Life in Words.

Today is International Women's Day and I, for one, am celebrating. Here are ten things for me and for you, ladies. 1. Today I am celebrating freedom and independence. I am free to live my life on my terms. 2. I am grateful for every woman in my life who has taught me that life doesn't have to look the same for everyone and that the differences are worth fighting for and celebrating. 3. Thank you to all the women who came before me and fought their asses off so that I can live the life I want. 4. No matter where you go in the world, you are among sisters and mothers. You can find them anywhere because we share the common experience of being divinely woman. 5. Thank you to my own mom who left home at an early age, started a career, had a family, and demonstrated for me what it meant to be strong. 6. We are lucky to live in a time when we, as women, decide what we want our lives to look like and, for the most part (always room for improvement), we can make it happen. 7. Ju...

Oh 2018, you have been a most welcome change from 2017 (read more about that brutal year here ). We did well, 2018, and I am proud of us. Here are some thoughts and lessons from 2018. 1. When you stop saying mean things to yourself, you start to believe it. Stop saying you're fat. Stop saying you've always done that annoying thing. Stop saying you're not good at it. Stop saying you're unlovable. STOP STOP STOP. I mean it. Stop. Trust me, you will feel the weight of the world slowly lift off of your shoulders. When you get in the habit of cutting yourself off from all of those awful criticisms, you acknowledge the good in you and there is a lot to be celebrated. 2. You can change your life in the time between laying your head on the pillow and falling asleep. Sounds very Tony Robbins, doesn't it? I am not about to sell you vitamins or a self-help book. I promise. At the beginning of 2018 I started saying these simple words as I fell asleep..."Good thing...

As I grow up, I can see a desperation amongst my peers for sincerity and authenticity. Thanks to maturity we grow our circles in quality and are far more selective in quantity. There are a million different quotes about this, and Pinterest is bleeding with inspiration about the quality of our friendships. I am at a point in my life where, if you can't be real with me, I'm out. Is that harsh? Maybe. Its only harsh when you say it out loud because the majority of us, in my opinion, are operating at that frequency whether we speak it or not. But then there are those who are not operating at that frequency. I promise not to tell who just popped into your heads. [wink] You know some, I know some, and just open any social media app if you're wondering. The Perfects were always a family out there but now social media has given them a platform to slather their inflated happiness all over us. I remember a story from my high school days where Parent Perfect was expounding on the d...

I want to share this message from my friend, Terri. She is a true warrior. She lost her husband at a very young age, with a young son in tow. Her husband was loved and adored as a teacher and as a human. She carried on. She fought hard. I painted the fiery angel with the intention of keeping her. She was me and she represented the new life I have fought for. But when Terri contacted me, I knew that this angel was also Terri and she belonged to her too. See below for Terri's words. Thank you for sharing a little of your story, Terri! She is beautiful, she was made for me. When I originally saw her on Jessie’s Facebook page, I immediately thought...wow, she completely resonates with me. Then, as quickly as my first thought came to me, my next thought was “mom loves angels, I will purchase this beautiful painting for her. The day went on and I had messaged Jessie about her. I had screen shotted her and various times throughout the day, I would peek at her. I was completely drawn ...

On December 19, 2012, a pastor said, "This little girl LIVED A YES." He was talking about Lily Anderson, the daughter of my friend Jennifer, who did her absolute best to kick cancer's tail until the very end...she was 11. I never knew Lily, but to know her mom is to know Lily. To live in Cumming, GA is to know Lily. To have your children attend Vickery Creek schools is to know Lily. That is as close as I will ever get, but I will take it. On the back of my sweet minivan is a big ol' sticker that says, "LIVE A YES." I like the idea of it and I really love Lily's mama so I can absolutely get on board. All fine and good until you sit and wonder if you are really living a yes. I asked Jennifer what it means to her and her answer was this, "Means different things to different people. Some people deep meaning, some not so deep. Like putting away your shopping cart at Publix is living a yes but so is devoting your life to Jesus. Its a wide range. I will ...

A quick reflection for today... 1. When you make yourself vulnerable, people feel safe with you. 2. Life is hard, but you are stronger than you can ever imagine. 3. When you walk through the light at the end of the tunnel, it is worth every minute of pain. 4. Own your mistakes with every ounce of bravery you can muster up. 5. The happier you are alone, the more open you are to loving someone else. 6. The frequency you send out into the world, is the frequency you attract back in. 7. Give compliments. Say them right to that person's face. They mean more than you will ever know. 8. Be kind to yourself. Don't talk badly about You. If you say nice things to You, you just might start to believe it. 9. Find "your thing" and do it with foolish abandon. Whatever it is, make it happen. 10. The greatest thing anyone can ever tell you is, YOU LOOK SO HAPPY . It is the true reflection of what you feel on the inside, beaming out of you for others to see. Hold that compl...

This blog post is inspired by Cheryl Strayed's book, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar . If you haven't read it, please do. It is worth every minute of precious time. One of my dearest friends recently wrote me an email. Her email matched most of our conversations that I will describe as "meaty." We talk about things that matter and then we go beyond matter and hit the how and why with a vengeance. She challenges me to think far beyond what I think I know and understand so I always feel a sense of honor when she asks me for my thoughts. In an effort to respect our friendship and her thoughts and feelings, I am going to answer her email here in a general way that might apply to others as well. I like to write about things that I gather from lots of people during lots of good conversations and I think this is another one of those. Here goes... Friend: I know who I am - or at least who I want to be and think I am - but the life I am livi...