Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, y'all!!!!

I hope each of you had a great time last night bringing in 2014 in whatever way you chose to do so. I hope you were able to be surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones, but if not, I hope that you were enveloped in the warmth of love from those who love you!

Dec 30, I posted my "Facebook Year in Review" on my Facebook page. Basically, it summed up my "20 greatest moments of 2013". If you haven't tried it, maybe you should. It's pretty cool! BUT, it got me to thinking about my past year and honestly, while I have had many trials, bumps, hills, and valleys during my journey through 2013, I have had MANY more "mountain-top moments". Those are the moments when you can look back and understand why the climb to get there was so difficult, or why you had to go through the valley...but ultimately, those "mountain-top moments" are inexplicably amazing and the "view" from that place is like no other. Those are the moments I savor and file away in my memory bank. For it's those moments that help me get through the valleys and the climbs...and over the hills and bumps!

It occurred to me that the common theme in my greatest "mountain-top moments" is LOVE. I am very blessed to be surrounded with lots of it...but I'm even more blessed to be able to share my love with others!! That's the ONE thing that gives me the greatest joy...loving others. I can't imagine life without that. I have said before that I would rather feel too deeply than not at all. Loving with my WHOLE heart means that I get hurt, but it also means that I experience the greatest gifts we are given in this life. If I haven't said it before, I will say it now...I am a Christian and I do have a very strong faith in my God. This didn't happen as a result of teachings from my childhood, or even into my adulthood...it is a direct result of experiences in my life and in my relationship with Him. That is what I believe...that your relationship with God (or your higher power) is just that...YOUR relationship. Purely intimate and purely personal. No one can tell you what that looks like. For me, I know who I have to answer to when my day comes...and as I grow older, my desire to grow that relationship increases. BUT...it's because of that relationship that I have learned what love truly is...not what I once thought was love. Some days, most days actually, I just can't believe that He loves me as much as He does.

Life is short. Too short, it seems, at times. I have lost many people in my "immediate circle", some WAY too soon! My dad died when I was 12. One of my best friends passed not long after he did. I've had friends and loved ones commit suicide or suffer from terminal illness. But through it all...I am blessed to say that we shared the gift of love. Each day is a new day to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize that opportunity because we are not guaranteed tomorrow! I get picked on sometimes for being "overly emotional"...but really, I would rather tell somebody what's on my heart while I have the chance than risk them never knowing. To my friends, family and loved ones who read this - I hope you know how MUCH you are loved and appreciated by me!

Many people kick off the new year with all kinds of new plans and dreams and hopes and ideas...most call those resolutions. While I certainly understand and appreciate that, I honestly have never really done that because life happens...and while you may start out with the best of intentions, life will throw you a curve ball and you may not be able to keep one of those "resolutions". (To be fair, I tried it one year and felt bad about myself when life happened and I couldn't keep one of my "resolutions". So, I vowed never again... lol!) I do get excited to see a new year come in. It marks a new chapter...a new story in our lives. And I DO set goals for myself, my future, and my family. But, really, I try to look at EACH day as a fresh start full of possibilities...to live EACH day to best of my abilities. One of my friends uses the phrase "CARPE DIEM" in his signature block and that means "seize the day". So, while it's a great thing to have goals, both short-term and long-term, don't forget to SEIZE EACH DAY...live it to the fullest. Wake up the next day aiming to be better than the day before. Again, we are not guaranteed tomorrow, so make the most of today.

Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow. ~ Albert Einstein

I wish for each of you beautiful moments, treasured memories, and all the blessings a heart can know in 2014!