~Labors Of Love~

I was outside starting my day last week, of course a cup of black coffee in my hand, the Spring sun warming my face even at that early hour of morning.
I was walking towards my swing ready to sit back and gain my daily perspective.
I heard a faint sound coming from across our little two lane road.

There in his crisp plaid shirt, well worn jeans, boots and a straw hat was my great uncle guiding his tiller carefully through his large, garden area.

This is a sight I have watched since I was 6 years old and my parents bought my great grandparents home next door to great uncle Edsel.

I used to stand in our fruit orchard and watch him in the early mornings smiling as he tilled the newly thawed ground and prepped the area for his big, upcoming vegetable garden.
Now here I am many years later watching him again. Now viewing it from a different perspective, not just in location which is across from Mom's house and Edsel's.
I am seeing it for the deeper meaning it has to me since becoming an adult.

Sure he could zip down to the grocery store and buy whatever he wanted, even pre cut and pre sliced, but he doesn't.

It’s a task he truly loves.
He loves going out there and digging, tending and working hard.
It’s worth every ache and pain to see the end result of his labor.
A labor of doing something he loves.
Its very simple, no fancy tools needed, he is at peace when is out there. If he catches someone looking on in his line of sight, he raises one hand., gives a friendly wave and a smile and then presses on.

I began thinking of how consumed we have become by convience and the quick way to do things.
I thought over the moments and. memories that I treasure and I quickly realized not one of them contained the easy, quick formula we have so sadly adapted these days.

Maybe I am simple minded but to me its those back to basic acts that I find so endearing and remember the most.

As a parent I could easily pay money to generate the happiness of my children, its everywhere, so why not, right?

The problem there with me is when they are my age will they remember the dollars spent or the memories made?
I can buy something today and by next week they won't even think twice about it but if I put some effort and work into doing something for them that has little or no cost they remember it vividly and with a happy heart.

As a rule usually every summer we skip down to the pond, put up our tent, gather fire wood and attempt to fish.
It has become a seasonal tradition that the boys love.
Thinking now about our camping last summer I laugh recalling Seth and Dylan with an axe, Luke digging worms and me erecting a tent without pegs (it worked btw).
Sitting by our nice fire, the dew fallen, catching fish in the almost darkness, using cheese puffs when our bait ran out, it’s a labor of love.

Sure we could pack up and hit a fun park, heck I could pay someone to take them for me, but no its kinda basic but the end result is worth the splinters, Smores burns( hot coal and hot foil hurt!) and a sleepless night in a tent with them.

They will be standing somewhere someday and it will hit them just as it did with me.
Our needs and joys don't have to revolve around elaborate costly things.
We can find the most incredible insight and love in those acts that might make us sweat, make us tired and dirty, but that were done out of just pure love.

I guess I am simple, flashy doesn't do it for me, thought does.
I am most impressed by simple and in saying simple I don't mean I am dim or slow witted and all it takes to make me happy is an empty box, but an expensive dinner and lavish gifts has less value to me than 2 hand made cards from the boys and a pecan pie from Mom to celebrate my birthday.
Labors of love, try them.. You won't ever forget them and years from now it will still make your heart smile. Here are my thoughts! Happy Day All!

T ;)

~One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering. Author Unknown

~I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.Laura Ingalls Wilder

~The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

~Live simply that others might simply live. ~Elizabeth Seaton

~Just Be~

How was your weekend? Mine? Pretty laid back and quiet.

Coffee and pen in hand lets get down to the Thought For The Day!
Get comfy, put your feet up and hopefully I can bring you a smile today that will get you through Monday!

I've been struggling with something and pretty sad.So I decided to put it out of my mind today and to write about happy things.

If you know me then you know the one the one thing you can say about me is that I'm different.
I always have been.
I came out of the birth canal folded in half and the first appearance I made into this world was butt first. I am sure my Mom is so proud!
I think that set the tone for my whole life. I don't see things like other people. My perspective is usually very different. Some people have called me a dreamer, silly, goofy and even dumb.
I disagree. I think that in any situation you can find some joy and in that some people think I am not serious. I don't care what they think, I will find my joy!

I tend to celebrate my faults, they are a part of me and who I am.
I enjoy my quirks and don't care of anybody likes them or not.
I snort when I laugh.
I fall "UP" stairs.
I read backwards.
I stop and dance no matter where I am if the music is good( wouldn't you love to shop with me!)
I reapply perfume about 3 times before I go out, by gosh at least you will remember how good I smell!
I talk very loud when I am excited, no matter where I am, So what if the ER nurse, the older gentleman in the grocery store or the guy beside me at the gas pumps hear me!
I skip, yes I said skip!
I would rather you give me a bubbles and a bubble blower than a dozen roses, so that way we can enjoy them together.
I cry for people I don't know if I think they are hurting.
I'll smile and tell you I am fine just so you won't worry even if my heart is broken.
I'll be myself !
I won't change no matter how hurt or sad I get sometimes. I will be goofy and silly to hide the sadness.
Its who I am.
Take it or leave it.
Be proud of of who you are, stand tall( well in my case I hope I am not wearing those cute wedged mules I fell off of and broke my foot in).
Embrace the blessing of not being like someone else.
Leave your unique mark on this world!
Be you and if you see me in the grocery store ask to dance with me!
Here are my thoughts! Happy Day All!

TC ;)


~We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

~Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

~Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? ~Fanny Brice

~The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

~Roots And All~

I saw my little boy today. No I haven't lost it, yes I see my sons every day but today I briefly saw my little boy.
Let me explain.

Seth, my oldest son who is now a teenager has seemed to transform before my eyes from that little chubby cheeked blonde to a taller than his mother (he loves that by the way) young man.

I am so proud of my kids and while Luke is still young,Seth is changing more everyday and I often look at him and wonder where the time went.
I lay awake some nights hoping and praying his dad and I have given him the tools to be a moral, upstanding man.

I would be lying if I said I don't wish at times that he was 4 years old again and one of his greatest joys was a garden hose and an unsuspecting Mommy.
Our kids have to grow up but sometimes we are blessed with a memory that is brought to our present like a refreshing, familiar breeze that only a precious time in our past can do.

I can still see him, his blonde hair, those cute cheeks, his dirty kneed overalls, a smile almost as big as him and a look of true satisfaction glistening in those baby blue eyes.

"I got something for you Mom." I was sitting in the swing out in our yard. I had no idea what he held so carefully behind his back.
I hoped it wasn't another lizard. As he performed his big reveal I laughed, cried and smiled at the sight before me.
There in his dirty little hands was a beautiful, carefully picked bouquet of weeds. Roots and all!!!!
Those were the prettiest weeds my eyes have ever seen.
I took them in my hand, and those weeds, roots and all into my heart.
He just beamed as he sat beside me.
"You like them Mommy?"
"Yes baby, I will never forget them."


I fell asleep yesterday and I awoke to the much deeper more manly voice of my son.

"Mom, you asleep?"

I looked up and saw the familiar smile of my son.
There was that gleam I had seen quite a few years ago.

For a moment I saw a little boy covered in fresh dirt waiting with excitement to surprise his Mom.
Those ol baby blues haven't changed. He may be taller and now sporting facial hair but as he once again waited for his big reveal, I saw my little boy today.

From behind his back came a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers he had picked when he and his buddy were headed home from a hike through the woods.
There was that smile and once again I smiled and cried. Hearing his voice trail off out the door. "Love you Mom".
No roots this time but even so they are firmly planted in my heart.

The little things. Its what life is all about.
I can't imagine my life without them. They surround me and thankfully I am lucky enough to note and appreciate these gifts I have been given.
Roots and All!!!!!
Give simply today, it will make a huge impact.

Here are my thoughts! Happy Day All!

TC :)


~ Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
-- Mother Teresa

~ Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
-- Antonio Smith

~ I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

~Fly Away~

Today's thoughts are about letting go.
I doubt I have written about this before because its something I struggle with myself.
People come into our lives in so many ways, friends, love interest etc.. and sadly we are faced with a point in which we have to look at the big picture and realize we must make them part of our past for one reason or another. Its not easy and the longer we drag it out it becomes more painful.

I have always struggled with letting go and in my own mind it means I quit and gave up, But its not that I quit, I am no quitter.

It means I am learning to see what this person has brought to my life, what have they done to change my world, have they brought me continuous pain, heartache,sadness.. And when given another chance did they change? If the answer is no, then its time to let go. Easier said than done. I would know.

I was in a very long relationship with someone who I thought I knew.I refused to give up, I held out hope every time I gave him another chance only to find myself sinking deeper in sadness. Why are we afraid to let go? My reasons are that I guess I am scared, scared of facing it alone, scared of not having happiness again, scared of a lonely night, but wait, I had those when I was with him anyway.

We broke up, its crushed me, I won't lie, I was at a very low point. I didn't think I would ever be happy again, I let another person control my happiness factor when in truth the only person who can do that is ourselves. We are the ones who hand over control to another person to either make us or break us.

I will let you in on another secret, I didn't give up, I waited, thinking some magical day he would see the error of his ways, feeling empowered by the great love we had and come dashing back to me a changed man. He never did, he never will. He won't change and look at the time I wasted waiting on him. Look at the chances I missed because I thought he was the end all be all.

A person came along recently and made me see that, (thank you btw) that there are good people in this world, not everybody is the man I dated, and it feels good to take off my blinders and see the world I live in for real, not his vision.

Lyd called today, and right before she called, my ex b/f called, he wanted to have just lunch, just hello, just see each other.. I entertained the idea. Lyd thank goodness reminded me of all the hurt and pain, and the days of happy I can never ever get back no matter what pretty picture he paints for me.

I am proud to say I declined, why open up a closed wound, why not take my battle scars and move on instead of letting him drag me back to the past I have fought so hard to put behind me. That door is closed. I am thankful and I am thankful I finally let go, it hurt like everything, but how can I ever move on if I keep revisiting my past and wondering what if every time I have a good memory of us.

I don't like to dwell on hurt and pain, but in order to not backslide I have to keep it present in my mind where he is concerned so that I will keep him in his place.. my past.. and in order to do that, I had to let it all go. We can't go back, we can't bring those good times back, we are forever changed, but we can create new ones, we just have to let go and give other people a chance...


Of course letting go isn't fun, who likes to close a door, but you have to in order to ever see the window open and smell the fresh breeze blowing in and the newness of a breathe of fresh air in your face before it closes.


I have no idea where my life is headed, and that's cool, I am happy in the now, not happy in the yesterdays and last years. Its time to live, live today, I let go.. and thanks to someone for helping see that its possible, I doubt they even know they did it, but I am very grateful, grateful for again having restored hope.

Let go everybody, that road block could be preventing some unique, genuine people or things from getting through.. and making you happier than you have ever been!

Happy Day All.. here are my thoughts!

T ;)

~Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.~Herman Hesse

~In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.~Albert Schweitzer

~There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.~ Unknown

~One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.~ Michael Cibenko

~Pssstt Down Here~

From where I am sitting and writing it looks like finally Spring is upon us.
Daffodils are popping up where snow once covered my yard.
The Spring peepers are filling my woods with their cheerful noise.
Slowly green is filling in the bleak,desolate areas that have laid dormant for several months.

I spent as much time outside as I can, even if I am doing nothing. I just love the sights and sounds of this new season.

Last weekend I was strolling around the yard enjoying the newness that is creeping back into my area of the world.

I was looking up at the trees, lost in a stare towards the huge Magnolia tree in my backyard.
I was in deep thought,pondering life and why things happen.
Nothing really dawned on me, so I just stood there hoping my startling revelation would hit me.
Nope, nothing.
I really needed a sign, a trigger, something to move me.
I guess I was watching the sky in hopes of the answer to come tumbling down and smack me in the head.

I was so busy and preoccupied with looking up that I almost crushed something very delicate under my shoes.
I glanced down and there it was.
My sign.

Years ago my Mimi passed on an heirloom flower to me. It been hers, she got it from my great grandma Island.
So the honor of receiving it was great to me.
Mim never knew the formal name for it but she called it the "Christ" plant.
It was a beautiful flower to behold.Its darker green leaves were pointy and the flower itself was a very subtle shade of green.

Sadly a couple of years ago I accidentally mowed the whole plant down.
I cried. I had destroyed something I adored.

So ah yes I was standing there looking up and before I turned to walk away I glanced down.
There literally at my feet, a single flower, its unusual green catching my eye and also flooding my face with tears.
It was like seeing Mimi again.

Mim would never make a loud entrance, she was far too proper, she would just be there politely in her own way.
This incredible flower mimicked her grace.
It didn't come crashing into me, it sat there very properly waiting for me to notice.
WOW!
it was the sign I had been searching for, it was the hope I had been seeking, it was the reassurance of faith that I so desperately needed.
I knelt down and just looked at it in pure amazement.
Had I kept looking elsewhere and not paying attention I would have crushed this wonderful sign that was literally laid at my feet.

It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made hope overflow in my heart.
There among the leaves was what I needed, it was so much more than a flower.
It was a reminder from Mimi.
It reminded me of how she lived her life.
She endured, she worked hard and she never gave up even when she got mowed down.

She may not be with any longer but her memory lives very much in me.Today and every day from here on out I have to remember to pay attention.

We often times wait for the big sha-bang, the trumpets sounding, the huge entrance of a sign we are seeking to empower us and we forget to sit quietly and listen closely.
We neglect to to see the signs that are placed gracefully in our line of vision if we only pay attention.
Hey Mimi, thanks.
You always have known just what to say to motivate me and also how to show me how to live. You aren't here with me in body but wow you sure are here, what a wonderful blessing.
Look close, listen, what you need may be right in front of you and you were so consumed with waiting for the big sign that you miss the incredible little gifts that are just waiting right there for you to notice them.
Here are my thoughts! Happy Day All!

Teresa ;)


~Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.
-Luther Burbank


~Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of the character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning.
-Lydia Maria Child


~The flower that smells the sweetest is shy and lowly.
-William Wordsworth


~Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever.
Author Unknown

~Its Ok to Be Scared~

Today's thoughts are about Fear.Its something we all have felt at some point and time and more than likely will again, but how do we handle it?

We had a thunderstorm yesterday and I thought of Luke, that is one of his biggest fears. I wasn't with him to help him, but I knew he would be ok. We all got home, the kids did their thing before dinner and I decided to head down to my thinking spot to sit and sort some things out that needed to be thought out.

I had some random thoughts and then my thoughts turned to my Mimi( grandma). Her birthday is this coming Saturday, and I thought over all the advice, the laughs, the tears she wiped away, the joy she felt when Seth and Luke were born, and the part that finally got me.. the way she looked at me, Never has anyone in my life ever looked at me the way she did. It was so many things, happiness, true love, pride, she always had a sparkle in her eyes when she looked at me. As I sat there I could see her smiling at me, and I wondered what advice she would give me now. I think I have a good idea what it would be, and that makes me happy that I can still recall what she would tell me if I could go to her now.

I watched the sun on the water after the storm, and remembered how scared Mimi was of thunderstorms, she was scared of very little, but thunderstorms were something that terrified her. I remember growing up and at the first sound of thunder, I knew the next sound would be Mimi coming in the door to stay with us till the storm passed. We would laugh, and talk and sit through the storm together. Even after I was married, I could count on Mimi being either at my house or at Mom's if the storm raged in. I asked her once when I was young why she came over during a storm and she said "Because I am not scared if somebody is with me."

What a great reply, much like the fear we feel everyday, its easier to deal with if we have someone to ride out the storm with. Fear is hard to handle sometimes alone, but if we have someone to be there with us, it doesn't seem so bad and sometimes it makes beautiful memories when you least expected it.
Mimi still gets me through my personal storms, maybe mine are not literal but dark clouds no less.

Don't let fear control you, if you get scared, of whatever it is in your life, reach out and face it with someone, it doesn't seem so scary when you have a hand to hold.

Miss you Mimi... more than you can imagine, so Saturday I'll stop by and give you some flowers and thank you for teaching me to never be too proud to face my fears alone.
Happy Day All and here are my thoughts!

TC ;)

~ Panic at the thought of doing a thing is a challenge to do it. ~Henry S. Haskins


~There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear. ~George S. Patton


~A cat bitten once by a snake dreads even rope. ~Arab Proverb

~Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? ~Maurice Freehill

~Poison Oak~

As I am writing this I can see it out of the corner of my eye. Standing tall, almost with a chip on its shoulder I mean leaves.
I see you Poison Oak, over there across my driveway, and yes you have my respect, keep on doing whatever it is you do.

No I haven't been out in sun too much over the weekend, so I feel I must explain.

There is a large patch of poison oak on the opposite side of my driveway. It’s visible from every window, I see it when I sit in the swing, and most definitely when I am in the drive.

The smart aleck plant and I have been going around for a long time now.
I have chopped it down with the weed eater with the same fury of Rambo unloading his weapon into the enemy.
I have googled it late at night trying to find a sneaky way to destroy it. I have sprayed it down with a Round Up weed killer bath, laughing an evil laugh thinking.."Who's all big and bad now? Ahahahaha!"

To my dismay it always came back bigger and more powerful.

I decided to have one last round with my arch enemy.
I quickly learned that it was a force to be reckoned with. It kicked my tail in the first round of our last match.
I was covered; I had it all over me, in my eyes and even on my fingers. I lost the fight and decided to retire from our on going war.

I began thinking about this stubborn, strong willed plant, that no matter how hard I tried I couldn't take down.

I compared it to my own desires and drive in life.

I have been mowed down, I have been sprayed with negativity, laughed at and even sneak attacks to stomp out my ambition to succeed and to just be who I am.
After recovering from being chopped to shreds and knocked down I see my roots are in tact and my motivation kicks in and I pull myself up and stand tall once again.

I find that maybe people may not understand my reasons, grasp my goals in life, much like my reasoning of why we have poison oak, but I do respect it.
I know that if I tangle with it, I will be the loser in the end.
It will stand proud after another battle and remain victorious no matter how much I will it to be gone.
I don't bother it and it doesn't bother me. We co exist and I look to it with a new perspective.

I guess I am the poison oak, and I am proud to be. Laugh, point, stand by and shake your head and wonder what my purpose is, but remember no matter how many times I fall, my roots are strong, my vision is bold, and I am going to be myself.
No matter how many obstacles I face, I am going to be here, respected and if you don't get me, you can look out of the corner of your eye and know I ain't going anywhere but up!

Never let people drag you down, let them ridicule, let them wonder but no matter how many rounds you go, get back up swinging!
Be strong and you will have a life that no matter your aspirations that you can be proud of.
Even if we all aren't executives, doctors or people in society's high positions we are to be the best at being us.
Keep those roots in tact and firm, you will win the fight and you will be proud that you lived your life to your own standards.
Hello Poison Oak.. Looks like the wind is making you wave at me.. I am waving back!
Keep on keeping on!
Here are my thoughts! Happy Day All!

TC ;)

~Little Things~

did alot of thinking yesterday, and so much smiling.
Luke and I do something when the weather is the slightest notion of warm and we got to do it yesterday.
It’s nothing fancy, but we both treasure it.

I saw his freckled smile as I followed him out the door, heading to our destination.
20 steps and we are there.

He takes his usual spot and I take mine.
Our swing.
I told you it wasn't complex, but it’s our little thing we do.
We laugh, we talk, and we share silence taking in all the things around us.
Ever so often he leans his sweet head over on my shoulder and no words are needed, I just know.

We have been sitting in that swing since he was a baby. I used to position him in my lap and we would just enjoy the day and being together.
In time he outgrew my lap and so he found his current spot beside me.

To me that simple, little thing we do is one of the most beautiful moments in my life. I hope its something he never forgets.
I am sure he won't.

You see I was very lucky to grow up with a Mom who did little things like that with me throughout my childhood and those memories are still very vivid in my mind.

I remember being just a little thing and it being a gorgeous Spring morning much like the ones occurring now.
"Come on Ties." She would say to me.
I followed her out the front door, down the steps to the wide open grassy spot in our side yard.
I can still see Mama that day, her blonde hair slightly blowing with the motion of the new leaves on the trees in the breeze, her smile bright and captivating, her eyes shining as she held my hand, walking together to our similar 20 step destination.

There on the grass was a breakfast picnic just for me and Mama.
We giggled, we ate, and we took in the beauty of the world around us.

That is just one of many things that Mom did with me but I used it to show its simplicity, but by being simple it doesn't mean it wasn't profound.

I can't thank Mom enough for instilling in me at a young age the true meaning of life.

The little things. My greatest love in life.
My most treasures possessions.
I can't imagine living in this world and not taking time to partake in them.

I may not have alot in this world and that is ok, my wealth is great, my fortune can't be tallied up. I am so very wealthy because in my life I grew up with a Mom who passed on to her daughter a love of life and the joy of simple happiness.

Do me a favor today, search your memory for your simple things and act on it.
We all have them, but it’s so easy in today's world to dismiss them and get wrapped up in other things that need our attention.

Let them slide for a bit, those issues will wait on you and be there when you get back to them.

Give yourself a gift today, no purchase necessary.

Thank you Mama for taking your little Tesi by the hand and showing me the world from a quilt nestled on the grass covered in eggs and milk.
Now I must go find my blue eyed boy and swing!
Happy Day All! Here are my thoughts!

T ;)

~It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

~Anything simple always interests me. ~David Hockney

~If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
~ Eleonora Duse

~Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
~Mother Teresa

Want Ya Some, Getcha Some.. Dreams!

I was outside this morning breathing in the brisk morning air and as I was about to take another step, a familiar song came on my ipod. It took me to another time; I was suddenly in my mind standing in my kitchen on a very memorable day. I was about to replay it in my mind and at first I thought maybe I should play the next song, forget that memory but I decided nope I need to remember this one.

Now back to my kitchen, I was standing in front of someone who I thought I knew someone I put all my hopes and dreams into, someone I trusted with my heart.

The song playing in the background, me sobbing and asking him how this could be happening.

Begging for some sort of answer to his betrayal.

He just stood there, staring down at me, watching me fall apart, watching me struggle to make some sort of sense of what was happening.

He had nothing.

My tears didn't faze him. My obvious hurt and pain not changing his cold facial expression.

It was over, the big breakup.

He turned to walk out the door, and all I muster to tearfully scream to his back was "WHY????" His reply" I don't know."

He was gone, I was broken.

The days following that are a blur. I was numb.

My spirit was crushed and the worst of all was that bright shining light in my eyes was no where to be seen.

Some time later he called, expecting an apology I answered, but instead I was informed from Mr. Wonderful that I would never find a man who would treat me as good as he did, I would never be happy again, I would never amount to anything without him.

Oh how precious!

For a while I believed him and if you know me very well, you know that's not my style at all.

I finally got mad. I needed that and I finally broke out of his ideas for my life.

I called him and even though he laughed I let him know that he may have made me stumble but he would never be able to bring me down and that I was going to accomplish every dream, make every goal and I was going to shine. I am sure he is still laughing but I could care less.

Some people found it very humorous that I was writing a book, they even said with a smirk"Oh ok" and giggled.

Hey guess what??? I DID IT!!!

Mission accomplished, another dream come true under my belt.

I have a gazillion more dreams and goals I am working on and I won't stop until I can see them in my grasp, reach up on my tippy toes and pull them down with a happy heart and add them to my list of "Thing I WILL do".

We can't let negative people overshadow our ambitions.

I find these kinds of people are miserable in their own lives and their only joy comes from trying to seek and destroy those with a good attitude and want to shine.

Bring it on! I have no room for in my life for those punks.

Everybody has different hopes and dreams, some very simple, some very complex but if you set your mind to it and activate your force field to filter out negativity then you are definitely headed in the right direction. Which is, UP!!!!!!!!!

I have learned to never let somebody win; don't believe their hurtful, destructive words.

Show them what you are made of and when are sitting up there shining because you never let up, where will they be?

More than likely likely down in the gutter with Mr. Wonderful looking up and gazing at the star you are!

I am going to shine, there ain't no stopping me and thankfully my team of friends and family are behind me and want nothing but the best for me.

DETERMINATION... get it, grab it, and hold on to it because it can take you wherever you want to go!

I am going to be happy with my life and all I do.

If you want to be on my team, jump in but leave that negativity behind because it will get you booted from playing on the same court with me.

Now who wants to play a good ol game of one on one? I've got the b-ball, just be ready for a good challenge because I don't quit!

Get out there and make it happen people, come sit in the stars with me!!!!!

Happy Day all, Here are my thoughts!

T ;)

~The mighty Oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.

Anon

~There is nothing impossible to him who will try.

-Alexander the Great

~Every failure, obstacle or hardship is an opportunity in disguise. Success in many cases is failure turned inside out. The greatest pollution problem we face today is negativity. Eliminate the negative attitude and believe you can do anything. Replace 'if I can, I hope, maybe' with 'I can, I will, I must.'

-Mary Kay Ash

~One of the saddest lines in the world is, 'Oh come now - be realistic.' The best parts of this world were not fashioned by those who were realistic. They were fashioned by those who dared to look hard at their wishes and gave them horses to ride.

-Richard Nelson Bolles

~The question isn't 'who is going to let me'; it's 'who is going to stop me'.

-Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead