Personal Thoughts...

After a While..

Comes the dawn. 

After a while, you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and sharing a life.  You learn that love does not mean possession and company does not mean security.  You learn that loneliness is universal.  

After a  while, you learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises.  You begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open - with the grace of a woman and the grief of a child.  

After a while,  you learn to build your hope on today as the future has a way of falling apart in mid-flight.  Tomorrow ‘s ground can be too uncertain for plans, yet each step taken in a new direction, creates a path toward the promise of a brighter dawn.  

After a while, you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.  Plant your own garden and nourish your own soul - instead of waiting for someone to bring your flowers. 

After a while, you learn that love, true love, always has joys.  Sorrows seem ever present yet is never quite the same.  After a while, becoming more than love and less than love so difficult to define.  

After a while, you learn that through it all, you really can endure and that you really are strong.  You realize that you have great value to learn more and grow even more beautiful.

-  Joy Whitman

Every Woman Should Have...

 ...one old love she can imagine going back to... and one who reminds her how far she has come...

 ...enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to and needs to...

 ...something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

 ...a youth she's content to leave behind...

 ...a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age...

 ...the realization that she is actually going to have an old age and some money set aside to fund it...

 ...a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

 ...one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

 ...a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

 ...eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

 ...a resume that is not even the slightest bit padded... ...a feeling of control over her destiny...

 Every Woman Should Know...

 ...how to fall in love without losing herself...

 ...how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

 ...when to try harder... and when to walk away...

 ...how to have a good time at a party she'd never choose to attend...

 ...how to ask for what she wants in a way that makes it most likely she'll get it...

 ...that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...

 ...that her childhood may not have been perfect... but its over... ...what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

 ...how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

 ...whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

 ..where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

 ...what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month... and a year...

What I've Learned...

I've learned . . . . that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned. . . .that when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... that just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned.... that having a puppy fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... that being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... that you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... that I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....that money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... that under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... that the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned....that to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... that when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned....that love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... that the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... that there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned....that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned...that life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... that when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... that one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... that I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned.... that when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned... that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... that it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.

I've learned....that the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting  the right one so that when we finally  meet the right person, we will know  how to be grateful for that gift.

When the door of happiness closes,  another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t  see the one which has been opened for us.

The best kind of friend is the kind you  can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away  feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve every had.

It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve  got until we lose it, but it’s also true  that we don’t know what we’ve been  missing until it arrives.  Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they’ll love you back!  Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn’t, be content it grew in yours.  It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone,  an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don’t go for looks; they can deceive.  Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away.  Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.  There are moments in life when you miss someone  so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

Always put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can  appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can’t go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.  Live your life so that when you die, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

To all the beautiful women I know...hope this makes you smile. The following was written by Audrey Hepburn who was asked to share "beauty tips."

  • For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
  • For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
  • For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
  • For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
  • For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
  • People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
  • Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms.
  • As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
  • The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
  • The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
  • The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.
  • The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could read it every day. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

So............If you are a loving friend, send this to everyone, including the one that sent it to you. If you get it back, then they really do love you.


And always remember....when life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!!!!