the question was asked...what would you leave behind?

“the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”  (Bob Marley)

one of  my first weeks of  school one of my students asked me if I could leave anything in this world what would it be...& as i stared at this young student i realized that she didn't want a B.S. answer; she really wanted to know what i would want to leave behind...so I thought for a moment...and then I responded with the best response i could think of...& my answer was this --...i want to leave this world a little bit better than when i came into it...

...now i am no mother teresa (try other side of the spectrum), most days i struggle just like everyone else; i know that i am probably not going to find a cure for cancer or some other life-threatening disease (even though that will be one of my biggest prayers); i am not going to be the next andy warhol, or the next whitney houston; or the next serena williams, or the next nicholas sparks, in fact when that moment comes and i am no longer; majority of people will not even recognize my name or remember what i did or who i was & that is totally ok; however i think that for me as long as i brought a little sunshine & a little positivity than i will have accomplished the goal of leaving this world a little better off than before...& maybe that is where most of my blogs come from; the last post i wrote was trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes before being quick to judge or killing someone with kindness instead joining in the negativity...maybe its the little things that allow for us to leave a mark of positivity...that allows for the world to be a different place than when we first came into it...

...so each day my goal...is to smile at the stranger who walks on by; to listen to a student who wants to tell me about their stressful life; to remember to say please and thank you not because i have to but because it goes a long way; to give a hug to someone who needs it; to make a phone call to a friend who i haven't talked to in awhile just to say hi; to say a prayer for someone (who i may not even know) who might at that very moment just need it; to take a deep breath, let go before losing my cool; to send a note of thanks or thinking of you because i can take five minutes; to laugh more often; to take time for me so as to allow time for others; to live in the moment of now rather than freaking out about the future, or regretting the past; to live in the positive because the negativity only takes up space (& nobody got time for that); to not take life so serious because in the end it isn't so much about the destination but rather how we got there; to never miss an opportunity, to hug or hold or say 'i love you'...so each day my goal is to live for the better of this that is all around us, so that the world, that my nieces, nephews, and hopefully one day my kids will be in, will be a little bit better not because i was anything important or moved mountains but because i lived for it to be better...

...one day a teenager asked you;...if you could leave anything to this world what would it be...and you responded???

...maybe you haven't lived until you walked in someone else's shoes...

“whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."  (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

...our mothers (maybe fathers) used to say different phrases of all sorts..."don't judge a book by its cover,"    "...money doesn't grow on trees," "don't burn the candle at both ends," "you can't have your cake & eat it too"...& the list can go on and i am sure on & on...and some of them stuck with us and some of them we never thought about after they were spoken...so as you start to wonder, where is she going with this one & are slowly getting ready to hit the close button & stop reading...i am not blogging about all the words of wisdoms we learned as a kid or learning as an adult; i am sure i have already done that...so moving on...

...we all have our stories, we all know our backgrounds, we all know where we came form, we all have our experiences...the reason for this; it is our life; we should know us and who we are and all that comes with it...but here is where we step out of us...have you ever put yourself in someone's shoes...you know when you are sitting at a restaurant and the server is not the greatest, but is trying, instead of getting angry or impatient have you ever thought maybe her life came crashing down before she started her shift, or just maybe the table before you belittled her...or maybe have you ever met that person with a major attitude, and no matter what, they are just never happy; instead of getting 'tude' back do you ever just keep smiling & quietly say a prayer asking for the grace of God to grant them peace & happiness...or maybe you have a better way of how that doctor should do his job, or how that teacher should teach, or how that person should run their business; but do you really know; have you lived their life, been in their shoes...there are a million scenarios, most of which we can all say we have encountered at some point in our life...so here is a new thought or maybe a change in perspective before even going there, or even before you get there...stop, take a breath, and put yourself in their shoes (am i saying there aren't just poopy people out there, no, there is & God help them)...walk a mile, a minute, a second, a day in their shoes and even if you have been there before; just remember when you were in that minute or that moment, you probably wished someone understood where you were coming from...

...take a minute and think; if you had to walk in those shoes...what would you do...

2013 in review...or rather where did it go & where will it lead in 2014...

HAPPY 2014 -- GOOD-BYE 2013...come on do you actually think that this post would be on time...

"...you don't know where you're going unless you know where you've been..."

...let us rewind for a quick sec...in 2013...

...i started my year in Grand Rapids, working for Mary Ann's Chocolates and decided that i would fulfill my dear friends' new year resolutions (don't worry i am not rehashing the story, one time is enough) & go out in to the world of dating; putting my self out there did not work so i ventured into online dating...a date here & there in the midst of all the fun dating, my job status changed and i joined the awesome forces at design design; at the same moment i realized that maybe God was sayin it is time to go back to teaching; so i started searching out and low and behold i found a few; some in GR and then some in Rochester (north of detroit)...and in the mean time one of my on-line dating extravaganzas hits and i land myself a decent guy...so in the mean time of dating this great guy i do not land the job in GR but rather rochester...so i decided to up and move and leave this great guy...& the big move happens, i return to the teaching world and we decide that we are going to make it work, living in two different states...then at the beginning of the school i was blessed with a new niece, ms. sabene (nick & kate's) graced us with her presence a little early but we were so excited to add a new one to the clan...so as i am surviving the school year and adapting to my surroundings; the so called on-line date that turned into the guy i am dating, into my person, decided to ask me to be his wife...and then we celebrated halloween, thanksgiving and christmas and the year came to an end...the buckeyes were ok but didn't win the big ones; my brothers ventured off into starting another restaurant, my sister started a foundation for kids with cancer, i now have 8 beautiful nieces and nephews (i am little partial) & thank God we are happy& healthy; what more could one ask for in a year...(ok so that was a longer recap than i anticipated & that is 5 minutes that you will never get back, my apologies; ohh well what you going to do)...

...as we look to 2014...where shall we go...

let's see as we start the  new year, God has smiled on me and extended  my vacation for two more days ...so no complaints to start  off 2014...and as this year continues we have a baptism  , lots of birthdays, an end to the my first year of teaching & hopefully celebrating a second year of teaching  , i am pretty sure there may be a party a two, hopefully i get to visit a new restaurant, owned by my brothers & then i (which in actuality is still crazy to think about) will be  living with a boy for the rest of my life  or rather i am getting married , the date is set , 11.8.2014 and let the fun begin... 

...so there is a lot of the actual activities   but what do i plan on accomplishing this year for me on a personal note...well for starters, this blog i basically need to get on it or  stop altogether (you can 't live with this suspense and i cannot do that to you ,  it is not right on my end)...so i think a post a week is what i am going to try and hit; i need to read, read, and read & to do lots more it; i miss it,  & it allows for my brain to have a break from reality...i have to finish ms. jane austen, & i have already got some other good book suggestions,  i want to write more, and sew more, and let go more...and just be, & not worry about sh*t that doesn't matter, or is literally the small stuff (trust me i will be definitely be putting this into practice this year, just ask my fiance), and it doesn't mean anything in the great scheme of things, to be more faithful, (as i am putting a lot in to practice, i think i often forget to rely on faith & must practice what i preach and what i know)...& of course my dear friends left me with some other 2014 resolutions (which they have a pretty good track record so we might as well listen to them)...so as we kick  off the year (& ohh, i forgot one, my a*# and hips maybe shall shrink in 2014 and my overall health will improve, but don't we all want that & world peace too); here is wishing to a happy & blessed 2014 to you and yours...

(**disclaimer, this may sound like 2013, but why recreate the wheel, just keep working at it until maybe one day, one year  i will  check it off...)

"...for i know the plans i have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future." (jer. 29:11)