I came home early yesterday with a migraine and didn’t sleep much at all. (I’ve been up since 12:30 this morning.) Hopefully I’ll be able to take a nap in a bit.

So for today I am thankful for my job and the time accrued to be able to be home when not feeling well. I can’t believe I have been a my company for almost 24 years. It just amazes me.

I’m grateful for my home. It is not easy, but I am so glad I can afford to live by myself. I’m happy that Shade is my roomie. She is the best (and easiest) roommate I have ever lived with. She loves me unconditionally and all she wants is the same. I can do that! *Smiles*

I feel so bad for my family and friends back east as they suffer through this new storm. I’m sending blessings their way and keeping them in my thoughts, heart, and prayers. As for Vegas… I’m super excited and oh so thankful that we will be dropping from the 80′s to the 50′s by Friday.

Bright Blessings,
Ame

I am so grateful that I come from a family that loves to take pictures! I have inherited that love and as I look around my home, I see & smile at all the reminders of how Blessed I truly am. I am my family memory keeper. When grandma dies, mama gave me all the family photo albums. I have pictures as far back as my great great grandparents.

I especially love looking at the pics of my mama, grandma and grandpa of when they were growing up. It helps me feel closer to them now that they are gone. I have pictures of my sister, niece and nephew  all over as well. Time has flown by so very quickly and I love seeing how beautiful my niece and nephew have grown up to be. Oh! Let us not forget the hundred of pics I have taken at Faire over the last 15 years! *LOL* Will I ever get them organized???

I am thankful I had a chance to watch a flock of birds yesterday morning as I pulled into work. They were almost close enough to touch and were oddly unafraid of me as I got out of my car slowly to watch them. I don’t know what kind of birds they were, but being that close to them made my morning.

On a little bit of a vain note, I am so very thankful that my hair has grown back and is even a little thicker than it was pre chemo. It is longer than it has been in years and I have no intention of cutting it, any time soon! I am really enjoying it.Grandpa and Mama 1951

I know I talked about it yesterday, but it bears repeating…I love this time change. I was up at 5:30, took a lovely shower, meditated (okay, attempted to anyway! *LOL), worked through my Spark Coach and am doing a couple of other program entries as well and I am not rushed! I am not stressed! I am relaxed and peaceful and have plenty of time yet to get myself ready for work. This so ROCKS! I am also going to begin getting up at 5:00 to get back into my morning workout routine. So, yes, I am repeating this as something I am so grateful for, as it sets the positive tone to my day!

I am grateful for the little pockets of joy that I find during my day! Little unexpected treasures that fill me with light and make me smile!

I’m so thankful that I have a job! I’m grateful that in this uncertain time, I am able to support and take care of myself. My heart aches for all those who are having difficult times finding work. I am so blessed!

Well, I am off to fix breakfast and throw my lunch together. Here is to a Marvelous Monday! I can’t wait to see what the day holds in store!

Brightest Blessings,
Ame

I love this time change. I can get up an hour earlier and still feel great! It is amazing how much difference an hour makes. I am unhurried, unstressed, and move gently through my morning!

I am so thankful for the wonderfully talented and gifted people who have brought such joy to my life through their books, music, art, and other forms of entertainment and education. I’m grateful to them for helping me expand my mind and indulge my imagination. I’m grateful for books, music and movies that I often get lost in. I love escaping to magical places though words and music. I love learning new ideas and having things to really think about. I can’t imagine a world without these precious gifts. Life would truly be black and white.

I am thankful for the peace of morning. I love the time before life demands that I jump in. I love the peace, the quiet, and and the possibilities that are before me. On Sundays, I love Sunday Baroque on Classical 89.7. It enhances my sense of peace and brings me such joy.

I am very grateful that my little car is still running and gets me to and from work and the grocery store every week.

Time for breakfast and to jump into my day! I hope this finds you at peace and filled with serenity.

Bright Blessings,
Ame

*Tried to post this yesterday, but my computer had other ideas!*

WARNING: This is a long one! *Smiles*

Yesterday I showed an old work friend a picture I took of her and her department back in 2000. This lead to a rather introspective discussion as she asked me if I would change anything in my life, knowing what I know now. My answer to her leads me to the first thing on my gratitude list.

I thought for just a moment and then shook my head. I would not change a thing. I know that my marriage to Michael and my divorce from him as well, were gifts. As was my cancer and everything that has happened to me in the past 17 years, even my struggle to lose weight. I am today the result of all I have been through. I am where I am today for the same reason.

1995 is the year it all began for me. I was a quiet, intensely shy, mousy, stay at home dreamer. I can pinpoint the exact moment my metamorphosis began. From that moment on, the journey to who I am becoming was set in motion. I love who I am today and who I am becoming. I am still on that journey and I would not change anything that has happened.

2. I am grateful for the lessons as I learn to meditate. It is an ongoing struggle for me to quiet my ever racing mind, and there are times I despair of ever gaining the inner peace I know is there. That being said, I have found that there are lessons to be learned from my racing thoughts. I look forward to the sudden bursts of insights as my mind runs thoughts over and over and I gently(and not so gently) try to guide them to a box to rest, as I continue to focus on my breath or a word. I’m good with this! *LOL*

3. I am thankful that after much ruminating and softly stressing, I have been made aware that (for now anyway) I am to stay in Las Vegas. For years I have grown tired of the high desert; I am a born water baby!(I am a double water sign!) How I have lasted 25 years in the high desert is beyond my ken) I have yearned to live somewhere that has four seasons, is GREEN, and gets rain! I have always thought I would move to the Seattle area. I have friends in Oregon and Washington so I was very comfortable with the idea of starting over.

However, I never had that epiphany of “Move here, move here!” like I did when I came to Vegas. I KNEW I was supposed to be here and I believed that my marriage and divorce were what I had to experience. However, no matter how dissatisfied I grew here, things never fell into place for me to jump into a major move.

During my recovery, I was transferred to the admin building of my company. Normally I embrace change…I am (or was) a born adventurer. As a result of my cancer and recovery, my tolerance for change was nil. I did NOT want to work at this office with my new boss, I did NOT want to move to this side of town! However, being who I am, I did as I was told and here I am.

While I was not thrilled with my new boss and position, I found that I fell in love with this side of town. The longer I am here the more I love it and once I was transferred this past August to my new department I am finding I am happy! I have fallen in love with Vegas. I am much more aware of it’s beauty now and find peace here. As I have pondered a move to Washington since my move here, I have been gently made aware that I need to stay here for now. I am at peace with that. Now I can free myself up to experience the next leg of my journey without the stress! I look forward to it with all my heart.

So, onward and upward! Now that I have rambled on, it is time for me to get off my tush and get to some Fall cleaning!

Life is good!
Bright Blessings!
 

November is one of my favorite months and Thanksgiving holds so many wonderful memories. I hate how Thanksgiving gets lost in the shuffle between Halloween and Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do is keep a gratitude journal. Over the last couple of years I have become very lax in keeping it, although I have so many things to grateful for and try to always say thank you for my blessings everyday. However, there is power in writing things down.

My goal this month is to use my blog as a gratitude journal.  There is a very strong feeling in myself today that I need to do this, the Universe is gently insistent this morning. It’s time to make gratitude a daily blessing again!

1. The beautiful sunrise that is gracing my view with pinks, gold, and wisps of white clouds.

2. My health! Everyday I get stronger and healthier and I am so thankful for my life!

3. For Spark People and all the difference it has made in my life. It has been a slow journey, filled with ups and downs. However, I keep moving forward a little every day and that is because I have this wonderful site with supportive friends who travel the journey with me!

Bright blessings on this beautiful morning, have a splendiferous day!