Be Bold! Be Brave!

I heard this quote twice yesterday, so that's my signal to share it with you! Hope it inspires you in whatever you have been called to do.

A Change in Perspective Makes all the Difference

Recently while visiting family and friends in Fort Myers, Tyler had the honor of being able to altar serve at our old church -- it was a request made by his grandparents to the church where they have been parishioners for more than 25 years.

As if that wasn't awesome enough, my BFF's daughter, and Tyler's good friend, just happened to be altar serving that day also. What a gift! I was so excited! 

But then, a worry crept up in me as I sat in the pew before Mass. What if the other altar servers were upset about the last minute changes made in the serving schedule to accommodate Tyler? What if they were excited to perform the duties that were handed over to Tyler at the last minute? What if their parents were upset? I let that worry overtake the joy for a minute.

Then I whispered my concerns to Paul. I followed it up with the joyful feelings filling my heart, "I am so excited to have him serve in front of his grandparents and with Cassidy. It is so special." Paul's advice was short and sweet, "Let's focus on that."

"Oh." I thought to myself. "Yes, let's focus on that." Those words have helped me every day since.

It reminds me of a little quote from a big book, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."

Marriage is What You Make of It

Marriage is what you make of it. It is a choice. I made a word cloud this morning while I was reflecting on what marriage means. Enjoy!

You Teach People How to Treat You

I was reminded of this wise quote today. Had to share. 

It is Better to be a Lion for a Day, than a Sheep all your Life

Came across this quote today and decided to do some research on the lion in my Animal Speak book. What I found surprised me and convinced me to place the quote with a female lion instead of a male lion.

I really wanted to use a picture of the male lion, because they are so stunning, but it is the female lion that really deserves to be in the spotlight.

The lion is symbolic of the assertion of feminine energies and of the female sun.

It is a symbol of the sun and gold. Lions usually live in groups called prides, which signifies communities in our world.

Within the pride, the females are the best hunters and they do most of the hunting and rearing of the cubs. They work together cooperatively to do so. The cubs are lavished with affection and their parents are patient.

The males do very little work in the prides and are said to be jealous of the lionesses. But they do protect the pride against predators. When hunting they use their roar to scare prey toward the lionesses.

The lion does not fight for the sake of fighting. It avoids confrontation.

The lion symbolizes an opportunity to awaken to a new sun. Trust your feminine energies -- creativity, intuition and imagination. Don't be afraid to roar if you feel threatened or intruded upon.

The lion has shown up for me recently, so I am taking in these messages to see how they apply to my current life situations. It's got me singing a little Katy Perry, "You're gonna hear me roar!"