Category Archives: Inspirational

May12

NOW IS YOUR ONCE UPON A TIME

Posted on May 12, 2014 by susezit

I have a weakness for fairy tales and magical adventures, especially the Cinderella kind. You know, the once upon a time where you wish upon a star and your dreams come true as you live happily ever after. Of course, life doesn’t always turn out that way, does it?! For some, maybe; for most, not so much. So the other day when I saw a little girl wearing a bright purple tee-shirt with this exact logo, “NOW IS YOUR ONCE UPON A TIME” it touched my heart and questioned my perspective on how to live life. It was an in my face dare kind of moment and one which everyone should heed.

I write this especially as a bit of free advice to all the fresh-faced, eager June graduates who are just starting out on their journey. (And, oh, how I envy you and wish I could do it over!) These things I have found to be true since I have moved back to the stern of the boat of life. The truth is you have to create your own storybook life. Your own once upon a time. You have to aggressively chase your dreams. It doesn’t just happen like in the fairy tales. You can’t just wait around wishing upon a star for, say, the perfect job to fall into your lap. You can’t make a better life for yourself if you stay locked up in that ivory tower scrubbing floors waiting for your fairy godmother to free you or for Prince Charming to come along. You have to awake from your slumber and rethink eating apples from strangers. You have to be bold enough to take that trip down the rabbit hole and discover a new wonderland. Face it, no one’s going to find your lost glass slipper and rescue you.

As you graduate, remember that today is the day your story begins. Right now. And the beauty of it is that each you get a chance to continue your story or begin anew. Keep trying and keep reinventing yourself. Remember that no one else will do it for you. At some point, fate will step in and see you through. And don’t get me wrong, I still believe in fairy tales but in a proactive kind of way.

You can still wish upon a star but be willing to reach up and grab it. If you lose your glass slipper, search until you find it, no matter how long it takes. Kiss the frog; stand up against the dragons and don’t be afraid to walk through the forest alone. Dare to dream but actively work as hard as you can to make your own wishes come true. Hopefully, your once upon a time will have a storybook ending and you’ll live happily ever after!

Apr16

I’ll Love You Forever

Posted on April 16, 2014 by susezit

Standard

It’s a cold and rainy night, the wind is howling, and I’m feeling kind of lonely. I sit cuddled up in my easy chair with Bella trying to entice me to throw her ball as my cat purrs peacefully by my side. I have a lot on my mind…more changes…all good. I’m a little apprehensive since there is fear in the unknowing, especially change you don’t see coming. Not a fan. But the changes I see coming are exciting, so I’m anxious in a good way.

I received a gift today from a friend…two baby books and a grandmother brag book. Yes, my baby is having a baby…two in fact! Twin boys…twice the love! I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself. One of the gifts was a book called “Love You Forever,” by Robert Munsch. It’s about a little boy who goes through the stages of childhood and becomes a man. It’s also about the enduring nature of parents’ love and how it crosses generations (this, by the way, is the description on the liner). I used to read this book to my girls when they were little. I always cried because it’s kind of sad in a way, especially if you picture yourself as the mom who is growing old. As I read, my younger daughter Megan used to watch me intently waiting for me to cry. I can still see her beautiful blue eyes peering up at me from her round, cherub face, rosy cheeks, blonde pigtails bound high on her head. Now she is having babies of her own. My heart aches tonight for that little girl.

The other night my older daughter Katie curled up next to me in my chair like she used to do when she was a little girl, telling me about something on her mind. I thought about how I missed the nearness of her. I miss the warmth and comfort when all three of us cuddled up and read. Now they are all grown. I just don’t know where the time goes.

In a few short weeks I’ll be holding my precious little grandsons. I’m imaging what they’ll look like, how big they’ll be, the sounds they’ll make. I’m praying all goes well and trusting in God for all good things. I’m wondering how my life will change for the better with the arrival of these precious bundles from heaven. I try not to think too far into the future because I want to enjoy each day and not fret about how fast the time will go before they are grown. I tell my daughter to cherish each moment with them, especially infancy, which will go by in a wink of an eye. I’m already trying to slow time down before they are even here. I’m looking forward to the liveliness of new life, and the joy they’ll bring. The new, fresh air they’ll breathe into our family. I’m so excited!!

But for now I’ll just sit back and relax as I await the new arrivals. I’ll hold my girls close in my heart as I read:

I’ll love you forever,

I’ll like you for always,

As long as I’m living

My baby you’ll be.

Mar9

EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT IN THE END

Posted on March 9, 2014 by susezit

Standard

I’m a quote-aholic. I can’t help but think when I hear something poignant, that the universe must be talking to me.

Take, for instance, this afternoon. It’s just another cold winter’s day on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I’m trying to learn how to relax, which has never been part of my nature. So after spending most of the morning running around, going to the park with Bella, etc., etc., I force myself to sit and watch a movie mindlessly, but instead, start to write this blog. Far be it from me to sit and do nothing. 🙂

The movie is one of seen a number of times…“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” It is about a group of older people who travel to India to live out the rest of what’s left of their lives. Each has a story of growing older, feeling useless in retirement, feeling unlovable through divorce, feeling tossed aside, washed out, used up. They’re hoping that India will be a place for them to make a new life with what’s left of theirs.

The movie is chock full of quotes, life lessons and the stuff that makes you rethink everything you’re doing in your own life. I am impacted again and again throughout the two hours of a movie so beautiful and idealistic that I want to cry.

And so, I’d like to share these treasures with you:

Can we be blamed because we feel like we’re too old too change? Too scared of disappointment to start it all again?
We must get up in the morning and do our best. Nothing else matters.
Nothing happens unless we first dream.
There is no past that we can bring back by longing for it. Only a present that builds and creates itself as the past withdraws.
The only real failure is the failure to try.
He who risks nothing; does nothing; has nothing. What you could have done should have been more than nothing.
Don’t you know that you can have anything you want? You just have to stop waiting for someone to tell you that you deserve it.
Initially you’re overwhelmed, but gradually you realize it’s like a wave. Resist and you’ll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you’ll swim out the other side.
The measure of success is how we deal with disappointment.
Your future will be different. Your fear is that it will be the same.
What’s the use of a marriage when nothing is shared?
Most things don’t work out. But sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff.
I know you’re off you game…lost your footing…lost your confidence maybe. But you are a thorobred. You’ll be back.
When someone dies, you think about your own life. And I don’t want to grow older. I don’t want to be condescended to. To become marginalized and ignored by society. I don’t want to be the first person they let off the plane in a hostage crisis.
Don’t just cope…thrive.
If I can stand on my own two feet, so can you.
Prepare to be amazed. Take my offer of a vision of the future.
Celebrate change.

And my favorite:

Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, then it’s not yet the end.

Take just one quote (or all of them!) to heart and let it/them settle in and take root as you journey through this labyrinth called life. All will be well in the end.

Feb14

FOLLOW YOUR HEART…THERE’S LESS TRAFFIC

Posted on February 14, 2014 by susezit

Standard

Follow your heart…there’s less traffic. I saw a flag the other day with this aphorism imprinted upon it, and it seemed like an apropos thought to ponder on Valentine’s Day.

How many of you have actually followed your heart? Me? Not so much. I got caught up in the whirlwind notion of love and took a detour. I thought I was in love, but things eventually changed, and I spent most of my days wanting and needing more. I now know that he wasn’t the one. Maybe I was lazy…or lonely…or thought it would eventually work out and be great. But it wasn’t. Not following my heart was quite a big mistake, and I’ve often wished that I’d gone down the proverbial road less traveled.

Why is there less traffic when you follow your heart? Because that road is yours and yours alone. It’s your journey…your choices…your twists…your turns…your destiny. If you follow your heart without listening to all the noise and opinions from others around you and what they think you should or should not do or where you should turn or pull off, then you’re left to discover your own path. I don’t really think many people are brave enough to do just that. That’s just my take.

It requires a lot of time and effort to actively pursue what you want in order to get exactly what you need. Sometimes you settle for what comes along instead of finishing the journey to see what you really set out to find. You think you are happy and that it’s enough. But usually it’s not, and you end up yearning for more…more romance…more excitement…more compatibility…more…more…more. Never satisfied…always restless.

Does the total notion of being crazy, wildly, passionately in love with the right person really exist? Yes. Absolutely. I’ve seen people who’ve nailed it. I know they are the lucky ones who traveled down that road of their very own where there’s less traffic and listened only to their own heart. They are the ones who shut their ears to the Negative Nancy’s and Naysayers. It’s not an easy trip; in fact it’s a hard and lonely expedition. But what you find in the end is well worth the journey.

Happy Valentine’s Day to those of you who have finished their trek and are contently happy with their destination. And to those of you have taken a wrong turn or two but have found their way back to the highway of their heart’s desire, I wish you fortitude to stay the course until what you seek is finally found.

P.S. I bought myself the flag as a reminder to stay the course 🙂

Dec31

A BRAND NEW YEAR!

Posted on December 31, 2013 by susezit

Standard

The holidays will soon be over and tonight the New Year’s Eve festivities to welcome 2014 will begin. There is nothing like the promise of a brand new year. It’s the greatest gift of the whole holiday season! It’s like getting a new book you’ve been eager to read. You run your fingers over the freshly pressed cover, open it enthusiastically and begin reading with much anticipation for a story well-told. It’s like buying a lottery ticket for a high stakes outcome and waking up a winner!

A new year is a new chance to get it right. It’s like getting a “do over.” So what if last year didn’t measure up to what you were hoping for! Laid before you are 365 brand new days to do things differently. Put away the worries and cares that have haunted you throughout the past year and forge ahead into your future of new beginnings. There’s nothing like the newness of those first few days and weeks that fill you with optimism. It’s your time to stoke the embers of disappointment into new flames of possibilities that will burn brightly throughout the year. It’s easy to imagine the positive goodness that awaits you. Seize each day and make it count!

I hope this New Year will be a best seller for you – that you will win in the lottery of life. I hope that all your problems will be solved…your sicknesses healed…your homes blessed…your love renewed…your employment restored…your finances replenished…your faith rekindled. And when you look back on 2014 next New Year’s Day, I hope your heart will be filled with the satisfaction of a year well done.

Cheers!

Dec24

CHRISTMAS EVE

Posted on December 24, 2013 by susezit

Standard

Well, it’s here…Christmas Eve. By this time tomorrow, the festivities will be just about over. The gifts unwrapped, the food eaten, the libations poured. Months of hurried preparation and anticipation will wind down to a relaxing yawn and feet up on the couch.

This year is a quiet one for me, unlike years past when my kids were young. Life has evolved into a solitary calm where I have the time to ponder the meaning of this magical night. Right now there is a soothing silence, and while I’ll still recall with fondness the craziness and excitement of Christmas’s past, I’ll enjoy the contented peace of right now.

I took a walk early this Christmas Eve morning and admired the beauty of the sunrise. Amidst the pandemonium of wondering about the Christmas of this year, I turned around to walk back and spied the full moon lazily drifting into the invisibility of the morning light. With all the gaiety of the season and serious maddening rush, the fact that nature carries on serenely with the rising of the sun and setting of the moon, with birds flying, rabbits scurrying and deer peering through the brush is somehow heartening. It is ageless and has been evolving in this manner since the beginning of time.

Years and years ago on Christmas Eve, even before Andy Williams sung about “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a poor couple made their way in the cold night, wife riding on a donkey, husband leading the way through the darkness to a stable with a manger filled with hay. A Baby was born that night without the creature comforts of a warm bed. His parents didn’t have fancy food to eat or hot chocolate to drink or a place for them to sleep comfortably. There was no music or gaiety or parties to attend. There was only the shadowed night and the sky filled with brilliantly shining stars, maybe a moon, and the warmth of the barn animals. There was the promise of the sunrise of a brand new world where Our Savior would finally bring us the supreme present of redemption.

I ask you to find time to pause this Christmas Eve and think about what this sacred night is really all about. It’s not about having the biggest, most beautifully decorated tree. It’s not about the rich foods or the sweet cookies or the egg nog or the right gifts festively wrapped and placed strategically under the tree.

It’s about somehow finding a way to give thanks to Jesus for His sacrifice of coming to this earth as a fragile Baby without the comforts of wealth, with only nature surrounding Him, in order to save us.

On this Silent Night, this Holy Night, I wish you peace and joy and the insight to be truly thankful for the ultimate gift of Jesus.

Dec8

JOHN

Posted on December 8, 2013 by susezit

Standard

Thirty-three years ago today, I woke up in a hotel room in Walt Disney World, turned on the TV and learned that John Lennon had been murdered. My heart dropped. It was just so sad and a travesty, really, that such a peaceful person should die so violently.

John was my favorite Beatle. Although all my friends were in love with the “cute one” Paul, I was drawn to John. I loved the shape of his nose, his kooky round glasses and cute smile. I loved that he was the free spirit of the group. Yes, he was the bad boy, and, no, I never really got the Yoko Ono attraction, but you have to admit that it was a true love match, for sure. To me, he was the epitome of talent, a heartfelt poet, a free bird, and, as a latent hippie myself, I “got” him. He said what he meant and meant what he said, although I don’t think the derogatory comment about being “more popular than Jesus” was more than a passing comment and was taken out of context. My belief is that it was off the top of his head and not meant to be taken seriously. I think he was just so overwhelmed by the Beatles’ fame that he just blurted it out without thinking. That’s just my point of view.

As I was pondering all of this about John today on my morning walk with Bella, snowflakes started to fall. It was quiet in the park with only one or two people mulling about. It felt serene, like a good place to honor John. When I got into the car to return home, the first song I heard on the radio was “Imagine.” The world hasn’t turned out quite as John imagined. Not yet anyway. But his songs leave a legacy that will never be matched and will challenge us always to live, love, try harder, take care of the less fortunate, and to strive always to be peaceful.

God rest your gentle soul, dear John, and help us to keep believing for a better world.

Nov23

Thanksgiving Reflections

Posted on November 23, 2013 by susezit

Standard

Thanksgiving is the time, of course, for giving thanks, and you don’t have to think very hard or look very far to start counting your blessings. I like to consider myself a thankful person, even in the face of adversity. I’m not always as positive as I should be, but I’m thankful. When I was a young girl, I used to make a little production about writing my blessings down on paper on Thanksgiving Day. They would be simple, something like: Thank you for my mom and dad and brother and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Thanks for Gigi my dog who follows me wherever I go. Thanks for my best friends Gayle and Tommy. Thanks for our color TV. Thanks for my teacher Miss McGurk…I really like her a lot. It was all very simple and to the point because at that age you don’t think into the depths of what true thanks entails.

As the years have unfolded, giving thanks on Thanksgiving Day has become deeply reflective and maybe a bit more complicated. Not everyone gets to live in that Norman Rockwell painting depicting the perfect Thanksgiving. I’m embarrassed to say that some years, depending on where I am at that point, I become a bit arid on the subject. Circumstances like the loss of loved ones or financial blows or job changes that didn’t turn out for the better or health problems or loneliness. I’m sure others who are going through the ups and downs of life may have similar feelings. It’s just that sometimes our perspectives get strained and fuzzy, and it’s hard to imagine that things will ever get better, even though they usually do.

At these times I like to try really hard to look at my daily life and at the little things that make me happy. It mostly revolves around nature and pets. Like admiring a gorgeous pink and blue sunrise over the bay or making wishes on the thousands of brilliantly twinkling stars in the clear night sky. Enjoying the splendor of a full, round blue moon. I admire the spectacular magnificence of the ocean or the colorful array of autumn leaves or the ability to breath in the clear cool air on my daily walks. I snuggle with my pets who make me laugh as I enjoy their amusing antics. I try to savor good food and try new recipes. Mostly, I try really hard not to dwell on the “what ifs?” It’s not always easy.

So, if I can offer a suggestion to those who need a boost on this Thanksgiving Day, if you’re losing hope…give thanks that tomorrow is a brand new day to begin again.

If you think you’ll never get ahead financially, give thanks that you have enough for this day.

If you’re lonely, have faith that you never know what surprises may be in store for you.

If you have a roof over your head and heat to keep you warm on these frigid winter nights, remember you are luckier than many.

If you’re sick, be hopeful in your doctor and medicine and that in time it will get better.

If you’ve had a good dinner and your belly is full, you are truly blessed.

If you can get up in the morning and move at all, try to remember there are those who can’t.

Minimize the negative; accentuate the positive, even when it takes all the strength you can muster up to do so. And just keep it simple.

For my expanding family, friends and loved ones. My faith. My crazy pets. A place to live. My health. Work. Good food. Creature comforts. The beauty of nature. The promise of hope. In all of this I give thanks to my dear, sweet, generous God.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Oct27

SANDY BLOWS

Posted on October 27, 2013 by susezit

Standard

Last year at this time there were a lot of boarded-up homes around here, making it resemble a movie set for a haunted Halloween production. But it wasn’t a movie set…it was real. The skies were dark. The clouds were brewing.

Last year I would often take my dog Bella down to the end of the next block to walk around a mini-park and relax peacefully in a gazebo peering out over the calming waters of the Barnegat Bay.

Last year I was nervous and stressed out, wondering where I would go when I evacuated…how I would pack up my pets and what I would do if when I returned, the place I called home was no more.

Last year the threat of Sandy hung heavy in the air.

This year there are no boarded-up homes. The sun is shining. The weather is still warmish. The park where I took Bella? Destroyed. The gazebo? Gone…washed out to sea. Some people have left that area…others are rebuilding. Today I have a place to call home, and my pets lounge and snooze comfortably around me. So many others…not so much.

I stopped by a Jersey shore town last weekend and took a ride down a street that led to the bay. I caught my breath at what the area still looks like. So many abandoned homes. Neighborhoods in ruin. Temporary trailer parks filled to capacity. Homes boarded up. It looked like, again, the movie set for a haunted Halloween production. But it was real. It sent chills down my spine to think that for so many people it’s still not over. And although the sun is shining, it’s still dim and grim. It’s still a battleground.

As the anniversary date approaches of the hit of Sandy on the Jersey shore, I can’t help but to reflect on how different life was just a year ago at this time. And how many changes have occurred since then…how many things have been destroyed, how many people are still suffering. It makes you sad and mad all at the same time. I can’t imagine how the people in the flux of it all cope. But it is the bravery of these wounded warriors that I keep forefront in my remembrance of this horrible tragedy. The tenacity in their persistence to rebuild. To stay. To not let this ugly event destroy them, even though so much of what they had was. Their strength. Their dexterity. All the words in the vocabulary that mean tough and brave and admirable. That’s what these Jerseyans are.

They call Sandy a super storm, but she doesn’t deserve the adjective “super.” There was nothing “super” about it except the super mess it left in its wake. Sandy just blows.

What is super? The people of New Jersey…their super hearts, their super souls, their super “up yours” attitude that keeps them tough and strong in the face of adversity. That’s the definition of super. Thumbs up to these super heroes!

Oct6

IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING

Posted on October 6, 2013 by susezit

Standard

In the wee small hours of the morning…when the whole wide world is fast asleep…

My favorite place…

That’s the time I like to sit out on the deck, breathing deeply and taking in the quiet and the still of the new day rising. I look upon the water; it is as smooth as glass with nary a ripple. The surrounding homes are dark…everyone seems to be in slumber. The sun has not yet begun to rise and the moon has yet to say good night. The hazy fog is thick and damp as it hangs heavily in the air. It’s just me in the quiet with only the chirping of a few crickets. It’s my favorite time of day. That’s the time I think about things or try not to think about things. I sip on a hot cup of coffee in my favorite mug, and as the steamy nectar warms me, I realize that for this moment in time, all is right in the world. I’m full of hope and wonder what good things the day has in store for me. I pray for those I love and ask God’s blessings on them. “Please guide them and keep them safe,” I whisper. I mention my worries and ask for advice. I read my daily devotionals and try to find the message and meanings and inspiration for my life. I read a few lines from the Good Book. Sometimes something unique will come to mind…direction…an answer…or just plain silence to figure it out on my own.

Soon the dawn is breaking in brilliant hues of pink and blue. The dazzling rays of the sun pierce the darkness and cast warmth upon my skin. The moon fades in the distance, bowing to the new day. My cup is empty; my books are closed. I am ready for today.