You Just Have To~

Sometimes, you just have to Believe...
When the road seems to difficult to travel,
alone...
Reach out...
You don't have to face the world
by yourself...
You just have to be willing
to let someone help you through
the rough patches...
It will take Patience,
Understanding,
Love
&
Communication...
Trust me when I tell you that
we are not to travel the road alone...
It may scare you to let someone in,
but it is easier when you have
someone beside you helping
you to get past the difficult times...
We all have moments that are challenging,
but you have to trust that they will not last...
Hold on,
the storm will pass... 

XoXo

Happy 4th of July~

When I think of being a Proud American,
 there are so many songs that come to my
mind...
There are all the ones that I grew up learning,
then the ones that the Marines instilled in me...
Then there are others that I have heard over the years
that just speak to me...
I hope that no matter what you did today
that you took a moment to remember why
we celebrate the 4th of July...
I also took a moment of silence,
for those who have fought so bravely
and
have paid the ultimate price for our Freedoms,
and for those who are still fighting for them today...
I leave you tonight with a few songs... 
Wishing you a Happy and Safe Independence Day!

Bare Necessities~

Sometimes it takes looking at the simple things to find what you are looking for...

I have always loved the Jungle Book, in truth...

It is one of my all time favorites.

I love the characters as well as the story.

I find myself today loving the lyrics and understanding them 

as they fit into my life today...

Sometimes we have to get back to the bare necessities in our lives 

to find what is missing...

Life is a Journey of discovery,

a wonderful masterpiece

of beauty and light

sometimes there is darkness,

but we have to keep looking forward...

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

Motivational Monday~ The Game

Intro:
This is one of my most heartfelt and brutally honest posts
to do date.  
This was not an easy blog post to write, but it is the truth,
it is where I am today, in this moment.
Even if this has no bearing in your life, maybe you know someone who could benefit from my words...
I don't know, 
what I do know, is that I had to write it to make it "real".
I hope that this post will touch others in a positive way...
Even if it just gets you to think about the direction you are going in your life...
I have been told all my life that I just needed to learn how to "play the game" and my life would be so much easier...  
I have never been one to play games...
In truth, every time I was told that, I would feel sick.  
I don't want to play a game to get ahead.
  I would rather be me, and prove myself in how I do things & 
my performance then by "playing" to get ahead.
  Even with all that being said, I learned to be pleasing... 
I slowly conditioned myself into someone that would say "Yes" when I wanted to say "NO" and would stuff, hide and conceal my true feelings in the attempts at being pleasing to others, putting their needs above my own.
  I have gotten myself to the point emotionally,
 that I am beyond conflicted and confused.
  I know that we can not always do what we want, 
when we want, 
but when you slowly give up everything
 that once was you...
 Who are you? 
 This has led me to where I am today...
 For this Motivational Monday...
Today, I need to take the same tenacity and desire that I have to change my body outwardly, and turn it inside.
  I have to at this point face all the demon's that have been consuming me little by little and bit by bit.
  I can tell you with my whole heart that...
None of this is comfortable... 
I struggle with wanting to be me, the true me...
  While, not destroying everyone around me
 at the same time.
  I find that when I start to say what I really want...
  My truest hearts desire...
 I stop to think, how will the other person
 feel, think, or react?  
I have become so mindful that it is at a determent to myself. 
I find that it is easier to stay silent, 
then to say what is on my mind these days.
  I know that I will not always be able to maintain this.
  So, I have no choice, I must change...
 I need to find myself...
  I find these days that people find it acceptable to give up who they are for what they want.
  Why is it we feel the need to make the trade off?
  Why can't you be who you really are 
and still find that success?
  Why do we have to make everything so sugar coated and sweet when the truth really is what it is? 
 Have we really as a society become so fragile that we can't bare to hear the truth when it is spoken to us?
  I know, better than most...
 That the truth is hard to hear. 
 With that being said, if a friend cares enough to speak the words and make them real for you, 
( even if it hard to hear ) 
isn't it better than it being made "nice" 
so it's easier to swallow?
  We all want to see rainbows, 
but they only can be seen 
after the storm has passed.
  Today, my wish for you... 
If you are struggling in your life...
 Take the time you need, figure out what the problem is, and work towards fixing it!
  We all have something in our lives 
that is a source of pain,   
( if we are honest ). 
 Most people stuff it. 
 They hide it in a box, 
put it under their bed, 
in the top part of the closet 
or the darkest corner of the basement. 
 Instead of dealing with it. 
 Head on, Face to Face. 
 Will it be any worse to face it today, 
rather than tomorrow, 
or next week 
or even years from now. 
 I would say, No... 
 We all want to be happy, we all deserve to be happy...
 So why do we let things stand in our way?  
Find the problem, work on it and let yourself be happy, 
no matter what...
If you are at peace with yourself, 
it makes everything else fall into place...

XoXo

Moments that Live On~

Today, after our Sunrise service I decided to take a side trip.

I wasn't ready to go back to the house 

& 

it still wasn't too hot out.

We went down to Geneva on the Lake.

I started out just aimlessly walking down the strip,

then got the idea that we should go down by the lake.

I used to love going to the beach 

& 

just sitting by the edge, listening to the sound of the 

waves as they came to shore and then drew back.

I longed for the sound that would take me 

far, far away...

I found a little hidden entrance leading down to the beach.

I had forgotten how peaceful it could be...

Just walking along the shore line.

So serene...

Just taking it all in.

Looking at the small details.

A stone here, piece of drift wood there.

All the details & things that most people 

don't even give a second thought to...

Today, I wanted to notice all the little things.

The things that we forget to be Thankful for...

Watching the boys playing together,

trying to skip stones...

Just spending moments together.

Finding another hidden path,

we ascended from the beach...

To find another treasure that was 

just waiting to be found.

To see the look on the boy's faces 

as they looked up.

Priceless...

There in front of us,

a ferris wheel.

To see it through their eyes,

the depth of color,

the sheer size of it...

It was nothing less than amazing.

These are the moments that can't be bought.

No price can be paid to obtain them.

The only form of payment...

Your time.

So, when you get caught up in the day to day 

moments...

Just remember it is moments like this

that will live on long after the day ends...

XoXo