Tag Archives: gratitude

Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart

“Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” ― A.A. Milne Such true words spoken in that quote said by Winnie the Pooh. When I think of the things that have really touched my heart the most I think of the smallest things others have done that meant the […]

It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful

“Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us. Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and […]

The Power Of Encouragement

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” –William Arthur Ward Today I was reminded of the powerful impact my mentors have had on me. I have had the privilege of […]

If your future self could speak to you…

I have been out in Washington DC for the last few days and I was reminded of how beautiful Virginia is.  I lived in Vienna, Virginia when I was a teenager in High School and during this visit I was able to drive past the house I used to live in while I was there […]

What’s in it for me?

“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are asking, “What’s in it for me?” ” – Brian Tracy I have always been a big fan of Brian Tracy’s books and trainings and I had come across that quote when I was still fairly young in business and it really helped […]

Gossiptown – Where Rumors and Falsehoods Abound

Gossiptown Have you ever heard of Gossiptown On the shore of Falsehood Bay, Where Old Dame Rumor with rustling gown Is going the livelong Day? It isn’t far to Gossiptown For people who want to go, The Idleness train will take you down In just an hour or so. The thoughtless road is crowded, you’ll […]

Leave it all on the ice

These last few months have been a roller coaster for me. Between my family and both our extended families we have experienced some of life’s highest highs and some of its lowest lows all within a matter of just a few months. In those months there have been days of being happier than I could […]

No one has the perfect life and thank heaven for those who are willing to admit that

It all looks so perfect….people’s social media posts with photos of their fabulous trips and their perfectly gorgeous family picture photos where every child is sitting up straight and smiling into the camera. There are photos of people’s beautiful new sports car they just bought, and photos of their perfectly decorated dinner table for the […]

Don’t believe everything you think

This morning while getting ready for the day I was listening to a show with inspirational music and thoughts called Music and the Spoken Word. There is something really fabulous about starting your day off with beautiful music and inspiring words. It definitely helps you get into the right frame of mind to face the […]

The safest road to Hell is the gradual one

“Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” – C. S. Lewis There are so many ways to off-track in life, and so many of them happen through a series of poor smaller choices that end up leading to big mistakes, but […]

8 things to remember when going through tough times

I found this the other day and absolutely loved it! I have no idea who wrote it but it is awesome! For those who can’t load the image let me repeat the 8 things to remember when going through tough times: 1. Everything can – and will – change 2. You’ve overcome challenges before 3. […]

The Power of Jimmy Johns

Today I’ve got a fun guest post from my 21 year-old daughter Ashley to share with you called “The Power of Jimmy Johns”: For those of you who don’t know… I have a borderline OBSESSION with Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches. And when I say obsession… I mean I found 12 Jimmy Johns wrappers in my […]

Bring on the BBQs, the pool parties, and bust out those flip flops!

I LOVE JULY! The month of July is literally one of my very favorite times of the year.  The weather is amazing, the BBQs are fired up, the swimming pool is open, summer vacation is in full force, there are fireworks galore, we watch fun parades, our families get together, there’s rodeos and picnics and […]

Nice People Are Awesome!

I have spent the last several days in meetings with a group of the nicest people you could imagine. They are people who are kind, genuine, down to earth, and generous beyond measure and it was refreshing and invigorating to be surrounded by people who have a mutual passion for helping others.  There is something […]

The Glory of Friendship

“The glory of friendship is not in the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is in the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.”     -Ralph Waldo Emerson When someone believes in you and trusts you […]

The Head Doesn’t Hear Until The Heart Has Listened

“I have learned that the head does not hear anything until the heart has listened, and that what the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow.” – Jones Stephens Communication. It sounds like such a simple word but the reality is that communication is one of the most complicated things we do in life. […]

An easy experiment that will make you HAPPIER!

Many years ago I wrote about something called “The Open Your Heart Experiment”. This experiment stemmed from a challenge suggested by an author named Virginia Hinckley Pearce, who wrote the book, “A Heart Like His: Making Space for God`s Love in Your Life”. Here is what I shared about The Open Your Heart Experiment: “The […]

The Great Lengths I Went To Attend the Wonder Woman Movie Premiere in Hollywood

I am a 45 year old woman, a mother of two children, a soon to be Grandmother, a successful business person, an author, and a totally obsessed Wonder Woman fanatic! So you can imagine my delight when I received an invitation from Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment (thanks to the help of some incredible people!) […]

Spring Cleaning For The Soul

Sunshine, warm weather, birds chirping…I LOVE Springtime and for the first time all year we have finally gotten warm, spring weather here and that just makes me HAPPY!  However, with the warm weather finally beginning I am reminded that it is also time to do our Spring Cleaning! And the truth is that I don’t […]

How To Gain One Hour and Thirty Minutes More In Your Day

The day didn’t start bad for a Monday morning…I woke up and realized the call I thought was starting this morning was scheduled to start thirty minutes earlier than I thought it was. So I decided to do what any rational person would do and I took the call in my pajamas. Don’t worry, I […]

Good Riddance April Showers…Bring On The May Flowers…And All The Other May Celebrations

I don’t know about you but I am more than ready to say goodbye to those April Showers and hello to those May Flowers!  I am SO READY for warm spring weather and sunshine! Plus May is full of fun reasons for all of us to celebrate – for example:  Not only is May National […]

Principles of Peace – An Easter Message

Peace…We can’t turn on the TV news or listen to the radio without hearing daily reports of worldwide tragedies, of acts of hatred and terror, of wars and rumors of wars. There is not much peace to be found in those reports. And on top of that we are all going through our own personal […]

We don’t know until we’ve tried

“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Insist on yourself; never imitate. That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as […]

They may be myths but they are still a lot of fun

Myths, old wives tales, superstitions, legends…they are all kinds of fun to read about even if they turn out not to be true. We are 20 weeks in to the 40 weeks it will take to have our very first grandchild come into this world. Since the moment we found out our daughter-in-law was pregnant […]

Everything Can Change In A Single Second

Saturday morning I awoke to a phone call alerting me that my son Dalton and his pregnant wife Alexis had been in a car accident on the freeway. Getting that phone call was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I rushed to the Hospital Emergency Room where I spent the rest of […]

Wisdom from a 94 year old WWII Veteran

Over the weekend my family and I traveled down to Moab, Utah to spend a little time together. We also went to go and visit my Great Uncle Mel Dalton (he is my Grandmother’s brother). My Great Uncle Mel is 94 years old and he has lived an incredible life. Over the last year I’ve […]

Realizing the Value of Time

“Lose an hour in the morning and you will spend all day looking for it.” -Richard Whatley SO TRUE! And today I’m guessing that is exactly how a lot of us felt. I know I did! It started when I woke up this morning and discovered I had completely FORGOTTEN it was going to be […]

Avoid coming down with the “I’ll Be Happy When…” Syndrome

I call it the “I’ll be happy when…” syndrome. It starts subtly but it spreads quickly. It goes something like this:  I’ll be happy when I finish this project, or, I’ll be happy when I can afford to buy _____, or, I’ll be happy when I can lose ten pounds, or, I’ll be happy when […]

In a Funk?

Do you ever have days where you feel out of balance, unmotivated, and just plain blah? And you find yourself stuck in a funk even though you have no idea why? And no matter what you do you can’t seem to figure out how to snap out of it?  Yeah…we’ve all been there… It’s a […]

Don’t wait for “someday” to make time for family

Tonight I attended the pre-funeral viewing for my Uncle Buzz who passed away last week (his funeral is tomorrow). Walking in the doors of the room where the viewing was taking place and seeing so many of my aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings and my parents all gathered together inside the room was […]