When I told my four year old son it was my birthday, he exclaimed, “Yay!  Do you have cake and presents?”  I groaned to myself.  How could I have forgotten to get a cake for myself so he could help me celebrate?

I explained that he and I were going to celebrate Mommy’s birthday the following day.  The next morning, he ran to my room and told me he had the best dream last night… all about cake!!!

We ran downstairs.  He placed some candles on the small cake I’d purchased the night before.  Then, he looked around and asked “Where are your presents, Mommy?”  “Well,  I don’t have any presents and that’s okay.  We’ve got a yummy birthday cake and candles to enjoy!”

He became overwhelmed with emotion.  He started looking around the house, saying “I have to give you a present, Mommy.  I need to find some flowers to give you.”  The more he searched, the more upset he became.

As my heart was breaking, my eyes fell upon a bouquet of plastic flowers in my office.  “I found some flowers, Jake.  I’m going to lay them right here.” I said, as I took the flowers out of the vase and laid them upon his arts & crafts table.

He sang “Happy Birthday” to me and helped me blow out the candles.  Then, he told me to close my eyes.  When I opened them, he was standing in front of me with those plastic flowers.  With the sweetest smile, he said, “I got you some flowers, Mommy!”  I could not hold back my tears any longer as I thanked him profusely for the gift.

“Why are you crying, Mom?”  I hugged him tightly and replied, “These are happy tears, Baby.  Thank you for being so thoughtful.  I love you so much!”

I experienced so many emotions that day.  A little sadness plus lots of pride, happiness, determination, and gratitude.  And, I developed a whole new respect for single Mothers everywhere.  In our quest to “fit it all in”, we sometimes miss important details.  Isn’t it wonderful when your child shows you that, even though you don’t do everything perfectly, you are teaching him/her how to be thoughtful, giving, and loving?  That was the best birthday gift I’ve ever received!

2010 was a challenging year
That was transformative at the same time.
I learned many lessons and made great connections
With folks who helped make each day sublime.

Jake is growing up so quickly
He turned four and started Pre-K.
He loves to tell stories, gather sticks, and race cars
I thank God for him every day.

Stephanie made three trips to Florida
I treasure our family time.
Hailey’s in Middle School now
The days sure are a-flyin’.

It was another year to welcome babies
Grayden, Lily, and Joshua were born.
I’m thrilled to have reconnected with a special friend
And am thankful to have David (my “Manny”) on the third floor.

I became a published Author in Visionaries With Guts
My children’s book will be published next year.
The illustrator for my book is awesome
I’m writing stories for his book’s premier.

I entered The Next Top Author Competition
With Gratitude Habit, my upcoming book.
And made it to the Top 25
Of the 3000 entries they took.

I’m happy to be back at Century 21
To assist people with their real estate needs.
I’m grateful for the Gratitude Boot Camp family
And how they’re helping my work to succeed.

I’m giddy with excitement as the new year approaches
It’s delivering us lots of abundance, laughter, and love.
My heart is filled with deep gratitude for each of my friends
May 2011 bring you bountiful blessings from above.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On this 25th day of November, 2010, the citizens of The United States of America are celebrating Thanksgiving.  We’re gathering with loved ones to remininise about holidays past and create new memories over food, football, and fun!

The main purpose of this special day is to give thanks for our many blessings.  A few things that top my list are those who had the courage to venture out and discover this fine land and those that serve to protect it, my family and friends, my health and home, and the opportunity to start anew, which I did last year by creating Gratitude Boot Camp.

In honor of this celebration, I’d like to share 25 of my favorite quotes about thankfulness and gratitude (with a few created by me)…

1.  “When you become truly aware of your current blessings and are filled with genuine gratitude, your life will change in profound ways” ~ Sandy Harper

2. ”If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.”  ~ Meister Eckhart

3.  “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” ~ John E. Southard

4. ‎”If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can’t buy.” ~ Unknown.

5.  “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” ~ Epictetus

6.  “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.  It will change your life mightily.” ~ Gerald Good

7.  “When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” ~  Chinese Proverb

8.  “When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.” ~ Tony Robbins

9.  “Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.”  ~ Kahlil Gibran

10. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Unknown

11. “It’s important to make gratitude a habit because your habits create your life.” ~ Sandy Harper

12. “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ~ Brian Tracy

13. ”Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” ~ Eileen Caddy

14. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ” ~ Thornton Wilder

15. “Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” ~ Seneca

16. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

17. “Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing.” ~ Zig Ziglar

18. “You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”  ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

19. “Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally “count our blessings,” give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.”  ~ Shakti Gawain

20. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

21. “Gratitude is a powerful force that opens the door to God’s blessing. Having constant gratitude proves your faith in God because not only do you thank Him for what He has done in the past, you thank Him for what He will do in the future.” ~ Joel Osteen

22. “Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” ~ Marelisa Fábrega

23. “No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” ~ Alfred North Whitehead

24. “Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much.  For on the smiles, the thanks we give, out little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.” ~ A. J. Cronin

25.  “Gratitude possesses magical power.  When you live in gratitude, you will walk in peace… no matter what circumstances arise.” ~ Sandy Harper

I’m grateful that you took the time to visit my blog.  What are you thankful for today?

Well… it’s been exactly one month since my last blog posting.  So much for my goal of writing something on here at least once per week!

My first reaction when I realized it had been so long was to feel guilty.  Just like my first thought when I woke up after sleeping in last Saturday was “How dare I stay in bed until 9:00 whenever I have SO much to do?”

Why do we allow guilt to consume us?  I chatted with a friend who didn’t fully enjoy her (much-deserved) vacation recently because she felt guilty about leaving work and her child.

I’m always saying that life is too short and too precious to feel sorry for ourselves or to hold grudges or to not give gratitude for our blessings.  Yet, I somehow have kept guilt around as a regular house guest.

That stops NOW!  Today – September 17, 2010… I am declaring my home (and my brain) as a “Guilt Free Zone!”  Won’t you join me?  The next time that a guilty thought starts to form in your head or come out of your mouth, stop it with a power word!  A power word is one that you use to stop immediately so you can refocus your thoughts and/or words.  As soon as the guilt starts, shout “Love” (even if it’s only in your head) and then say – “I feel great.  I am grateful for this very moment and embrace it fully.”

(Photo by Michal Marcol – http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=371)

I was having dinner with a friend and we laughed over his latest adventure.  Of course, we were able to laugh about it because he had the wisdom and strength not to immediately react to a situation, that could have proven deadly.

He was in a cage with a 500 lb female tiger that he had recently started to sponsor.  Her trainer was in there and told him to remain calm whenever he could see that she was becoming extremely territorial with her “new toy”!  As she placed her enormous arm around his body and took his arm into her mouth, his first instinct was to yank it away and run for his life.  Just pulling back a little, caused her to clamp down her teeth and give him a constant reminder of the importance of being slow to react.  He now sports two small scars on his arm.  It could have been so much worse.

Though most of us will have few, if any, life-or-death situations; we will all experience circumstances that cause our heart to race and make us want to react immediately.  Perhaps someone just sent you a nasty or threatening email.  Perhaps you just found out that someone is spreading gossip.  Perhaps you lost a business contract even though you did all the work.   Reacting immediately to these types of events is actually the worst response.  While it may not kill us, it could potentially tarnish our reputation; cause us to say things that we later regret; or end a relationship that could have been salvaged.

Unless your house is on fire or your child is about to dart into traffic, there are very few times when you must react immediately.  When you experience an upsetting or unsettling occurrence, always stop before you do anything.  Take some deep breathes.  Count your blessings.  Stretch.  Go for a walk.  Listen to some music.  When you are in a more calm state of mind, sit down with a pen and paper & ask yourself these questions…

1.  Why am I upset?

2.  What is the most professional/spiritual way to handle this?

3.  What steps do I need to take to address this so that it does not escalate or happen again?  Would it be best to just ignore it so as not to antagonize?

4.  Do I need to sever ties with this person?  If so, how do I do that and remain “on the high road”?

5.  Do I need to seek help from someone trustworthy and qualified?

6.  What is the lesson for me to learn?

7.  What is the humor in this?

The next time you find yourself feeling like a toy in the jaws of one of life’s ‘tigers’, simply STOP before acting.  That way, the scars that you get, if any, will be small and you will feel as proud as a lion.

(Photo by Arvind Balaraman ~ http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1058)

It has been my life-long dream to be a writer and a speaker.  When I was a little girl, I would write stories and read them to my parents, who always gave me raving reviews!  In the summer of 2009, I made the decision to finally fulfill that dream.  

In March of this year, I entered a competition, along with 2800 other Authors, called “The Next Top Spiritual Author” with my first solo book, “Gratitude Habit”.  In May, I advanced to Round 2, along with 270 other Authors.  During a conference call yesterday, the 25 Authors who are advancing into Round 3 were announced.  I am grateful & honored to be one of them!

The night before the call, I could not sleep at all as I was filled with anticipation.  The morning of the call, I was invited to visit a page on Facebook where several participants were sharing their feelings.  Everyone was feeling nervous and excited about the announcement.  When they called my name, I instantly started crying and fell to my knees to give thanks to God.  Then, I started thinking “Did they really just call my name?”  I was almost scared to believe it!  It wasn’t until someone posted “congratulations” on my Facebook wall that it started to sink in that I actually had advanced!!

After the call, I told my three year old son, Jake, that it was time to do a happy dance, which we reserve for really big celebrations!  We danced and jumped and sang until I was out of breathe!  We then placed a few phone calls to share the news with our closest friends and Jake caught on that they were saying “congratulations”.  Later that day, he said “Congratunations, Mommy!”  It was so sweet and adorable!!!!

In the first two rounds, part of our score was based on obtaining votes from the public and I am so grateful to all of my supporters.  In this round, there will be no public voting.  Each of the 25 Authors will submit two more chapters of our book, which will be reviewed by a panel of publishing professionals.  The panel will choose the four finalists for round four of the competition.  Every Author who entered this contest deserves applause.  I am looking forward to reading each book that comes to fruition because of this spiritual movement.

As I continue forth on my mission to spread the power of gratitude, my biggest wish is that my parents were still alive to see me working on making my dream come true.  I know they would be my biggest fans!!

I was out of town Tuesday night when I received the text from my room-mate/manny, just before midnight.  He was contacting me with the news that my air conditioner had died…completely.  We live in Central Florida, where we have been experiencing temperatures in the 90′s, and even in the low 100′s some days!

My immediate reaction was an expletive spoken under my breath (which I quickly asked forgiveness for).  But, then I started “practicing what I preach” in my Gratitude Boot Camp sessions.  I took some deep, cleansing breaths and started counting all of my blessings.  Then, I said my prayers and drifted off to sleep soundly (instead of tossing and turning and worrying, as I would have done in days past).

The next day, I did not allow myself to get upset at all about the broken air conditioner, even though it was happening at an inopportune time.  Instead, I focused on my blessings; remembered that I grew up in a house with no air in Florida and survived; and took action to find ways to live with the situation for a while, by getting my hands on some oscillating fans to use temporarily.  I went about my day in a calm way, knowing that “this too shall pass”.

As I was driving home last night, I kept my thoughts on all of the good things going on in my life, not allowing any negative statements to enter my brain, not even for a minute!  When we arrived home, I explained to my almost-four year old son, Jake, that he was only gonna sleep in a light shirt, instead of his jammies and socks, for a while.  I started walking towards the stairs to put him to bed.  I felt completely at ease with our situation and was ready to let the hot night take me back to happy, childhood memories.

As I was passing by the closet that holds the breaker box for my house, I stopped to check it even though David had already done so.  The breaker for the air conditioner appeared to be lined up with all of the rest, but I flipped it off and back on any way.  It was music to my ears when I heard the air conditioner kick on and Jake squealed with delight when his Mommy started doing a very up-beat happy dance!  We danced around and sang our new “Mommy and Jake are Grateful for Air Conditioning” song for quite a while before we went up to his bedroom.  It was fun!!!

I woke up feeling extra grateful and happy today.  David is perplexed.  Jake is well-rested.  And, I am feeling the powerful sense of accomplishment that comes with remaining calm during a crises.

Resolve, right now, that you will remain calm the next time an unexpected challenge arises in your life.  It is powerful.

Every once in a while, Opportunity knocks and you know that not only do you need to open the door wide…you need to grab her, give her a welcoming hug, invite her to dinner and use your best china!

I was sitting at my desk at the end of March and, at the exact moment that I thought to myself,  ”I must get my book written NOW”, I received an email from a friend that invited Authors and Aspiring Authors to take part in “The Next Top Spiritual Author” competition.  Wow…another serendipitous moment that sent chill bumps all over my body!

Ever since I created Gratitude Boot Camp last year and started sharing it as a coaching program, I have been led to put it into book form so that millions can benefit from learning how to make gratitude a daily habit.  During the first Gratitude Boot Camp session I watched, in awe, as people’s lives were transformed, personally and professionally.  After speaking at a Law of Attraction Meetup, I was approached by a woman who told me that I had given her the strength to continue after losing her son 8 months before.  My story had inspired her to be grateful for the time that she had him and to focus on her current blessings.  That is when I decided to include some of my personal story, in my book, along with the steps needed to create a life filled with happiness, love, peace, success, and abundance.

The Next Top Author Competition started on March 29th.  It is comprised of four rounds where Authors share their books with a panel of publishing experts and with the public.  In the final round, the Grand Prize Winner will receive a publishing contract with Hampton Roads Publishing.  I am excited to present my upcoming book, Gratitude Habit, as an entry.  Please visit http://sn.im/TopAuthor to watch the video pitch of my book; read the book proposal and read Chapter 1.  While you are there, be sure and vote!

There were 2800 Authors who competed in Round 1 and 271 advanced to Round 2.  I am so honored to be one of them and am grateful for everyone’s support.  I finished uploading my book proposal and Chapter 1 last night, just as the Season Finale’ of American Idol was ending.  I thought to myself “How exciting!  I feel like I am involved in ‘The American Idol for Authors’!!

Welcome Home, Opportunity!  I’ve been waiting for you my entire life!!

Begin and end your day with these affirmations. 

Take some deep breaths and get into a relaxed state. As you read each one, feel the emotion it invokes.

Do this daily, for your words create your reality.

♥ I am filled with Gratitude for all of my blessings today!

♥ I have great self-management skills!

♥ I am surrounded by positive people who add value to my life!

♥ I am massively organized!

♥ I have a joyful spirit!

♥ I am financially free and am Grateful for my riches!

♥ Today, I will concentrate on taking one step forward, however small!

♥ I do whatever it takes!

♥ I act in spite of my fears!

♥ My loved ones are happy, healthy, and prospering!

♥ I schedule my priorities every day!

♥ I am laser-focused on my priorities!

♥ I am a self-reliant and successful person!

♥ I forgive quickly and move on!

♥ I resolve issues quickly and with a calmness of spirit!

♥ I live a healthy lifestyle!

♥ I learn from every experience!

♥ I eliminate all negativity out of my life!

♥ My thoughts are creative and I am now creating the reality that I desire!

♥ I will take at least 1 action today in the direction of my long term plans!

♥ I am always receiving money making ideas and acting upon them!

♥ I only attract loving people in my world for they are a mirror of what I am!

♥ Today, I choose to find the good in myself and others!

♥ I see past old limitations and envision new opportunities!

♥ I love myself. And I love how I feel when I love myself!

♥ I am an extreme action taker!

♥ I am more enthusiastic today and am improving this trait daily!

♥ I am prosperous and abundant. I gain income from unexpected sources!

♥ Divine love is working through me now!

♥ I add value to other people’s lives!

♥ I let go of any burdens that are not mine to carry!

♥ I give generously and from my heart!

♥ I am decisive and follow through!

♥ I am positive and optimistic!

♥ I commit to being rich in every way!

♥ I always awaken completely refreshed!

♥ Today, I am energetic and enthusiastic!

♥ I live with purpose and passion!

♥ I have compassion for all living things!

♥ I release judgment and criticism of myself and others!

♥ Every breath I take brings me greater health and vitality!

♥ I love my life!

♥ Money is flowing into my life, quickly and easily!

♥ Every day and in every way, I’m getting better and better!

♥ I am grateful for today and for all of my blessings!

I am spending this weekend literally getting my house in order!

As I look around at the toys strewn near & far; at the pile of clean laundry that needs to be folded (that is so tall my 3 year old son has been pretending that it is a mound of snow); at the weeds inching their way higher & higher through the brick pavers in my courtyard…I start to feel overwhelmed.  Tears are filling my eyes as I am writing this blog post.

First of all, I am not used to my house getting so out of control and am wondering how in the world I let this happen.  Secondly, it is not my style to let people know that things are a mess.  After all, I am the gal who holds it all together…running my businesses; maintaining my friendships; being a full-time, single Mommy; acting as head of the household…and never stops smiling!!

But, today…I am confessing that things are a complete mess!  So, what do I do?

Well, the first thing I’m doing (after this admission) is “blessing my mess”!  That’s right!  I am expressing gratitude that I have a home to clean; that I have a child to scatter toys everywhere; that I have friendships to maintain & businesses to run. 

Then, I am “grabbing the bull by the horns”!  I am ‘cranking up’ my stereo and inviting  Madonna, Abba, Michael Jackson, and Bon Jovi into my messy house…to fill me with energy and make the task enjoyable!  I will take it one room at a time and will not stop until my house is back in order!

Sometimes our lives become a big mess, don’t they?  When that happens…bless your mess, grab the bull by the horns, take it one step at a time, enjoy the journey, and don’t stop until your life is back in order!

And, then…reward yourself!!  Any suggestions on what I should do when my house is back in order?

(picture taken from www.bigfoto.com)