Happy Birthday Kit Kat!!

This pretty girl had a birthday yesterday. I am so grateful that she still considers me her "mom." It is so good to be chose=n! I hope this year you get eveything you wish for!

End of Watch

I am truly saddened today as I write this post. My dear Bonus Dad for the past 21 years went to meet Jesus on New Year's Day. 1-1 21- at 11. He would have loved that. He was a remarkable man and Al.com wrote a beautiful article. Bu they hardly touched on the man we knew and loved. He was a jokester.He was always ready with a joke or a harmless prank. And he loved being a clown at Children's Hospital. i have a great picture of him as a clown but the new Blogger wont let me upload any pictures. He was also a pretty good sleight of hand magician. He had some card tricks that, even to this day, had me scratching my head. He had this uncanny ability to know something was wrong. Everytime he said "something feels off" we knew it was time to head to the ER. When he asked my mother to call the priest on Christmas day, just before they intubated him, I felt he knew this was it. He loved me and my brother as if we were his own. No matter how chaotic things got, he always had great advice, even if it meant coming to quietly sit on us until things calmed down. He loved our children. Marrying into an instant family meant not only did he get grown children, but grandchildren as well. He loved being a grandfather. He won Julz over from the very start. Before he was officially in our family, he drove a Miss 4th Grade in our local Christmas parade in his shiny red Mustang convertable. He made sure she felt like a princess. When we added Tigger and Kitkat, he made the effort to include them as if they had alway been mine. He would often ask about them, even after the divorce and was happy I was able to maintain a relationship at least with Kitkat. But above all, he loved my mother. In their their last few years, they were inseperable. They did everything together. Even as he was admitted to the hospital, for the fight of his life, his thoughts were of her. He called me at my office to ask me to keep a check on her. I told him that I would but thought it would be a short time. Six weeks later,here we are. And despite already losing a spouse, this time she is lost. i can only hope to find a love like that. As i scroll through messages and articles, it is clear that our community has lost a dedicated public servant. His presence will surely be missed by many who called him friend. But it will definitly be missed by those of us who called him family. Rest in peace, Chief

Happy Birthday (a little bit late) Tigger!!

I have been so wrapped up with the Maternals and The Chief's covid struggle (47 days now? i lost count), I completely forgot about my Tigger's 27th birthday!! I hope that you are happy and safe. I pray that your actual birthday was warm and loving. I miss you son.

Rest In Peace Jerry!

Visits to the corner store will never be the same. Thank you for always sharing your light and love.

Survivin' Sally

 Well Safety Guy's beach house survived Sally. The family beach house the next town over, not so much. 

More on my trip later

Have You Forgotten? (Annual Repost)

Since I will be a little out of  pocket tomorrow,  I thought I'd take a moment today for the annual repost of my 9/11 story Have You Forgotten?  

And post my favorite music video from that time. 

Never Forget!

Quality of Your Life

 Okay so yesterday I posted a meme from Tony Robbins that reads

"The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships"

I dropped it there, because I didn't want to forget it. 

I heard it in a human interest piece on the ABC Overnight News while I was getting ready for work. The story went on to say that the quality of people in your life, challenge the quality of your life.  When the people in your life are successful and thriving, you, in theory, should also be successful and thriving.  They push you to want better, to do better, to be better.  Well, most people. 

I had to google Tony Robbins to see if I could read more about it, and found this article on Tony Robbins website, 

As my regular readers will know, I  embarked on a mission a few years ago to Choose Joy.  It has been difficult, given my years of negative programming (my own negative self-talk, negative messages I have received repeatedly from others, negative experiences, etc...), to overcome the dark cloud over my head and finally see the sunlight. But my hard work and perseverance  has paid off!  

Fostering a "attitude of gratitude" has helped me to focus on the positives in life, not speak negativity into existence and look for the silver lining in every cloud. 

I am surprised the most at the positives that have started flowing into my life! Health, Wealth, and Love all thrive in a positive atmosphere. 

Here are some Biblical truths that support  the theory: 

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith Matthew 21:22

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonian 5:16-19

Try it for yourself and see!