STRETCH!!!! STRETCH!!!!! STRETCH!!!!!!!

THERE ARE SOME ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ADVANTAGES TO STRETCHING YOUR MUSCLES EVERY DAY! IT FEELS FANTASTIC TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MUSCLES, STRETCH THEM, SHOW THEM APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE HARD WORK WE PUT THEM THROUGH! THEY HOLD US UP, BEND US DOWN, TURN US AROUND, ALLOW US TO SMILE, ALLOW US TO HUG ONE ANOTHER, CLAP FOR EACH OTHER, AND PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING ELSE WE SET OUR MINDS TO! STRETCHING GIVES US A CHANCE TO BREATHE EASIER AND FOCUS ON WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH! STRETCHING ALSO GIVES US A FEW MOMENTS OF "FREE" TIME TO RELAX, PRAY, FOCUS, THINK CLEARLY AND IT'S A REWARD FOR ALL OF OUR HARD WORK! SO, REWARD YOURSELF WITH A NICE, RELAXING TIME OF STRETCHING AND PEACEFUL, QUIET! DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY FOR YOURSELF TODAY!
SHARON

Keep Your Eyes On the Skies!

Good morning everyone! It is Friday, a beautiful day, soon to be very hot, but beautiful nonetheless! This week has been rather trying in several aspects. Despite working very hard to keep losing weight, I am now fluxuating with 14 pounds I have put on since I quit smoking. Very frustrating. I know it will come off again, I'm just very impatient! Patience is not a strong point of mine, even though I am better at it! But I can say that the reason for the weight gain is a victory anyway! I received some news about my father this week that was very distressing, however we will deal with it and all will turn out alright! And, I have received some pretty yucky news about someone else close to me that will forever affect his life and it is my prayer that this event will make his life better in the long run. Sometimes, when things look really bad, the only way to combat them is to make the most of it. Making the best out of a potentially bad situation is an art form that needs to be practiced more often. It's not an easy task, it's not an easy goal, but it can be done. No matter what it looks like, sometimes things are not always what they seem. You have to look above and beyond the narrow picture to see the grand picture! It's like the old saying "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!" I have seen my share of struggles that seemed never ending and hopeless. However, I came out on the other side, scarred and bruised, but I'm here! I didn't let them run me down and rule my future. I took them, tried to learn what I could from them and made decisions to never let them destroy me. You see, we as humans are always prone to downfalls, struggles, trials and tribulations. How we deal with them is what dictates the outcome. I used to tell my boys that more important than the "action" is the "reaction". Make your reaction create an outcome that is constructive. Too often we react in such a way as to make the situation worse, when all we really need to do is "react" with some sense of pride and virtue. I hope you all have a wonderful day and "react" with kindness, decency and lots of unconditional love!
Sharon (Lucy)
P.S. The "Lucy" reference is not Lucille Ball, it's Lucy from Peanuts. My Dad called me that when I was a kid! It fits at times! Love to you all!

A "Media" Blast

Good morning all! It's a very beautiful day and a very hot one as well! 10am and already 85. But that's Texas for you! Today I have a subject to address. I watch "Mike and Mike in the Morning" almost every morning. I have grown to enjoy the show as I have learned a great deal more about sports than I have ever known before. These guys are funny and make sports something interesting to learn about, for me. However, something is happening right now in the sports world that disturbs me. Drug testing done on pro-baseball players back in 2003, which was supposed to help clear a way to discover and stop steroid use and to develop a system of punishment for those that violated the rules. At the time the testing was done, the drugs were not illegal in pro-baseball and the tests were supposed to be kept secret. Now, 6 years later, the "list" of those that failed the test is being leaked to the press and made public. Sammy Sosa is the main topic today. A-Rod was the topic a couple of weeks ago. I don't get it. Baseball has been around forever. It's "America's" pasttime. Kids look up to pro sports players. Older fans remember when the sport was the sport itself, not what we can destroy about the sport. My question is "why now"? Unless we can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt who was doing the drugs and who was not, why does the media feel the need to disclose this info to the public? Why destroy the image that so many kids look up to? No one in this world is beyond falling and doing things that should not be done, no one. Granted, those who choose a profession in the eye of the public know their lives will be dissected methodically, because apparently we have nothing better to do with our time than to "goggle" at the personal lives of celebs (boo, hiss), however, they are all people and they are all never going to be perfect or above anything, just like the rest of us. It is now going to be a question as to whether or not Sammy will be able to be in the Hall of Fame. Personally, I do not like baseball, I don't really care who gets in and who doesn't, but I can't see keeping a player out due to an action that took place 6 years ago and was legal at the time. There is simply no telling who has done what in any sport over the many years and we simply can't make judgements on the ones we do know about. The media needs to stop this deliberate destruction of people and their mistakes in life. Mistakes are already difficult enough to overcome on a personal level and should be the business of the person or people involved, not the whole world. There are so many other things to pay better and more constructive attention to, things that really need our attention and I would love to see more attention being paid to such things. We need to view this "destructive charade" choreographed by the media as how absolutely unattractive and ugly gossip is. When we trash others, it is never a good thing. It will always come back to haunt us in some way. So, before you start to let slander, gossip or other "destructive" words fly around, think about what this action will accomplish. If the answer is nothing helpful in any way, cease and desist with continuing down that road. Don't be like the media, don't act like a spoiled brat that has no discipline, don't trash anything and everything because you can't think of anything better to do with your position, it's just very awful. And I am speaking to myself as much as anyone else! (Just wanted to clarify that!) The media needs discipline and regulation as much as any entity with no boundaries. It's been allowed too much freedom with little to no responsibility. It is the responsibility of every person to choose their words with care and thought to the outcome of them. Let's start to practice the art of speaking with responsibility! I hope you all have an "up words" day!
Sharon (Lucy)

Monday, Monday

Good morning all! It's a beautiful Monday morning, my newly planted flowers are doing well, and I am going to have lunch with an old friend, whom I refer to as my "second" Mom! Today is a day to overcome little stuff for me. I will focus on the goals I have set for today and stay with them. Never let the "little" stuff hold you back. Take a good look at what you're facing and choose what you will engage in. Choose the things that will help and move you along your path! Smile and say "I will accomplish this today!" Have faith, pray for strength and guidance, stay focused on your task and before you know it, the day is over and you have traveled through another time of making good choices and realizing your goals! Have a powerfully positive day all! Love to everyone!
Sharon

Letting Go of Bad Things!

This post is to anyone who has a bad habit and are not sure if they can "give" it up. Here's the real deal! I used to be a smoker, quit almost 7 weeks ago. For years and years I was convinced I couldn't quit smoking if I was going to lose weight, I didn't want to fail at both. I read in several articles NOT to try to do both things simultaneously. So, I didn't. Trouble was, I wasn't REALLY trying to accomplish either one of them. About 3 years ago, an event took place that forever changed my mind and my life and it became blaringly obvious these things I wouldn't "give" up were going to KILL ME!!!! And it wasn't going to be quickly and painlessly, it would take a while and everyone around me would have to watch it. Welll, after much grief and heartache, I decided to change my mind and now, I'm changing my life! I can breathe! I can move better, I can workout for extended periods of time and walk 3 miles and not almost gag for breath! I can sing louder, longer and higher and you know why? Because I made a decision! Everyone of you has decisions to make in your lives and if you're wrestling with making a decision to discipline yourself to "give" up bad things, take some time to be logical about your bad thing. Is it helping you in any way? Is it something that makes life easier, really? Can you really afford it? Monetarily, physically, mentally or any other way? If you will be totally honest with yourself and answer these questions truthfully, then you can find the solution which will work best for you. If you have no idea where to start, find websites, research solutions, ask questions (there are no stupid questions), experiment with different ideas. I have combined several different aspects of healthy eating and fitness programs and I love what I'm doing. As far as quitting the smoking, I used a patch for the first 3 weeks, then stopped those as well. I also followed the lead of my guy who is my "ground"! He said "we're gonna stop now", I balked a bit but decided to follow his decision and now here we are, almost 7 weeks later and not one cigarette! It will be different for everyone, but it is always possible! And the more you overpower the desire to "fall back" the easier it becomes, at least for me because I like the feeling of "VICTORY"! I don't like to give up, I do not like to admit defeat, it's not something I'm good at. I hope this will help someone! If you need help or encouragement or would just like to send me an e-mail about this or any other subject, please feel free to do so! In fact, I encourage that greatly! I want to use my experiences to help others! Have a beautiful day!

Today it occurred to me that many things are changing for the better for many people around me. I really enjoy seeing positive change! However, positive change doesn't always have a smiling face. There are those situations where if you commit to the difficult situation and handle it with dignity and sincerity, the opportunity for the positive change will emerge and you will have to choose where to go and what to do with the changes. My sincere wish is for someone, who is close to me will realize this and follow. What seems like a terrible end may just end up being a beautiful beginning!

The astounding symetry of life,
The absolute certainty of the uncertain,
The heartbreak and blessings of great change,
The courage of stepping beyond the curtain,
The fear and the excitement of living fully,
The knowledge gained from ignorance and wisdom,
The height and the depth of all passion,
The battle and the victory from becoming undone,
The true pride prevailing against the false pride,
The mysteries sought after until the inevitable death,
The black and white, the lion and the lamb,
And all opposites in between continuing the quest,
The beauty of our souls, the strength in our spirits,
The positive drive which should never be denied,
The agony and the ecstasy of our search for love,
The glory of free will and the ability to rightly decide,
To look above and far beyond the past
Is our wisdom we gain along the way,
The allowance of new starts, learned lessons from each one.
These are all things for which I pray!
Have a beautiful and blessed day everyone!
by Sharon Winderweedle

Live Fully! And seize every, single moment! Make your mark in this world! Go above and beyond every task set forth! Get out of that box! Think in positives, and never tread on unnecessary toes. Be kind to yourself in word, thought and action, it makes it easier to be kind to others. Live the best life you can achieve, and never, ever stop reaching for the stars! It is your God-given right to leap for your highest goals, so leap high and leap proud! When you fall, and you will, pick yourself up, dust off and look for the next leap of faith! They are ALWAYS there to be found! Love one another and be unconditional in your love! Life will be so much more beautiful that way! Have the courage to find your one, true love, your soul mate, your best friend, and hold them sacred and in the highest regard. They are a gift and never to be taken for granted! Choose forgiveness, make your life what you dream and spread love and beauty along your always upward path!

This marks the first blog on my new blog page! This page is intended to be inspirational and uplifting to anyone who visits! My vision is to help others to learn to help themselves. I am no expert, I hold no degree, I have had no FORMAL training in dealing with the issues that seem to haunt people and families, yet I have life experience. I do not have all the answers, but I can do my best to help those who wish to make a positive change in their lives! I myself am in the process of transforming my life into a peaceful, healthy, spiritual lifestyle that will allow me to discover more of who I am! It's hard work, it's not easy, and I have to be disciplined every single day in order to successfully reach my goals. Goals can be reached, new heights can be obtained, you just have to "CHANGE YOUR MIND and CHANGE YOUR LIFE!"