Life

Life - without it, nothing else matters.

Continued prayers for Damar Hamlin. 

Click here for ESPN's "Damar Hamlin showing 'signs of improvement' Buffalo Bills say"

Amazing things happen when we all come together in prayer. 

Blessed be...

Love,

T

Twisted

 There have been A LOT of twists and turns this week.

Then our sunflower reminded me that twists and turns are a part of nature. (Yep. It actually grew like that!)

So we can just remember that and fly high!

Life can be a beach, even through the crazy curves.

Here's wishing you all a great week!

Love,

T

Life and a Hula Hoop

Let's keep things simple.

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then stick with what works.

Be happy.

Love, 

T

P.S. 

Duct tape didn't work. 

A new hose did.

:) xo!

Coal Diamonds

It's 5:30am. I've been up since 4:30am and didn't even start sleeping until after midnight. I just finished cleaning the tub and the floors for the sixth time in the last 16 hours... Hey! Just for kicks, let's see how many times I do it before the 24 hour mark! (It was nine - nine times in 24 hours.) It had been once every 2-3 hours for a while there. By the time I would finish, the dog would have diarrhea again and the vicious cycle would start all over.

#TheCulprit

If this wasn't all so time consuming, I'd tell you about the bizzarro course of events that constituted my week. It's as if God is playing a game of cat-and-mouse with me and I just keep running. Is there something weird going on with the alignment of planets? Any astrology experts out there??

Twists, turns and redirects have been beyond the absurd, well past comical, and into the "oh nooooo" realm. People who have made the mistake of asking me, "How's it going?" have probably been very sorry that they did. LOL - I really could just say, "I'm fine. How are you?" and bypass the need to have to follow up my long-winded answer with something like, "Oh. You meant like, did I find everything ok in the store?"

Actually, the weird happenings have been giving me hope. As strange as it sounds, running around in circles for hours in order to accomplish absolutely nothing has been adventurous. :) I had out-of-town company waiting for me, and left my purse someplace where they locked the building up and wouldn't be back. I hit construction on my way to return something to a store and the navigator sent send me back to the road closure. By the time I finally arrived, I realized that I had forgotten the card it was charged on. At another store, I didn't have the receipt, which would've been fine, but that item wasn't in stock. After a search through the back room and a flip through a big binder, the exchange transaction still wouldn't go through because of a typo by the sales clerk. Russell's two-month-long stay at home turned into a 24 hour scramble and it MIGHT have occurred to me that two-year-olds actually exchange Valentines at school if the water main break hadn't sent me into a tizzy. (Getting the picture?) That's just a few examples.

I could really do without this crazy dog illness though. (She'll be fine.) The first time, she actually had the good sense to go in the tub while Zach and I were out! (I'll spare you that picture.) I thought she was so smart! I swear that dog would've gone in the toilet if she had a stool or a platform to get up there. Anyway, after cleaning and sanitizing four or five times, I ordered Chinese food, mainly to start her "chicken and rice" diet. This was my fortune:

Sigh... They say, "Enjoy the ride!" So,

WHHHEEEEEEEEE! (Who is "they" anyway?)

It's like I'm on a sled. OK, God! Where are we gonna land?

Here's to the roller-coaster and to clean floors!

Love,
 T

P.S.
You can't make a diamond out of coal.

Click here for: "How Do Diamonds Form" on geology.com

Or can you???

No. You can't.

Or can you? #StopThat #LOL #TakeANap #NapsFixEverything #GoTakeTheDogOutAgain #IDontWanna #DoItAnyway #NowImTalkingToMyself #InHashtags #CoalDiamonds #IThinkICan

Sadie Update: She has taken some medicine prescribed by the vet, and is resting comfortably.

The Waiting Game

When I raced into the doctor's office for blood work, I was happy to see that the waiting room was empty. Then the receptionist handed me this card and told me I was number eight. I sat down and waited for my turn.

Sometimes waiting doesn't make any sense. I guess we just have to do it anyway.

#truestory LOL

Blessed week to you! xo

Love,
T

Faith Steps In...

The whole family is sleeping. I don't have long... I am living in a Calgon commercial and just want to know when the relaxing bath part is going to come. I've been racing around trying to do everything and started this blog with the working title "No Idea."

These two...

The little one is teething. The big one is recovering from hernia surgery. Teething: we are getting through it. Surgery: Russ is doing well and on the mend.

Then there's THESE two...

Both want to go outside and act hungry despite the fact that they just ate and went out.

Also this week was a house window replacement. (Baby crying, dogs barking, table saws tripping electrical circuits, guy knocking at front door wanting me to come out and take a look, meatballs in the oven, sauce and chicken on the stove, out of baby ointment but don't realize it yet...)

The old window was in rough shape. It was broken and stuck in an open position. The previous occupants had caulked panes of glass up around it to keep cold air out - making it impossible to even access the window itself. There it sat, hidden by a curtain and effectively boarded up and forgotten about.

That was enough of that. Guys had to come with suction devices to remove the glass panes without breaking them and a bright, shiny new window came into place. You can see out! It opens, closes and functions to keep cold air out all on its own! It's brand new and sturdy and clean. I also had California Closets come and design some organizational space. I am reclaiming parts of the house - and my life - piece by piece. Maybe sometime soon I can actually wear two of the same color socks and remember to grab my wallet BEFORE I get into the checkout line at CVS! #momlife

I struggled to tie everything together and get this blog written until an illuminating conversation with a friend. (WHEN DID I HAVE TIME FOR AN ILLUMINATING CONVERSATION????) We spoke briefly about faith. When you've done all you can do, you have to just trust that all is as it should be.

Things get crazy. This is life - as it is meant to be. Enjoy the ride. It's kind of like the new window. We get all clouded up and stuck. We seal ourselves off from all the endless possibilities trying to do things our own way instead of just trusting that the Universe (or God, or Divine Order) has it all under control. After you've done all you can do, there's nothing left to do but trust.

A little Faith... that must be the bath part.

Namaste,
T

True Story...

Once upon a time a little girl went into the woods with her grandfather looking for tadpoles. She was hoping to bring some home and raise them into little toads. They didn't find any and she went home carrying a little empty pail.

Sadly, the grandfather fell ill and passed away before they went looking for tadpoles again.

The next summer the little girl and her dad went into those same woods. They weren't looking for tadpoles, but they just happened upon a large mud puddle close to the lake. It was teeming with tadpoles and little tiny toads!

True story. I was there.

I fondly remembered the grandfather. There by the big mud puddle filled with life and amazing little jumping and wiggling creatures, it seemed as if he was right there too. It seemed as if he led his granddaughter right to that spot - to let her know he was still there, guiding her and demonstrating the beauty of life and abundance.

These kind of moments feed my soul.

In other news, a turtle, a butterfly and a refrigerator all sat on my lawn this week. There was also a certain small child who learned how to blow air through his lips the same week he started eating from a spoon. (Think about that for a second... #babyfoodinmyhair)

It's in my hair

Have a great week everyone! #gratefulforthejourney

Namaste,
T

Muck It Up

Russ and I were talking about life… (and doing taxes).

In self-reflection, we started examining whether or not we were "reconciled within ourselves" – in other words, are the choices we make reflective of the reality we are trying to create? If not, why? What are some of the ways we are holding ourselves back? In what ways are we complacent? Why might we sometimes stay in a comfort zone instead of pushing forward? What could we do differently, that might bring change for the better?

These are really tough questions. In order to answer, we have to journey into ourselves and seek the truth. We are going to need boots.  :)

We have to have the gumption to travel through our own muck. Sometimes moving ahead in life means moving ahead in our own thoughts first. Maybe we have to dismantle some old, outdated shadow belief before we can move on. We might start believing in ourselves a little more in order to take that one leap of faith that would make all the difference. We might stop making excuses and take one step, one action that moves us closer to our dreams. We might make a healthy meal choice instead of saying we didn’t have time to eat right. We might do the RIGHT thing instead of the EASY thing and feel so good about it that we set off a chain reaction in ourselves and steer ourselves in a new direction.

"To everything there is a season..."

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

As the weather turns and I am forced to admit what I had been trying to deny (that winter is coming), I’ll try to apply the principle to other areas as well. Like they say at the gym, sometimes we have to deconstruct a little to rebuild stronger and better.

Here’s bidding us all safe passage through the muck! Here’s to evolving and constantly improving ourselves. I can do it. I have boots. (I’m thinking I could use a new raincoat too… #BringItOn)

:)

Namaste!

T

xoxo

Photos by C.T.

A Celebration of Life and Legacy

I began last week by randomly opening to a page in Louise Hay’s book of affirmations.  When I first read the pages that began, “Death is a door opening to a new life,” I didn’t know I’d soon be attending a funeral...

There were two funerals last week.

Our Buffalo music community honored the life and legacy of our friend Richard L. Williams, or as we called him, “Flick” and family members lovingly remembered the life and legacy of Theresa Tuminno.

So many beautiful moments stand out from speaking with friends and family and from the inspirational tributes and messages from ministers and priests.  I carry them all with me.  Each remembrance was filled with love and celebration of the lives that we were so fortunate to have had touch our own.  Heartwarming and precious were the conversations with loved ones.  For me, it didn't feel like we were saying "goodbye," but more like "see you back home."

We spoke of character and legacy.  We laughed at the wonderful memories we shared and stood with a powerful sense of community and brotherhood.  We comforted, inspired, encouraged and loved each other.  We acknowledged that we all might do that more often – not just for funerals.

Lunch with (L to R) Joey, Sharon "Shern," Kenny, Tony "Dedot," Flora, Cindy, Myself, Rick "Tricki"

We were reminded by our dearly departed and by stories and sermons that our time here is not unlimited and were encouraged and inspired to live with more of a sense of urgency about the legacy that we will leave behind one day.  We were reminded of who we are.  It was as if God were gently guiding us toward our own sense of purpose here in this world in that loving and beautiful way that only He Himself can orchestrate and execute so perfectly.

This week, I will move through this journey of life with a renewed sense of strength and confidence in HIS love, knowing that there are a couple of more Angels guiding the way.

"Footprints in the Snow"

Thank you Flick and Theresa.  Thank you for your life’s work, for your love of music, friendship, family and the gifts of love and inspiration you leave with us.