• Relationships: What Type of Friend Am I?

    Lily - Red & Orange Flower - Mother's Day Gift

    Sometimes we are lucky enough to meet a person who stands out among all other people as being extremely special who knows what we are thinking about.  Who is happy for us at all times.  Who is always there to talk.  Who cares about us selflessly.  Who is always truthful with us.  Sometimes we are lucky enough to meet someone who is extremely wonderful and for me that person is you my dear friend.  – Susan Polis Schutz

    We’ve all heard the saying that “friends are worth their weight in gold”.  Absolutely!  I agree friends are priceless and a great blessing in our lives.  There are people who have a multitude of friends while others have a handful of really close friends.

    If you had only a few seconds to think of your list of friends.  Who would stand out?  Who would come to your mind first?  We can easily point out who those true blue and deep friends are pretty quickly.

    Are you this type of friend to others?  Who have we taken the time to invest in lately?  Do we stand out?  Are we the person our friends call on when they are excited and want to celebrate or when they hit a rough patch?

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a busy week, but we had a lot of fun.  The girls came into work with me first thing in the morning for a little bit.  They helped unlock the doors, turn on lights, and get set up for the day before spending time working on their summer workbooks for some time before I took them into camp.  They did a Music & Technology camp in the morning and a Rube Goldberg creative experiments in the afternoon.  It was super neat seeing what cool creations they developed over the course of the week.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time chatting with the girls on the way to work and their help getting everything set up for the day.

    Tuesday – Thankful to have an chance to see and hear all the neat things the girls are learning and creating in their week at Summer Camp.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a dentist near home, that gets me in for an early appointment, and that I didn’t have any cavities or items that need to be done! Yay!

    Thursday – Thankful for the girls curious and inquisitive minds.  They are not afraid to ask questions so they can learn more from people in various areas.

    Friday – Thankful for some quiet one-on-one time with Jake.  It was nice to relax, catch up, chat, and spend some time together.  Grateful for his thoughts and for being a sounding board regarding my crazy ideas.  He brings peace, calm, and great insight to areas that am I trying to figure out.

    Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time my family!  We got a lot of accomplished, but also had fun together!

    Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to attend church, learn, and grow.  Grateful for a refreshing and much needed moments with my family.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Heart Reflections: Riches of the Heart

    In one our traveling excursions I came across this sign “Riches of the heart cannot be stolen”.  I immediately liked the sign (simple but to the point) and was thankful for the reminder in my life.  What is my focus and where do my thoughts tend to wonder?

    Joy, blessings, contentment, laughter, love, thankfulness, and many amazing riches that come from my heart are ones that cannot be taken away from me.  May the riches of your heart and mine be abundantly overflowing so we can be content, generous, positive, and kind to those around us.

  • Book: “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney

    I was thinking about some of my favorite books I enjoy reading to the girls.  The book Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney is one I have read to our girls many times.  It is a great book for parents to read to little ones.  The book is about a small rabbit who is asking how much he is loved and comparing the love to things / objects around him.  It helps put “love” in a perspective that our children can understand.  The book is a good reminder to the kids and parent both.  It is important that we show our love and appreciation for our children not only by reading the book to them but in many other ways throughout the week – a hug, listening, spending time with them, and just appreciating them for who they are as individuals.