One Part Inspiration...

It's time for my annual look back at the year that was. 2014   Boy did I ever underestimate it! When 2014 dawned, I thought - 'We don't have any major events to mark the calendar.  It's time to take a break - have a quiet year- coast for a bit. Why did I think that, you ask?  Well, 2013 had been a year of milestones - big birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries.  We had run the gamut of celebrations.  As I said, it was a big year. I couldn't have been more wrong about  2014 .  Sure, we coasted, but it was more like a Roller Coaster. It was a year of celebrations.  It was a year of new beginnings.  It was a year of the unexpected. And so, in no particular order - here it is....(cue orchestra).....                                   2014 One of my favourite things about 2014 was the unexpected suggestion from my husband that we pl...

My LIFE  . .. .so far.... You are born. You grow up in a loving family. And suddenly , You start discovering your own path. You choose a career. You study to become what you decided to pursue. And suddenly , You graduate and can put some letters behind your name. You become employed in your field. You work to become an expert. And suddenly,  You receive your 20-year pin from the organization. You fall in love You get engaged and plan a wedding. And suddenly,  You are a newlywed. You begin your married life You plan to have a family. And suddenly,  You are a mom. You decide to expand your horizons. You add to the family tree. And suddenly. Your family has grown to five. You mother your kids. You watch them grow and expand their horizons. And suddenly, You are an empty-nester. You see your kids fall in love You see them commit to each other. And suddenly, Yo...

I have decided that of all the holidays of the year,  Thanksgiving is one of my very favourites. This year was no exception.  I love the opportunity to pay attention to all the things that I enjoy and to say 'thank you' for them.  Here are a few taken from the pages of my life: *******One day, not too long ago, I was early enough that I decided to stop for a coffee and a muffin on my way to work.  The man in front of me took a little longer to pay for his order. I saw him reach out and give some more change to the lady at the till.  When I reached the window, she said to me "Your order has been paid for by the gentleman ahead of you...Have a nice day".  It certainly was!  Nothing spoiled my mood.  I had to stop for a train after that, but suddenly, it just didn't matter.  The kindness of a stranger coloured my day with a rainbow of goodness. *******I planned a Thanksgiving service for each of the places where I work.  I foun...

Yesterday was my birthday.  I love my birthday. I really should date these statements.  I wrote that sentence  a year ago.  And it has sat in my 'drafts' post box ever since.  Every time I look in the 'drafts', I see it and wonder if I should finish it.    But then I get distracted and close it up for another day.  Well, today is another day.  I will finish it, because yesterday WAS my birthday.  And I do love my birthday! I don't remember all the birthdays that I have had.  However I do have a sampling of some memorable ones.  Here they are in no particular order: My fifth birthday, when my brother made me a play house out of a big cardboard box, complete with curtains - and surprised me with it when I woke up that day The year my sister made me a set of birthday scrolls - each wrapped with a little golden ring, with memories of our growing years and beyond inscribed and drawings of us on them. The year a girlf...

The year that was to become, is now, the year that was.  And what a year it was!  I don't believe that any other year that I will live, will comprise so many big events.  2013 seemed to have had one of everything: births, death, (no resurrections - unless you count some of the meals I rescued), weddings, anniversaries, visits from far and near, retirements, big birthdays, additions, subtractions..and everything else in between.  As I look back, I realize that even though there were a lot of big events,  the 'in-between's' actually comprised most of the days, and this is what I share with you now: Days of Mercy At the beginning of the year, I saw this sunrise and made a picture of it - wondering if this was a sign about how the year would turn out.  I hoped it was because I had just come through a season of darkness. Rainbow Days  More harbingers appeared.  Each time I saw a rainbow, I was reminded again, that no matter what wa...