twenty six

small courtesies sweeten life.

there are a few things I believe in.

1. saying please and thank you.
2. holding the door open for the person behind me.
3. saying excuse me when I pass in front of someone.
4. letting others go first.
5. handwriting a thank you note.
6. saying I’m sorry.
7. teamwork.
8. tipping generously.
9. picking up after myself.
10. giving credit where credit is due.

oh the power of a kind word. thought. deed.

there is no quicker way to enlist a smile. no more sincere way to show respect. no simpler means to an end. and in the end always kindness matters.

you get what you give. so give what you want.

peace.

twenty five

if you speak honestly, everyone will listen.

so please hear this. forgive me.

I’m afraid I have lost my way. my path has been diverted by my own selfishness. the point to Omikuji was to give ‘encouragement, hope and ignite that spark to change an attitude'. to ‘share the inner goodness'. I have so digressed. fallen into a pit. a rut. of turmoil. just the thing that I was campaigning against.

I truly believe that when we share feelings we all learn. so hopefully my lamenting has done some good in an off- kilter way. and we have become all the better. stronger. for it. but too much whining is not healthy. and I have done plenty. but I do feel better when I have a good cry. and this venue has given me a way to sit and chat. and at times sob with shoulders shaking.

thank you for allowing me to wallow. but the time has come to snap out of it. for me. for you. for the general good.

get back on the upbeat. laugh out loud. be thankful. be humble. be graceful. be (sometimes) quiet. (and the hardest for me) let go of what I cannot change.

a very wise woman said ‘choose. the best thing about being human besides cowboys, sex, and chocolate is that every moment of everyday we get to choose. so choose, it’s either fear or love baby. I’m choosing love. what about you?'

peace.

twenty four

sit down with trouble - as if it were knitting.

for the past few weeks. months. I have been struggling. emotionally. even though all the elements are there for contentment. so many things don’t feel right. I am searching. seeking. not for happiness – it is there for the asking. and given freely. but for who I am.

I feel silly really. I am too old for this. but the more I read. listen. I learn that there is a conflict in us all. not for happiness necessarily, but for a few instructions.

there is love all around but I am feeling unwoven. unwhole.

do I need to find myself? or do I need to simply understand. I am not coping very well right now. I feel like a tattered bundle. ragged. knotted.

I am lost. I turn to Him for answers. grace. I find great comfort there and know that He guides me. he does not give me answers but strength. love. family. friends.

I trust. I hope. I am safe.

peace.

twenty three

find a peaceful place where you can make plans for the future.

today in a peaceful place I knew. the next few days, weeks, months, years will be difficult. I will waiver. stumble. but I will not fall. I pray for strength. courage. trust. I will believe in the goodness of what today has given me. the beauty. the joy. the love.

‘may you know beyond doubt or shadow that you are loved, and may your sky be blue enough for you to look twice. may you see the gifts hiding under piles of worry, see the dream behind the fog of fear, and find the time to take the long way home.’

today in a peaceful place, under cloudy skies, beside a babbling stream, amid extraordinary art and yet-to-bloom daffodils, with the company of cardinals and a tiny little bird I couldn’t identify, I knew. there is no planning really. there is just being. thank You.

peace.