Making Everyday Count…….despite the changes

 

(picture courtesy of Southern living Magazine—always love a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers)

 

Booster Shots For Living

I currently have two blogs and over at Living in Durham, new articles have been posted, if you just happen to find Booster Shots for Living you can head over to the website here: http://livingindurham.wordpress.com

I love reading a good book and most often though I will tend to lean to either self-help books or a really good Cookbook. One of the books I really love though and would recommend to women is, Melody Beattie—Meditation Book and Journal for Daily Reflection.  www.melodybeattie.com  Her book goes by months and on the Month of April 19 she talks about “Change” here is an excerpt from her book:

April 19

The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places—time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath. But change is inevitable, and desirable.
Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we’re not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we’ll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to way things were. Is it possible we’re being prepared for a new “normal”?
Change will sweep through our life, as needed to take us where we’re going. We can trust that our Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we don’t know where the changes are leading. We can trust that the change taking place is good. The winds will take us where we need to go.

Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I’ll be dropped off will be better than the place where I was picked up. Help me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don’t understand.

Melody Beattie—Meditation Book and Journal for Daily Reflection.  www.melodybeattie.com

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You Can Do It: The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown Up Girls

This book seen here is a very special book to me and many others. I purchase this book in 2005.  It’s a book I will keep and pass on to my daughter—If you have the opportunity to purchase this book I recommend you do. One of the reasons for purchasing the book was not only was it a well written book but because of the story behind the book and the fact that part of the proceeds goes to victims of those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas was 38 yrs.old when she passed away along with her 9 mth. old unborn baby– seen in the far left of the photo started this book idea and  just a year before she passed away on the September 11, 2001—(The World Trade Centre Attack in the U.S.) on flight 93. A former Girl Scout, she saw the book as a way for women to re-create the feelings of accomplishment and community found in the Scouts. Lauren embodied the book’s goal. Personally, professionally, athletically, and creatively dynamic, she is remembered by her friends and family as their personal coach and champion. After her passing both her sisters help completed this great book. The book runs around 481 pages but it is not a book for you to just read through, rather it’s a book for you to see what your dreams, desires or aspirations are and fulfill those dreams for yourself.
There are Badges at the back of the book and everytime you accomplish a goal or creative dream you reward yourself with a badge.

Like I just wrote recently on my blog, it is never too late to start your creative dreams. Lauren started hers even though she didn’t get to complete her dream her sisters and others were there to complete it for her. Start your creative dream today and you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

The Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation can be found here: http://www.lcgfoundation.org/

 

Stormie Omartian Prayer of the Day

When You Need Greater Faith

Lord, I feel as if my faith is tested every day. Help me to pass those tests so that my faith will be strengthened and shine as pure gold. Help my faith to remain strong, steadfast, and unwavering so that my actions will glorify You in the sight of others. I pray that every trial I go through will make my trust in You and Your Word grow stronger and stronger.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6-7

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Movie I Watched This Weekend: “Eat Pray Love”

This Movie is inspiring, heartfelt, funny and compelling. Julia Roberts one of my all time favourite actors, took this movie and made it so real and authentic. When I decided to watch the movie I said okay, I don’t think she can pull this off, it will be a nice watch but not the kind you can sink your teeth into. Wrong! Julia is fantastic, I don’t know how she does it really, I guess just finding that thing in herself to bring the character of the movie to life.

Eat, Pray, Love is about that time in our lives where we find ourselves at odds, or at crossroads in life. We are in relationships where we are not happy and darn it! we know something–something is missing. We don’t know what it is, but we have to find it. We want to have that zest, that passion for life that makes us feel alive again, we don’t have it and we now find ourselves going on a new journey. In the movie, Julia went on that journey, a spiritual journey after her divorce that eventually ends with her finding love, but that wasn’t her first desire, she did not set out to find love, love just happen upon her unexpectedly, out of the blue and by accident quite literally. What she desired was to find that peace, that balance in life that she so craved for. The Journey took her to three different countries, Italy, India and finally, Bali during a one year journey but she learned so much about herself.

Even if you don’t pray, haven’t prayed, don’t believe in finding balance, that Zen approach to life or you don’t believe in God—Go out today and get this movie and watch it. If this doesn’t help you find something within yourself that you can use to change something, yep! Something about your life, then no one can help you, I’m sorry. Oh, my, gosh! Rent this movie, grab a few of your closest friends or relatives, order some Italian Pizza, have a glass of wine and watch this movie.

Personally, I was so taken by the movie I completely forget about eating, lol! The minute the movie started I was so glue to the screen oh, my gosh! You will laugh and cry but you will definately learn something to take with you in your heart, or to carry with you in life. Crying is good for the soul, it doesn’t mean your weak or not strong enough of a person far from it, crying will heal your soul all the time, all the time, so cry, laugh and enjoy the movie.

Surrender to Life

This movie for me is like “Icing on the cake,” for me. I am going through my own separation/divorce and my journey is not going to three countries but my journey is similar because for me it has always been a spiritual one, always. If love happens to find me, well that’s great. I am the kind of person that believes in “Serendipity” where life just knocks us on the head unexpectedly and we find love, you know what mean, similar to the movie, your not searching and “Boom!” love is there. A balance spiritual life is essential to our growth.  I am spiritual but I can let loose and have fun too. Eat, Pray, and have some fun, that is what creates balance in life. In the movie Julia seeks to find this balance approach to life, and none of us humans are saints, we would like to be though. The movie teaches us to always be open to life, to changes no matter how painful those changes are, we need to accept it and let it go. The movie tells us to not be afraid to embrace this next new chapter in our lives, to trust the universe, to trust God, and most importantly to, “Surrender to the Universe,” and yes to be ready for when love comes knocking at the door,  because it could come suddenly without any notice, and if you have too much fear, fear of getting your heart broken again, or we are so wrapped up in ourselves, we become blind, sometimes too blind to see what’s been offered to us when it comes to love, then you will lose the love that the universe is offering you, and some people eventually lose this love, something that they can never find again.

 

The Universe is Fair

You cannot in life ask the universe to send you love and happiness and you are not willing to accept it. The Universe operates in a logical, fair and realistic way, if we don’t accept what the Universe offers us, the Universe says, “Okay, Mary, Okay, Tom, why don’t I come back in another year, or two or three and maybe you might be ready then, okay, NEXT!!!” The Universe have a long line up of people waiting to be really happy in life. By then the chance you had is gone. “Do you get what I am saying?” You ask the Universe to send you what you need and it comes and you say, “I didn’t ask for that, I ask for something else,” The Universe say, “you want perfection well I can’t help you, you’re going to be picky when I had to do all this work, I had to put in a lot of overtime work and no vacation— now, God is going to dock my pay, maybe next time.” Oh, my, gosh! It’s funny but it’s true. Trust me when I say that, the Universe, Angels and God work overtime just to get us what we ask for. So, like in the movie the guy says to Julia, “If you can just clear all that space in your mind, you will create a doorway, and “BOOM!” The Universe just rush right in and give us exactly what we asked for. It is so true, once your mind is clear of all the clutter so to speak and you ask God for what you need then look out because God will give you what you ask for. Yes, and sometimes we get picky and don’t want what God is giving us, oh, my, gosh! Ahh….life.

For example in the Movie, Julia said something about a man who stood under a statue and prayed to win the lottery, I can’t remember word, for word, but the statue replied, “well, you need to buy a ticket.”  Oh, my, gosh! You get the idea. You can’t keep praying please God send me love, please God send me happiness and your not willing to open up yourself to that which the universe and God wants to give to you, because love and happiness will come but always in unexpected ways and you have to be ready when it comes, remember God is there to help us but he always wants’ us to use what he gave us and that is “Free Will,” remember God is not going to come to you in person, and say “here is your true love, here is the happiness you ask for on a platter.” God is the movie director doing everything behind the scenes so you have to learn to remain open to life at all times. They have a Jamaican Proverb that goes like this, “You can lead the donkey to water but you can’t force it to drink.” Basically, God can lead you to your heart’s desire but he can’t force you to accept what he offers.

At the end of the Movie Trailer posted below it ask the question: “When did your journey begin?” Personally, my journey began last year just shortly before the summer, and yes, I am on that journey until true love comes knocking. My mind is clear as day though, no clouds in sight, oh, my, gosh! Yep! That’s what life is all about going with the flow and accepting the journey and the lessons.

So, be open to life and let life happen to you.

Enjoy the Movie! Don’t forget to eat!

I watched the “Theatrical Version of the Movie,” but you can watch the Directors Cut if you choose.

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Featured Musician Jason Mraz: 33 yrs.old—Love his songs! (You can see Jason’s other song on my blog below).

http://jasonmraz.com/index.php#

Mraz’s stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, bossa nova and hip hop.

 

 

 

 

 

Love this song—– Great Reggae Beat with the Caribbean feel of the song & video cool——Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHTsc9PU2A

Danielle Polanco—Dancer in Omarion’s Video-25 yrs.old-from the Bronx, New York, also starred in the 2008 movie Step Up 2 the Streets she is also a professional Choreographer—Danielle Choreograph the dance move for the Omarion Video—Yep, don’t let her smile fool you this girl can dance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Polanco

 

 

 

 

 

Love this video— “Touch”——Enjoy!

J. Holiday 26 yrs.old http://www.jholiday.com

J. Holiday—"Hold my heart don’t break it…….” ——“Enjoy!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhTZFpCwGik&feature=fvsr

Living Free and trusting your Inner Guide-It’s your Compass

 

 Picture courtesy of “Coastal Living Magazine”

 

Booster Shots For Living

  Shakti Gawain Author—Reflections in The Light: Daily Thoughts and Affirmations
http://www.shaktigawain.com/ 

December 8
 

Be Flexible

Going with the flow means keeping your destination clearly in mind and yet enjoying all the beautiful scenes you encounter along the way. If life starts to take you in a new direction, be willing to change your destination. Be flexible. Savour all the surprises life brings, and life in turn will bring more and more wonderful surprises to you.
—Shakti Gawain

 

 

My Take on Living Free

Living Free is about submitting ourselves to the universe and accepting change. That’s it right there. Many of us today are afraid of change, and we always put up a good fight, myself included, but when the universe knows you are fighting whatever change it wants to make, the universe steps in, take control and move us in the direction we need to go. Submitting ourselves to a higher power is about trusting God, trusting our inner guide, our instincts and letting life lead us unto new experiences. Embrace change, accept it, relish it, and learn from the experiences. A new chapter of my life is emerging and yes, I am ready for the next chapter of my life to begin, I have no reservations, no fear, or any doubts, I am ready to build on a new foundation–for another twenty (20+) years, I want nothing less for myself, and this I do by letting go and trusting the universe and God. That for me is living free.

In the past several months now, I have to admit that it has been an emotionally trying one due to the end of my marriage that lasted for seventeen years. It will be my birthday soon, but I will embrace my birthday when it comes because it’s a celebration of the life I have had in the past seventeen years, with the closing of one chapter, leaving the past behind and the beginning of another chapter that God will finally determine for me. A very profound time but one I will look back on and realize with a sense of relief that I have emerged gracefully, yep, thankfully all in one piece, not mentally insane, oh, my, gosh! Yeah, it’s okay, I can laugh at myself.  However, I was not alone though, God was and is still with me every step of the way.

It’s been a journey, but I have learnt a lot and these things I have learnt I will keep with me as I move forward on my new path, this new chapter of my life. I have no regrets not one, everything in life based on my experiences with God is that everything happens for a reason, it’s destiny really, but that been said, God never, ever leaves us alone, he’s always there watching, listening and guiding us through our journey in life. Even if things don’t happen the way we want, it will happen when God thinks it’s the right time.

Always try to maintain a positive attitude, it’s difficult sometimes but you can do it. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Find a creative outlet. For me, it’s writing on my blog, reading my favourite book, going to the library, I would love to go to the library everyday, but I can’t, oh, my, gosh!  listening to my favourite music is also a creative outlet for me, as well as dancing, or watching a movie,  find something you enjoy doing. The more you focus on things outside yourself the more confident you become. Help others in your spare time. Sometimes we can forget about our own problems and issues when we help others. Attend church if you like. I don’t go to church every Sunday, but I enjoy going when I can, yes, going to church is also a creative outlet as well. Most communities have indoor swimming pools, go for a swim when you get the chance. Recently, I met a lady at a local store, and we were talking about things to do during ones spare time, and she mentioned she booked a “Pilates class” that’s a great idea. Find something you enjoy, and do it. Think of things this way and ask yourself, “what would I do if I knew I only had a one day left on this earth, how would I spend my time, and what would I do with the time I have left?”

Self-Empowerment for women comes in knowing who we are and not feeling like we owe anything to anyone except ourselves and God. He’s the only one we need to be concerned with when it comes to how others view us and the things we do with our lives.  Today, I feature “Fantasia’s Song—Free Yourself” because it represents what has happen to many women, where one person feels they are not happy or the person is not interested in been in a relationship with you because they are happy with someone else— when someone rejects you most often they are not ready for a serious relationship or they are already in a serious relationship, or there is something about you they don’t like, it could be anything. When someone rejects you, they don’t realize how hurtful, and painful their words can be. Yes, you will wonder why, but what’s the point, they don’t like you, they don’t see themselves been in a relationship with you. Sometimes people are afraid of commitment—Commitment Phobia, as it’s called. They get cold feet, afraid of the unknown, afraid of what the journey will be like, afraid of been in a relationship because they are not ready for the responsibility of a serious relationship so it scares them. There is nothing you can do about it, it could be any million of things why someone will reject you, just move on, learn from the experience and know that there is someone out there that will accept you for who you are.

When someone wants to be in relationship they accept you for who you are and you will know they are sincere because they won’t judge you based on your appearance, and find faults and if they don’t want to be in a relationship with you, then like Fantasia sings, “Go ahead and free yourself.” When someone really, really loves you, and you love someone back you won’t even see the moles they have, oh, my, gosh! Or if they have some sort of imperfection, or they limp while they walk, or whatever,  you won’t judge them harshly, you will love all their flaws, because you love them so much, that’s what love is. “Love is Blind and Cannot See.” Love is genuine when you can look at someone and see what’s on the inside, not how they look on the outside. You can always buy, clothes and cosmetics and do a makeover on yourself and lose weight, but money can never, ever buy, personality, kindness, compassion or intelligence all that comes from within, always remember that. “You can always makeover a person on the outside, but you can never makeover people on the inside.”  The world have so many people out there, you could find a well dressed person but underneath that, their mentality is a whole other story, something I have encountered before. I watch some of these dating shows and these women and men on it they are so well dressed, they have a ivy league education but no common sense, no sense of direction, they seem lost, just wandering, hoping to find the most perfect person, that doesn’t really exist actually, but that’s their goal. Still they don’t know what they want in life, scary.

Sometimes people hold on to emotional baggage from past relationships, someone might have lied to them or mistreated them and they feel everyone who comes into their lives are like that, so they judge you before they even give you a chance. Not everyone out there lies, not everyone cheats, not everyone mistreat people. There are some good people out there in this world, some of these people were strangers to me and they were kind to me over the years and ethnicity have nothing to do with. They were just genuinely nice people. For example, when I had my store a few years back a girl walked in and ask me how long my store was open for, I told her, she said okay I will be back. She was dressed simply and she was a young woman in her 20’s, I said to myself she didn’t want anything, she won’t be back, but I wasn’t rude to her, I told her to visit my website– I just forget all about her honestly. I said, “okay, fine.” One month later she showed up, do you know who she was? A reporter, from a local newspaper she wanted to do a story about my new store. I was just on my way to the doctor and she said “no problem, I will wait until you come back”—I was thinking, she gotta be crazy, this girl must have a screw loose or something, “who would want to wait on me that long? I can’t be that important I just operate a bakery, oh, my, gosh!  I came back 2hrs later and she was still waiting for me. I thought that was so sweet, because she didn’t have to. She wrote the article and it was a Full Page article that went out to all the newspaper in Durham Region and as far as Newmarket—It brought me a lot of business. I have that article framed in my basement now. The Article was entitled: “Sweet as Pie.”

I would suggest people not judge people too fast—that’s a lesson for me too, it only hurts their chances for happiness. When something in your life like a bad relationship comes to an end, let it go, let it go, and when someone enters your life give them a chance to prove themselves first, at least for a while until you establish some level of trust, before deciding whether you want to continue with them or move on. Don’t judge people based on what happen to you before you met them, it’s not fair to them, get to know them first. Remember though, that there are some good people out there in this world not everyone have a mean spirit. Learn from the experience but don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself, Life is too short, too short to keep holding unto negative emotions.

Do you know what I believe? I think a lot of people could have wonderful relationships if they stop doing the same thing all the time. Some people—I don’t mean everyone but some people date the same kind of person all the time, they are never willing to come out of their comfort zone culturally. Anyway, Let them move on and find someone else and you can too. This song from “Fantasia” is so powerful in terms of the message that it delivers. The message of this song is not about been sarcastic really, it’s just basic common sense after all. If someone doesn’t want to be in a relationship with you, you can’t force them, it’s that simple. That’s what Fantasia’s Song is about. It’s free will, you can’t control free will whatever they decide to do you can’t stop or force others to do something against their will.

I have in all honesty though, said those same words Fantasia sings about in the past, yes I have said, “Go ahead and free yourself, actually, I said,  “I will free myself first.”  Yes, because I owed that to myself and my two wonderful children especially my daughter who I have to set an example for. When my daughter is of age, I wouldn’t want my daughter to be in a relationship if she wasn’t happy or if the other person wasn’t happy with her, I would tell her to “free herself, to be strong and have confidence that she will find someone new and if someone rejects her, she should not beg them to love her.” Yes, “Life is way too precious to be anything but happy.” Always, remember this. I would also like to add that if you are going through the ending of a relationship, don’t wait for the other person to free themselves, you will find you will need to free yourself first.

I would never want to stand in the way of someone’s else’s happiness, if they can be happy with someone else and live a rich and abundant life, then by all means they should have that opportunity and I believe I deserve to be happy too. We all deserve to be happy in life. So, sincerely bless them on their journey and good fortune, and good blessings will come back to you. So, in all actuality when things in a relationship have reached the end of the road so to speak, and the person is not interested in been in a relationship with you, you know it and you do know when it’s time to move on. Based on my experience with God, and yes, you don’t have to believe me, but I do know that, if your a woman and your relationship has come to an end, that God will open a new door for you, he never, ever, leaves us alone, always remember this. When God knows your intentions are pure and true and that you are a good person, he will move mountains for you, and miracles can happen, when you are a good human being. God will bring a new person into your life at some point in time and even if there are naysayers, that say it will never happen for you,  it’s okay, everything will happen when God decides it will, not when they decide–when God decides. Because God always have a plan, and once his plan is in effect, that’s it, we mere humans can’t change it, you won’t know what his plan is, but he always has something up his sleeves, so to speak. Sorry, I have to preach, oh, my gosh! God can do amazing things, crazy things. This I based on my past experiences with God over the years. God has touched my life so many times, I can’t begin to tell you how many things he has done for me since the day I was born. “God never fails to deliver.”  “When you learn to trust God, then and only then, can you learn to live freely.”

 

  Fantasia Barrino 26 yrs.old,  became an American Idol winner in 2004.

Visit Fantasia here: http://www.fantasiaofficial.com/us/home

 

 

 

If your a woman who has ever gotten rejected by anyone, or your marriage or relationship has come to an end, or is coming to an end, this song is for all of you. I Love all of Fantasia’s songs she is beautiful and funny and she has such a great voice  her message really rings true. . Go ahead turn this song up. I can’t sing, so Fantasia sings for me, oh, my gosh! Deep & Powerful Song, it speaks for itself.

Watch Video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWs3fs9nnzc

 

Watch Video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYmKqlmfQNA

I love this song “Anonymous” http://www.justbobby.com/  You can see the rest of Bobby Valentino’s other videos, on Youtube. Songs like “Slow Down” & “Beep, Beep, & et. al.”

 

John Legend http://www.johnlegend.com/us/home & Andre 3000—My son loves this song, I think it’s the beat he likes. It’s a real party song, It will get you in a good mood for sure—I can’t stop dancing to it, oh, my gosh! Enjoy!  Listen to this song at (4:13 ) into the video Andre sings to this girl and says casually, “ I got me into jail for two years and they let me loose.” oh, my, gosh!  like that is going to help him to get this girl—he’s trying to pick up this girl but he just got out of jail, and dressed up like crazy. Funny video.

 Watch Video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-AbEO6J8s0

 

Movie I watched this weekend: 

“Going the Distance” Starring, Drew Barrymore & Justin Long.

Okay, so half the entire world probably saw this movie already, I just watched this movie last night. I wanted to see this movie months ago because I heard it was really good, but I was too busy all year, or my kids took over both television, so I only get to watch a movie occasionally. I Love Drew Barrymore so I wanted to see this movie. Let’s just say there is a lot of  “F” words in this movie, nearly every sentence, so don’t watch this around your kids.

Okay, Okaaay….. oh, my, gosh I can’t stop laughing, I laugh so much I had tears, yes, tears in my eyes! This movie is so funny, so funny, I am still laughing even today. I really needed a good laugh and this movie delivers. If you haven’t seen it yet, I say give it shot, you won’t be disappointed for sure. This is a great movie for singles or if you are in a new relationship, really funny, lots of laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HGDx2cAdMo