Life On the Edge

It's a new year! Forget all the "new year, new you" b/s. Take all the lessons you learned over the past 12 months and add a few nuances. Every moment, every event, every breath offers something we can use to improve ourselves.  Make it a point this year to appreciate the little things that happen. Look at them as little blessings. We all have a lot of things to be grateful for. We have a habit of taking things for granted.  Ask yourself - Do you have a bed to sleep in? Did you have enough food to eat today? Is your home warm and inviting? Be thankful! People who have experienced a natural disaster like a tornado, hurricane, or wildfire know what it's like to go from comfort to catastrophe in just a few minutes.  The event was out of their control. All they could really do was react. It's a humbling thought that an event like that can happen to anyone.. Think about what you would need to recover. Sometimes it's in those moments that we realize how blessed we re...

  It's Christmas! I know the holidays can be hard, especially if you have lost a loved one or are dealing with family issues. Take a few minutes to remember the good times.  It's okay to smile through the hard times. It's not always easy. Sometimes you may have to force yourself. You just have to let yourself be happy. Go get ice cream or spend the day looking at the different decorations.  Above all else, give yourself some grace. Believe that things will get better. You deserve happiness just like everyone else. Find your joy and start a new holiday tradition. One that begins with a gift to yourself. Merry Christmas everyone!

 I am a warrior. I take on every challenge and give it everything I have. There are days when I struggle; days when I get overwhelmed. There are days when I want to throw my hands up and walk away. I don't. I push forward even though it's hard. I was told once that I needed to fight my demons. That's not necessarily true. I do not fight my own demons. My demons love me and they play with my angels. I fight the demons of others who try to control me and put me in places they want me to be. I will go where I need to go and do what my destiny demands, even if I have to fight the demons in the world around me. I fight the demons of the world. The ones that try to snuff out the good in the world. I am a powerful healer and positive spirit. The world's demons do not like that. They do everything they can to beat me down. I will not let them win! I learned a long time ago that I had demons as well as angels that would protect me. They taught me that perfect balance co...

  Making Up for Lost Time When you go through a traumatic event, it's easy to lose track of time. Days, sometimes even weeks, can vanish from your memory. You spend your time trying to figure out how you've gotten where you are just to realize time is moving on and you are not.  When you experience trauma, it will mess with how you think. Face it. Acknowledge it. Process it, however you need to. If you can't shake it alone, find someone who can help guide you through it. Don't let it bury itself in your soul. Most importantly, everything you go through offers a lesson you can learn from. Take advantage of every learning opportunity. Lessons hold valuable truths that you can look to for support as life moves forward. We've all been through difficult times. I'm no different. I'm not sure how I survived the last three years, but by God's grace, I have. I'm not a religious person. I am, however, a spiritual one. Some higher power has guided me through th...

  Most of you who know me are well aware that I spend a lot of time by myself. I'm so used to dealing with all my problems on my own. It is exhausting, but sometimes I feel like it is the only way. I was told earlier this year by a family member that I love dearly, to basically stop whining about doing things alone and just "put my back into it." This happened at one of my lowest points and just drove it home that it's just best if I keep to myself. I'm just like everyone else. I need to have someone to talk to. I want to have someone in my life that I can do things with. I'm tired of being alone. I don't even talk to my kids about the things that weigh on my mind. They won't listen and if they do, I doubt they would care much. Since I lost the store, I've been living with my son and his family. My work has slowed down considerably due to the nastiness of AI. On a good note, it has given me time to work on my own projects and build my business. It...

Redefining Me People who know me know how bad last year was for me. Somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I got stuck in a fog and I wasn't sure how to get out of it. It didn't matter what I tried, I was stuck and I didn't know where to turn. Negativity surrounded me and I couldn't see any path that led to anything good. In September, I deployed for the Red Cross and it helped some. I got to put a few things in perspective and I got to take a step back. I started to see a little light at the end of a very long tunnel. When I went home, the darkness started to close in again. In January, I made the decision to deploy again. This time, I stayed longer, much longer. It's now the middle of February and I'm still here. I miss home a lot and I miss my kids terribly, but I need this time to redefine myself. I'm still me, but I'm making a few upgrades. My Aunt Peggy passed away a few days ago. Losing her was hard. She was always the one to tell me to suck it u...