Miracle of Girlfriends

I have always believed that one should have friends who are both older and younger, male and female as well as near and far. The diversity of these friends provides perspective and offers a wide variety of opinions and resources. These are the friendships that I seek. These are the friends that I value and have grown to depend on, especially as I've moved twice in the last four years.

One of these friendships is with a young woman I met about a year and a half ago after our move to Illinois. She's nearly twenty years younger than me, meaning I could almost be her mom, yet we seems to fit together like hand to glove. We worked together for a short time and then she was promoted and moved to my hometown! Wow, talk about fate!

We then became even closer as she prepared to move, and consequently made trips back and forth. Her 'home' is where I live, and my 'home' is where she currently lives. Unique set of circumstances, huh?

We have been fortunate to connect for coffee or a glass of wine each time the other is in town. And I'm always so grateful for that time with her. Yesterday, was one such day. We met for coffee and chatted for nearly two hours. It was wonderful to catch up with her, hear all about the friends she's just making that I've known for years, and hear the confidence build in her for her new surroundings.

I'm grateful for our friendship, and the perspective it brings to my life. She's a wonderful, young woman with a positive outlook and glowing energy. And the recharge she gave to me after just a coffee meeting was a wonderful miracle. And may result in some travel plans of my own ….

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Month of Miracles

photo credit: http://marcestes.com/2011/02/11/miracles-the-need-for-the-hour/ In the tradition of continuing the commitment to writing each day, I am beginning the month of December as I have for many years…. with a passage from Simple Abundance about December. "December's gifts - custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration - come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories. This is the month of miracles. The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year. Where there is Love, there are always miracles. And where there are miracles, there is great joy. Gratefully, we weave the golden thread of .. joy in our tapestry of contentment. At last we embrace the miracle of authenticity, changing forever how we view ourselves. Our daily round. Our dreams. Our destinies. Days we once called common, we now call hol...

#BeBrave

I found myself in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place this week. It's taken me days to process what occurred, how I responded and how I'm choosing to move forward. In a professional environment, during an ordinary 3pm de-brief meeting I found myself being verbally attacked and disrespected by a bully. I remained calm, spoke my mind carefully and respectfully. It was surprising and over the next few days became increasingly unsettling. There were others in the room, and no one spoke to support me. It has struck me as so odd, hurtful and profoundly unacceptable. Like any good drama episode written by Aaron Sorkin or JJ Abrams, let's rewind to 8 hours earlier. Once again browsing new selections in iTunes for my running mix. I know, I get bored easily, huh? I love how the music motivates me so I'm always on the lookout for new and upbeat songs. I came across a feature for the new Sara Bareilles album streaming for free this weekend, so I b...

Day 19: My first job

Memories of my childhood bakery with a cannoli …. As this roller coaster ride of emotions and outpouring continues on Day 19 challenge to blog each day in the month of November for Blogember I recall my first job. I often say that when we recall the past, things that appear to have gone on forever, are often relatively short in the grand scheme of things. After my dad passed away when I was 8, my mom remarried a year later. By the time I was 10 they went into business together opening a neighborhood Italian bakery on the west side of the town I grew up in. This was long before the days of Carlo's Bakery where cakes cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. A bakery was a lot of hours and energy for very little profit back then. To that end, I was cheap labor and was trained to bag rolls and make change at the cash register. In retrospect it talk me a lot about customer service, the value of relationships in returning customers and how running a family b...

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