50 things...No. 2

"Winter is an etching...spring is a watercolor...summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all" ~S. Horowitz

"Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perserverance." ~Yoko Ono

I love warm weather! I love the feel of the sunshine on my face and the sight of flowers in bloom. I love the fresh smell of a rain shower in the springtime and the sound of crashing waves at the beach. But as much as I adore the spring & summer months, I am still so thankful that I live in an area that experiences each of the four seasons. There is such beauty in the fall, with the yellow, orange & red leaves decorating the trees...or in a landscape covered in a blanket of white snow. I really don't think I would appreciate the magic of a bright summer day, if it weren't for the darker & colder days of winter.

What is your favorite season?

50 things...No. 1

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." ~Betty Smith



"The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~Marcel Proust


"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." ~Henry David Thoreau

This is the start of my gratitude list...50 things that I'm thankful for before I turn 50. I look at it as a gift that I'm giving to myself.

Since so many of the things that I love to do rely on my vision, the first thing that I'm going to celebrate is the gift of sight. Reading, photography, finding the beauty in a dandelion, appreciating a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, spending time on the computer, playing ping-pong with my son, seeing my daughter's beautiful smile, watching my husband play with the kids, looking at the dolphins swimming in the ocean, the joy I get from observing the colors & textures in the world...these are some of the things that I am grateful for every day. I am also thankful that I see the glass half full and am lucky enough to live my life with optimism & hope.

Focus on gratitude...

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach

As hard as it for me to believe, I will be 50 years old this May. All I know is that I certainly don't feel like I'm going to be 50 (maybe closer to 35)! I don't mind letting people know my age...I am thankful for every day, every month, every year that has brought me to this point in my life. I am going to give myself the gift of taking the time (between now and my birthday) to reflect on the 50 things in my life that I am grateful for and that I love...the simple things that make me smile and bring me happiness. My word for 2010 is focus and I am chosing to focus on gratitude!

Welcome!

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” ~Og Mandino

Welcome to a new year filled with...

focus

dreams come true

gratitude

smiles

love

hope

opportunity

peace

fun

happiness

family

and joy!

The Simple Pleasures...

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens...but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls off a string." ~ LM Montgomery

Wish No. 25...

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." ~ author unknown


"Christmas waves a magic wand over the world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful" ~ Norman Vincent Peale

"May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace... The gladness of Christmas give you hope... The warmth of Christmas grant you love." ~ Author unkown


(I couldn't resist taking the photo of my son...it was 30 degrees outside with 22 inches of snow on the ground, and he is wearing shorts and no socks!)

Hope your holiday was filled with family and fun and happiness...and hope you stopped opening presents long enough to hear the love in the room. I know I did...and it was wonderful :) Peace and blessings to you and your families! ( and thanks for following along with my December wishes!)

Wish No. 24...

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness"
~ Charles H. Spurgeon

"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend..." ~ Earl Nightengale

Some of the little things that I've enjoyed in December (in no particular order)...

* Having Christmas Eve dinner at my sister's

* Watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

* The smell of clementines

* Drinking hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows

* Having dinner at PF Changs

* Watching the kids play in the 22" of snow

* Going to the movies as a family to see "The Blind Side"

* Getting Christmas cards in the mail

* Going to Barnes & Noble

* Listening to the Glee CD's

* Eating pomegranates

* Watching "The Sound of Music" on tv

* Going to lunch with friends

* Making chocolate chip banana bread with my daughter

* Playing ping-pong with the kids & my hubby

* Watching the kids and my mom make cookies together

* Going to the Christmas Eve church service

* Listening to Christmas music on the radio

* Playing RockBand 2

* Helping to wrap gifts for the school's adopted families

* Taking a nap on the sofa, covered by a warm comfy blanket

* Spending time with our extended families (aunts/uncles/cousins, etc)

* Decorating the house for Christmas

These are some of the little things that I take delight in...that bring me happiness...that I take the time to savor. These are the little things that I love...which really, after all, are the big things that matter in my life.

Wish No. 23...

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." ~Sophia Loren

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain

The first thing one usually thinks of when they hear the word "explore" might have to do with travel...but the words that come to my mind are "journey" and "adventure". I want to study and learn new things. I want to live a meaningful life. I want to expand my horizons. I want to live my life with passion. I want to grow spiritually. But most of all I just want to enjoy this wonderful journey called "life"!

Wish No. 22...

"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true." ~ Woodrow Wilson

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars...to change the world." ~ Harriet Tubman

I hope my kids know how important it is to have dreams...to have a goal...to have something to plan for...to look forward to...to believe in...to hope for...to be excited about. Once you have a dream it's just as important to act on it and take the steps (even if they're only little baby steps)that are needed to make it come true. You need to move in the direction of making your dream come alive!