Nikki Rosen's Blog, page 10

Thankful Thursday

"There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name." Kate DiCamillio. 

Some days are exhausting. Everything's a struggle. Nothing goes right. And then you meetup with someone you love or you come home and hear and feel from your family a love that goes right down into your bones and everything you went through that day simply melts away. You're loved. That's all that matters.

Love makes the difference. 
Love that looks at you differently. 
Love that tells you you're important. Special. Valued. 
That kind of love keeps you in the game, makes your world sing even on those dark days, the stressful ones, the days you feel like you don't count. 
Love warms like nothing else can. 

I used to run from love. People who said they loved me hurt me. But now I run towards it because I've discovered the real thing - love makes me strong, and it's a constant. Love makes me happy, content, and free. 
 
Happy Thursday, Guys.
ad more at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/18549-Barbara_ParkA stick or a stone only stings for a minute. A name seems to hurt forever.
Barbara Park
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/18549-Barbara_Park

Thankful Thursday. - Hero.

“Sometimes you don’t need to do anything really courageous to feel like a hero. Sometimes all you have to do is live your life and claim it."  Diana Bletter. 
Heros to me are everyday people. The kind who go about their day unaware they're making a difference in someone's life just by being who they are. They shine hope through their smile or some small act of kindness. They overcome one thing, then tackle another; illness, divorce, lost of a child. 
The biggest thing - they claim their lives. They know who they are. When they're knocked down, they get back up. And they're always there, in the fight for other people, championing them on when life gets hard. 
The neat thing about heroes is that they come in all ages, sizes and cultures. I meet them everyday, in the neighbourhood, in my community and here online.
I'm a hero. You're a hero. All of us are everyday heros.
Happy Thursday, Guys. 

 

Thankful Thursday - Purpose

"There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute. The world is waiting to hear from you." Leymah Gbowee. 

I believe we all need a purpose.....something that is unique to us, something that makes us come alive. Something that gives us tremendous satisfaction.  

I read in our local paper about a small group of women who get together once a week to knit. When they finish a few projects, they ship them overseas to children in war torn countries. Another group makes small teddy bears to give to children rescued from accidents or house fires. Others become doctors or engineers without borders, traveling the world, helping the less fortunate.

Purpose - I never thought I had any. I was simply trying to survive one day to the next. For a time I didn't talk. I was too afraid. Now, I want my voice to be heard.....to use it to give hope to those who wander in the dark wondering if they'll ever be free. Giving hope - it's my passion. My purpose.....to shine hope wherever I can, however I can.

I met someone yesterday who read my book and said it gave her so much hope. She asked if she could pass it on so she can share the hope with others. And I got a call yesterday to ask if I'm be willing join a committee to help end violence against seniors in nursing homes. 

Hope - every little bit helps especially when things sometimes seem so hopeless. The one thing I've learned about hope is that we give it to each other. It's about sharing our lives and passing it on and someone passing it on to someone else and so on. It's a chain reaction for the good. 

Happy Thursday, Guys.

There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute.
Leymah Gbowee
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/16651-Leymah_GboweeThere is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute.
Leymah Gbowee
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/16651-Leymah_Gbowee




There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute.
Leymah Gbowee
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/16651-Leymah_Gbowee

Thankful Thursday - Choice.

“I have lived through many wars and have lost everything many times including my husband, my mother and my beloved son. Yet, life is beautiful, and I have so much to learn and enjoy. I have no space nor time for pessimism and hate.” Alice Herz-Sommer

She's a hero....Alice Sommer, survivor of the holocaust, died last year at the age of 109. Always smiling. Always seeing the good in life, the positives and joy. Alice knew trauma. She knew cruelty. She had lived it, experienced it, yet something inside her refused to be reduced by the bad, the ugly, the brutal parts of life. She made a choice everyday to rise above it, to not allow the bad, the awful to keep her down or stuck in the darkness.

At age 96 when asked what she learned in her life, she replied,  "to be thankful, thankful for everything. Seeing the sun, a smile, a nice word from someone. Everything is a present. It depends on me whether life is good or bad. I know about the bad but I look at the good side."

I want to be like Alice and everyday see the beauty, and the small gifts that make life meaningful...someone's smile, the sun shining after the rain, a bird singing early in the morning. 
Today and everyday I choose to find the good, the beautiful, and live from that place.

Happy Thursday, Guys. 

Thankful Thursday - Changes

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Change - it's been a theme running through my mind....letting go of what was, moving on to something new, something different. A fresh focus. 

Some people have moved away, passed away, or left. Things I've been involved in changed hands and are moving in new directions. Kids are growing up changing the dynamics of mom looking out for them as much or in the same way.

So where do I fit. What do I do now? Where do I belong? 

I used to hate changes. I tried to avoid them at all costs. I was afraid of anything rocking the familiar.  

Not anymore. Now I feel an excitement inside. I have dreams, ideas. I know my life has purpose. I've felt this since He touched me, changed the direction of my life from restlessness to calm. 

I know He's got something wild and wonderful set up. A new venture....something fresh. It's in the works and slowly unfolding. I got a call yesterday to run a writing group at a half way house for women, starting in January. And also a retirement home, to help seniors who want to write their life stories to leave a legacy for their family. 

And the people who love me are constants. Life brings changes and I'm ready!!!
Happy Thursday, Guys. 

Thankful Thursday - Promise to Myself

"I made a promise to myself to be kinder to other people." Lena Horne.

Some people have stepped into my life for a period of time who weren't what I thought them to be. They left my heart empty and reeling. But they are so few in number that the promise I made to myself a long time ago stands...the promise to be kind, to never use or abuse anyone for my own purpose....the promise to go the extra mile and be to others what I like them to be to me.

I've had good models....people who showed me the power in being kind...power that changes people from the inside out because it throws light in their world and also in mine. Their kindness is what motivates me to pay it forward wherever and whenever I can. 

And I learned that the kindness I give out, always comes back in big ways and in small. The other day I was in the grocery store when a woman came up to me and stood staring at me.  
What I asked. 
She didn't say a word. Just held up a set of keys. 
I looked at them, then at her. 
Oh my gosh, my daughter's car keys. That woman saw me drop them in the parking lot, ran to retrieve them and then searched the store for me. Kindness. Going the extra mile. 

I turned around to a woman putting some green grapes into her cart. Hey try one of these. I held up the purple ones. She plucked one off and a smile lit up her face. Much sweeter. I'm definitely getting these. Kindness. It's looking out for others. 

A cop pulled me over early one morning. I was prepared to pay a ticket for something or other I had done. She asked me if I was alright. The sun is very bright, makes it hard to see, she said. I wanted to make sure you're okay. And I wanted to tell you to have a great day.
That's it?  
Yep.

Came home feeling on top of the world. Kindness. It does that to you...makes you feel like life's worth living. Kindness....it's like a boomerang. You throw it out and it'll always come back to you. 
Happy Thursday, Guys.

Thankful Thursday. -

"The leaves had fallen from the trees and lay crisp and crackling beneath his feet. Picking one up he marveled at the perfection of nature where leaves were most beautiful at the very end of their lives." Louise Penny.
I love Fall. I love the changing colours of the leaves. I love how everything is getting ready for winter....slipping away....only to return again more brilliant in the spring. 

It makes me think about life, my life and the lives of everyone around me and what I want to do next. Another phase of life. A new adventure.  

And it also makes me think of the elderly. I've been toying around with writing some of their life stories. Everyone has a story and I love hearing how people arrived at the place they are. How was life to them in the good times and the bad. How did they make it through the tough times. What is their outlook on life now.  

The other day I was in a clothing store. As I approached an old woman I heard her laughing to herself. My first thought, she's a bit odd, but when I got close enough, she held up a sweater, still giggling and said, was going to the cash to pay for this and then realized it's mine. I'm getting a tad old I think. Her eyes twinkled and I saw the sweetness and fun in her face. 

I think there's a lot for me to learn from the old, especially how to be easier on myself and let things go and accept life on life's terms. 

Off to run a group this morning....a writing group. Excited about it. It's gonna be a great day. 
Happy Thursday, Guys. 

Thankful Thursday. Growing.

"Rock bottom became the solid foundation for which I rebuilt my life." J.K. Rowlings. 

 I met a friend the other day, someone I hadn't seen for a long time. She looked the same although a somewhat older version of herself. We hugged, glad to see each other again and then sat down to talk.  

At first I slipped right into the old times of how we used to be together, but as time passed, I became restless, bored. I didn't know what to say and what she said didn't hold my interest. 

I've changed. Grown. Come into my own. She's still where she was when I knew her - fearful of life, afraid to reach out to grab onto things she yearns for. 

I left her wondering why and how our paths changed so dramatically. I remember how I had hit rock bottom. I had nothing to hold onto. Nothing worth anything. Then He touched me, showered me with a love that gave me courage, courage to do what I couldn't and helped me move from one solid place to the next. 

I've outgrown her. There's a sadness in that knowing that I'm leaving the past behind with the quirks and memories of what was. 

Yet, in my gut burns a hope and an excitement that life is an incredible adventure. I want to live my best life everyday, doing everything I can, always, connecting with people and life and being all I can be today and always. 

Happy Thursday, Guys. 

 

Thankful Thursday - Faith

"I believe that God is in me as the sun is in the colour and fragrance of a flower...the Light in my darkness, the Voice in my silence." Helen Keller.  
There's a constant in my life...something that's always there...that gives me hope, makes me strong, and gives me courage. When things go wrong or when I feel lost, or worried or afraid, it's my faith that's an anchor...something solid to hang onto.
In those tough times, the dark and scary I always hear the whisper of His gentleness telling me everything will turn out okay....just trust.
Trust. That's huge but I've already seen and experienced again and again that putting my trust in Him works out always for the best. 
Happy Thursday, Guys.

Thankful Thursday - Kindness

“Kindness I discovered, is everything in life." Issac Bashevis Singer.

Abuse changes who we are. It changes who we become. It changes how we move in the world. And so does kindness.

Kindness is what motivates me to give more, be more, and live stronger. Kindness is what gave me the oomph to live my best life. The kindness others showed me when I had nothing to give back.   Kindness trumped all the dark yucky stuff. 

Kindness gave me hope. It showed a better way, a softer, more gentle one. 

Today I carry inside me all those people who showed me kindness. They made a difference in my life, some in small ways, others big. They're all there a reminder to pay their kindness to forward, and give to give hope to others struggling where I was. 

Off to run a workshop. Hope to do just that this morning. 

Happy Thursday, Guys.