Sometimes...

 

Sometimes the holidays make me sad.  I do my best to find all the things in my life to be thankful for.  One being this man in the picture.  The one I call my husband, best friend, lover, companion, the list could go on.  Still, sadness takes over and I start thinking about all the holidays of yesterday.  I miss my mom and dad and five brothers and sisters. 

 

 

I miss the noise, the smells, and the chaos in our normal.  We were a far from perfect kind of family but we were family.  Today has been a rather difficult day as I sat around and pondered all the times we had Thanksgiving filled with more than just our own.  We gathered around the old restaurant tables and eventually the oversized pic nic table that made a meal seem like a feast.  After filling our plates with food and our tummies with all we could eat, the cards would come out and for hour we would play games with our friend and family around that table 

 

 

David, Dennis, Patrick, Eileen and Michelle, I miss you all like crazy as I reflect back on those days where the house was filled with smells of holiday foods and sounds of laughter that filled every square inch of our childhood home.  I miss mom and dad and what the Perez holidays meant, La Familia.  Though I am thankful for the life I have created and been blessed with.  Today I must be honest with myself and admit sometime the holidays make me sad.

Cris

"Living In The Moment"

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I think one of the most amazing things about being a human is the ability to feel gratitude and sadness at the same time.  And though I am feeling sad and missing my siblings, here is a list of ten items I am grateful for in this moment. 

1.  A strong marriage to a man who loves me just as I am.

2.  My three children who are a joy to be around.

3.  My grandson, the light of my life.

4.  My in-laws, I could not have asked for a better set

5.  My brothers' and sisters'

6. My faith that has helped carry me through all the changes over the last several years.

7. My tribe, you know who you are, hug yourself for me and remember, you are brave, bold and beautiful.

8.  The love for writing.

9.  My Kovar’s family.

10. My spiritual Mama, God knew what he was doing when he placed P.C. in my life.

 

Even though holidays can make me sad, making that list just brought joy to my heart.  I challenge you my readers if you’re struggling this holiday, as hard as it might be, find ten things, or even five things to be thankful for, it will help your heart and your head come to a place of peace.  Have a beautiful day.

 

And never forget, "as one thinks one become."

 

Finding Church...

I am reading it in the morning, afternoon and night. It has become my treat between activities as well as a great way to start my day. I read in my big blue chair, in my bed and at the counter in my kitchen. I even read parts of it in the plane on the way home from Arizona. This book has come at a perfect time in my life.

 

A time when I have felt the dryness of the desert taking over and the stillness of the walk becoming almost more than I could handle. Each page makes me want to stand up and shout, “RIGHT ON”. I am not feeling so crazy or disconnected and alone anymore.

 

I love how Wayne has taken what I am finding so many of us on the outside have felt and put into words. I am grateful for this book which I will be using as a tool to help others who are wondering what to do next. Funny thing is as I continue to read through the book the answer is nothing, just be.

 

God is bigger and better than any program, conference or teaching from a pulpit. Thank you Wayne for putting your heart and soul out for the world to receive. Truth is freeing and that is how I feel about this book.

 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching for more in the moment without all the hoopla of hoop jumping, legalism and materialism in regards to faith.  Jesus came to set us free and Wayne does a beautiful job of opening that door to remind the family of faith that freedom is what following Jesus is all about.

 

Thanks you my friends, have a beautiful day.

Cris

Act Your Age...

Have you ever heard the saying “act your own age”?  I have and I have to admit, I have used it on my children and have thought about it towards myself and others.   What does that mean anyway, really?  Perhaps we say it when are uncomfortable in our own seriousness.  Yet, youth knows no age. 

 

What I do know is that the more I let go of caring what people think of me, the younger I feel.   Wow, maybe I have found the true fountain of youth!  LET IT GO, LET IT GO!!!!!! 

 

The more I let go of caring about the grey in my hair the lines on my face or the age that I am, the more youthful I feel. Newsflash, youthfulness is not just for the young.  Youthfulness is also a matter of mindset.  I know plenty of young old people and a number of old young people. 

 

As the ancient teaching goes, as a man thinks or woman, they, or we become. I think I am youthful :)

 

My age is not a reason for me to give up on being youthful, or finding fun, playing and enjoying life.  My age is not an excuse to stop living in the moment like children playing in a sandbox or letting the wind blow through their hair as they swing back and forth one a rope tied to a tree.  Have you ever watched children engage in playing, they are completely surrendered to what they are doing?  My age should not stop me from doing the same.  I will choose to engage fully in the moment.

 

 

I am a child and an adult.  I bring every age with me into the next age.  Some years I forget this simple truth and I can look back and see that those years were the hardest.  Remembering that being young and enjoying my youth is a state of mind.  I try to remember that youth knows no age.

 

Today I will embrace my youthful side and enjoy living in the moment.  I pray for all my readers to do the same.  Life is to short to be to serious. 

 

 

 

 

Extra, extra, read all about it!!!!!!

 

 

 

10 Reasons why play can make you healthy and happy!!!

Play is not trivial; it's a basic biological drive as critical to our health as sleep or food.

 

1.      Play has been scientifically proved to be good for the brain: Play stimulates nerve growth in the portions of the brain that process emotions and executive function.

2.     Play teaches us to use our imaginations. Imagination is perhaps the most powerful human ability, letting us create simulated realities we can explore without abandoning the real world.

3.     Rough-and-tumble play teaches us how to cooperate and play fair. Research has shown that roughhousing is necessary for the development of social awareness, cooperation, fairness, and altruism

4.     Play helps us learn to be friends. This mutual play is the basic state of friendship that sustains us throughout our lives.

5.     Sometimes the best way to learn a complicated subject is to play with it. That's why kids often learn computer systems faster than adults; they aren't afraid to just try stuff out and see what works. Kids don't fear doing something wrong. If they do, they learn from it and do it differently the next time.

6.     Kids do better academically when they have recess. Middle schoolers who are more physically fit do better on academic tests, and grade schoolers who have more than 15 minutes of recess a day show better behavior in class than children who have less or no recess.

7.     Physical play delays mental decline in old age. Research on this is still in the early stages, but older people who get regular exercise are less likely to suffer cognitive decline. Doing crossword puzzles, brain teasers, and other thinking games seems to help, too.

8.     A little play can help solve big problems. Play is nature's great tool for creating new neural networks and for reconciling cognitive difficulties. When we play, dilemmas and challenges naturally filter through the unconscious mind and work themselves out. Even a few hours spent doing something you love can make you new again.

9.     Playing at work is not just useful; it's essential. When the going gets tough, the tough go play. Firefighters and police officers use joking around and dark humor to cope with the dangers of their work: It was OK to have some setbacks, admit failures, take the hit, and figure out ways to fix the problems.

10.  When we get play right, all areas of our lives go better. One of the hardest things to teach kids is how to make it past difficulty or boredom to find the fun. Making all of life an act of play occurs when we recognize and accept that there may be some discomfort in play and that every experience has both pleasure and pain. Advanced play, the black belt of play, comes when we realize this and act on it. Then, our work is our play and our play is our work.

 

 

So, remember the next time someone or even yourself tells you to act your age, invite them into a life of play and see how healthy you will help yourself and them become.  I believe God made us to play.

 

Thank you for stopping by.

Cris

If I Only Had Today...

By Hilary Weeks

 

 

 

 

If I Only Had Today....

It seems like I've watched a million sunsets
And stared at a thousand full moons
Sometimes it feels like I've been here forever
And sometimes it all feels brand new
I could never count the heartbeats
From the day I was born until now
But not a single one goes unnoticed
By him who breathes life in me somehow

But if there were no more tomorrows
If I knew that I could not stay
I know how I’d spend every minute
If I only had today

I’d hold you and listen
And I’d let the dishes sit in the sink
I’d tell you I loved you over and over
And for once I’d just let the phone ring.
And I’d remind you of forever, and how our love would never change
If I only had today

I’d wake up before the sun did
And I’d watch as you quietly sleep
I’d pray for time to move slowly
Knowing the moment won’t keep
All the gifts that heaven has given
Every blessing that’s come my way
Wouldn't mean anything without you
So If I only had today

I’d hold you and listen
I’d memorize every detail of your face
I’d tell you I loved you over and over
I wouldn't let excuses stand in the way
And I’d remind you of forever, and how our love would never change
If I only had today

 

By:  Hilary Weeks
Please YouTube Hilary Weeks to listen to this song.  It is an amazingly powerful song that is all about living in the moment.  Below is the link, click and connect with the words, you will be inspired, I promise.

http://youtu.be/wJIqJyxiyJs?list=RDwJIqJyxiyJs

Do What You Like...

Do what you like.  Like what you do.

 

 

What do you like to do?  Me? I like to sit down face to face and share with a friend.  I love a heart to heart conversation.  I like it when I feel heard as well as when I get the opportunity to listen to an authentic conversation.   I appreciate authentic relationships where there is a mutual feeling of listening, asking, pausing and repeating. 

 

If there is one thing I have learned over the years of traveling through my life is the importance of making time and space for authentic relationships to take shape.  I have learned that I love the life giving way authentic relationships add value to my life. 

 

I know that these relationships are life giving because when the conversations end and our time is through, I feel filled up.

When people, my peeps in particular choose to be real and engage in an open dialog it makes me feel wanted in the relationship.  At the same time I appreciate it when it is okay for me to be silent without the other person thinking I am judging or ignoring them.

Sometimes I believe that listening is the best gift I can give another person especially when they are sharing about a struggle. 

I believe in the gift of authentic relationship so much that I leave intentional white space in my hour, day, week, month and year. 

I live for authentic relationships. 

Do what you like and like what you do, it is all up to you.

What do you like to do?

Have a beautiful today.

Cris

Be A Good One...

 

Whatever you are, be a good one.  I am me, a woman who loves to listen to people who are transparent, who share their stories authentically and wholeheartedly.  I am a woman who travels well in a small pack I call my tribe.  I am a woman who has flaws and strengths and I know at the core of who I am it is when those two areas rub up against each other that I am strong in spirit. 

 

I am a woman who knows that I will break easy without enough rest.  I am a woman full of life and love who knows her limits.  I am a woman who is dedicated and devoted to loving my family well, finding my fulfillment in loving those I call my peeps first and working my way out. 

 

I am a woman who questions why we think, speak and act the way we do as a human race.  I am a woman who has great faith even if you see me end my sentences about what I believe with a question mark. 

 

I am a woman who lives in the moment, who embraces the now and folds into whatever I am doing.  I am a woman who loves a beautiful sunset the start of the day and the silence of the house before anyone is awake. 

 

I am a woman who longs to sit around the dinner table with my family and friends, laughing, listening, telling stories and remembering what it was we use to do and who we use to be.  I am a woman who loves to write, words flow from my head to my heart and out through my hands.  I love to create on paper what goes on inside my spirit.  

 

I am a woman who has learned that whatever I am, be a good one.  I am good at being me!

 

Have a beautiful today.

Cris

It's good to be free, it's good to be me~