Just A Few Words...

It's all good.

Oh! and I wanted to share a song with you!! Shawn Mullins' "Light You Up" is pretty amazing....take a listen! Decide for yourself!

Thankfulness

November is the month in which we observe and celebrate Thanksgiving. Several years ago, I hit a bump in my life path and found that I felt sad a lot. During that time, I remembered seeing an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show in which she mentioned the book title "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Sarah's book contained some encouragement for thanksgiving - not the holiday, but the simple act of giving thanks. Readers are instructed to find five things at the end of every day for which they are thankful. It seemed like such and easy thing to do, but in that deep sadness of my divorce, there were days it was all I could do to think of one. It was usually my thankfulness for my five children.

To this day, I sincerely believe that this little exercise really helped me get through that darkness and sadness because I started feeling thankful for a little piece of gum. To me, that thankfulness was equal to happiness. Even if it lasted for twenty minutes, I definite did feel happy. I started to really take note of everything in my life I did have. I wasn't focusing anymore on what I didn't have. I know this may seem silly, but I even began to realize I was thankful for sunshine and so on and so on.

My encouragement to you is that if you're ever feeling down, sit down and make a list of things you have for which you are thankful. If five is too much, then start with one thing. IT WORKS! Saying thank you isn't just good manners! It's beneficial THERAPY!

Today, my list of five things is:

• my wonderful children. Each is so different and so wonderful. They make me feel so proud every day.
• My husband. He is so supportive of all my endeavors.
• Hot coffee. It's the stuff that helps get me really going in the morning.
• creativity. I have to have this in my live EVERY day. HAVE TO.
• my computer. It works and it is amazing.

...and a bonus item: thank YOU for reading my blog.

The House That Built Me

When I was growing up, my parents moved around a lot. I was a shy child and the moves were uncomfortable and even a bit painful.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I had this notion that I wanted my kids to graduate with some of the same kids with whom they had gone to kindergarten. My firstborn baby eventually became a kindergartener. I registered her for school and away she went. In the blink of an eye, she was finished with high school. She attended schools in the same district the entire time. I was so thrilled that I had given her the continuity I wished for her before I'd even laid eyes on her. I have a son who also graduated recently with some of the kids who were in his kindergarten class. It really meant a lot to me.

A few weeks ago, my younger daughter and I were driving in the car. Kaitlyn is a junior in high school. On this particular day, she was so excited about a song she wanted me to hear. She looked it up on the internet and played it for me. It is a beautiful song by Miranda Lambert about a girl who grew up in a house and as an adult needed to go back and feel that connection. As the song played, I listened and I felt the tears well in my eyes.

When the song was over, Kaitlyn asked, "Don't you think that song is so cool?"

I said, "Well, it is a lovely song. But what I think is cool is that YOU think it is cool!"

She could see that the song moved me to tears. I explained to her that I'd fought so hard for them to have that deep-rooted connection. I told her that her enthusiasm for this song told me she has it....she "gets" the reason for my determination to stay here for so long. This little gray house is the only house every one of my children has known. I brought them each home from the hospital as newborn infants to this place. The colors on the walls have changed, the floor looks different, too. But this is the house that has built them.

Go ahead! Have a listen....click here!

The House That Built Me

by Miranda Lambert