gifts

Finally- A Breakthrough

It happened when she decided to put her needs first. Then the clouds broke up and the sunlight poured in... Finally. Adversity; conflict, natural disaster, loss, and major changes give us choices. The people who take times like this and create something new and beautiful are the people that inspire me most in life.  Enter Janica.  A single mom of 3 kids, the oldest of 5 siblings. She's not afraid of carrying the kind of heavy loads that many shy away from. Janica LOVES her family above all else, and works 2+ jobs to support them.  They call her their 'ROCK', but she’s still human. Janica’s lost both of her parents in 2014, and she then took on the responsibility of her parents estate, their home, and managed to send her oldest off to college while balancing her own home and two jobs. Strength embodied. Pushing her grief down, to be strong for her family, she decided not to make any immediate decisions regarding the family [...]

ICYMI: A new lease on life!

Confessions of a Control Freak (COACF-recap) ICYMI - The past few weeks have been full of pain. Just kidding! Quite the opposite.  The “Confessions” or “COACF” series was intended to create honesty, vulnerability and authenticity here in our safe space of photo lovers.  I’m clearing out a lot of emotional and habitual clutter to make room for so many wonderful things to happen. Here’s a recap or remedies we’re relishing: Self-compassion is a shortcut that allows us to welcome positive change Finding trust means letting go of old beliefs that get in the way Trading in perfectionism for joy means letting go of a lot of head clutter And the list of small, measured changes that make the greatest impact over time! Life is precious, memories are priceless and when we share our best memories with those we love, new wonderful stories are created … It’s like the butterfly effect!  Wikipedia says the butterfly effect is when a small subtle change can cause much greater [...]

A Legacy of Kindness

Kindness has been a recurring theme lately. I find myself talking about it, noticing it in the others, and also encouraging my children to be above all else, kind. With this filter in place, I find myself saying thank you more ofte n, gathering more smiles, giving more smiles and attracting a kinder world around me. Even the restaurant who gave me a free smoothie because I thought I' d ordered one... (I hadn't but they still gave me one regardless.) Kindness is a happy space to live and breathe in. I also find it easier to return to this mindset when I slip up; My practice must be paying off!  I recently lost a customer (it feels strange to call her a customer because she meant so much to me.) Emotions come in waves and instead of sharing words of sadness, I’ll honor her memory by sharing a taste of the kindness she brought to my world. Judy was one of my favorite [...]

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