Well, I've been neglecting my blog lately, so it's time to get my fingers back on the keyboard and start writing again. 

March seems to have all but disappeared, Spring is already on us and Easter is just around the corner.  Its a beautiful time of year.  Blossom trees are in full bloom and the jasmine vine at our front door is bursting with colors and an overwhelming scent that welcomes people to our home.  The perfume is refreshing and awakens my senses (it also disguises our trash bins hiding amongst it :) ).

Spring is also a time for new beginnings, so its time to get cracking and make my dreams happen instead of waiting for them to come to me.  I've started a distance education course to further my dream of becoming a counsellor and helping others like me who are dealing with loss, grief and wanting to move forward instead of holding onto the past and,.......I've finally joined twitter!!!!  It's never too late to change your habits and follow your passion.

If you believe your past is more powerful than the present you can get bogged down and lost by dwelling on what should've been instead of the "what is!"  We all have choices and we can choose to create a different, exciting new future with what we have and what we have learned from loss or negative past experiences.

By looking at the lessons I've learned(which I will talk about more in another blog) through losing 3 close family members in 3 years, I can see the gift that my sister, mother and daughter have left me with.  And that is to choose life, to choose to make each day count....that YOU are capable of anything, even happiness again.

One of my best girlfriends called me last week to tell me her 57 year old sister has been given 6 months to live.  The conversation had a profound effect on me and made me want to hug Dempsey, ring my family and friends and tell them how much I love them and to DO something constructive with the time I am blessed to have.  It made me question what I would do had I been given such horrific, terminal news and made me look at what things in life I still want to achieve.  In that way, Anne-Marie has given me a wonderful gift through her illness.

What would you do if you were given 6 months to live?  Would it change the way you are living now?  Its certainly food for thought!  And as cliched as it sounds, we should all live each day as if its our last!  So make a list, make some time, and make your dreams happen! x

Memories are immeasurable.  They can nourish us, make us smile and make us cry.  When my mom was sick with ovarian cancer she once said to me, "Darling, at the end of each day, all any of us have is photos and memories."  How true! 

Sometimes memories are the only thing we have left.  Something so simple and something that can't be purchased with money. 

When Savannah was dying, I remembered my mothers enlightening words and tried to collect and hoarde as many "happy" memories as I could for the later....for when my curly haired girl would no longer be with us.  They mean more to me now than any material thing I have of hers.  They are something I can pull up in my mind anytime of the day or night.  They are comforting but bittersweet, however, most of the time make me smile and be grateful.

Now, I have a habit of really relishing in a moment, being present at that second in time so I can take a mental snapshot to store away for later if I need it.  I hope you can find a happy memory to store away today that you can call up in the future to provide a little bit of sunshine in your day! x