...the story goes...you are granted 5 talents...now what??

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” (Mae West)

...God has a way of speaking to us when we least expect it, the best part of the whole thing is He provides exactly what we need to hear at exactly the right time...it is in those moments we are (i believe) provided with His wisdom, or rather wake up and smell the humus moments...

so the story goes...or rather a refresher, just in cases...
a man had servants and bestowed upon them talents, one he gave 5 to, the next 2 and the last one he gave 1 talent to...he returned after awhile & each brought forth their original talents &...
...the one who had started with 5 double it and so did the one who had 2 but the one with only one talent decided for fear of his master to hide it and do nothing with it...the master was ticked b/c this man did not even try to gain interest in what he had or take the risk with what was given to him...the master scolded him and said since you found no use give it to those who doubled what he was given (mt. 25: 14-30)...i am sure you heard a better more poignant version of this; but the message is clear...

...this is the message that was give to me this past sunday and then the priest went on further to discuss the meaning behind it...remember God knows what we need to hear, His medium can come in all forms even sometimes the most obvious...this sunday it was right in my face...God gives us talents of all kinds, yes ones to serve our church, our neighbors, our families, our community, and even those ones that we often decide or choose not to use b/c we do not want to take the risk of messing up...a talent that is so risky that the very thought of it pushes us to hide it or not use it; and then we find ourselves looking back and thinking, regretting how we just wasted what was given to us or rather even worse not even realizing what was there for us to grab and run with it...then poof its gone or given to another that will use it to the max...

...so my message that i am passing on...not a 100% certain but what i do know is sitting in that pew i realized i did not want to look back and think why didn't i take the risk, why did i let the talents given to me to fall by the wayside, why did i not use to the max what God gave me...why am i so afraid to jump and know that God will provide the parachute and sometimes even when that parachute doesn't work He will provide me with another back up...we, not HIM, are the ones that hold back...we are the ones that can't let go, jump and see what he truly has in store for us...you never know it could be better than we could ever imagine....

...the other aspect that made sense to me, if we are given a talent and we use that talent, that is when we are truly giving love away for all those around us to feel...think about it, if beethoven decided it was too risky and because of a physical disability not to write, compose or play would we ever know what sadness can sound like...or if van gogh decided it was not important for you to visualize a beautiful starry night, would we ever have known this masterpiece...

or would we every know what is like to use your talent to serve the world if it wasn't for mother teresa's humility and living by philosophy of that "...If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one..."  do not worry that you can't feed a whole country but that you used what you had and fed one...and the list goes on...but what all these and so many who use their talents have in common is that by giving you what God bestowed upon them, they have shown you love through music, through beauty, through compassion and giving, through whatever talent is theirs to give...that is how we truly love and can love everyone...

....i once said that if i do nothing in this world, the one thing i would like to do is leave this world a better place than when i began...this can be achieved through using my talents that i was given...then i know nothing was wasted and gave it my all even while giving my all i could quite possibly fall in the process...

so now i ask, the talents are yours what are you going to do with them??? will you take the leap of faith and go for it and see what you can come up with...all it takes is letting go and doing...

at some point we have to stop being hopeless and BECOME hopeful...

...it takes a hell of a lot more energy to be hopeless than to be hopeful..

“they say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” 
(Tom Bodett)

if you happen to take a gander at the internet or a newspaper, or listen to the radio, or watch TV...you are probably feeling a little hopeless...so much violence, so much hate, so much anger...so many people are questioning whether walking out the door is worth it, b/c who knows what will happen...that I cannot answer for you, however i heard once, "don't let the fear of living stop you from living"...i am not going to spend the next however long this post should last talking about what happened, however I will say, may God have mercy on all those involved, and that i will be praying for peace, and love..."love conquers all"...not hate....i will also go on to tell you what i did see in the last few weeks, that allows me to believe that HOPE is out there...

....hope is there when i hear the excitement in the voice of my niece over her 10th birthday party...hope is reading about a young girl, who keeps on fighting and bringing smiles to those around her, whose heart/body although may have some physical defects shows no defects whatsoever when you meet her and witness her outstanding personality...hope is watching my students take a few extra moments and some patience to work with a student with special needs...hope is watching not 1 but 2 workers at local restaurant run after the bus so an older gentleman can catch it...hope is honoring people's memories that we have lost, by allowing them to live on through our love...hope is reading a great article about a woman who saw the beauty in cake decorations, no matter what they look like...hope is having someone to love and to be loved...hope is watching people fight & beat cancer & other diseases...hope is watching two people under the eyes of God and in front of their family & friends proclaim their love...hope is witnessing all people from all walks of like work together for a greater cause than just their own...hope is in smiles, and hugs, and laughter, and even tears...hope is looking to the sky and watching the heavens shine bright b/c of all the bright stars, and knowing our hearts are sad but our lives were that much brighter b/c of them...hope is new babies, and new life...hope is knowing that a bad moment cannot last forever...hope is so much more than this post ...hope is not the things we see, read, or hear about on a daily basis, hope is found all around us, we just sometimes have to look a little harder to find it...it is there, it never goes away...
...so the next time you read, see, or hear something that makes you feel so hopeless, don't stop there but rather look around and find the things that make you feel hopeful...and then take that hope and use it to turn hate into love, conflict into peace...use it as your motivation to live for a better world...  

stop & think at all this footprints that have touched your life...

& you have to think...WOW, God loves me that much that He put them in my life...even if it was for the briefest of moments...they were there, to show you a part of life you may never have experienced before...even those people that may have caused you strife or struggle helped shape that part of your life...

"...surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life...touch your heart...& nourish your soul..." (unknown)


i have been blessed to have so many people that God placed throughout my life, who for whatever reason caused the world around me to be forever changed & my heart to forever to be better...& i most likely told you a story or two about them, throughout my non-existent blogging career...but yet for some reason the topic seems to have resurfaced so why not, give a little shout out to some...

...so who are those footprints...it is the woman who taught me some of the greatest philosophies in the world, who is my biggest supporter, who is always there...it is the girl who said a prayer with me...it is the kids that make me see the world through their eyes...it is guy who holds my heart and allows me to dream...it is the patient that showed me even after their body can't exist any more, that their being will be loved forever in the hearts of others...it is the parent who showed me unconditional love, especially after their heart was broken...it is the friends that do not have to be near to keep touching my life...it is the lady who quietly sits in the chair, waiting and watching & then speaking only to impart wisdom...it is the teacher that taught me, the greatest lessons don't always come from you but rather the students that fill your classroom...it is the stranger i came across, that flashed a smile when i needed it the most...it is the relative who shows me how cool family really is...it is the person that shows me a whole new perspective for the purposes of discussion and nothing else...it is the kid that shows me, there is always time to be a kid...it is the child with a disability that lets me see the world through their eyes...it is the siblings that turned out to be one of my best friends, who no matter the time you call them, or the favor you ask them, they come through, even to just be there...it is my person encouraging to go for it & that anything is possible...it is those of you that have showed me love, who took the time to be there, who celebrate with me, it is YOU....

so for you...YOU know who you are, thank you for those moment, the lessons, the love, the being there, for YOU, thank you for allowing me to be touched by in such a profound way...cheers, my heart will forever be grateful...

true love...not only in the fairy tales...

"...I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough... (n. sparks the notebook)

...to attend a wedding I think is quite an honor, in my opinion, in that I mean, the couple wants YOU, yes you, to share in one of thee happiest moment of their lives...how awesome is that, where you get to experience God's greatest gift of love...

........I have been blessed to be in many moments of love...one of them this past weekend, when I got to witness and be in the moment with my best friend, my big sis, when she married her person...& even though I may show some impartiality, just a tad...it was a grand moment...a moment filled with love, filled with family and friends, filled with a beautiul couple who have their own fairytale...      

    

       ...it's a story filled with bumpy roads, wild adventures, highs & lows, and lots of happy endings & beginnings...

     ...& in the end, the beginning, the middle or how this moment came to be, the details won't matter, but what will matter is the two people who told their story on 7.18.15 -- a story of a girl walking down an aisle towards the man of her dreams, of a boy watching his future wife, & his heart melting all over & remembering why this moment was so worth it...of a love that has no limitations...of family &  friends coming together to celebrate their love and their lives...who at that moment shined with happiness and love & had an amazing night...so cheers to that moment, & all the many amazing moments they have yet to create and live in...

         ...to marisa & doug -- it was a top night! all my love 

...

...

figuring it all out...

or rather letting it figure you out...

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein)

i am 32 1/2 years old, and hopefully have no where lived half my life...and i would hope that i have figured some things out...although i must say that every time i think i have figured it out, i realize there is a lot more to learn...and that maybe i will never have it figured it all out...maybe that is what life is figuring it out everyday and never having it always figured out...cause when that happens, that could be the point where God says you have figured all you needed to figure out and that is where it ends...maybe that is what makes life interesting the whole idea that you have no idea how to be or to do this thing called life...we all have that unique ability to learn and understand but to never quite have it figured out???

i guess getting older lends a hand in this belief, b/c i think when i was 20-something, i thought i had figured it out...first let me define my "IT" --> it is knowing what you are doing with your life and who are doing it with, if there is such a person, it is knowing where are going tomorrow, where you have been and where you will be going 5 years from this point...it is knowing your goals and your dreams, and going after what you want, it is seeing what is right before you and thinking this is it...it is having it together, wrapped up in a bow, ready for delivery, it is staying the course b/c that is what you know works...

...BUT as each year goes on, i find myself thinking the complete opposite...and that could very well be the point...(or it could also be that i am babbling, b/c that is what i do best :)...the "IT" is not knowing 100% where you are going tomorrow but rather knowing that what you did yesterday to help you learn for tomorrow, so as if to not to repeat the mistakes but rather to relish & repeat the victories...and that today is where you need to be and that should and will be ok for you, to not worry about the 5 minutes or 5 hours from now but live in this moment, b/c no matter what you have no control in what will happen, but you do have control in the living & being in the moments of now...that in 5, 10, 15 or 20 years you have an idea of what your life may look like, but if it appears to be different that can be ok too...it is loving an accepting those people that you happened to have bless your life and knowing/realizing each moment with them is a blessing and that by having them touch your life, you are that much better...it is still about knowing your dreams and goals, but understanding that dreams and goals can change just as each moment passes by, and accepting what is right now for all that is, right now, but realizing that right now will be so different in a few moments...it is being prepared to jump, to dance, to sing, to listen, to do whatever life calls you to do in every moment...it is knowing that it will not always be put together in a nice box with a ribbon, it can for sure come that way but it could also come in a bag, or not even wrapped but knowing that is what life is at the moment, a life God intended to be lived not planned or figured out...a life He wants to be proud of, but more importantly wants you to enjoy...

...maybe i nailed it, or maybe i did not even come close, one thing i do know is that it is better to stop racking my brains to figure it out and let it just play out and the midst of it playing out, let myself be in all of it...


“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” 
(Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul)

...2014 the year that was...

& 2015... the year to come...

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” (Allen Saunders)

...well, here i am on the other side of 2014...miss me?  i know i kind of did a disappearing act and now have resurfaced after an amazing year...there was some laughing, some crying, some moving, lots of changing, some more moving, lots of celebrating & so so much more...but i came out in the end...hopefully that much better than when i started in 2014; who knows but let me tell you it was one hell of a ride...& now i am ready for 2015...i am ready for my next adventure, to start the next chapter or rather is this a whole new book altogether...we shall see; i am guessing that it will be an adventure in itself...however for this chapter, or the new book, it is not just me and the world, it is also me & my person (& the world too)...ok God, i am ready to turn the page & ready to see the story that will be written...2015 i am ready...but before we go there, 2014 deserves a little nod (& also a flipagram (i just learned how, 2015 is going to be a big year); check it at the end of the page, yes i am a uber dork, somethings never change)

(a thought, maybe this is my version of the christmas card where you write the letter telling everyone what has been going on in your life, the one you are so excited to get & read...your cue --> to just smile & read on...)

...so 2014 what did you throw at us...well we took lots & lots of pictures (which if you know me i was not so thrilled about) but ohh the memories i will have...i witnessed dear friends & family tying the knot, which i love weddings so i could not be happier to celebrate them....i also traveled to wild & wonderful west virginia (be very jealous); not once but TWICE that was where one wedding happened & i also got to see my sister get honored b/c lets face it she rocks (she is my sister after all) and then i watched my brothers open a 2nd restaurant (shameless plug for business here is there facebook page; HangOverEasy, Cincinnati if you be so kind to like it, i would be much obliged ;) , i could not be more proud of them...i know they will do well & will continue to make moves (again i am their sister after all)...i also attended my first one direction concert & let me tell you the only thing that kept me sane was the fact that my nieces were on cloud 9...otherwise let me just say 1 bajillion screaming girls, teenagers,  & women (yes, i said grown women) all at once, got the mental picture, not enough tylenol in the world...nah, it wasn't all that bad, but word of advice ear plugs...we did quite a bit of celebrating, my niece sabene, turned 1, & francesca turned 4, & the other ones (remember i am blessed to be aunt 8.5 times) turned 7, 11, 9, 5, lots of parties, lots of celebrating life...ohh & we celebrated the end of me being single, it was quite the party, there were scarves, pianos, colorful drinks, and lots of stories (PG people) and of course pictures...& to finish the year, i decided to get myself hitched...NOW that was fun, so much fun that it flew by so fast that i am having a hard time remembering all the events that occurred throughout the day (mental note & word of advice, if i do it again; which i am pretty happy with what i got, so most likely will not, i will be taking pictures myself throughout the day so as to relive it instantaneously)...in all reality, it was one of the greatest days of my life, a day where i walked down the aisle to stand next to my best friend & pledge our love, our life, in front of our family & friends under the eyes of God...from the ceremony to the party i could not have asked for a better day, it was my fairy-tale come true, i was a princess for the day...and all those people, people who have touched our lives that came to be a part of the celebration & TRULY made it what it was, my heart will forever be blessed & will FOREVER hold that memory of november 8th...so how do you finish a year after that -- you buy a house, get a new car & have a baby! --> made you look/read; not at the moment for any of those... :) (deep breaths people, i am so glad only 4 people actually read this otherwise i would be getting some phone calls)...we take it one day at a time, we celebrate holidays as a new family with new traditions, we go on weekend trips, we continue to figure us out, we live...

...so long 2014, you were GREAT, thank you for the memories...can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us... 

...wishing you & your families a very blessed & safe 2015...CHEERS!

*DISCLAIMER -- YOU HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR, or JUST PERHAPS SCROLLED TO THE BOTTOM, so, THANK YOU, now GO AHEAD CLICK THE LINK, a LITTLE RECAP OF 2014...enjoy, hugs to the faces!!! 

2014...this is it....

“...CARPE. HEAR IT? CARPE. CARPE DIEM. SEIZE THE DAY BOYS. MAKE YOUR LIVES EXTRAORDINARY...” (JOHN KEATING IN DEADS POET SOCIETY)

“YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT REAL LOSS BECAUSE IT ONLY OCCURS WHEN YOU’VE LOVED SOMETHING MORE THAN YOU LOVE YOURSELF.  I DOUBT YOU’VE EVER DARED TO LOVE ANYBODY THAT MUCH.” - (SEAN MAGUIRE IN GOOD WILL HUNTING)

...the saying is something like...life is not measured by the breaths you take but rather by the moments that take your breath away...& at some moments in life, it seems that the breath of life is completely gone when we lose the ones that we love...today, a famous actor passed away, an actor who brought laughter, who brought characters to life, who transformed himself into characters we loved, who we wanted to be friends with...he brought life to television, to the movies...& by no means, but through media, do i have a connection to this actor, my heart goes out to his family and friends;  b/c there loss is great one...they will be in my thoughts & prayers...

...just as this man, and among those other loved ones that left us too soon, i guess it makes us stop and think...did we seize the moment, did we seize the day...did we "make our lives extraordinary..." & for that matter are we taking these very moments of now and living so that when we look back...we have loved, we have laughed, we have cried, we have held on tight until we could hold on no longer, we have taken every ounce and lived...

                                “OUR JOB IS IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE NOT JUST DELAYING DEATH.” 

(PATCH ADAMS IN PATCH ADAMS)

...in seizing this very moment, are we going the next step and improving upon what we have, or are we settling...don't just wake up and do life; wake up and live life, wake up & improve life from what it is...smile because you can, hug because you can love, laugh because life is funny, cry because your eyes need it, dance because your legs want to move, help others because that is what life is about...

...awhile back i wrote a blog post (well most of them read the same; what can i say i am a broken record); about one of my students, saying if i could leave the world one thing what would it be...& there is the answer, simple and as true as it gets, to not only live each moment like that is all i have but to live life by improving it, so tomorrow is better than today...so that like so many others that have touched our lives whether on a daily basis or just like Mr. Robin Williams who we only knew from afar...we are that much richer, our lives are that much brighter, & the world is that much better because of them...

...cheers to the sky for the stars in the heavens are that much brighter tonight...

..."Thank you for choosing "Magic Carpet" for all your travel needs. Don't stand until the rug has come to a complete stop. Thank you. Goodbye, now. Goodbye. Goodbye. Thank you. Goodbye..."

-Genie, Aladdin-