Today, I needed a reminder and here is what came to me:

Go through what you’re going through to get to where you’re going.  REMEMBER: 

Pressure builds diamonds.

Irritation causes pearls.

(This is also my birthstone and one of the greatest symbols to my husband and me!)

This came to me because there is nothing, and I  do mean AB-SO-FREAKING-LUTELY NOTHING, wrong with me spreading a smile, laughing out loud, stretching my physical being, and being happy with my life.

My boyfriend just asked me, “What is my red bicycle” (yeah, he want to the Muhammad Ali museum)?”, and as I told him  he agreed. I.LOVE.me! And I love me just as I am, as I was, and what I am becoming.  Not everyone will agree, and that’s okay, too.

Take a minute today to realize that YOU are getting there! Don’t stop! Get it, get it! Keep. On Pushing!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

When I was a little girl, I thought it was so cool how my aunts and uncles would fly in to be with us during the holidays.  Of course, my high school days were spent in Lovelady, Texas for a tournament (I wonder if that’s still going on). I couldn’t wait to be able to fly in with my husband and 2 children to visit my mom and help her in the kitchen.

But those who know me know all of that changed in 1996.  It was my first year in college which meant no Lovelady tournament; and it would be my first chance to come home and spend it with my mom and the rest of my family. My mother transitioned the summer of 1996 right before I was entering college, and it flipped my world upside down.  I went to my grandmother’s for Thanksgiving, but it was weird being my first Thanksgiving in 4 years that I would spend with my family, and it would be the first one that I had to spend without my mother!

We can plan every detail about how life will play out and what we will do in the future, but very seldom do we consider the path and plan that has already been lain before us. All we have to do is step into it.  Not once did I ever think my mother wouldn’t make it to see me, my husband, nor my children.

This week is Thanksgiving week and even though I understand how it came to be, I see holidays for what they are: time for friends, family, and fun.  I’ve accepted that I’ve stepped away from my family tradition. My husband and I travel during most of the holidays, and since this is the first one without our fur-baby, I am definitely glad that we’re continuing with our tradition: being non-traditional.  With his assistance, I am overcoming my holiday anxieties and beginning to smile more- just like I did when I’d get home from Lovelady and Mama would have put me up a plate of my favorite dishes she’d prepare.

This week, I am thankful for my growth and understanding of what I want is not always what may be and how it may come.

If you decide to travel to see family or decide to stay bra-less on your couch for the next few days, I want you to enjoy and embrace your time well spent