Be amazing!

When you read those two words, what do you think? Some people will think that they have to do something extraordinary or that someone else needs to notice some act or words before YOU accept that you can be amazing with so little effort. Here is the secret to being amazing....just be YOU!!! I was sent a little "angel" via an email from GZ and she thanked me for being an "angel" in her life. Now, you may ask, "Why are you an angel?" Well, I can tell you that I have never sat with her in the emergency room (I would), I haven't saved her when her car ran out of gas (I have done that for another friend); we have never even been to lunch yet together. I do give her a hug every time I see her and thanked her yesterday for sharing herself and and her smile with me every day. As I think of another amazing woman in my life, my eyes are tearing up and I am not even sure why. She would know why. Open the door for someone...think of others before you think of yourself...give with your whole heart...share deeply...love unconditionally. I have many people in my life who can be less than amazing and then I am so ever grateful for those that make my life so much more wonderful. Amazing is something that any one of us can be, and it is not how we see ourselves...it is how others see us. If we are given such a compliment as, "You are simply amazing!", we need to take it. Take it with humbleness and with honor...those words are not just said to say them. They are said with conviction and pride and I am so very blessed to know amazing people who share their lives with me every day. My beautiful, gracious sisters are not just my sisters but also my friends and I treasure them and miss them more than they ever know. Your task for today, should you choose to accept it (LOL), is to be amazing by being you. Notice others and let them know that they amaze you. You might make their day and you will smile too.

Be beautiful

Back in May, someone gave me a new outfit to wear for a family function. It was WAAAY outside my comfort zone but I trusted her judgement and allowed her to show me what I could be and how it was different than what I was. She actually wanted the clothes I was wearing to reflect how I felt inside - beautiful. Even in October, when a similar situation came about and she walked me to a mirror to see what she saw, I deflected. I didn't believe that I could be beautiful on the outside. I have never been a girly-girl and I think I was described as "cute". On the inside, I have no doubt that my heart, my soul, my everything is something beautiful, so why don't I let myself be beautiful on the outside? Why is it so hard for me to accept? Why can't I see what others see? It still makes me feel uncomfortable, but I try every day to take the compliments when they come, even if it is difficult for me to do so. Today, I wore something I never thought I would wear, even though I bought it. I wore it to work for the first time and received many compliments on the jacket you see in the picture of me. I never thought I could wear anything like that as I know it would bring attention to me. But I wore WAAAY different jewelry with it and so more than ever before, people noticed me and I was beautiful today. I can shine from the inside out but have never really accepted that my willingness to shine must also be noticed from the outside as well. They have to go hand in hand and the work more effectively that way also. So, if you think you can't be...if you think you are not deserving of it...if you think it is for someone else...I am here to tell you that you can be beautiful. Let yourself be. Share that beauty with the rest of us who are in awe of it and will always treasure the way it made us feel because of the way you felt...beautiful.

Humbless comes to me

I sigh, but not in disgust or in frustration. I let the air escape from my lungs in acceptance. Humbling accepting the compliments that have visited my life in such a few shorts days. I still almost find it difficult, but by my being me, it actually is very easy. It can be difficult for us to see AND accept what others see in us. Do you do that well? I don't but am working at getting better at it. Last night, we had another G.I.F.T meeting and I will post a quick summary soon. Some new faces and some that had come previously. Two ladies said that they feel inspired when they read what I write here. Amongst their crazy lives with the ups and downs, twists and turns on their rollercoaster ride, they find something in my blog that tells them to just stay the course. Later, I received a text from SM (love you!) that said that this meeting has her thinking and asking herself questions she maybe was afraid (to get wrong) to answer. And looking through some postings on Facebook, she also posts about how we should accept compliments, because not doing so with grace takes away the gift of giving it. Then, I was totally blown away today. Let's just say I was speechless. Yes, yes, I know. It does happen. I was visiting with a co-worker who I do not know very well and she asks my opinion about something she is thinking about doing in the next couple of months that will be different for her. Then she tells me that she says to herself, "If I could only be one-third of her." I am not sure who she is speaking about, but TM tells me that I am the "her" she is referring to when she says that. WOW! I am not sure what third she wants to be like, because sometimes I am not sure I like all of the thirds of me. But, I didn't know what to say, and I wasn't sure specifically talking about, and tried to accept the compliment. Then, I told her about the blog and the G.I.F.T. and how I got started. She sounded very excited as I gave her a hug and went on my daily tasks. Someone else told me that I should not be surprised by these words because "I'm amazing." DOUBLE WOW! I think it is almost impossible to fully comprehend and understand the magnitude of the effect we have on each other. How something we say inspires someone to do something different. How an action we take encourages someone to stand in front of a group of 5 year old ice skaters and takes lessons as a teenager. I posted a few months ago about how "IT MATTERS" and I am not trying to repeat myself here. Last night and today, I received genuine compliments that I will never forget. Because I have left them with something that they will never forget. Thank you all.