“One Year In Florida”

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Today marks one year that I’ve been in Florida and what a year it’s been. Eleven days after I moved here Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 hurricane, hit and I had to grab my parents and evacuate to the East Coast until it passed. Happily, I had minimal damage done to my little Florida house!

It’s been a year of trying to find my balance and my place here in Punta Gorda. My significant other stayed up North for six months before he moved here. I’ve tried to find part-time work and have ended up with some crazy jobs. It’s been quite an experience, to say the least. 

I did learn some interesting things about living in this area.

Florida has no cold water in the summer months, due to the extreme heat. The most you’ll get out of your faucet is warm water. 

Porches are called “lanai’s” which drives some of my friends crazy when I say that.

Most bars have a last call at 9:30 pm and close at 10. 

Onions are very strong here and if you cook them I can tell you that you will smell them in your house for over 24 hours!

I learned that lightning can, indeed, strike a car because we saw it happen while driving.

Some of the great things are that you can eat outside at almost every restaurant all throughout the year.

Though the summer is hot, the fall, winter and spring are beautiful. 

I love thunder and lightning and this is definitely the place to witness some beauty in the storms here.

The clouds are absolutely stunning at sunset.

I’ll never get used to alligators and snakes. I do love the sounds of the pack of coyotes that live at the end of my street, especially during a full moon when they howl for quite a long time.

Here’s to Year #2 in Florida. It’s taken me this last year to get used to it, but I’m working on it. I still miss the beach at the Jersey Shore but know that I’ll make it back there at some point.

Here’s to change, finding the positive in it and making the best of it.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Support”

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Support. We all need it in our life at times. We need the support of our family and friends, we need the support to help a dream come to fruition, and sometimes we just need support to get through a bad day in our life.

Do you support others? Are you there to share in a dream that someone needs help with so that it becomes a reality? Are you there to support someone, without judgment, on a bad day?

We should all try to support others in whatever way they need at that moment, be it a listening ear, a kind word, or a conversation that helps inspire and motivate them. Are you?

This world would be such a different place if we offered our support, practiced kindness, compassion and empathy. 

I’ll do whatever it takes, in whatever way it takes, to make this world a better place, to help someone through a bad time and to support someone who needs to know that they’re worthy of the dream that they’re pursuing.

Will you?

We’re all in this together. We’re all in a place to help one another. We’re all capable of doing great things with small gestures of love.

Let’s do this.

And let’s do this together. 

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Book Signing in Buttonwood”

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I had my first book signing for “The Mind of a Heart” last weekend here at Buttonwood Village in Punta Gorda, the community that I live in. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces come out to support me and to meet new ones. The morning was a great success!

Thank you to those of you who came out to support me and purchase a copy of my new novel. I can’t wait to hear the reviews! And a special thanks to my Dad who came out to support his daughter. 

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“A Work In Progress”

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We’re all a work in progress. We’re not the same person as we were a year ago, five years ago or 10 years ago, and that’s what life is about: change. When we stop changing, we stop living.

I can honestly say that I’m definitely a different person than I was a year ago or twenty years ago. Life teaches us lessons that help us, sometimes “force” us, to change. We live through circumstances that change us. It’s survival and it’s also becoming a person who can survive those moments and thrive because of them. 

If only others could see in us what we see in ourselves. If only they could see how far we’ve come in our life and how much we’ve learned about ourselves. If only they could see the effort it took us to get to “now.”

Sometimes I feel as though strangers see the changes more than the people closest to me, but more often than not, that’s the way it goes.

Still, I’ll never stop learning and growing. I’ll never stop changing into the best possible version of myself that I can be. I’ll never stop trying to live my best life.

Here’s to being “a work in progress” and growing into the best version of yourself that you can be today. And who knows? You could be an even better version of yourself in a year, or two, or more.

However long it takes, live each day living, learning and becoming the best version of yourself that you can.

You got this!

And so do I!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Where You Belong”

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“Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn, taking us on the journey of a lifetime. We may not end up where we dreamed, but we’ll always end up where we belong.” 

~Anne Dennish~

I wrote this quote at what seems like a lifetime ago, but I’m glad I was reminded of it because it’s true and so fitting of my life right now.

I can honestly say that I’m not where I dreamed I’d be, but rest assured, I’m in the place that I belong.

I’m in the place I need to be to take care of my parents, the place to learn patience in adapting to a new area to live in, a place to learn more about myself and the many changes I’m going through, and a place to write my books in.

I’m where I belong and I’m making the best of it. 

I believe that our lives are a series of “unexpected turns,” and it’s up to us to step up and be equal to the challenge.

I do believe that we’ll all end up where we dream to be, we just need to learn the lessons that life is teaching us and change our perspective on where we are at this moment.

We all end up where we belong…

And I believe that in time we’ll all end up where we dreamed.

Be grateful to be in the place that you belong.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“The Mind of a Heart” Is Traveling!

/ Anne Dennish / 2 Comments

“The Mind of a Heart” has certainly been traveling and I’m so happy to those of you who have sent me pictures of you reading the book! It warms my heart to see my novel in the hands of so many different people and I can’t thank you all enough for your beautiful reviews. I loved writing this novel and it makes me so happy to see that so many of you loved it.

If you have a copy of “The Mind of a Heart,” snap a picture and send it to me. I’d love to share it with those that follow me.

I’m grateful to each and everyone of you who took the time to buy my book, who sent me your pictures and who have given me your feedback.

You are amazing!

These pictures were taken on the East Coast of Florida, the West Coast of Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware and New York State! Let’s see how far it travels! Let’s keep those pictures coming!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish

Dealing With “The Stuff!”

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Let’s talk about “the stuff.” You know what I mean, the stuff that haunts your dreams and keeps you up at night. The “stuff” that makes you think “I shouldn’t have done that, I should have done things differently and I wish I could go back in time.”

That’s the stuff I’m talking about. It’s the stuff that we have to let go of because we can’t fix it, we can’t change it and we can’t take it back. It’s that kind of “stuff.”

We’re human. We make mistakes even when we’re trying to do it right. We make the wrong choices even though we thought that they were right. And we make decisions that we think are right for everyone concerned that turn out not to be.

I go to bed some nights with “the stuff.” And I don’t like it, not one bit. But I know it’s the “stuff” that got me here, that taught me to do things differently and taught me to forgive myself.

Tonight when you go to sleep, let go of the “stuff.” The “stuff” is old, it’s in the past and it can’t be changed or undone.

Go to sleep tonight with gratitude that you’re still here to deal with the “stuff,” gratitude to forgive it, and gratitude for life giving you the ability to learn from it and not make the same mistake twice.

We all have “stuff.” 

Tonight let’s put that “stuff” to rest and love ourselves for all that we’ve lived through, all that we’ve learned and all the good “stuff” we can put out into the world because of it.

We got this…

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Lean On Me”

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Anyone feeling a bit lonely today? Need someone to vent to or just be there with a listening ear? I’m your girl today.

And I’m your girl because there have been days when I’ve needed someone to be there as well.

We are all humans trying to get through this life the best that we can. We try to live each day to its fullest and live in a life of gratitude.

But then we get hit with a “not so good day” and all that positive stuff goes out the window.

And that’s okay as long as you don’t stay out of the window too long.

I don’t have to know you personally to love you. I don’t have to know you personally to understand you. And I don’t have to know you personally to be there for you.

I love you because you’ve been supportive of me. I understand you because we’ve all been in a difficult place in our lives and lived through it together.  And I’ll always be there for you because you’ve always been there for me.

Thank you for your love. Thank you for your supportive comments. And thank you for being there on my difficult days because you turned them into good days.

There are days that we all need someone to lean on.

And you can always lean on me.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

Love for “The Mind of a Heart!”

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I’m so pleased and grateful to those of you who have read and loved my new novel, “The Mind of a Heart.” The reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble are beautiful and I had to share this one that I received today.

Writing is truly my passion and knowing that so many of you have enjoyed this labor of love of mine is confirmation that I’m on the right path.

I’m working diligently on the sequel of this book and looking forward to releasing “One Last Look” in early 2024.

Thank you to those of you who read the book and left a review. Feedback is important to me and I am so happy at what I’m hearing and reading.

Thank you!

Wishing you love and light, 

~Anne Dennish~

“Life is a Gift”

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“Each time that  I write something I find a piece of myself that I didn’t know was missing.” ~Anne Dennish~

Life as a writer is interesting. I’m always listening to what other people are saying and watching their body language. I love having conversations with people that I just meet and hearing their stories. And with each story I write, I learn something new about myself. I learn about a piece of myself that I didn’t even know was missing.

This is life. It’s learning lessons that we didn’t even know needed to be taught. It’s listening with an open heart and mind. It’s an opportunity to change our perspective.

You don’t need to be a writer to experience these things. You need to be a human being that understands that this world is a gift to explore and that the people in it are the ribbons that wrap it all up.

Be open. Be aware. Be mindful.

This beautiful life that we are all given has so many surprises and gifts that we can’t even fathom…you just have to let it show you.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~