Candid Canda

The last day of the year!  And what a year it has been!!  We have seen the best of the best; the worst of the worst.  Some of our freedoms have been taken away with the pandemic.  We have had to invent a new way of negotiating our daily lives.  I have not been disappointed as I enjoy being alone, being creative, reading, painting, writing, and playing my piano.  Do you know why the end of the year is so important?  Why it is important to define what comes next? The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect not only on what happened during this year but also to find out what comes next.  It is the best time to align objectives, to align what needs to be done, and meet the new year with enthusiasm and earnest. As I ponder my last day of the year, I look back and remember that even though difficult with the challenges of my husband's health issues, I have progressed in a way I thought that I never could.  I have a home that is warm, comfortable, and inviting.  It is a fort agains

  What are affirmations? An affirmation is  the action or process of affirming something or beng affirmed,  a formal declaration by a person who declines to take an oath for reasons of conscience, or  emotional support or encouragement.  What are the affirmations that will allow me to end my year graciously? If I have learned one thing this year, it is necessary to be gentle with myself and others.  It has been a year of hard work, financial inflation, pandemic uncertainities, an emotional roller coaster.  We all have been a bit weary and stressed.  It is time to become recklessly gracious!  A  gracious  person is a  graceful  person, someone who at least attempts to not hurt others’ feelings with clumsy words or thoughtless deeds.  I know that I cannot control what happens in life, but I can control how I respond to it.  I do remember that my response is my greatest power. This year, I have learned that no single struggle defines everything we are.  I took lesson when an experience wi

  A snowflake is a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size, and may have amalgamated with others, then falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow. Each flake nucleates around a dust particle in supersaturated air masses by attracting supercooled cloud water droplets, which freeze and accrete in crystal form. Snow appears white in color despite being made of clear ice. This is due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small crystal facets of the snowflakes. Where I live, it is snowing, and snowing, and snowing! Fluffy snowflakes cascading downward to find a place and give nutrient to our farmlands. I love the snow and it does not bother me to be out in it. I know that it bothers some people. Did you know that there is such a things as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and it is estimated to affect more than a half of million people every winter. The symptoms of such disorder include depression, anxiety, lethargy, social withdrawal, overeat

  To be sisters implies that there is an unbreakable bond between two or more individuals. Sisters take care of each other, watch out for each other, comfort each other, and are there for each other through thick and thin defending even wrong should it need be. Sisters do not have to share genetics or biology to be sisters. The Lord has said, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” The adversary would have us be critical or judgmental of one another. He wants us to concentrate on our differences and not compare ourselves to one another. We have been God-given talents, each to their own, to develop and use for good. The fact of the matter is, we really and truly need each other. Women naturally seek friendship, support, and companionship. We have so much to learn from one another, and we often let self-imposed barriers, perceived notions of negative, mistakes of others to keep us from enjoying associations which could be among the greatest blessings in our

  Many people are afraid of having a snap point and hitting rock bottom. My husband and I hit "rock bottom" about 6 years ago. Everything we had worked hard for and thought we were becoming was gone! Medical bills, medical tests, doctors, doctors, doctors, me working two employments (making less than I ever have made in one employment), and Thom without work and struggling to receive the benefits that he had dutifully paid for years, was the anchor. Today, I am still the sole survivor as Thom has had medical setbacks once again. I had a stalker and family members who intentionally made my emotional life chaotic and filled with hurt. It has taken me longer than wanted in my educational goals. In some ways, I feel that we are still at rock bottom but not as deep as we once were. That’s understandable. As human beings, our natural instinct is to protect ourselves from harm and keep ourselves safe. But staying in my comfort zone and avoiding difficult things only leads to

  #LightTheWorldWithLoveAndWisdom Each evening I have been choosing a different type of Christmas cookie! It is good practice and I love teaching myself how to use artistic techniques with the frosting, glitter, and other decorating ideas. The meaning of practice makes perfect is used to say that people become better at something if they do it often. While practice might not necessarily make your skills perfect, it certainly is still an important piece of the learning puzzle. I believe in learning how to treat others takes practice! Everyday is not the same. I have learned in my employment that we are individual in our skill sets, our genetics, learning environments, and attitudes. Ask anyone in your workplace what treatment they most want at work. They will likely top their list with the desire to be treated with dignity and respect. You can demonstrate respect with simple, yet powerful actions. Demonstrating respect is the most important interaction that you can have dealing w