They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel...

The way we speak to others is so important. All too often we forget to say please, thank you,or I appreciate you...especially at work or within our relationships or even with our children.
I can vividly remember how my 5th grade math teacher made me feel when I entered her classroom. She would talk down to to me and chastise me for my habit of cracking my knuckles. I don't remember one thing she taight me, or one thing she said to me...but I remember how she made me feel. She never had one positive thing to say to me. I will forever have a math phobia. haha (seriously!)
I am guilty of speaking my mind. I am sure I have hurt loved ones with my words or my tone. Don't get me wrong sometimes an angry outburst is necessary.... But I am going to try to be better. I am going to take the time to say please and thank you. I am going to praise my coworkers. I will thank my husband more often. I am going to spend less time being irritated with people that don't have any meaning in my life anyway. I will be a positive thinker and surround myself with positive people.

I want people to remember how I made them feel....and smile.

The burden of a big heart...

Sometimes I want to save the world. Well, I want to save the people IN MY world. I want to save my mom from heartache and guilt. I want to save my sister from drug addiction. I want to save Mia from feeling abandoned. My heart hurts so much sometimes it is hard to breathe. My back hurts from the stress I carry for other people. I try to be strong. I try to act like I can handle anything. But honestly, my heart feels so heavy that sometimes I feel like it might just drop out of my chest. How do I let go of the things I can not control? What/who is going to save ME?

Auntie Extrodinaire!

I fail at many things. I don't cook. I don't do my husband's laundry. I don't make tons of money. I have a shopping habit. I can be selfish and immature. But there is one thing I know I am good at...I am outstanding at loving that little Mia. She makes it quite easy, but still..I love the heck out of her.
For those of you that don't know she has been living with John and I since the end of January. My sister continues to battle the demons of drug addiction. Mia hasn't seen her mother in 3 years. I can't imagine what kind of pain that little girl carries around. She tries to be so stoic.... Quietly wiping away her tears, telling me her eyes are just watering....asking me what kind of bus Mary rides, cause she looks for her on the public transportation buses. She asked me if her mommy was going to send her a birthday present. (she didn't) Have you ever had to explain to a 7 year old what the word "addicted" means? In the midst of this pain, she made straight A's on her report card, has made new friends at her new school, asks to do chores to earn money, says her please's and thank you's and her laughter is infectious.
I don't know how long she will be with us....but, I will continue to fight her fight. I hope she will always look back on her time in California and smile.