Fantastic Friday -Being a Friend

Fantastic Friday – it is fantastic to know that you are a friend and that you have a friend.

 Every Fantastic Friday post throughout the month of August have all been about friendship. I have written about listening, leaning, being frank and helping. Today, in the last of the August Fantastic Friday friendship posts, I am writing about being a friend. One of my favorite television theme songs from my youth is the theme from Golden Girls. The song is one friend thanking another friend for being a friend. It is a beautiful song.

 

It is wonderful to have a friend. It is equally wonderful to be a friend. When you are fortunate enough to find a person who is a friend to you, who has stood the test of time and has been a true friend to you when you were in need, that is indeed something to sing about. Friendship is a source of strength, power and happiness. It is a treasure. Perhaps it is good to celebrate having a friend by being a better friend to your friends. So, the question for you this Fantastic Friday is what are you going to do to cultivate the wonderful gift of friendship?

Thrillling Thursday – Thinking Like Anything is Possible

Thrilling Thursday – it is thrilling to be able to think like anything is possible.

Throughout the month of August the Thrilling Thursday posts have been about thinking differently. This Thrilling Thursday the post is about thinking as if anything was possible. Imagine a world where anything is possible. Living a life where if your mind thinks of it and your heart believes it, you accomplish it. There are no limits on what you can do. Isn’t that a wonderful world?

Louis Armstrong “Wonderful World”

When my teenie bopper was three years old she told my husband and I she was going to build a time machine. I believed her, actually, truly and totally believed her. She could not tell time, she could not use any tool more complicated than a hammer, but I believed my baby could build a time machine. I believed her because she saw no limitations in her world. She believed anything was possible. Thirteen years later, she may not still believe in that time machine, but I do. One of the greatest things about my children is the fact that they believe they can do anything they want. There is nothing in the world they think they cannot accomplish. I admire that. I adore it, I treasure it. I am so thrilled to be a mother who has children who believe the impossible is possible. It makes them happy and hopeful.

 

 

I have gotten through life expecting miracles and believing the impossible. Perhaps it is my Christian faith that sustains me. I like thinking that anything is possible because that means there are no limits on what I can do and where I can go. It is liberating and thrilling to think that anything is possible. So the question for you this Thrilling Thursday is what would you think about if anything was possible?

Wonderful Wedne…

Wonderful Wednesday – it is wonderful to know your place in the universe, and mine is phenomenal!

In today’s edition of Wonderful Wednesday – Wonderful Words from Others I am sharing Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.”

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. 
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size 
But when I start to tell them, 
They think I’m telling lies. 
I say, 
It’s in the reach of my arms 
The span of my hips, 
The stride of my step, 
The curl of my lips.                                                   
I’m a woman 
Phenomenally. 

I walk into a room 
Just as cool as you please, 
And to a man, 
The fellows stand or 
Fall down on their knees. 
Then they swarm around me, 
A hive of honey bees. 
I say, 
It’s the fire in my eyes, 
And the flash of my teeth, 
The swing in my waist, 
And the joy in my feet. 
I’m a woman 
Phenomenally. 
Phenomenal woman, 
That’s me. 

Men themselves have wondered 
What they see in me. 
They try so much 
But they can’t touch 
My inner mystery. 
When I try to show them 
They say they still can’t see. 
I say, 
It’s in the arch of my back, 
The sun of my smile, 
The ride of my breasts, 
The grace of my style. 
I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 
Phenomenal woman, 
That’s me.                                                          

Now you understand 
Just why my head’s not bowed. 
I don’t shout or jump about 
Or have to talk real loud. 
When you see me passing 
It ought to make you proud. 
I say, 
It’s in the click of my heels, 
The bend of my hair, 
the palm of my hand, 
The need of my care, 
‘Cause I’m a woman 
Phenomenally. 
Phenomenal woman, 
That’s me.

Look back at the words! When I read them my  head lifts with pride, my shoulders pull back and my chest sticks out. I feel special and important. As I read the words whether aloud or silently, I feel the phenomenon that is me! I feel like a phenomenal woman. I see my body and appreciate its lines and curves. I picture the reaction and hushed whispers and looks of admiration when I walk into a room. I agree that when I pass people should be proud to see me, just as I am, because I am a phenomenal woman.

Every person should have a positive self image. There is something powerful and enlightening about having a good self image. When I am around people who stand up straight and think they are wonderful, it is encouraging and empowering and I like it! Appropriate self pride is contagious. When I get all dolled up and start strutting my stuff, my twin daughters get excited and start to prance around. They feel pretty and special. They catch my phenomenon!

Sometimes people need a little spark to light the ember of good self image. For any woman, this Maya Angelou poem can spark a great attitude and self confidence. So the question for you this Wonderful Wednesday is what sparks the phenomenal woman attitude in you?

Terrific Tuesday – Take a Chance- Trust Your Children

Terrific Tuesday – it is terrific to find just the right amount of freedom to give your children.

All August long, the Terrific Tuesday posts have been about taking chances. Today’s post will be perhaps, the most risky chance taking opportunity of all, giving your children some freedom. As a mother, my most precious gift, my most wonderful blessing and greatest source of worry is my children.

I am the mother of a 16 year old daughter, a nine year old son, and two five year old girls. I have figured out many hard things in my life, I have passed the bar exam and I do calculus for fun when I am bored at home. None of that changes the fact that one of the hardest things I have ever had to figure out is how much freedom to give each child.

I realize that the 16 year old should have more freedom than the 5 year old twins, but how much is the right amount? So that is my newest challenge. Giving the 16 year old the appropriate amount of freedom. Recently, I let her go downtown to the  Gallery Mall in Philadelphia with two of her friends. That was something I did as a teenager, but I was a city girl, not an extra sheltered suburban girl like my teenie bopper.  My daughter and her friends had a great time in the city and everyone made it home together and by curfew. But it was a scary thing.

 

 

I know that she needs to get more freedom while she is living at home and can learn to handle it responsibly because she will be leaving for college in two short years. It is just hard to determine what freedom to give her and when. I will be praying about this on a regular basis until she leaves or college I am sure.

I am learning the amount of freedom appropriate for each of my children. So, the question for you this Terrific Tuesday is how are you determining how much freedom to give each of your children?

Magnificent Monday – Magnificent Improvement – Athletics

Magnificent Monday – it is magnificent to be fit enough to be able to show off some athletic moves.

Every Magnificent Monday throughout the the month of August I have been embarking upon some new are of magnificent improvement. I have started improvements to my attitude, my appearance and my academics. For the final Magnificent Monday of August 2012, I am starting to improve my athleticism. It is my dream to stop being the post-it on the right.

The steps toward increased athleticism have started. I am still trying to get to the Philly Marathon in November 2012. You cannot do that without putting in some work a lot of work. So, I have changed my diet, 50 percent of each meal needs to be fruits and vegetables. I have cut sugar and empty carbs. I always only enjoyed lean meat, so that is easy to continue. I like picture to the left. To improve my athleticism I am putting my time in both in the kitchen and in the gym. 

 

Numerous studies have been done all over the world that show a relationship between increased athleticism and increased life expectancy, increased happiness and increased satisfaction with life. So if doing a few push ups and sit ups will help me lead a better, more satisfying life, it seems well worth the sweat. So I am  getting up an hour earlier each morning so I can work out before starting my day. I am also going to pull out my Kindle at night and do the mini yoga routine each night before bed.

I am excited about my new plan to increase my levels of athleticism. I am looking forward to the rewards I will reap as a result of my hard work. It is truly going to be magnificent. So question for you this Magnificent Monday is what type of athletic activity are you going to get into?