Month: November 2018

One thing we all have in common during the holidays is the rush of time! How can they be upon us so soon, and didn’t the New Year just begin? Since there is no way to slow down the passage of days, weeks and months, my wish is for everyone looking back to see our health struggles lessening, and our road to well-being looking brighter and easier to traverse! Give Thanks for what we have, and help others to do the same.

The holidays, for many of us, mean family, and for that, I am most grateful. Sometimes we have the entire family, while other times, we share with their extended family. Treasuring what we have is the gift I give myself, rather than thinking there is something or someone missing. And preparing for our time together is not just a function of the appropriate, non-allergenic, non-tolerant foods our family has to avoid. It means an awareness for all of us to feel comfortable and adored when we are together. That is why I love the plaque that hangs in our home, stating the FAMILY RULES!

Doing Our Best is the way Bruce and I feel about, well, just about everything we do…it is who we are. Truth be told, even if we tried, I believe we know only one way. Is that a story we tell ourselves? Perhaps, but it has served us well. I see our daughters and sons-in-law cut from the same cloth, so I assume our Grandchildren will follow similarly.

We encourage our family to Laugh Out Loud, Play Nice and Be Kind, and we all do our best to Do The Right Thing! We have strong feelings about all of these precepts. They become guidance when a dilemma presents itself, and we believe in showing respect for others. We also want our family to Dream Big and Keep Their Promises, as well as Learn From Their Mistakes, which in my mind is often the most important way to learn!

Most importantly, the bringing together of our family at holidays, or any time, is the opportunity to LOVE EACH OTHER. When I see the cohesion of the families, not only the love my children have for their children, but for their nieces and nephews, I am thrilled. I am content with the knowledge that they will always care for and treasure my treasures…each other…whether the RULES hang in our home or not. They know the way to live…and love!

Taking my daughters to our traditional spa vacation suddenly meant, for me, changing services. No longer interested in massage, body skin cleansers and wraps or the like, I shied away from anyone seeing my changed anatomy. Facials are wonderful, but not to do every day, so while we prepared for our fun time together, my personal fun was less than it had been.

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I believe that Self-Esteem begins with an honest relationship with our value system. Doing the "right thing" feels good. That feeling grows and grows, and there is a concomitant of happiness that accompanies that good feeling.

No, this isn’t a likely question for a child to ask but it is certainly a very important consideration for all of us. Where does Self-Esteem come from (and please forgive the incorrect grammar in this question. My self-worth depends upon it!) Actually, that isn’t true, but what is true, is that the elusive ability to feel one’s worth, value, capability, uniqueness, etc. seems intrinsic to some, while others spend their entire life searching for it.

I believe that Self-Esteem begins with an honest relationship with our value system. Doing the “right thing” feels good. That feeling grows and grows, and there is a concomitant of happiness that accompanies that good feeling. Additionally, I believe that Self-Esteem comes from doing good. Whether it is volunteer work, listening to others in need, supporting the ill, or taking the time to smile at another, stepping out of ourselves brings us self-worth.

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