Feel it, Be it, Show it and Have a Good Time!

Hello All!

It's Thanksgiving, a time of gratitude and love... family and friends...
and shopping, and baking and driving and crowds... Aargh ... lol oh relax!

Have fun! You can only do so much right! If you can't do it all delegate!  Get everyone involved!
So what if you're late getting the turkey in or if the gravy's too thin. Just go with it! We all want everything to be perfect all the time but things happen (or don't happen) that change things all the time - and not just on holidays! If you don't tell everyone the gravy's too thin nobody will notice it anyway!  My point is to enjoy your day, your family, your friends and be grateful that you were able to make the darn gravy in the first place!

This year I'm going to my father's house and will see my brother and his wife that I haven't seen for quite a while and we'll have way too much food (the traditional turkey dinner along with the traditional Italian meal - pasta, chicken cutlet, bread and sauce! Yes we have turkey and chicken! Not to mention pie and cake! Nutrition school out the window this week? hehe - we'll see, it's all good!

It's nice that there are days like this to help us remember that we should be thankful for all we are, all we do and all we have but at the same time this is something we can all do everyday! Do you?
Think about how do you feel when you take the time to stop and appreciate.  Look at your child playing and just BE in that moment or your partner reading, or nature, a friend, your pet, your home... the silly thing on the table that your son made 10 years ago, the smile on someone's face...  I could go on forever - you get the picture!

The key is to BE in the moment and FEEL being thankful. 
If you don't already do this - try taking just a minute everyday, I know we're all busy but just a minute a day is really all it takes, breathe the air and FEEL the gratitude, FEEL the love in your life.  When you do this even for just a minute you FEEL that sense of calm, peace and love and are truly grateful!  We don't really need a day - we have everyday!  We all have so much to be thankful for - even in the worst of situations you can find gratitude and love.

So now what's so wonderful about having a special day for Thanksgiving? (no not football and parades! lol) It's that you get to SHOW your gratitude to others and connect and reconnect with the ones that mean most to you.  Sometimes life does get in the way of real togetherness and having a holiday like Thanksgiving Day gives you that reason to stop you're daily life and connect, maybe with someone you don't even know! Showing your gratitude, showing your love just gives you more reason to be grateful and love right! It FEELS good!

So tell me; What does the holiday mean to you?  What do you do?  How do you feel? Are you stressed because you have to shop and cook and so and so is coming? Are you visiting someone else? Or are you taking it one step at a time doing what you can when you can and enjoying the day regardless to what's going on? Let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!
With love,
Donna Marie

Grieving...

Before we get into the holiday season so to speak, I thought I would talk about loss.  At one time or another we will all have to deal with the emotions of grief.  The loss of a loved one can be devastating.  I mention this now because since my mothers passing all the holidays have been  emotional for me and my family.  Life has changed and the holidays just aren't as they were.
But...  life is a wonderful gift and although we still hold dear the memories of the ones passed we move on and enjoy the time that we still have.  Everything in life that we experience from heartache to joy are lessons to be learned.  It's wonderful to remember those we have lost during the holidays but celebrate their lives hold happiness in your heart for the times you had together.  Don't dwell in your own sorrow for the one who is gone will always be with you.  Have joy in your heart, a smile on your face, be with people, share your time and enjoy the season!  I don't know who said this but it so true "The only one who will be with you for the rest of your life is yourself - be alive"

What you already know...

We all have inside us the ability to be are true selves. But because we are all different, what is good for someone else and makes them happy may not be to your best interest or your highest good.  When you look inside yourself, you already know what makes you the best of YOU.   The problem is most people hide what they see inside themselves.  They are too afraid of what others may think.  Sometimes it's out of fear to hurt someone's feelings, fear of failure, rejection or the loss of stability.  It doesn't matter what society, our families or our religion tells us.  If you are true to yourself and live to be the best you that you can be, fear won't be the issue.  The issues will be thoughts like, "How do I do more of this?" "What are ways I can better my self and others by doing more of this?"  Inside each of us there is a life of love and beauty.  We have talents and love, these are gifts to give ourselves and others.   We are all creators in some way.  If you are living the life others want for you it will not make you happy.  It will supress your need to give and create.  We live in a society that has provided us with certain beliefs that are at times contradicting to who we really are, what our true feelings are and what our intuition is telling us.  I was one of those who lived other peoples lives for years.  I supressed my creativity and held myself back.  Once I became aware of what I always knew inside I began to make the changes necessary to be happy. Granted they are not always easy changes but they are definitely worth it changes! 
Take a few minutes and just sit and contemplate. 
Look inside yourself. 
Think about what it is that makes you the happiest.
What are you doing? 
When do you do this?
Where are you when you do this?
Write down your answers privately or make a comment and let us know what it is
Then when you're ready....
Take a chance, step out of your comfort zone and do one thing towards making it happen.  Just one step.  That one step in the direction of who you really are will knock down years of barriers that you've built around yourself.  If it is your true self, if it is out of love, it is worth it.  YOU are worth it!
Are you living your true life? Who are you?  Look inside, you already know.

As Jon Bon Jovi put it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SKFwtgUJHs

Love and Beauty

Love and beauty are everywhere in every living thing, every person, every plant and every animal but you have to look to see it, want to see it.

There are people that may go through their life with their eyes closed and not see the beauty and love surrounding them.

Look around you....

What do you see, really see?