#newchapter

“The Good Old Days…”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

I love when the “memories” pop up on my social media. Some are sweet, some bittersweet, yet when I see them I take a moment to remember them and then I move back into the present. I’ll be honest, it bugs me to see other people post their memories with “those were the good ‘ol days.”

Okay, I get that line but there are people that believe their past was truly “the good old days,” and I wonder why they don’t see that the life they have “now” as the good days as well.  

I have a past and I have memories just like everyone else, but I wouldn’t trade them for the life I have now and the memories I’m making in my life today.

Let me ask you this: “If the “good old days” were so good then why aren’t you still living in them?”

There are so many people that live in the past and I feel a sadness for them because they’re missing everything good in their present, and that hurts the people that ARE in their present life. 

We tend to remember our past as this amazing time of our lives, but I would tell you that if you’re really going to think that that was the best time of your life, you should also try to remember what wasn’t so good about them. 

And if you really believe that your past was “the good old days,” then you should go back to them or at least ask yourself why you aren’t living them anymore.

Life begins with your first breath and ends with your last, but it’s all those “breaths” in between that really count. Embrace “each breath along the journey” with each new day that you are gifted to live in. 

Don’t live so far in your past that you lose sight of all the good in your present. 

Make each day count.

It’s a good thing.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

if_you_keep_believing_that_think_about_it

 

 

 

“And The Last Child Graduates”

/ Anne Dennish / 2 Comments

The youngest of my five children graduated high school last week. It was a bittersweet day for both of us yet an exciting one. It was the end of a chapter and the beginning of the next one. Of course his chapter is much different than mine, yet it’s a new beginning for both of us.

This fifth child of mine never ceases to amaze me. At just 17 years old (almost 18) he knows who he is, he’s comfortable in his own skin, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him, yet the truth is, everyone loves him. He’s smart, he’s kind and compassionate, and he’s funny. His smile lights up the room and he can turn the saddest of my days into my best days.

And they love him because he’s his authentic self. I can’t begin to tell you how many teachers, faculty and parents of his friends tell me what a sweet kid he is: kind, respectful and funny. No mother could ask for anything more!

Yet I think back to when I was that age and wasn’t even close to being sure of myself. I didn’t know what I wanted in life other than the next step after high school: go to college. I cared about what I was wearing and what others thought of me. Comfortable in my own skin? I didn’t even know what my “own skin” was. 

Yes, I’m a proud mother here and one that is in awe of this fifth child of mine, yet I’ll be honest, all five of them are the same way. They are who they are and they’re amazing human beings. I’d like to think I had a hand in that while I was raising them because I allowed them to be their authentic self, without judgment or criticism. And it worked.

We all want to be accepted and loved and I believe that happens when we are our “authentic self,” not someone other people expect us to be. As I told my children, if people don’t like you or respect you for who you are, then they’re not your “people.”

And it’s true.

It’s a lesson I learn more and more as life goes on.

Congratulations to my fifth child, Sam, as he begins the next chapter of his life. I hope it’s a grand adventure. He certainly deserves it!

And here’s to all of us being our authentic self and beginning another chapter in our lives. Enjoy the journey and embrace the adventure.

It’s a good thing.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

sammy