Sunday Sayings . . .

Hoping you have a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful week ahead ~ Wendy xo

Today's Reminders . . .

Happy belated Thanksgiving to those that celebrated yesterday!!  We had a wonderful day.  It was laid back and full of laughter and great food.  I didn't take any photos.  Mainly because I didn't feel like arguing with my kids and nieces and nephews while trying to get a photo of them.  They're all at THAT age.  You probably know what I'm talking about.  : )

This year's Thanksgiving mantle.

As we enter this season of hustle and bustle, I thought I'd share something that I came across recently.  I'm pinning it up next to my computer so that I can remind myself every day.

Today's Reminders:

1)  Be kind

2)  Be grateful

3)  Listen to your intuition

4)  Be productive but calm

5)  Trust the timing of your life

6)  Let go of what you can't control

I'm going to start by letting go of the fact that I can't get the numbers to line up and still be centered.  GRRRRR!!!!  : )

We're going to be taking it easy today.  I'd like to start some Christmas decorating and I'd like to focus on number 4 above as best as I can with a six year old that's being just a wee bit (when I say "just a wee bit" I mean OBNOXIOUSLY) moody this morning.  I'll let you know how it goes.  : )

Wishing you a happy and peaceful weekend ~ Wendy

A Sunday Saying and a Dose of Reality . . .

I've been having some trouble with this lately.  I don't normally and it's not a good feeling.  I have anxiety in the pit of my stomach like I used to feel when I was a child.  I keep telling myself to just let it go and turn it over.  Let Go and Let God.  Those of you that follow my blog know that we moved to a new town in November.  My mother came to live with us.  Our plan is to build an apartment for her in our garage so she no longer has to live in our family room.  We thought it would be a simple thing to do but it's turned out to be anything but simple.  When we posted the legal notices of our intention to make the garage apartment like we were told to do, a large number of our neighbors decided they weren't happy with this and made up a petition that basically says they are fearful that we will turn our home into a multi-family dwelling.  This was presented to us at last month's Planning Board meeting.  Not one person has bothered to personally ask us what our intentions are and some don't even wave to us any more like they once did when we first moved in.  I feel like we're wearing some kind of scarlet letter!!!  This petition is based purely on assumptions.  18 of our neighbors signed this petition.  18!!!  I cannot begin to tell you how this makes me feel.  I have tears in my eyes just typing this.  I wasn't going to write about this but, in all honesty, I need to keep things real at this point in my life.  I feel like so many things are out of my hands.  I usually handle things better.  I told my husband the other day that I haven't felt this much stress in my life probably ever.  I don't think I even felt this much stress after my first husband passed away.  My love has been my rock.  He has such a positive attitude about things, thankfully.  I'm usually the one telling him everything is going to be okay.  I know this will pass.  I know this will be okay.  I know we have nothing but good intentions to do with this apartment and our neighbors are coming from a place of fear that we are going to change things.  We never, ever expected this.  EVER.  Our meeting before the Planning Board when they make their final decision is in two weeks.  A co-worker of my husband who has been thru a similar situation recommended we have an attorney present at the meeting so we've hired one.  I will keep you posted.  I don't mean to be a bummer but this is my reality today and I need to keep it real my friends.


Have a beautiful Sunday ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday ~ Wendy

Some Over the Moon News . . .

At 11:30 Saturday night, while my honey and I were finally watching the season finale of Homeland (LOVE THAT SHOW!!), my cell phone rang.  It was someone who had been looking on one of the Facebook pages where I posted Mr. Bigglesworth's photo several times over the last six weeks since he ran away.  He told me a story of how his daughters who live about a mile from us had been feeding Biggles when he started to hang out around their house.  He told me how they wanted to keep him but his ex-wife wouldn't let them so they called him and told him what a wonderful cat they had found, knowing full well what an animal lover he was.  Before I got too excited, I had him send me a photo of the cat that he had named "Benny" and grown so attached to.  As soon as I saw that mug come over my phone screen I burst into tears.  It was indeed my Biggles!!!  We went and picked him up yesterday morning almost an hour away.  It is just so crazy to me how the Universe works sometimes. The people we meet. The lessons we are taught along the way.  It's all part of a much bigger plan.

As difficult as it got with each passing week, I always tried to remember that Biggles running away was for a reason. I also never lost faith that I would see him again. It's not always easy to do but I know that this is definitely a lesson that I'm supposed to learn this time around, in this lifetime. Sometimes I'm good at it and sometimes I'm not. I think having the awareness is half the battle though.

It's like he never left.  : )


Happy Monday to you all!! ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

 I need to remind myself of this every so often.  : )


Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful week ahead ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Happy, happy Sunday!! ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

This is where I am in my life.  Learning to let go and trusting that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.  We are not the drivers of this car of life.  We are the passengers. Sometimes it's hard remembering this but, when I do, life seems to be so much easier.  : )


I wish you a beautiful and peaceful Sunday and a very happy week ahead ~ Wendy

An Epiphany and some Sunday Sayings . . .

I've been thinking a lot about getting older lately.  I turned 47 in January.  To type those words is unbelievable to me.  Three years away from being 50.  How is that even possible when in my mind I'm maybe 21, tops.  : )  This is where I insert the ever popular "I wish I knew then what I know now."  Truer words were never spoken!!

The beauty of middle age, at least for me, is that I worry less about what other people think.  I worry less in general.  I worried a lot when I was a child.  I'm a thinker.  My mind is in perpetual motion.  Thankfully I learned pretty early on in my journey that worrying is an incredibly useless thing since it truly changes nothing.  NOTHING.

I look in the mirror now and I see the lines on my forehead getting deeper.  The smile lines around my eyes don't bother me.  They remind me that I've been blessed to be a happy person by nature and I welcome them.  The frown lines on my forehead, on the other hand, are a harsh reminder of the pain I've endured in this lifetime.  The loss of a husband.  The loss of a father.  The sadness that certain relationships with people that I love aren't how I would like them to be.  These lines also remind me of acceptance.  Disbelief, acceptance, moving on.  What I consider to be the grieving process in three simple words.

I've had a bit of a tough time thinking about getting older.  I've come to the conclusion that it's definitely a control issue.  We all have to die someday and there's nothing we can do about that.  I recognize that this is a life lesson for me.  Something that I've been put on this earth to learn this time around.

While working on this Life Lesson I've re-learned something that I learned years ago but lost sight of.  "The opposite of love is not hate.  The opposite of love is fear."  I first heard this about ten years ago.  Probably while watching Oprah. : )  This changed my life in an instant.  You either come from a place of fear or you come from a place of love.  I've been coming from a place of fear with my thoughts on this whole aging thing.  I think it is more of a fear of death for me.  Having children will do that to you.  Having a baby in my 40's has done this for me.  So many "what ifs." 

As I sat with my pen, ready to write in my new journal for the first time last night, it popped into my head that I've been coming from a place of fear more often then not.  The everyday ups and downs.  The fear of whether or not I'm doing what's right for each of my children as individuals.  The fear of monetary lack.  The list goes on.  But then I remembered another pearl of wisdom I learned years ago.  The Universe does not respond in a positive way to the negative thoughts and words we put out.  It only responds to the positive things.  LOVE is positive.  FEAR is not.  Letting go is the answer.  Surrender is the answer.

I wrote about this last night and, this morning, I feel lighter.  Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  A weight that I didn't really even know was there until I felt its release.  Amazing Grace.  : )

To be continued . . .



Many blessings for a beautiful day filled with love and light ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful week ~ Wendy

On My Mind and a Sunday Saying . . .

It's been a crazy week around here.  I have had no time to blog or to even visit my favorite bloggers.  My daughter has been getting up earlier than usual and it's been cutting into my computer time in the morning.  I guess the days of her sleeping until 9:30 are over.  Oh well.  It was good while it lasted!!  : )  I hope to get back into a routine again this coming week.  Life has been more hectic than usual and I need to feel that balance between work and play again.  I usually wake up in the morning looking forward to what the day has in store for me but for the last couple of days I've been feeling more like "Ugghh.  I have to do THIS again today??"  That is when I know I NEED TO work on balance ~ Mentally, Physically and Spiritually.  And I can't forget Creatively!!  I think that is what is lacking the most right now.  I have a few things in mind to remedy that so that's definitely a step in the right direction.  : )

 Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful week ahead ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

This one really strikes a chord with me and I plan to read it over and over again . . .

Making it Happen

Stop trying so hard to make it happen.
Stop doing so much, if doing so much is wearing you out or not achieving the desired results.
Stop thinking so much and so hard about it.  Stop worrying so about it.
Stop trying to force, to manipulate, to coerce, or to make it happen.

Making things happen is controlling.  We can take positive action to help things happen.
We can do our part.  But many of us do much more than our part.
We overstep the boundaries from caring and doing our part into controlling, caretaking and coercing.

Controlling is self-defeating.  It doesn't work.
By over-extending ourselves to make something happen, we may actually be stopping it from happening.

Do your part in relaxed, peaceful harmony. 
Then let it go.
Just let it go.
Force yourself to let it go, if necessary.  "Act as if."
Put as much energy into letting go as you have into trying to control.  You'll get much better results.

It may not happen.  It may not happen the way we wanted it to and hoped it would. 
But our controlling wouldn't have made it happen either.

Learn to let things happen because that's what they'll do anyway.
And while we're waiting to see what happens, we'll be happier and so will those around us.



Taken from "The Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie
Image from Google Images


Many blessings for a happy and peaceful Sunday ~ Wendy