New Year's Resolution

I made one New Year's resolution many years ago that I've been able to keep - just one.

That was to make no more New Year's resolutions.

Does that mean there is nothing about me that I intend to change?

Do I want to loose the extra weight I carry around? Do I want to become a better person?

Do I want to strive to do more to help my fellow human being in this world?

Of course I do!

I just no longer wait until one particular day each year to try to change something about myself in a positive way.

No one knows with 100% accuracy what will happen tomorrow.

We can plan, certainly. We can schedule. But none of us "KNOWS" what tomorrow will bring - or even the next hour.

So if I truly wish to make a change in myself, I have the moment right in my hands. This very moment, today!

Now.

Each day, each moment brings us a fresh new opportunity as pristine as the moment that occurred at midnight local time on New Year's Day.

Why wait until the turning of the calendar to allow myself that opportunity and let all the others slip by?

Carpe Diem

Seize the Day

Seize the Moment

~ ESA

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year's Resolution

I made one New Year's resolution many years ago that I've been able to keep - just one. That was to make no more New Year's resolutions.

Does that mean there is nothing about me that I intend to change?

Do I want to loose the extra weight I carry around? Do I want to become a better person? Do I want to strive to do more to help my fellow human being in this world?

Of course I do! I just no longer wait until one particular day each year to try to change something about myself in a positive way. No one knows with 100% accuracy what will happen tomorrow.

We can plan, certainly. We can schedule. But none of us "KNOWS" what tomorrow will bring - or even the next hour.

So if I truly wish to make a change in myself, I have the moment right in my hands. This very moment, today!

Now.

Each day, each moment brings us a fresh new opportunity as pristine as the moment that occurred at midnight local time on New Year's Day. Why wait until the turning of the calendar to allow myself that opportunity and let all the others slip by?

Carpe Diem

Seize the Day

Seize the Moment

~ ESA

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Lent - Day 1

I guess I'm off to a slow start with both Lent as well as the blog. I'll add a few posts this morning to "catch up" with the blog. Lent traditionally begins with Ash Wednesday. It also marks the start of my personal 40-day fast.

We planned to attend a 12:15 Mass where I would take a slightly longer lunch break from work and meet him at the Church. This old mare stumbled out of the starting gate. I had completely forgotten and ate a few pieces of bread and butter for breakfast, as well as a handful of peanuts late in the morning.

Then I heard a reminder over the radio, where they mentioned Ash Wednesday. I told myself I needed to remember to go to church. My alarm went off at Noon, but I continued to do what I was working on "to finish one more thing." That one thing became another, and another. Next thing I know, Mass is about to start and I was already late.

I called my husband as I dashed out the door. He was still at home, cooking lunch and as oblivious as I was that it was Ash Wednesday. We met at the church and walked in to Mass together.

While I was there, a thought had occurred to me. While I botched it the first few hours, there was still a long run ahead of me. This stumble is not the end; it's a greater challenge at the start.

And I am not alone; Yeshua (Jesus) is with me. I had a cute image shared, where Yeshua lifts up a younger sibling so they could reach the cookie jar high on the shelf. It's something a big brother would do for those He loves.

Where will Lent take me on the journey this year? I don't know. But with Yeshua at my side, it will be something wonderful.

Maybe there will be cookies too.

~ ESA :D

Resolution

I made one New Year's resolution many years ago that I've been able to keep - just one. That was to make no more New Year's resolutions.

.

Does that mean there is nothing about me that I intend to change?

.

Do I not want to loose the extra weight I carry around? Do I not want to become a better person? Do I not want to strive to do more to help my fellow human being in this world?

.

Of course not!

.

I just no longer wait until one particular day each year to try to change something about myself in a positive way.

.

No one knows with 100% accuracy what will happen tomorrow. We can plan, certainly. We can schedule. But none of us "KNOWS" what tomorrow will bring - or even the next hour. So if I truly wish to make a change in myself, I have the moment right in my hands. This very moment, today!

.

Now.

.

Each day, each moment brings us a fresh new opportunity as pristine as the moment that occurred at midnight local time on New Year's Day. Why wait until the turning of the calendar to allow myself that opportunity and let all the others slip by?

Carpe Diem
Seize the Day
Seize the Moment

-ESA

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Resolution

I made one New Year's resolution many years ago that I've been able to keep - just one. That was to make no more New Year's resolutions.



Does that mean there is nothing about me that I intend to change? Do I not want to loose the extra weight I carry around? Do I not want to become a better person? Do I not want to strive to do more to help my fellow human being in this world?

Of course not!

I just no longer wait until one particular day each year to make that decision and try to change something about myself in a positive way.

No one knows with 100% accuracy what will happen tomorrow. We can plan, certainly. We can schedule. But none of us "KNOWS" what tomorrow will bring - or even the next hour. So if I truly wish to make a change in myself, I have the moment right in my hands. This very moment, today! Now.

Each day, each moment brings us a fresh new opportunity as pristine as the moment that occurred at 12:01AM local time on New Year's Day. Why wait until the turning of the calendar to allow myself that opportunity and let all the others slip by?

Carpe Diem
Seize the Day
Seize the Moment

-ESA

New Start

I know I haven't written in a while. I could come up with dozens of reasons to type here, but I should simply say, I have not. As I try to re-start my daily blog, I hope once I get the first blog down the words will flow as readily as they did before.

This weekend I've come to realize something as I took some time to ponder things. The more I got the thanks, kudos, atta-girls, retweets, compliments and flattery on Twitter, the more I assumed it was all me - my work. If people wanted help with something or asked for an ear to listen, it was ME. That can inflate one's ego quite rapidly and give a girl a swelled head.

The more I believed it was me tweeting great things, getting followers on Twitter, helping others online and off, the more I puffed up my own ego as well. It was also when my ability to write my blog and stories, as well as say and do just the right things, rapidly declined.

The effectiveness of my words and actions deflated as rapidly as a ruptured balloon. Why? Because by relying on myself, I denied God's part in the whole thing. God was the One who gave me the words to say when I needed them, gave me the time/place/opportunity to be there for friends who needed an ear or a hand with something, gave me the ideas or skills I needed to do what was required of me. When I assumed I could do it all on my own, I started to drop the whole mess like a waitress on roller blades hitting a patch of grease and dropping a full table's worth of service - broken dishes et al.

That was pretty stupid.

How can I forgot? Why didn't I notice when my blogs became less frequent and then stopped altogether? Why didn't I notice when I haven't written a new story in months? Or even when my effectiveness to help others become significantly less, ending in more frustrations. :(

Sadly, I used excuses: I'm too busy at work; I'm too busy on Twitter; I'm too busy helping others... That last one was really pathetic, as the main drive behind helping others was fading day-by-day replaced by one heck of an ego trip. And that was wrong. :( But sadly, that was the one excuse I'd use so often, even telling myself that.

As I've seen in various quotes up and down Twitter, it's never too late to turn things around as long as there is breath in me. Each new day CAN be a new start. That's what I'm trying to do right now, a new start with this blog post. Sadly, it took me three days to actually sit down and type this.

But a visit to church today helped me find the strength I needed. Not my strength, the strength from God as He helps me work my way back to where I was a few months ago, letting Him inspire my words and works -- in a unison that is beyond words. Interestingly enough, nearby church-bells started to play this wonderful melody as I started this paragraph. Not chiming the hour (it's 6:30 pm) but actual melodies (it's on the second one now).

Shall I call this coincidence or let it touch my heart? I think I'll let it inspire me, moreso as I haven't heard any of the local church-bells do this before. I listen to the sounds peal under the clear sky as I struggle to let go of my overinflated ego.

Reaching with outstretched hand....
To the One that guides...
And Loves.

- ESA

Crossing Bridges

Last night, I took down one of my YouTube accounts and prepared the other for a long hiatus. I've also closed my DailyMotion account. It's hard leaving that behind and untouched as I would check on them several times a day. (This is why I avoid Twittering. :D )

I'll try to write a little something here each day as well as continue to add stories to my other blog.

My feet reach the last boards, the hollow thumping has now become a firm thud of supported surface. I turn and glance over my shoulder, seeing the place I have just departed. I've closed all avenues between there and here, except for the bridge I just crossed. Shall I burn it completely too, or do I leave this one span open in case someone wants to find me? There were many good memories from that last place, some even connecting to far older memories that have long since been cut from the tapestry of my life, only to be stiched back in, creating a patern anew.

I step off the bridge and face the path before me, head held up and heart ready for what awaits me in the future. May God guide me on this new path as well.

Time to move on.

- ESA