Arms wide open

While cleaning my apartment this morning I found my late friend Jo’s-Ann’s memorial pamphlet. It stopped me in my tracks.

Sunrise: 25th May 1980
Sunset: 23rd December 2012

She was so young; a victim of Lupus .

Jo’s-Ann defied all odds and despite her challenges with Lupus, became the lawyer she always dreamed of becoming. She found a way to make her own rules as she went along. She did not allow the sometimes debilitating effects of her illness to direct how she saw her future. She assessed her reality, made plans and followed through on the those plans that did not give any room to “limitations”. What an example for those of us, who have far less to encumber us.

Her approach to life, the unique route she carved for herself and her ultimate triumph, has inspired me to go in the direction of my own dreams.

Finding the pamphlet, reminded me that I have been delaying deleting her from my BlackBerry Messenger. The very act of which seemed so final. Somehow this was my last connection to her.

Arrived.

That’s her BlackBerry messenger status.

Arrived.

She put that up when she got to the US back in November. She went there on vacation. She never came back.

My last and favourite memory of her was at Queen’s Royal College Old Boy’s Dinner, which we attended about two weeks before she left for vacation. I stood to go join the buffet line and asked Jo’s-Ann what she wanted because I was bringing her dinner to her as well. She said “Everything!”

At the time, I thought to myself…WOW…the girl said everything! No thought about the hour of the night or carbs or that “everything” might be too much for her. She just said, “Everything.”

She had “Everything” that night and she did so with no regrets.

This is an important lesson for me and for others as well.

This is how we should approach life; with arms and heart wide open. Wanting, taking in, absorbing, consuming, embracing, giving…EVERYTHING.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.– 2 Timothy 4:7

When I look at her Messenger profile now, “Arrived” has new meaning.

Her work on earth was finished and now she truly has arrived. I am ready now to say the final goodbye.….I hit “Delete contact.”

Rest in peace my friend. We shall meet again.

Blog Awards & Newbies

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Thank You Debra for blessing me and nominating me for this award. Please go check out her great blog here.

Thank You Debra!!!

Thank You Debra!!!

I have to be honest and since TRUTH is my “one word” for 2013 I have no choice but to be. When I saw the email about the nomination I was filled with a little dread. You see I have been nominated for Blog awards before.

When I first started this blog, I was nominated for The One Lovely Blog Award by fellow blogger Schalk Cloete who is doing great things over at his blog One in a Billion.

Thank You Schalk!

Thank You Schalk!

I was overjoyed. I remember messaging my friend Lucy about it and we were both super excited about the nomination. I was over the moon that, people other than my friends and family (and not even my family sometimes…I see you Trudy!) were reading and enjoying my writing enough to nominate me for an award.

But I was a newbie. I didn’t know that these nominations had rules. I said, Thank you to Schalk and that was the end of it. Fast forward to now and I still feel so ashamed of my newbie-ness.

Then I got nominated for The Liebster Award. Now folks, I have been following Stephanie’s blog WhenCrazyMeetsExhaustion for a while now. Stephanie is AWESOME!!!! (with not 1 but 4 exclamation marks!)

She is a very talented writer who brings humor to motherhood. I get to live vicariously through her stories and I love it! Stephanie’s brother Mike, recently started his own blog, A Different Kind Of Hero to chronicle his journey towards a healthier, fitter and more vital him. Go check out his blog and give him some support.

Thank You Stephanie!

Thank You Stephanie!

According to Stephanie,

The Liebster (German for “dearest”) Award goes to baby blogs, or blogs with less than 200 peeps, but despite their tiny following, have huge potential.

When I got this nomination, I was seriously cheesing it over here. Like if ya’ll looked at a map of the world at night time…the lil dot of light shining ever so brightly in the Caribbean…would have been me lighting up Trinidad. I kid you not. I really love reading Stephanie’s blog and the honor of having her read mine and nominate me as well…oh man…SHINE ON LITTLE LIGHT!

This was the first nomination I formerly declined.

The rules were exhausting. I could not even begin to wade through them. I felt really bad about it and there was a crap-filled couch somewhere in there too.

Then I got nominated for The Wonderful Team Member Readership Award by the incredible Rarasaur “For the amazing ability to get to the essence of anything, including books.

Thanks Rara!

Thanks Rara!

…and I felt the same dread I mentioned earlier when I was nominated for this award. What were the rules going to be like? How many questions will I have to answer or worse come up with myself? But Rarasaur did a lovely post on graciously accepting Blogger Awards and I think it’s one every newbie should read.

Which brings me back to today’s nomination. Debra simply nominated me. No rules. No questions to answer. Nothing. Just a nomination. Just an honor to my blog. THIS my lazy self I CAN ACCEPT. I was overjoyed and curious.

There had to be some rules somewhere for accepting this nomination. And I found them.

As it turns out the rules for The One lovely Blog award are the same as The Versatile Blogger award.

Versatile Blogger Rules (If you choose to obey them)

    • Display the Award Certificate on your website

    • Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented your award

    • Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers

    • Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post

    • Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

Four outta five ain’t bad…except I didn’t present 15 awards to deserving bloggers…I have said a heartfelt THANK YOU to four exceptional bloggers who I am proud to be in community with. That to me is the greatest honor of all – acknowledging that these people enrich my life and my journey beyond measure. Thank you again.

And now *drum roll please* 7 facts about me:

• I miss my mother everyday.

• I am a hand-sanitizer addict…the Bath & Body Works variety.

• I hold my breath for as long as I can if someone sneezes around me.

• I had a lump removed from my left boob 3 years ago. It was benign.

• January 6th this year was 10 years since I’ve been at my current place of work. EGADS!

• I have wanted to be a writer since I was 8. I got lost somewhere along the way…but I’m finding the path again.

• I am 5’4 but my ID says 5’5…in heels it does not matter.

Super thanks to Debra for nominating me for this no-strings attached award. Bless you.

To my fellow newbies, accept the awards fearlessly and graciously and make your own rules.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

Quote me

I am a quote junkie. I collect them. I print them and put them in places I can see them every day so that they can inspire me all the time.

Today’s Daily Prompt: Quote me is an opportunity to share with you a new favourite of mine.

Do you remember when you were a kid and could not wait to grow up? You longed to be a whole hand, then a teenager…finally 18 and then you got to 21 and realised…wait I don’t “feel” any different?!

It hits you somewhere around this time in your life that “growing up” really has little to do with age!

Photo by: V Superville

Photo by: V Superville

When I first saw this quote it resonated with me because I am at a stage in my life where I am growing and stretching and evolving and it’s SCARY!

It is scary to let go of the past, to move beyond familiar things and to identify and change behaviours that no longer align with the me I want to be.

I like being reminded that living takes courage.

Living out loud, takes a hell of a lot of courage.

Becoming the “me”…or rather evolving into the me
that I was created to be…takes courage.

I like knowing that I have that courage.

I KICKED IT

I have a visual bucket list or as I like to call it Purple Crayon Inspiration over on Pinterest.

Truth be told, I havent looked at it in a while. But today’s Daily Prompt: Kick it made me review it again.

 This is the 11th Item on my list!

This is the 11th Item on my list!

And guess what…I kicked it last year!!! WHOO HOO!!!

DONE and DONE and unto the next!

I will…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As 2012 draws to a close and I look to the bright future of 2013 so pregnant with promise, I want to take a moment and say THANK YOU to all those who found my blog, stayed a minute, shared their thoughts and allowed me to share my light and love with them. Thank you for being a part of my wondrous journey.

 My 2013 Manifesto

My 2013 Manifesto

In this New Year:

I will expect miracles.

I will LOVE. MORE.

I will LOVE. Hard.

I will laugh.

I will forgive.

I will walk, speak and live my truth.

I will cry when I need to.

I will make mistakes.

I will fail. A lot.

I will try. Again.

I will try. Harder.

I will sign my own permission slip.

I will experiment.

I will define my own success.

I will push past my comfort boundaries.

I will share my light.

I will live.

I WILL!


Always bear in mind that your own resolution to
succeed is more important than any other.
– Abraham Lincoln

Again, thank you for ALL your support this past year
and here’s to wishing you
light and happiness
in 2013!
Cheers.

LOVE LOVE LOVE