the milestones we’ve reached together.  We get that it isn’t always easy, but also jointly realize the power our love and the life that it has created is.

I see my parents… nearly forty years into a marriage that I don’t always understand.   Their relationship has produced 3 children and 3 grandchildren.  They have endured peaks and valleys and have tasted the pain and the joys that life and a long marriage started very young can provide.  I also see a respect and concern that they have, checking in with each other each day, enjoying in the smiles of their children and grandchildren together and the sharing the pain of caring for their elderly parents.  I see the newness absent and the romance lacking.  But I also see his cell phone screen saver prominently displaying her smiling  face and her worriedly checking  the road maps across 5 states for his safety before travel and with all of this, what I don’t understand, other parts I see differently, as perhaps, a another dimension of love.

And so, for today… I am appreciative of the magic of love… in all of it’s forms, through different sets of eyes. Powerful, magical, sensical and true.   Different for each person and each relationship at each phase, but regardless a magical force.

I’m grateful on this Valentine’s Day to witness and to experience love in so many forms, … most of all, for it’s constant presence in my everyday life.

~K

February 13, 2010 – Let it Snow!

Nature. 

Natural Beauty. 

And if that wasn’t enough to be grateful for, you should have seen the fun happening on the ground.  I’ll give you a hint… snowmen!

and…. snow angels!

and… little ones taking it all in!

So very much to be grateful and appreciative of today… what family fun, what natural beauty, what needed appreciation and amazement.

~K

February 12, 2010 – Valentine Lessons

Enthusiasm is contagious!   Embrace it, love it, share it, appreciate it and enjoy it!

My daughter went to school today in bright red socks and glittery pink shoes.   When I started to tell her to wear her white socks and tennis shoes, she said to me in protest…

“I want to celebrate the Valentine’s Spirit!”

And that, for today, is my lesson.  I’ve thought of her several times throughout the day, sporting her Valentine spirit with such joy and have smiled at the thought. 

Enjoy this enthusiasm, this excitement.  Wear your red socks and pink shoes, smile at each other, skip and dance for no reason… there’s nothing but positive that can come from it!

~K