The Blessing of Patience

In two days it will have been three months since I stopped putting myself through hell in a place that didn't deserve my positive energy.  I still miss those individuals who appreciated my odd, quirky ways though.  It is strange even now, after the time that has passed, when I speak about the place I worked at and refer to it in the present tense. It's as if my mind thinks I am still there.  I guess after six years of working somewhere, it will take a little longer than mere months to dismiss it from my immediate thoughts.

These last three months have renewed my positive vibes and sense of quirkiness!  It has been like coming out of a dark cave after a long hibernation and smelling the fresh air and hearing the sounds of nature.  There is a bright light that I have missed for so long surrounding me and I feel re-energized.  It hasn't been all cotton candy and cracker jacks during this time but I have had the time to reflect and recharge.

Through out my time out of work I have re-discovered the simple pleasures I have been setting aside.  I have made so many excuses not to relax and do my hobbies because something came up at work or this important thing has come up that I need to do instead.  I was able to re-connect with my family, my hobbies and me!

The one thing that I encouraged myself with, throughout this time, is to have patience!  It is difficult, believe me I know, to sit and search for a job in site after site and wonder when the day will come that I will get the call for a new job.  It can be disheartening at times but you have to remind yourself to be once again patient. Your time will come. 

Don't be discouraged!  I am not just talking about getting a job, that just happens to be what I am needing at the moment.  You might be searching for your perfect someone, friends, a baby, a pet, a car, a home, inspiration, a dream to come true....be Patient.  It may take a while but in some shape or form it will happen for you......it just might not happen how you picture it happening.

I really do believe that there is a specific plan for each and every one of us.  There is a time, place and way things will happen and we just need to keep ourselves on task until our specific plan comes to pass.  There is a reason for everything that happens to us in our lives.  Yes, I truly feel and believe this.

I mean no, we don't want bad things to happen to us of course.  Without negative things there would not be positive. Without black their would not be white. Without up there is no down. No Ying without Yang.  You get the point!  So acceptance and patience I believe are key to moving on and moving up!

That all said, I did finally get a call for a position!  Now it wasn't exactly what I was thinking but like I said there is a plan out there in the Universe for me and I just need to take it day by day and go with the flow.  It is a true blessing that came when I least expected it!

It is a temp job and that is cool, someday I hope to have a permanent job again but for now I am grateful for what I have and celebrating my re-entry into the workforce.  I know it is more than what many people have in the country at the moment and I truly truly appreciate my blessing.

I will continue to keep positive and pray for those seeking for what will help them be more positive. Tonight I will Pray once again that I will continue to receive the Blessing of Patience and that all of you do to!

Have a Positively Blessed night!

Let It Go

The air was cool and crisp as I watched the leaves fall from the neighbors pecan tree and into our pool this morning.  Autumn is finally in the air, which is unusual for Georgia. Normally we are still hold up in our home with the air conditioner full blast. Not today though.  I welcome the brisk air, it helps you to forget how stifling the past heat was.  Isn't it strange how a sound, smell or the site of something brings you instantly back to moments in your life, both good and bad?

Autumn always makes me nostalgic. It makes me think of things long past....the good things....the bad things.  Like the leaves changing up north, going to the fair, growing up, school days, Halloween as a child.  I of course like to remember only the good positive times but with reliving the past come the negative experiences too.

I used to really let the past negatives affect me but as I have gotten older I have learned to use experiences as lessons learned.  That is what I try to do anyway.  It wasn't always that way of course...but you have to start somewhere. 

Not long ago I would react to situations by bringing up the past to remind those who upset me that they had once hurt me the same way before.  I felt, at the time, that I was right to throw this back in their faces. What it really did was keep me from moving forward in my life.  Nothing good ever comes from reliving the past.  It has been a difficult journey for me, one that still continues. Forgiving those who have  trespassed against me has been a chore but I continue to work towards that goal.  Of course I relapse and get so upset  sometimes that I even cry, that is how I react to things that upset me. I usually talk myself through these times and remind myself that it is the past and I need to move forward.  When you let the past get to you that means that your joy is being taken away from you.  Don't ever let anyone or anything take your JOY away!

I feel that anything that seeks to take away your JOY is negative and evil.  This can come in the form of a person, words, emotions, experiences anything animate or inanimate.  Evil and negativity can transform itself into any form.  That is why I make sure to surround myself with only positive, happy, Good vibes, feelings and memories.  You have to let go of those sad, bad, mad, evil memories and things from your life.

If you continue to dwell on the negative, evil things you can't move on and forward.  They will consume you and pull you back and keep you in the negative revolving door.  You will be spinning around in the circle of hate, betrayal and evil.  It will suck the life out of you until you are spent, depressed and despondent. Don't let it!

Take a step back from the evil that keeps you prisoner! Look at it for what it is.  Evil doesn't want you to succeed or be happy. So turn your back on it!  It wants to keep you down in the depths of despair and keep you it's prisoner.  Take your life back! Pray for strength and guidance and you will receive it!  As hard as it is, forgive those who have forsaken and thrown stones at you, for only then will you be able to turn away from the evil and regain happiness and success!

It won't be easy and you will have to constantly remind yourself to be positive, forgive, love and be loved. Embrace the small things in life! You can do it!  You just have to make the commitment that you will turn things around in your life and have a plan to do it.  Start off small and work your way up.

What do I mean by having a plan and starting off small?  To get the ball rolling in changing your life for the positive you may want to  write down the first thing you could do to change things.  One of the changes I made recently is to plan and put together this blog. I had always enjoyed writing and considered doing a blog.  I never thought I could.  It was an unknown for me and it scared me to try. I haven't done all the things I have always wanted to do and I decided I was going to start.  It wasn't easy for me to get out of my comfort zone but in order to change I would have to face my fear.  Without leaving your comfort zone there can't be change.

Still I don't expect this blog to become popular or make a difference to millions.  I just wanted to make a change in my life and try something new and I have.  I have other things on my list now that I want to accomplish.  Some are small and some are very large but they are the goals I have set for myself to get to the positive happy, feelings I am seeking.  I know it is going to be a long road but I am looking forward to accomplishing them.  In accomplishing them I feel I will be able to let go of the things and negative memories that hold me back.

Trying new things is just a beginning for me.  I still have to work out the big things that hold me back. Forgiveness is one of them.  I need to forgive someone and then let Go of the negative memories in order to move on.  This is a hard one for me.  I know I will be able to do it............but it is just a matter of time.  It can't all happen at once, I am realistic of course.  I keep praying and asking for guidance and strength.  I know one day it will happen and then another door of positivity will open up to me.

As I look out my kitchen window the  daylight is gone now and I can't see anything in the pitch black of night except the green glow of my sunpowered night lanterns situated in my prayer garden.  I say a prayer through my window......"Please give me strength, help me to forgive and help me to Let It Go......Amen."

Have a Positively Blessed Night!

Live As Though You Were a Child Again!

This time of year always gets my creative juices flowing.  I LOVE fall because it brings my favorite day to be carefree and act like a child again.  Well really I kind of act goofy every day of the year but on this day I have and Excuse to act silly and childish!  So what is my favorite day in fall?  HALLOWEEN!!!

So why do I like Halloween so much?  Well first let me tell you that I am not a witch, I don't worship the devil, I don't perform seances on Halloween because the spirits are more powerful on that day or whatever evil things people think are done on that day.  I just like it because it reminds me of having fun, enjoying life, good times, friends, candy and being something you wish to be for one day besides just being Me!

Ever since I could remember my mother (love that I am like her. She is funny, creative and wacky)  would ask us every year what we wanted to be on Halloween and she would find a way (since we didn't have much money for things other than necessities) to make the costume or find different pieces to put the costume together.  She would start checking the closet, shopping the second hand shops and looking through the Salvation Army Store to see how she was going to make our costume come to life.

I remember one instance when my sister didn't have a costume to wear.  It was amazing how my Mother would look at an old Grandma Plaid Skirt and Suit Jacket for five dollars and immediately a light bulb would go off in her head for an idea for a costume.   I witnessed this first hand this same year since  my sister had no idea what costume she was going to wear that evening for the local church Halloween Party.  It was only hours away from beginning and here my Mother was grabbing the suit, finding an old straw grandma hat,( it reminding me of the one Aunt Bea wore on the Andy Griffith Show), a granny hand bag with a giant clasp, pointy buckled church lady shoes and a rickety cane. Wow that was all found in less than twenty minutes flat! She definitely had a picture in her mind of the costume!

Upon completion of her twenty minute and under ten dollar shopping spree, my Mother instructed my sister to run and grab one of her taupe stockings out of her dresser drawer and start putting them on.  In the meantime I was to run and grab hair pins, baby powder, pressed face powder, red lipstick and some hard candy.....OKAY then.

As soon as all the components were gathered my Mother went to work on my sister.  She teased my sisters hair and put it in a loose bun on the top of her head, she powdered her face with the white face powder and used brown eye pencil to draw on some wrinkles. On went the bright red lipstick. She squeezed the baby powder on top of my sisters hair and it looked like it was snowing all over our bedroom. Next the straw hat was pinned to her bun. My sister then was then dressed in the granny suit with the shoes and hat. WOW is all I could say when my Mom was through. It was insane that my Mom could make my sister look so old in such a short period of time!

After a few short pointers on walking like an older person and being a sassy granny my sister was given her cane and handbag filled with candy and Tada! Her last minute costume was complete!  I guess I failed to mention that I was another reason for my sisters last minute costume too!  I had monopolized my Moms time with my costume.  She had been making my from scratch without the aid of a pattern and it was not that easy.  I had wanted to be Bat girl with her tight outfit and mask with ears.  Of course I was totally the best Bat Girl ever sincy my Mom had finished my costume that morning.  I was soo happy.

Anyway we all headed over to the Halloween Party and enjoyed the fun times with our friends.  Then it was time for the Costume Contest.  I tell you what, I strutted my Bat Girl stuff when it was my turn but guess who really stole the show?  My Sister that's who!  She was sooooo hilarious when she hobbled out and did a comical old lady interpretation, but she didn't stop there!  She started girating, and laughing and jumping around all exited. She put her hand on her  heart when she felt that she overexcited hereself and then to top it all off she started hitting on one of the young guys that was there!  OMG she had everyone bending over laughing.  She was a hit, a talk of the town! 

During the costume awards I recieved third place for my costume.  Second place went to a set of triplets who were dressed in some cute little baby costumes and the First Place trophy went to.......MY SISTER THE DIRTY OLD LADY!!! YAAAAAAY!!!

That was the best Halloween ever!  My mom was so proud and we were proud too!  She was proud of us, but we were so proud to have such a creative person who loved us and wanted us to enjoy life.  To this day I never forget how my Mom instilled the joy of Halloween, sewing, creativity, fun, frugality, laughter and friendship.  I try to instill that into my own family life with my husband and children.

Even today I hear from some people that say that Halloween is evil and I just tell them that is not what I take from the day.  I just feel that it is the one day a year that brings me back to those days where life was about having innocent and childlike fun.  It was a simpler time with precious moments that should never be forgotten.  This is how I get the joy back for one day a year, I dress up like Frankensteins Bride, Princess Lea, a Flamenco dancer, a Mouseketeer, Octomom or Marie Antoinnette and spend that whole day non-stop living that day as someone else!

So now you see how this time of year makes my thoughts conjure up the most fun costumes I can think of as I run to the fabric store to pick out my costume pattern for this years day fabulous fun and frolick! Now I never reveal what my costume is until everyone sees me on Halloween! So this is to be continued until October 31st when I will post a picture of my costume!!!

Now if living one day as though you were that young child again dreaming of Halloween and acting out your dreams through a costume doesn't make you feel good and Positive.......then I don't know what will!

I wish you a Positively Blessed Day!

Lola as "The Octomom"