Sundays have a way of reminding us to slow down – no matter what the weather is doing.
Here in Florida, the rain is settling in and up north the cold is creeping closer… but there’s something beautiful about it all. Maybe today is the perfect day to embrace whatever’s outside your window and create a little peace inside your heart.
So curl up with a soft blanket, watch your favorite holiday movie, sip something warm and let yourself just “be.”
Rain or snow, warmth or chill, there’s always a little bit of magic tucked inside a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Here’s to finding comfort in the coziness and joy in the simple moments.
There’s something beautiful about evenings in December. Maybe it’s the soft music playing in the background, or the glow of the lights on the tree…or maybe it’s simply the reminder that peace is something we can choose, even on the busiest of days.
Today, I’m choosing to breathe a little deeper.
To slow down.
To find joy in the small, quiet moments that make this season so magical.
It doesn’t take much to shift the energy of your day – just a peaceful morning, a quiet evening, a grateful heart and a little faith that things are all falling into place.
Here’s to choosing calm.
Here’s to choosing hope.
Herpes to a beautiful December day and a peaceful December evening.
I love the first day of the month, no matter the month. It’s a feeling from childhood of the excitement of the first day of school, or how you felt on Christmas morning, not knowing what “Santa” brought you. The memories of those emotions always come back to me on the first of each month because there’s an excitement of not knowing what the month will bring. It’s as if we’re given another month to get things right or do them better than the month before.
It’s a new month with no mistakes in it. It’s a new month to change things, to do things differently, or to do what it takes to live your best life.
Here’s to the new month of July and all that it can bring to you…to all of us.
Welcome this first day of July with open arms, a delicious iced coffee and a mindset that this month will be filled with all that you want!
Life is filled with endless possibilities and with each new month there’s a renewed sense of gratitude for receiving the gift of another month to live your best life.
Sometimes you have to write yourself a “permission slip.” Remember those back in grade school? They were the ones your parents wrote for your teacher or school telling them that you had permission to leave early, or permission to attend a class trip. It seems so long ago yet as adults I think we need to write one to ourselves.
I’m home by myself this week. Eight days and seven nights of “alone” time and it’s been good for me. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel and my oldest and daughter-in-law came for a visit, so this time was much needed and well deserved.
And during this time, I realized something sacred: “I can.”
I can say no to what drains me.
I can say yes to what lights me up.
I can order takeout without guilt.
I can write when I feel called to.
I can nap if I need to.
I can breathe deeply.
I can be gentle with myself.
I can say: “This is my time.”
This is the freedom that we often forget that we’re allowed to take. Balance isn’t about doing it all, it’s about knowing when to shift, when to rest and when to rise.
Write yourself a permission slip. Remember that this is your time. Live a life of “I can!”
Gratitude isn’t just for the good days. It’s for the messy ones. It’s for the mornings when the coffee spills, the text you hoped for doesn’t come, or when your heart feels heavier than you had wanted it to.
It’s for the days when all you can say is, “At least I’m still here.”
Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is whisper “thank you” in the middle of the storm.
Find one thing today, one tiny thing, and hold onto it like a lifeline.
This morning I woke up a little differently than yesterday. Today I woke up as an 11 year breast cancer survivor.
Today I woke up with more gratitude than usual, a gratitude filled with more happiness and smiles, love and laughter. Today I count another year of blessings as a survivor.
Today is a day I pray that I continue to celebrate every year.
Today I remember the journey of my breast cancer and the faith that I had to get through it.
Today I remember the people who helped me through my journey. Their love and support is something I will be eternally grateful for and they know who they are!
And today my thoughts and prayers are with those going through their own journey with breast cancer.
Gratitude is definitely in the house more than usual today.
I’m happy to say that I’ve been back in full swing writing the sequel to my last book, “The Mind of a Heart.” My apologies to those of you who have been waiting to see what happens next to the main character of that book. I had hoped to have it done sooner but it’s been a bit more difficult getting back to writing while living in Florida. I’ve been trying to “get my groove back” and it feels as though I finally have. I’ve written over 60 pages and 10 chapters in the last few days. My deadline is my birthday, March 15th, to have the book finished, edited and sent to the publisher.
It’s funny what motivates us to get back into doing the things that we love to do. So often we’re doing so much for everyone else and making them a priority that we forget to focus on ourselves. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last month or so is that no one is going to make me a priority if I don’t make myself one.
Life can be strange sometimes but I’m beyond happy that I’m writing again and am finally finishing my next book because it means so much to me.
Do something that makes you happy and make yourself a priority.
I’m always amazed when life offers you a “you don’t see that too often” moment! I had such a moment this morning. The windows are all open and I decided to finish my book while having my morning coffee. I heard a car stop right in front of my porch and three men hopped out with a crate. One of the neighbors was walking by and I heard them say to her: “Do you want to watch us release our homing pigeons? We’re really excited!” Of course, she said “yes” and I immediately put my book down and went out onto my front porch.
They gently opened the crate door and two beautiful white pigeons, also known as “release doves,” flew out. I watched them fly far away and within minutes turned back. It seems that one was completely trained and is teaching the other one to return home. They lived a few miles from here and were going back home to where they would return.
This was truly one of those “you don’t see that too often” moments in my life because I have never seen that before.
It was such a beautiful sight to see, and I read that two doves flying together represent peace, harmony, companionship, support, hope and love. What a beautiful meaning!
Happy Sunday and I hope you have a “you don’t see that too often” moment in your life.
My desk is in front of two large windows in my house, giving me a wonderful view of the neighborhood. This morning as I sat here writing with my windows down enjoying the cooler weather, I saw a neighbor from down the street come walking towards another neighbor walking their dog. Their exchange was right in front of my windows.
The neighbor down the street walks up to the woman walking her sweet Bichon and hands her something that she dropped in her yard. The woman, who recently moved in here, thanks her with a smile.
I thought that this was a nice encounter between two neighbors, but it wasn’t. The woman begins to lecture her in a very nasty tone, telling her never to walk through her yard again and that it’s against the rules. The woman apologizes yet the other one keeps going at her.
This is a person that lives a few houses away that has a negative and nasty attitude towards her neighbors, including me, and for no apparent reason.
Why do people have to be mean and unkind?
I feel incredible sadness when people are not kind, whether it’s to me or to someone else. I truly don’t understand why anyone would choose to be cruel to another human being but they do.
I will never understand how someone can find pleasure in intentionally hurting another. I know that there are plenty of reasons WHY they’re like that, but they have a choice NOT to be like that. Life has handed me some painful and hurtful situations but I never let them turn me into a mean person. I don’t care what has happened to me in my life, I would never intentionally hurt someone else. I know how it feels and it’s extremely painful to be abused, be it emotionally, mentally or physically.
Be kind as often as you can.
And to my neighbor down the street: “If you can’t be kind, please be quiet.”
And that goes for anyone else who is unkind to others.
Do you make a list of things you need to do? I do and I don’t have just one! I have the shopping list, the list of bills that need to be paid, a list of doctor appointments that need to be made and so on, and so forth. I must go through all the lists I’ve made at least once a month to check off what I’ve done and what still needs to be done.
But what about this? What about making a list of things you need to do each day just for YOU? Why not make a list of “reminders” of important thoughts and actions you need to live your best life?
Here’s a “life list” I started making for myself for this new year of 2025:
The moment my eyes open in the morning, and before I get out of bed, I stretch and say a prayer of gratitude for another day to do things better than the day before.
Each morning that I have my first cup of coffee (or tea) I sit and meditate for the day. I keep my thoughts positive and remind myself that I am worthy of all good things.
I want to devote time each day to reading a book with a cup of tea and relaxing.
When my thoughts start racing into a negative direction I will stop and take some deep breaths and refocus my attention on something positive. (This is an important one while dealing with PTSD)
And each day I want to embrace the gift of another day to laugh, to dance, to hug another and to count my blessings.
The list can go on and on but you understand what I mean. We tend to get so caught up in life that we forget to enjoy it and it’s time that we change that!
Anne Dennish - Writer/Author 