Go Beyond the Obvious


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and by now you have received dozens of emails, texts and messages reminding you to be grateful.

So, today I’m not going to do the same thing. Instead of sending the same typical, predictable message as everyone else, I want to make this one different. So, please indulge me.

Stop for a moment, right now, and picture just one good thing that happened this past year as a result of the pandemic. Something that you realized or experienced that bought a different dimension to your life that would not have happened if it wasn’t for COVID.

Don’t answer too quickly and please don’t give the standard answer, like “spend more time with my family.†Yes, that is very important and I’m thrilled that so many people have experienced that, but I am asking you to go beyond the obvious.

This is really a hard question so I’m taking today to reflect on the new person I have become in this last year because of, and in spite of, the pandemic. My life has certainly changed and I know there is a new path before me. I just have to clear away the branches and debris to see where it leads me.

Happy Thanksgiving, my Dear Friends.

 

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Professional Speaker
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Who Will Be at Your Table This Year?


Thanksgiving is just two days away, and as I reflect on the past, I realize that the way I celebrate this holiday has changed over the years.

First, it was all about family. I can still remember the craziness of kids running around the house, my mother trying to get the food on the table while it was still hot and everyone bumping into each other as we tried to help in that tiny kitchen.

As I grew older, I couldn’t always travel home. That’s where my friends came in and they became my new family, all just as loving and sometimes a little more accepting.

Now, this year, I will be celebrating with my husband’s family, learning new traditions and trying to understand the inside jokes. New surroundings, new faces, yet we will still be surrounded by the familiar sharing of love and laughter.

Over the years I have come to realize that no matter who is sitting at the dining room table, this holiday is about being grateful for all that you have right in front of you, to creating new memories and being ready for whatever may come your way.

So, at this time of year, no matter where I may be celebrating, I am eternally grateful for the family and friends who have entered my life. Thankful for those who stayed and those who merely passed through. You are all a huge part of who I am today. And my hope is that I make others feel welcomed into my life, whether it’s a holiday or not.

So, to everyone who is reading this post and to all those you touch, I wish you a sincere Thanksgiving, a heartfelt Friendsgiving and a life filled with all the happiness your heart can hold.

 

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Friendsgiving


Friendsgiving – don’t you just love that word? 

Next week is Thanksgiving and for years my family celebrated this holiday with kids and grandkids and parents and everyone within our circle of relatives.  But as I grew older, I wasn’t always able to travel home and be with my family.  It was a lonely time and I did not look forward to spending the holiday alone.  And that’s where my friends came in.

At a time that could have been very empty for me, my friends would welcome me into their dorm room or apartment or house and invite me to join them in an evening of eating and drinking and laughing.  Some of my fondest Thanksgiving memories are with Mike and Christine and Destany and so many others.

So that’s why I love the word Friendsgiving.  It’s a time to be thankful to the many friends that have entered my life.  Some have stayed while others merely passed through, and all are a huge part of who I am today.  Because of them, I hope I welcome others into my life and make them feel welcomed, whether it’s a holiday or not.

So to everyone who is reading this post and to all the lives that you touch, I wish you a sincere Thanksgiving, a heartfelt Friendsgiving and a life filled with all the happiness your heart can hold.

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Professional Speaker
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