...because you touched our life...

...we will never be the same without you...

...because you touched our life, our hearts have a void that no one else can fill...

...because you touched our life, there is one less smile...

...because you touched our life, life does not want to go on...

...because you touched our life, our tears won't stop...

...because you touched our life, we were blessed by all that was you...

...because you touched our life, something is missing, cause you are not there...

...because you touched our life, nothing else matters now that you are no longer here...

...because you touched our life, we are grateful for the person that YOU are...

...eleanor roosevelt stated that so many people come into our lives...often quickly going but the ones that truly matter leave footprints on our hearts & we are never the same...

...a young man a few years back came into my family's life & did just so...I, like so many were blessed that this young man decided to stay and grow with us...he showed us his humor, his love of sports, his passion for cooking, his dedication & his hard work, his love for family and the love of his life...he was fun and energetic; his smile was magnetic & you knew he loved life...

...this young man grew to be a part of a family...a family that appreciated who he was and knew that because of his presence they were blessed...

...and one night this young man was taken from us...way too soon...no good-byes were uttered and those that he left behind were stunned...no more smiles, no more laughter, no more saying hi, no more hanging out, no more being with him...

 

...brian -- words cannot express how much my heart misses you; thank you for being the person in my life that touched it in such a profound way, more than i ever could express...thank you for being there for my brother & being his partner, his co-worker, & his friend...i feel so blessed that God placed you in my life, in our lives, you forever have a place in my heart...may your memory be eternal & will be missing you...

"as long as we can love each other, & remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away...all the love you created is still there...all the memories are still there...you live on --in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while they were here..."  

(Tuesdays with Morrie)

no time that will ever be like this...

“I've always believed in savoring the moments. In the end, they are the only things we'll have.” 
(Anna Godbersen, The Luxe)...

...once upon a time, or a long long time ago...isn't that how all great stories start...stories about far off lands, or about a prince & princess, or how good reigns over evil...it can even be about a few best friends who just happen to be sisters...who decide to take a little trip to the deserts of arizona...where they leave their lives behind for a few days & go on adventures of the deep sea (or the backyard pool), and discover the cuisine of the south (or maybe its a little in& out burger, or a cookie dessert from oregano's)...where laughter can be heard for days & stories of new and old were shared between generations...

...isn't that how great stories began...where you take some amazing people & all you have is time...where you get to be without the distractions of life...where you get to write your own stories for a few days without complication and sub in fun & relaxation...where even if you tried to write it again the exact same way it could never be duplicated...for those moments of the adventure, the laughter, the fun, the being are written on your heart forever & all at the same time you find yourself smiling because it was one hell of a story...

...no moment will ever be this...& i am so thankful and so so blessed...AZ 2013

...to leave the mark that allows the world to remember you...

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

(Mark Twain)

...is to inspire the world and the world is a little better place by having you in it...& 

...even though there are so many, 2 have earned their wings, and left footprints on our hearts forever...

...i move to grand rapids, almost 3 years ago...every city has its places that are unique to them...local joints that you can only enjoy while being in the city...i was introduced by my cousin to a place called marie catrib's; a quaint little restaurant that served delicious, fresh, savory food that stood for who the owner was, not only did she create a huge success she also created a place where people loved to visit...where she would greet them with a smile or even a hug & no matter who you were, you became family...you felt her love in her food & you saw her life in the flavors that came alive on your plate; but most importantly you knew her heart every time you walked in the door or ran into her...& i, like so many, were blessed to know this woman, marie catrib, & sadly she is no longer with us, she is feeding us from heaven, & the little restaurant that was her own, carries on through her sons, through those that believed in what she created...

...ever since i was a little girl, i have many people who have touched my life from my church...one lady in particular stands out...it is almost impossible to describe her charisma, her love for life...anna nicholas, had a way about her that made anyone stop and have a conversation with her...she was creative, artsy, appreciated the idea of life and what it could bring with each passing day...she loved her husband, and her boys were the apple of her eye...she was just her, and no matter what as soon as i saw her an instant smile popped on my face...so the moment when the news came through, that heaven earned a new angel, my heart stopped for it knew that i would not see that smile as i came into church...but it knows that each time, i see a piece of cool art or one of her grand kids that is her way of throwing a smile our way...

...each women, seconds to minutes to hours to days to years touched my life, touched others & on that day they made the sky a little brighter the world stopped for a moment, shed a tear, looked to the sky & said thank you God for all that was them...

...there they were being them & leaving their mark...& if for two seconds i leave what they left behind, then wow what a mark...

...so to marie & anna, thank you for touching my life in a bigger way than i ever could imagine, my heart thanks you & my life was blessed & the world was inspired...

...cheers to the sky!

at the end of this life...we take our last breath...

"...blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted..." (mt. 5:4)

...when we are born into this life; we come to realize that we are only blessed with so many moments...moments that define us, moments that take our breath away...moments that are indescribable...

...we also realize that there is no guarantee to how much actual time we get to spend with one person...that even if we look at the very moment we are in, right now, it just doesn't seem like enough time...

so as humans we look to make the most if it..try to live as if this was our last...take all that is and all who are around us and just hold on, take it all in so that those around us realize how important, how awesome they made our lives, how special we felt because they were in our life...how the simplest things from a smile to a conversation or the very fact; that their presence touched our hearts makes us a better version of us...

...so when we come to that point where we must say good-bye for a little while, where are heart feels as  if it will never be whole again, where life feels as if it may never return to our 'normal'...

...where that person, our heart, takes their last breath, we stop, life takes a moment, & we look to the sky & say thank you...thank you for being a blessing in our life & for the gift of God that is you...

...uncle dave -- you are one in a million...may your memory be eternal...

one drink for you & one for us, cheers to the sky!

...the shop local initiative...we should at least try...

don't you think??

...i sometimes get an itch or rather a thought or belief that becomes part of a passion for me...some say i become too passionate about certain things; often to the point of me being stubborn & not wanting to listen to the other side of the argument (what can i say, i'm a leo or something like that)...i digress...

...this however is becoming more the forefront of my new passion...local, small business whatever that encompasses for you or how you define it...i have tried to support the small guy, my brothers are the little guy, not corporate owned & i want people to support them; so in turn i like to support others in the same boat...

...recently i have felt a bigger push to buy more local, more small business...why?  why do this, well to be perfectly honest i feel as if small business is a major backbone to society...they create & provide jobs, they support our local economies, & they put money back where it needs to be...there is also something about buying/supporting your own backyard...am i on my soap box, am i putting too much into it??

...maybe, or just maybe i challenge myself to buy more local, to shop where i live, when it comes to the buying produce i go to the farmer's market, or when i want a cup of coffee i try the local shop around the corner & the list goes on...& this goes for not just shopping & buying in only my city, my state, but to support all the local efforts out there...i can do this & there will be times i step into the big corporate store but if i just try to be a little more proactive, then maybe i can change the way i think or the way the big guy does business...here goes nothin, here goes to buying & going local!!!

one day at a time...

"...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 a future...." (jer. 29:11)

...as we journey through life we discover how often are minds want to jump ahead to the next week, the next 5 months and even the next several years...we want to figure out how the decision we decide today will determine what tomorrow will look like...how if we choose one path instead of another what hand life will deal us next...

instead (& I'm a serious offender) of living for the future...take a deep breath & live for this day...live for this moment & just hope for the next...realize that if this all you got than you can't worry about what will come next...take life as you should one day at a time, one moment that is created just for you...to live, to love, to smile, to breathe, to work, to play, to pray, to learn, to listen, to forgive, to just be...

cause if this is it, that one day might as well be the best f*&^#* day of your life...


"therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself...each day has enough trouble of its own..." Mt. 6:34)

at certain points in life, we search...

“I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there.” 
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


we grow up, attend school & then we make a decision about what we want to be when we grow up...back & forth, what is the right path for us; what is our purpose among all the masses??...now most of us think we nailed it, we want to be a CEO, a lawyer, a teacher, a politician, a actor, a designer, the list goes on...we land our job & off we go; then all of sudden we wake up & we are scared to death that what we envisioned is not what we want but rather what we thought we wanted, & then we spiral down into questioning every decision we have ever made...we no longer think or trust what we have thought for so long...& we are stuck with the next question, what next??...for fear of making the same mistake or never finding what we will becomes daunting...& all of sudden we feel lost...

...& then we feel as if nothing else can become more unreliable, a moment of peace sets in...a moment of trust; almost as if God says do not worry, trust in me i will make your path straight...& for that moment no matter how long it may last we know that we will figure it out & that is long as put faith in that trust, we might find our purpose, or we might figure out just what we want to be when we grow up...that moment may not happen within the next minute, hour days, or months...but if we stop long enough it is there...

...so as you, as we are all trying to figure this thing called life out, & we are hurrying along in it; remember to stop...b/c you never know when your moment might fall in your lap...

"Accumulation of wealth is a popular defense against fear. Since we fear losing our jobs, health care, or retirement benefits, we amass possessions, thinking the more we have, the safer we are…

We engineer stock and investment levies, take cover behind the hedge of hedge funds. We trust annuities and pensions to the point that balance statements determine our mood levels. But then come the Katrina-level recessions and downturns, and the confusion begins all over again…

If there were no God, stuff-trusting would be the only appropriate response to an uncertain future. But there is a God. And this God does not want his children to trust money…

Scrooge didn’t create the world; God did.

Psalm 104 celebrates this lavish creation with twenty-three verses of itemized blessings: the heavens and the earth, the waters and streams and trees and birds and goats and wine and oil and bread and people and lions. God is the source of “innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great… These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season” (vv. 25, 27).

—Fearless

And he does. God is the great giver. The great provider. The fount of every blessing. Absolutely generous and utterly dependable. The resounding and recurring message of Scripture is clear: God owns it all. God shares it all. Trust him, not stuff!"

*a little something extra that may explain what my meaning*

*& for all of you that have missed me, hopefully this is my strong return*