Hard Truth..... but still truth

Allow me to offer you some practical advice. "Your children hold a special place in your heart, but it's important to remember that not everyone will share the same sentiment." My children and grandchildren, both biological and honorary, are incredibly dear to me, but I understand that not everyone will view them in the same light. This realization is beneficial for both myself and my loved ones as they navigate through life. ❤️

The Little Moments

Parenting often involves navigating the in-between moments as your children grow older, particularly with sons. These are the times when they reach out to you as they travel to and from places, during downtime at appointments or work breaks. While seemingly insignificant, these moments are precious opportunities for connection. When your child chooses to share these moments with you, it shows that they trust and value your presence in their lives.

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow...

Are they together, or are they simply… gone? I find myself asking this all too often—what truly happens to life after death? Some like to believe we ascend to heaven, reuniting with the people we’ve loved. But what about before we were born? If there was a before, why can’t I remember it?

It’s a lot like being anesthetized for surgery. You drift off, and when you wake, it’s as though time skipped—no memory of those lost hours. Is death the ultimate version of that? Does everything just… stop? Consciousness snuffed out like a candle, leaving blissful nothingness in its wake? Or is it the opposite—do we awaken to golden streets, harp melodies, and familiar faces waiting to greet us?

Here’s the kicker—I don’t have the answer. I don’t think anyone does, not even the most devoted believers. Faith, hope… whatever you want to call it, these ideas help us cope, don’t they? Because thinking there’s something beyond “the end” makes loss just a little less unbearable. Hoping we’ll see them again makes it hurt a little less when they’re gone.

But here’s what I really wonder—when a wife follows her husband in death, are they reunited? Do they exist somewhere together, beyond the veil? Or are they both just… gone?

Over 50 and Loving It”! But Are we???

Are we coming to terms with what 50+ means or are we chasing 30?

I do not look down on anyone who has surgery to look younger. I don’t look down on high dollar cosmetics or treatments etc, but I encourage you to ask yourself if you are trying to be the best version of yourself as you Continue through life (which is a blessing) or if you are chasing a season of life that you have already lived?

I shared this somewhere (so forgive me if it was here) but I would like to share my thought again. 

WE are the women that those behind us are looking up to - our daughters and granddaughters. They live in a society that has filled most of their lives with social media and filters and false expectations of what one should look like and how they see themselves. Young girls have depression at an all time high bc of all of the pressure surrounding them at every turn on these devices and on tv…. Not reality. Are we feeding them the same lies by never accepting ourselves as beautifully unique?? I am so fortunate to still have my mother who is alive, my mother is alive, myself, my daughter, and now my granddaughters. I am living smack in 4 generations. When I see my mother, I think she is so beautiful. Her hair is white. Her hands have aged. Her eyes sparkle and she still has nice eyebrows (how did that happen - lol?). I also have a granddaughter and it weighs heavily on me as I look at her as to when society will tell her that she isn’t enough? Isn’t that what we are doing a great deal of here? I see my beautiful, unique, precious granddaughters with bright blue eyes and blonde hair but how much longer does she have before she believes she isn’t enough? That she needs to be blonde or thinner or have a forehead that won’t crinkle etc? I love the way she looks at me. She sees me as I see my mother. She sees me as beautiful. She knows I am not supposed to look like her Mommy does or like my mom does. She still accepts me just as I am and thinks I’m beautiful. I want her to hold my hands and ask me about my many trips around the sun. I want her to see the smile lines by my eyes and ask me why I smiled so much. We ARE beautiful. 

I am not trying to stand on a soapbox of not using things to make you feel better. I use makeup and color my hair to make me feel more like myself - but I don’t look like I did 20 years ago, and that is because I have made 20 more trips around the sun and I have a ton of life lessons, experiences, memories and stories to tell. I just want to encourage each of you to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you talk to yourself as you would talk to your mother about her beauty or your granddaughter about hers? I can say this bc I was so guilty of speaking down to myself (shame on me). This is the body I was gifted to walk this earth in and I better appreciate it at some point before it’s gone. I also want to be a part of changing the negative narrative that we are being fed and that we tend to feed into ourselves..: that we need to stop ourselves from looking as if we have aged or as if we aren’t enough (the billion dollar industries enjoy those facts btw).

One day, I would love to hear someone’s great story BC they are 50+. I would like to hear what you found out that you like about yourself and your body. Bc, 50 years from now when I am no longer here, I sure hope that is what my granddaughter is writing about ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Don't do me that way....

 Being a business owner comes with an interesting mix of requirements—customer service skills, a smile that doesn’t falter, a dash of empathy, and, apparently, 41 cameras hooked up to a DVR. Oh, and a never-ending to-do list.

This week, I’ve been juggling it all. It’s that time of year when summer’s easygoing vibe gives way to looming deadlines and big projects. Teachers are gearing up for a more demanding season, and I’m knee-deep in contract writing, policy updates, catching up from vacation, redecorating, and shopping for new equipment. You know how it goes. THE LIST NEVER ENDS.

Except for one thing—bullying from parents. Nope, not on my list. That's a hard line for me. You know you’ve hit that point as a business owner when you just don’t have the time or energy for anything that undermines your work or your team. Boundaries, my friends. They’re not just for maps—they’re for sanity.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a paint swatch chart and, possibly, my 42nd camera.

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