The Life We've Been Dreaming

“We don’t need to wait for external circumstances to perfectly align in order to show up for the life we’ve been dreaming.”
~Ingrid Mathieu, PhD

Happy 4th!

"Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong."
~James Bryce

Happy 4th of July to you and all of your family!

Perfect Day

“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something
for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
~John Wooden

Tap Into Your Core

“You will struggle to live a pleasure-filled life if you do not tap into your core self and who you really are and instead waste precious time wondering why you don’t have the job, the looks, the money, the family, etc. etc. etc. that someone else has.”
~Terri Cole

Build A Door

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
~Milton Berle

Love, Not Judge

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
~Mother Teresa

Don't Carry a Grudge

“Don’t carry a grudge. While you’re carrying the grudge the other guy’s out dancing.”
~Buddy Hackett

Perfect Preparation

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts into our lives, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see."
~Corrie ten Boom

Happy Mother's Day!

"A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary."
~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there
who daily strive to be the best they can be for their children!

Open and Unattached

"I have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing."

~Serena Dyer

Mother vs. Housewife

"Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife;

a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals."

~ Ann Oakley

Be in the Best Place

"You are responsible for your life, and doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”

~Oprah Winfrey

Do It Now

"Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.”

~Michael Landon

Life, Love and Peace

"For I remember it is Easter morn,

And life and love and peace are all new born."

~Alice Freeman Palmer

Photo Credit

April Fool's

"April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of

what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four."

~Mark Twain

Care for All

"Everyone of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves."

~Princess Diana

Bizarre Behavior

"No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal."
~ Bill Cosby

Create Energy

"Burn energy to create energy."
~ Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project)

The Essence of Optimism

"The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy."
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

It Makes Me Want to Take the Back Road

Where I live, there are quite a few routes I can take to get home. The fastest route is a busy four lane highway. This is the way I take most frequently, since time is usually a factor.

But then there are the days when I am in no hurry to get home. The kids are sleeping in the back seat, the weather is beautiful and I have no pressing plans. On these days, I always take the longest back route possible.

It is comprised of many winding roads through hills, trees and fields. Some roads are paved, while others are gravel and dirt. The speed limit is unknown and I am often times the only vehicle in sight.

In the silence of my car, I take in the beauty of God and man's creations alike; from the peaceful creek on my left to the historic farmhouses on my right. The old abandoned shops which hold more history than my brain can imagine, but I try to imagine anyway. I take in the familiar southern smells of the trees and growth of the season.

I then approach a very simple, man-made sign. It is a rotting piece of wood painted white with crude handwritten black wording. Though the sign is small, its message stands out among the nature surrounding it:

"Count your blessings, not your burdens."

It is such a simple message, so well known to most of us that it has become a cliche. And, though artlessly spelled out among the glory of God's nature, its message shines through clearer than if it were spoken within church walls. It succeeds in making me pause for a moment to reflect on all for which I am grateful. I peek at the children asleep in the back seat. I envision the home I am heading towards and all that awaits me there. I reflect on the beauty and history that surrounds me on those back roads.

A basic message sent in the coarsest form and yet it is a beautiful reminder of what is important. It makes it so simple to forget my burdens and instantly lightens my load, my weight and my heart. Above all the wondrous things I pass on those rustic back roads, it is that sign that makes me look forward to my drive.

It is that reminder that makes me want to take the back road.

"Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity."
~St. Therese of Lisieux

For more great reading, check out: These Five of Mine Plus Two