An Empty Nest For Real!

Over the last few decades, I've heard people talk about the concept of an 'empty nest'. An empty nest is the season of your life when your children have left home and you no longer have the little birdies in the nest. Now it's not as dramatic as the mother bird nudging the baby birds out the nest and watching them struggle to fly...wait, it's exactly like that. It just happens about eighteen years after birth instead of eighteen days. But the eighteen years do seem like eighteen days. Anyway, this is suppose to be a cheerful entry so let's move on to the uplifting part of the empty nest.

Well, Tommy and I have been prepairing for the last ten years. But we are still shocked tha the time is here.

We are planning trips and more trips, outlining projects we will start or finish (I'm sure some of you know how that is), more date nights, and we might have a few extra bucks in our pocket. Now don't get me wrong, I know that their new found independence isn't instant seperation from our pocketbook. But now we can just let the phone ring (just kidding!). We are committed to helping our children anyway possble and encourage them to put God first and work hard so God will honor the desires of their hearts.



I'm proud of all of them. God has blessed them and He continues to bless Tommy and I everyday when we see how He's working in their lives.

So hit me up and answer this question:

If you have small children, what do you plan to do when the babies leave the nest?

or

If you have an empty nest now, what did you do after the kids left that you couldn't do before the kids left?

JOIN US AND SHARE HOW GRATEFUL YOU ARE...

There are times when just don't see the value in re-creating the wheel. So I would like to copy the words of my good friend, Lisa (so Lisa, if it sounds familiar that's because of your eloquent writing skills).

My friend Lisa and I have been talking about starting a blog together for a while now - a long while. We share really strong feelings that being grateful for what we have and expressing it can change a person's life. We have found that without changing any of the circumstances in our life, gratitude can change everything. We both know this is true. We want people to get a little taste of that and hope to get lots of participation in this project. If not, it will be a lot of stuff from Lisa and I. I hope you will go check it out AND participate.

lifesjustgood.blogspot.com

Can't wait to read your entries. Now go to our joint blog and starting writing to express your gratitude!

You don't need to move a mountain to make a difference

Just in case you want to make a difference and don't know where to start.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." - Mother Teresa

Make a Difference...Lend a Helping Hand

In these crazy days where the economy has affected everyone. Even those who have plenty are finding that they are loosing more and more every day. So where does that leave those who have little to begin with? It seems like the middle-class family is becoming obsolete. It's getting harder every day to do the things we once took for granted such as eating out, taking a weekend getaway trip, or purchasing a new car. Many families are struggling to secure a nice savings, keep their homes, or send their kids to college due to the current recession. My fear is that we will come out of the recession in the five years and have a generation of young people without the proper education to fill the available jobs.

We must come together to help each other, share what we have and ensure that this generation doesn't suffer for the mistakes a few. Become active in your community and look for opportunities to help your family member, your neighbor, your co-worker, your church member, possibly someone you will never know.

As a member of the Mesa Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee, we have placed a focus in 2009 to provide more scholarships to the students in our community. The committee is committed to dedicating portions of the proceeds from every fundraiser event to a scholarship fund. The first fundraiser event this year is a Golf Tournament on May 11, 2009. From this event a scholarship in the name of Marquis Cooper will be given to worthy scholarship recipient. You can help by becoming a corporate sponsor, participating in the tournament, or just come out and support the players.

We must help each other! Maybe you will choose to make a difference by partnering with a homeless shelter, maybe you will volunteer with an organization or church in your community, or offer your professional expertise to those in need. Wherever your passion resides, whatever you choose to do...just do it! I believe these times of economic stress has come to take us back to the basics of caring for others...doing for others...reaching out to others. While it's easy to point the figure at those we believe put us in this state of recession or complain about the situation America is in, but I believe that this is our opportunity to become a better America.

Make a difference today...lend a helping hand to someone!

Where does the time go?

I remember as if it was yesterday, moving into my first apartment as a wife yet it was 25 years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday when I gave birth to a little girl on Thanksgiving day, but it was 24 years ago. Was it not yesterday that I brought home a little girl to add to our family of three? No, it was 23 years ago. I clearly remember the look on Tommy's face when the doctor said, "You're having a boy". As clear as I can remember, it's hard to believe that was nearly 18 years ago. On April 25, our youngest child will be 18 years old. And we will soon have an empty nest! So I ask, Where did the time go? Eighteen years seem like a long time but it is actually a short time. So if you have children, treasure every moment...enjoy every laugh...and every conversation. Enjoy the days, months and years because they go quickly.

When the unexpected happens, what do you do?

Life is a learning experience and sometimes it can be funny. That's if you allow yourself to laugh when you really would like to cry. There are times when everything seems to be going well. And then you're hit with a huge disappointment, dramatic episode or a shocking reality. What do you do?

Well, let me tell you a story that may put things in perspective. I'm traveling for work and everything seems to be going great. Even the small disappointments turn for the best. I arrive at the airport to find out that I have a middle seat. Now I'm not the 'middle' seat type of gal. I need my space and I just don't do the middle seats especially on a four hour flight. I immediately ask if I could change my seat and of course the flight is FULL. Even worse...a middle seat on a full flight. As I stand there waiting for Zone 3 to be called, I ask the gentlemen behind me if he's in Zone 2? He says, "Yes, but I'm not in a hurry. I can wait." He starts to tell me how he has a window seat and he hates the window seat. That's right he hates the window seat which is my FAVORITE seat. And I mentioned how I have a middle seat which I would much rather have a window seat. He then offers to trade with me. Not that he likes the middle, but he would prefer the middle over the window. So I'm thinking...this couldn't be happening.

So the gentleman gladly traded his seat with me. I was fortunate to sit with people who wanted to sleep just like me. I had the best sleep on a plane in a long time. Our flight arrived at its destination 45 minutes early. Things couldn't be better. I arrive at the baggage claim and the bags are already coming down the belt! UNBELIEVABLE! So I spot my luggage from a distance and figure I would rush over to grab it before it takes a trip around the large carousel. Now everyone who knows me, knows that I didn't make a mad dash (I'm not the running type either). But I did make a light dash around the carousel. As I turned the corner, I tripped over another passengers duffle bag that was short to the ground but long...so I didn't see it until I was picking my face up from the ground.

Isn't that like life...the moment you think everything is going well. BAM! You get hit in the face with an issue, a family problem, a medical condition, or something that just takes your breath away. So what do you do? You could allow that moment to haunt for the rest of the day, week, year or for decades. But I challenge you to get up, dust yourself off, and ask yourself...what can I learn from this experience? Sure you may need to get up slowly and re-gain your stability. You may find yourself moving slower. But the main thing is that you move! Don't stay in the place of despair too long, you may begin to like it there. You know the victim role sometimes gets comfortable. But you are not a victim, you are victorious over the things and people who love to pull you down to the ground.

So I'm a little bruised and banged up, but what is the lesson for me? Not that I should wait for the bad things to happen or not expect too much good stuff to happen. But I was rushing to get that luggage for no good reason. Sometimes we need to take things in stride and not rush the good things in life. Enjoy them as much and as long as we can. Take in the surrounding and don't take things for granted.

Later I asked myself how long will I feel the pain. I thought I had learned my lesson. But often the pain remains to remind us of the lesson we learned, to make sure we don't dismiss the lesson as soon as it is revealed to us. And once the pain is gone, scars may remain to remind us of the event and allow us to share our lessons of life with others.

So don't be so quick to grab what God plans to give you anyway. Don't allow the downs in life overshadow the ups. Finally, remember life's lessons and share them with others.

Wounded, but still enjoying a Wonderful Life, Absolutely Wonderful!

I do have a Wonderful Life!

I do have a wonderful life...not perfect, but definitely wonderful! When I think about the many alternatives, I am very grateful for my blessings and God's favor. It is through my blessings that I am humbled. Even through my trials and tribulations, I am grateful. It is through my trials that I am strengthened. There are so many who struggle to accept blessings and struggle to persevere through trials. We can choose to have a wonderful day, a wonderful marriage, a wonderful career, a wonderful life. Sure it may take a change in your behavior, a change in your surroundings, a change in your friends, and a change in your disposition. When you understand your purpose in life, it is easier to accept blessings and overcome tribulations. They come to make you a better person. So why fight, complain or lash out at others? To be a better person is a wonderful thing! I do have a wonderful life...ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

Grateful for Every Wonderful Moment