Friday, November 16, 2007

I'm Thankful for ...Three Days Worth of Stuff!!!

Hey all,
I've been gone for the last two days on a mini vacation. We spent some time in on the coast and had a great time. I needed to get away, and now I'm back and refreshed and ready to go!!!

Now...

Wednesday... I was thankful for being anal. I know that sounds weird, but while on our vacation, we had to deal with some business matters. Jonathon is great at making overall decisions, once he has all the info. He can do it without emotion where I can't get past the emotion. My talent is in being anal about things. Picking it apart until I understand every part of it. In doing so, I get questions answered he doesn't even know he needs and it helps us both. We work very well together.

Anality helps. And it gave us a chance to do something we've wanted to do for a long time. Move forward.

Thursday... I'm thankful for God's beautiful earth. We went over to Ormond Beach where we have a bit of property. It's so nice to just kick your shoes off and look at the ocean. I'm constantly in awe of God when I see it. The colors, the grandeur, the immenseness of it. I never feel alone when I stand there, but I do feel very small. I can sit for hours and just listen to the waves. There is something peaceful and exciting at the same time about it. The beach is one of my favorite places on the planet.

And it gives me a chance to refresh and renew. Jonathon and I walked for miles. Few people over there this time of year. It was wonderful.

Friday... That brings me to today. Today, I'm thankful for my kids. While, as you have often heard me say, I do want to strangle them on a weekly basis, I really adore them. They are each such unique individuals...it's hard to explain how they are all so different, yet raised exactly the same way.

You have Jessaca, who is romantic and dreamy and steady as a rock. (oldest child syndrome), yet she can be as blonde as all get out sometimes, and is my best girlfriend. We can go guy chasing ( we took a special trip to Epcot last week just to check out the new hot guys in France... Can you say ooooo-la-la?)

Then there is Jeramiah, who I joke is me with a penis. He is moody and creative and stubborn as a fricking mule. A two by four to the head is usually what it takes to wake us up to anything. Yet he can write some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard and I've actually featured his ideas in the Second Chances Series.

Lastly...Jasiah, who is just 18 and stretching his wings. Very self contained, smart as a whip and it's tough to know what he is thinking. Yet he can build some of the most intricate light shows I've ever seen, is a graphic artist and often surprises me with a special gift of candy or a meal, just cause.

Each of them are so different, yet very similar in ways. I've never regretted the fact I homeschooled them because it made us closer. Even when they now do things (as adults) I might not agree with, most often, it is because of the fact we have given them the freedom to choose their own paths and follow their dreams.

I can't imagine my life, now or in the future, without them. So thank you God, for the labor of birth, the labor of raising them, and the labor of allowing them to spread their wings and fly. It is painful, hard and beautiful. It is filled with tremendous emotion and is ultimately satisfying.

So I thank you God for giving me the gift of being a mother. Now...give me the strength and the patience to keep on doing it! LOL


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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I'm thankful for MY CREATIVITY

Hey all,
Thanks for the wonderful response to this thread. I love hearing what other's come up with.

Today I'm thankful for my creativity. Like I said yesterday, I think we all have it. People either choose not to use it, or use it differently. Doesn't matter if you're right brained or left. You can be just as creative using numbers and you can using a paint brush.

I've been creative since I was little. I've done just about every type of art there is...from tole painting to oil painting to throwing pots. I've acted and worked in production in places all over this country. I sang my way through American and Europe with a singing group. (great beer and ice cream, BTW)

But through it all, I wrote. I've got stories (really bad ones) going back to my preteen years. Some I shudder to read, but I grin too. The spark of genius was there...just really, really hidden. LOL
I just found the story I built Mylari: The Eyes of Fire (that comes out next May from Samhain) from in a box. It was rough and crude and actually badly written, but the imagination...the essence of creativity was there.

While I am my own worst critic, I do know I can write and write well. It's not the awards, bestsellers, compliments or publishers who make me believe that (though it helps...LOL) It is just an inner knowing. A feeling of satisfaction that comes over me when I write out a chapter and it flows so great. I know in my inner being, that this was GOOD. But good or bad doesn't really matter...it's the doing that is important.

Creativity and all it is is that freedom to express something inside of us that might otherwise never see the light of day. It's why I shout Follow Your Dreams at the top of my lungs, because I believe everyone has that spark inside them. They are just looking for a way to let it shine!
So...today I am thankful for my creative side...that spark that helps me stand and say...yes...this is who and what I am. It's the reason I can follow my imagination and make it real for all of you to enjoy.

Hugs!
CJ
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Monday, November 12, 2007

I Am Thankful For...Our Military

Hey all,

Here is my thankful thought for the day...
I can't imagine what our lives would be like now without the men and women who fought to free America over 200 years ago. More tea than coffee? A queen instead of a president? No...much more than that. We fought for ideals and beliefs that many of us still hold dear today.

Each time one of our men or women take the oath, they are in fact, standing up for you and I. Not just an ethereal USA and some white haired man in a funny suit, but us. Each person in this country. Whether you care or not...they do. They are putting their lives on the line for us.

So...I'm thankful for each and every one of them. The guys on the front lines dodging bullets and seeing horrific sights, the gal in the office who is making sure those soldiers get the ammo, food and medical supplies they need, and the people back in the states who keep things safe on the home front. Each of you is important...each of you is special...each of you is necessary.

It matters not where you are when you read this. You can be in Canada, Singapore, or England. You can be fighting the war in Iraq, or snuggled up with your honey in Jamaica. We all know what I'm talking about. America celebrates our vets today...but we know it extends to all peoples...because we all have fought for our freedom in some way.
And the men and women who have done so, should be honored, respected and thanked.

God Bless You all!
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Saturday, November 10, 2007

I'm Thankful For MY SENSES...

Hey all,
I want to say thanks to all of you who've written me saying how much they are liking this. Isn't it fun that an idea can springboard into something so wonderful?

Today I am thankful for all my senses. I know that sounds strange, but I just took Ares outside and (don't hate me) It's another beautiful day down here. Sun was warm on my face, I could smell the moonflowers around my window, taste the chocolate coffee I was drinking. I could hear the sound of ducks on the lake behind my house, and see the wild turkeys strutting their stuff in the next yard. Then Jonathon came out to talk to me. He put his arms around my waist and nuzzled my hair and I could sense the love he has for me.

How often do we just go through our days not paying attention to any of those senses? We forget, or take for granted the fact we can see, hear and feel. To watch Ares run up and want me to toss him a stick. To hear the sound of my kids laughing at a cartoon. To smell that special scent that belongs to Jonathon and no one else. If I didn't have those...I could survive...but would my life be as full?

I'm thankful right now, I don't have to find out.

So...what are you thankful for today?

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Friday, November 9, 2007

What Am I Thankful For! It's a start!

Hey all,

I've decided to count my blessings. Every day through the end of the month, I will think what I am thankful for. In this crazy world of ours, I think it's important to consider that when you see the horrors of what goes on around us on the 5 o'clock news. So for today...

What am I thankful for?
I'm thankful for the freedom I have to be who I choose to be. I'm thankful that my family and husband support that choice. I'm thankful that no matter what the problems we may have in this great country of ours, I can still choose to be a stay at home mom, have as many kids or pets or chocolate as I want. I can write "Bodice Rippers" or inspirationals. I can serve God the way he and I have agreed, and not as some church says I have to.
I can eat meat...or I can choose a carrot.
I can smoke...or choose not to.
I can play my country music and the only one who complains is the son whose favorite band is called "Death Head"
I can read what I want, watch what I want and go where I want.
Choice...it's an awesome thing.


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