Some Of My Favorite Quotes About Finding Yourself

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. ~Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973


There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anaïs Nin


If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found. ~Author Unknown


It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. ~K.T. Jong


And my favorite....


I believe everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn how to let go. Things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they are right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

Stop To Smell The Roses

I’m sitting here watching My Sister’s Keeper. It’s a movie about a young girl was genetically engineered to be donate blood and bone marrow to her sister who is dying of cancer. This is my second time watching the movie. It is a must see movie, it makes you think about life. As I sit here and watch, her last wish was to go to the beach. It makes you think about how so many people take the small things in life for granted. Can you imagine being a young girl dying of cancer? There is nothing to look forward to in the future. We take for granted all the small things in life that we do get a chance to do that others don’t. Like walking on the beach and spending time with family and friends. I think I enjoy this movie so much because in February of 2007, I was diagnosed Chronic Lymphocyte Leukemia. I was told, I could have between five to fifteen years to live. It would all depend on how fast the CLL progressed. Overtime the CLL cells replace the normal lymphocyte cells in the marrow and lymph nodes making it difficult for your body to fight off infections. It was a horrifying thought to me. My children were only 6, 7 and 15. The only thing I could think of was there was the possibility I would never get the opportunity to see my children grow up, graduate from high school and from college. I would never get the opportunity to see them get married or even see my grandchildren and watch them grow. That same year in late September, my CLL went into remission. That nightI took my children and a friend out to dinner to celebrate. I let them order whatever they wanted for dinner and order the biggest dessert on the menu. I was given a second chance at life. I have been in remission ever since and I am so grateful for the opportunity to watch my children grow. Everyone should take a moment and think, how they would feel if they didn’t get another chance to spend another day with the ones they love? What would you do if it were your last day on earth? Any one of us could die tomorrow. We could get into an accident, die in a plane crash, have a heart attack, and so on. Do you want to be laying there wishing you had done things differently? We value having a big house, driving a nice car, dressing our best, etc. We go to work every day for all the materialistic items in our lives. How often do we actually sit down and think about the ones we love? How often do we make it important to spend time with the ones we love? When your day does come, do you want to be laying there wishing you spent more time with the ones you love or about that vacation you never took with your children or spouse, thinking about all of your children’s sporting events or recitals you missed? All the time you have lost with your loved ones is gone and they are gone forever. Don’t waste your life on all the superficial things in life. They are what they are, superficial things that have no real meaning. Spend your life on the one’s who mean the most to you.

A Perfect Summer Day!

It couldn't be a more perfect Sunday. Dinner with the family and friends in the backyard, the kids playing in the sprinkler and then making smores in the firepit with the kids later. I am ready to kick off the summer fun!

You Learn Something New Everyday.

I found it amusing this morning when I opened my internet explorer and there was the question “what was the origin of "liar, liar, pants on fire?" I recently named my blog after the childhood saying to add a little humor to the blog and because of the references towards adults displaying childlike behavior. The origin of "Liar, liar, pants on fire" actually comes from a poem by William Blake called "The Liar."

Deceiver, dissembler
Your trousers are alight
From what pole or gallows
Shall they dangle in the night?

When I asked of your career
Why did you have to kick my rear
With that stinking lie of thine
Proclaiming that you owned a mine?

When you asked to borrow my stallion
To visit a nearby-moored galleon
How could I ever know that you
Intended only to turn him into glue?

What red devil of mendacity
Grips your soul with such tenacity?
Will one you cruelly shower with lies
Put a pistol ball between your eyes?

What infernal serpent
Has lent you his forked tongue?
From what pit of foul deceit
Are all these whoppers sprung?

Deceiver, dissembler
Your trousers are alight
From what pole or gallows
Do they dangle in the night?

Sometimes Nothing Says It Better Than Music

Me, Myself And I

There are many points in our life in which we are standing at the crossroads of our lives, standing there waiting to see which path our lives will take. Sometimes, the hardest times are when your standing in the center trying to decide the path you will choose. When it comes down to it, all I have is me, myself and I. It's up to me to stand up for myself and do what is in the best interest of myself and my family. No one will do it but me. It is up to me to stand up for myself and I am strong enough to do it. I won't allow anyone to walk on me. Because, at the end of the day, I know I won't let myself down.

Characteristics Of A Physical Abuse & Abusers

Characteristics of phyical abuse may include the following:

-punching
-hitting
-slapping
-pulling hair
-pushing
-choking
-restraining
-kicking
-biting
-using weapons
-forcing sexual intercourse and/ or engaging in violent intercourse

Characteristics of emotional abuse:

-name calling
-insults
-lying
-playing mind games to confuse the victim
-making false accusations
-jealousy
-rage
-false accusations
-making one feel guilty or humiliated (spitting at or degrading another human being)
-manipulation
-use of intimidation
-use of male privilege
-threatening another with physical harm
-raising their hand as though they are about to slap or hit the victim

A physical abuser will minimize or deny the abuse, including making light of the situation, say the abuse never occurred or they may blame the victim. Physical abusers often have the desire to have power over others, lack empathy for those they abuse and they focus on having their own selfish needs met at the expense of others.

If you have been a victim of Domestic Violence, contact the police department immediately by dialing 9-1-1.  You can also contact your local YMCA 24 hours a day.