change...

i want to remember that change is part of being alive.

i am not very good at  good byes, but then again,  who is?  

this has been a month of saying good bye, farewell,  see you soon, or... in the next life.  we all know life moves so quickly and these events, once again, highlight that.

to my dear sweet friend on moving day;   may every happiness find you in your new space.  there's a new home waiting,  with new friends,  new beginnings, we are only turning the page not closing the book.  change is always coupled with fear and  uncertainty but also so very much to look forward to.

there will be a new story line with new characters, different ideas, different places and we never know what might happen next, that's what makes life so exciting.  just think how boring the journey would be if we always knew what would happen in the next chapter.

love you and miss you already.  xo

on monday night there were more good byes.  our neighbors who have lived across the street from us for 20+ years are moving on.  there have been many mixed emotions for them.  we decided to host a small get together to wish them all the best.  there were tears and laughter and lots of memories shared.  this was a big decision and i think it's the right one for them.  they know that even the most perfect days and nights can be been rimmed with sadness, punctuated by sleepless hours, a host of worries,  and questions without answers.  it's hard to feel happy and sad and filled up and emptied out all at the same time.  but yet again, a new beginning.  last night when i drove in from work the moving van was there, it had been there all day.  i watched them pack the last of their belongings, we wished them well one more time, and sent them off with hugs and a promise to keep in touch.

moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.

change is inevitable, we can't stop it, so why not make the best of it. after all we are the ones who decide if we will be happy or not. no one else can decide that for us. we can make the best of every situation. bad things might happen, or things that we may not have expected, but we can still be happy. we can continue on this journey and be successful and enjoy life, even through our trials! happiness is a decision not a destination. so if you CHOOSE to be happy, you WILL be!!

so in short keep writing your story, don't let things get in the way or get you down, and if you choose to be happy you will be, and your story will have a happy ending!

this space is always where i share so many happy things,  but unfortunately then there are also the sad things.
there was a final goodbye this month to someone who held a special place in so many hearts. i will always remember all those years of morning coffees together, all those special memories we shared.
all those smiles and disney magic.  all those carefree days.
and although you were taken from this world way to soon i know that you are already holding
nursery class in heaven.  every parent that ever walked away from their crying child left in your
care could set their  troubles aside, you had a magic way of making everything better. 

we are in this life to learn and to grow and be tested.  i know the one message that you would
want everyone to live by is to choose instead to see their life as a blessing.   to remember that surrender is always possible, and that you can be sad and grateful at the same time. filled up and emptied out, both.  even a heavy heart can overflow with contentment.  you would remind us to keep ours eyes open, to pay attention.  life is short.  and to remember:    this is it. 

katie, the most important thing your mom would want you to know and to live by is ..

there is only one dance.    don't miss a moment of it.


love sent, xo