Home again!

I flew home today, and boy did if feel good to see Jeff and the kids again. I love seeing my family and friends when I travel, but it is always good to come HOME. I forget how much I love my home and how grateful I am for it. I am pretty tired from the trip, but wanted to post something for you tonight. So this will be short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it, I know most of it is common sense... but sometimes it is the SIMPLE things in life that get over looked.

Good night dear friends!

Work hard at what you like to do and try to overcome all obstacles
Laugh at your mistakes and praise yourself for learning from them
Pick some flowers and appreciate the beauty of nature
Say hello to strangers and enjoy the people you know
Don't be afraid to show your emotions laughing and crying make you feel better
Love your friends and family with your entire being they are the most important part of your life
Feel the calmness on a quiet sunny day
Find a rainbow and live your world of dreams always remember life is better than it seems

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."  ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~Henry Van Dyke

It's the simple things like...

Sunshine, smiley face eggs and creative pancakes, that make you happy first thing in the morning! I have to admit that I am grateful that I have HAPPY KIDS, it may not seem like a big thing, to be thankful for but... it actually is. I am amazed at how many people suffer on a daily basis with depression and thoughts that are self defeating. I have suffered from depression a few times in my life ( pretty minor ) but, it is not a chronic thing at all. I am realizing more and more that this is a huge thing to be grateful for.

I met a kid the other day that was a CUTTER, they cut their selves to just feel ...something. Now, having never had any experience with that, it was hard for me to understand. I do realize that any form of self abuse if a red flag of trouble in someone's life, a real cry for help. And I am realizing there are more and more kids out there that are struggling and may need our help and our understanding. I also met a kid that I had known before, come into a restaurant the other day, they were dressed very, very inappropriate. I felt so sad, sad that they felt like they needed to be that extreme, to be noticed or popular. It was very immodest and I am sure could be very dangerous ( as viewed from the eyes of the opposite sex ). I wanted to go up to them and say, please put some clothes back on, but I didn't . I just said hi and as they greeted me, this person said..."I was wondering if you were going to come speak to me?" I felt sad, sad that I had judged so quickly and sad that they were so unhappy and insecure. Sad that I may not have been as available for this person as I could have been. Both of these kid's family had split up, and as I have heard...that is terribly hard on the kids. I hope we can take time out out of our busy lives to see if there is anyone around us ( kids included ) that need our attention or help. Some times just a hug, a smile, or a phone call...could literally save a life!

So tonight, I am just very grateful for good and happy kids. Grateful to be married to my best friend and grateful that he is such an incredible father to our kids. Grateful that I am happy most of the time and  yes, I am thankful for the simple things!

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes."  ~ Andrew Carnegie

 

"Depression is the inability to construct a future"  ~Rollo May

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."                ~ Carl Jung