4th of July is my all time favorite holiday! Weird? Yep I know! You might be thinking, “Why is this her favorite holiday?” It all started with turtles!

As I pondered life the other day, I was struck by a powerful analogy about staying focused despite surrounding chaos. I recalled my older daughter’s high school theater days, when she constantly participated in productions.

I took a very long hike this morning to try and settle my anxiety and rapid fire thoughts into something that makes sense regarding the school shooting tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. This is typically something that works well. Today, I was unsuccessful. There is no making “sense” of what happened…again.  

Many families are starting to gather again for the first time in 2 years this Thanksgiving. What a wonderful, beautiful event to gather your family and friends again for a holiday! At the same time, there is excitement and angst warring with each other.  

As I usually do, I was sitting outside with Jesus this morning looking up into the dark sky where I see a tiny speck of light moving.

I’m good at a number of things. But I’m also frazzled, undirected, and overwhelmed by choice.

THAT’S IT! I’ve done it! I’ve pinpointed the one place in my life that can cause me to quickly spiral to a negative place like no other.

It’s hard to get through your day when your energy levels are low. It’s easy to feel lost, distracted, uncertain or unclear, and that can lead to mental well-being suffering.

My husband, Jon, is my person. Yes, just like Christina and Meredith on Grey’s Anatomy. Come on, tell me you know the reference!

Our bodies are wired to alert us of danger. We feel it first, then our mind catches up. We sense danger with fear, so it can be a good emotion to have in a dangerous situation.

4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year. Happy Independence Day! Yes, my favorite holiday of all time is not Christmas or Thanksgiving or even Easter…it is 4th of July!

I wanted to be in the best shape of my life by today. I’m NOT! I wanted to be a published author by today. I’m not! I wanted to be a millionaire by today. I’m not! I wanted to be a world wide traveler by today. I’m not!

Let’s face it, the voice of a parent is powerful to a child. Their beliefs can become our beliefs very easily. Children are impressionable; they are learning day by day based on their experiences and exposures.