Just a mom with something to share !

The Love of a Caregiver ! The love of a caregiver has been inspired by the recent loss of my mom's boyfriend Bob Disher may he Rest In Peace .xoxo❤ and may God Bless my mom Joyce and Bob's wonderful children Deb, Darlene, Bob Jr and Rick. May you all find comfort in knowing you are excellent human beings and the love you share as a family is something so special and should be admired. In life we often find ourselves the caregiver . As a parent it starts when we have children. As we travel through our life journey it may be a part of our career as a nurse, doctor or heath care provider. It may be as a teacher, a customer service agent, or a friend. You may even have to be a caregiver  to your own sick children as I once was. Then comes our turn to be the caregiver for our parents. You may even the be caregiver of a spouse or a sweet cowboy in my mom's case. No matter the situation we will all someday need and want the love of a caregiver. This blog is to simply...

Living in the present and the choices we make! Sorry it has been a few week, so many life situations! Some beautiful and some heartbreaking. I am not feeling too bloggy but I feel I need to clear the drain so to speak or get typing! So forgive me if this blog is full of ciaos with little structure. Let me start by talking about running/walking a 10k. It was an awesome experience. I tried to train for it and I will be honest my diet, exercise and pre-running was not where it should have been. BUT when I look back at that day March 3rd it was one of the best days EVER! I spent the morning with my best friend, my heart and my soul, My Husband! We walked the Skyway Bridge in St.Pete Fl, and we ran when we could. We held hands, laughed talked and lived 100% in the present . We seen the sunrise, the dolphins jumping and enjoyed each breath we took. We kissed at every photo opp and even though at the end we were exhausted it was an incredible time. I am very thankful my body allowed me to...

Past, Present and Future!! What does this mean? We all have something bad in the past and how you replay that situation depends on you and your state of mind. How we process things is what makes us happy or sad. "If you are depressed you are living in the past , if you are anxious you are living in the future . If you are at peace you are living in the present " Quote by Lao Tzu That is a great quote but in life this is very hard to follow, it takes practice to get you in the present frame of mind. In my work we discuss mindset, hmmmm what does that mean? Isn't that future thinking? Life is full of: What ifs? Why's? How come? What could I have done? and if only?  Are you sick to your stomach yet? I am, I have replayed my past so many times, that when I look back now it makes me want to vomit! Why because I am now looking at the present. Do I reflect on the past? Sure, an example is I use my past  as a tool to help others understand how my family survived...

Imagine if...... Dreams do come true.... God does answer prayers.... Let me take you down a little journey and at the end I will let you decide if dreams do come true and if God does answer our prayers! Imagine if you are 11 years old and you are sick but no one knows why! Imagine if you are 11 years old and you are told you have cancer! Imagine if you are being injected with medicine that makes you feel worse, not better! Imagine if you have a best friend named Sam and a cat named Tickles who real or stuffed never leaves your side! Imagine if you are finally all better and God has heard your prayers! Imagine if 45 days later your Grandpa passes away! Imagine if you leave everything in one state to find a new life in another! Imagine if you find a love for running and it helps you clear your mind ! Imagine finding awesome new friends and learning to work and be independent! Imagine if Tickles your cat dies because of an enlarged heart! Imagine you are in your ...

OVERWHELMED , This is a very interesting word!! Who reading this blog ever feels Overwhelmed ? This girl sure does... How did we get Overwhelmed ? Why are we Overwhelmed ? What can we do to get over this feeling. Well here is what I recently discovered, its a mind game just like every other situation in life. It is a choice. We can choose be overwhelmed by responsibilities at school, at home, at work, or in a life situation. You name it, we use the word overwhelmed a lot to describe our life and when we feel we are full to the top.. The actual definition of Overwhelmed is: bury or drown beneath a huge mass, defeat completely. It is really up to us to choose what we want to do and how we plan our time so we are not overwhelmed. When we are overwhelmed we tend to get emotional, after all we are human and this is our nature. But maybe there are some things and steps we can take and think about that will ease this feeling of being overwhelmed. 1.If you are anxious,  t ake ...

Who am I? What is my purpose on this earth? How do I make an impact? How can I use my life to help others? When is enough, enough? What is enough? Am I selfish? Am I lucky? Am I loved? Do I love enough? Do I give to the right people and places? What should I be doing with my time? Did I use my time wisely? STOP!!!! SHUT UP!!!! IF YOU ARE LISTENING TO THE MADNESS IN YOUR HEAD, STOP!!!! IT DOESN'T HELP!!!! I have found the first step in self awareness is to clear your mind, let it go and love yourself !! I know we have all heard the saying to take care of yourself first. I love this one: "You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first."  Author Unknown This is true, 100% Life is full of questions and many unanswered. When we are no longer on this earth the questions will still be there. You just have to know when to let it go! ! *Maybe Elsa was onto something! lol My point to everyone is this. I have been a hard charger from the minute I exite...

Love your Life!! Often life leads us into a tangled web of confusion. Life throws you a curve ball, but you need to LOVE yourself, LOVE your life and LOVE those who make you whole. Because LOVE is above all material things and it is the most important thing in the world. LOVE will strengthen you, guide you, support you!! I have recently been thrown a career curve ball and even though this is a material things sometimes you need help.. LOVE is needed to bring us back up from the depths of sadness. LOVE/FRIENDS/FAMILY can point out your worth, how much you mean and even show you the LOVE of God in your darkest times. I was down on myself for not being worthy of being the one, but all along I was the one! What does that mean! I may not be the one for this particular career move but I am:  that # 1 mom, that # 1 wife, that # 1 sister, that # 1 aunt, that # 1 youngest daughter, that # 1 ex-daughter n law, that # 1 future mother-in law, that #1 sister n law, that # 1 leader, that...

Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way !! To LEAD means to set the pace, lead by example, manage, direct, drive the business, delegate, command, govern, control, administer, organize, dominate! To FOLLOW means to go after, walk behind,go along, attend, string along, go around, pursue, follow directions from someone of authority, follow a path, follow knowledge! To GET OUT OF THE WAY mean to step aside, let others take control, not a follower, not a leader, easier to step away and let people proceed without you! There are many times in life where you have to make a decision to lead, follow or get out of the way.. This little catch phrase has been a big part of my life ever since I started working and became an adult. I have taken the lead in many areas of my life both personal and professional. I have also been a follower if it lead to my success, sometimes you have to follow to be a strong leader in the future and be educated for your own personal and professional growth. T...

Ignorance is Bliss !! This funny little catch phrase has such a deeper meaning the older you get. As a child or a teenager I would hear older folks say this "Oh Honey Ignorance is Bliss" . It never really sunk in until I was older and had lived a little. Let me list out a few things in my own life that I have experienced. Heartache from your first breakup Buyer your first car Going for that first big job interview Divorce Death of a loved one Death of a parent Dealing with cancer when it affects your child Dealing with cancer when it affects you Dealing with financial hardship Working so much and you just still cant make financial ends meet Going to a food bank for meals Tears in the shower so no one sees your weakness Insomnia because your brain will not allow you to sleep as you try to find your way out or around.. whatever in currently in your path. The process of buying a home (though exciting, it is a painful long process) Seeing your child's heart...

Humbled!!     To know what it’s like to walk in another person’s shoes! That will be the meaning of this blog this week. On Facebook and social media I share and like many positive posts and quotes because the brighter outlook has always been by path. If you truly know me as a friend or co-worker you know this about me. Today, I was enlightened by a family at the airport, Why? Because not once but twice I have walked in their shoes.… How you ask?? Let me share.. Today as I sit at the airport in Texas, I could not help but to notice a family with Make A Wish on their shirts and a child wearing the famous blue shirt and badge, just like the one my Rachel once wore 10 years ago. It is amazing how for some vacations are a memory of pleasure and joy. For my family and I it was break from the suffering. A reminder of cancer, struggles and the pain our baby had suffered in order to get that blue shirt. The Make A Wish trip was the awesome focal point to the end o...

Count your blessings !!  What does "Count your blessings" really mean to all of us? What does "Count your blessings" mean to you? Your happiness ? Goals accomplished ? A good health report ? A positive work experience? Love ? Support ? Your pet ? Let me tell you what it means to me!! I am only human so at times I feel sorry for myself as we all do. But then I think I need to "Count my blessings" . These are my blessings..   My Health,  I am healthy enough to enjoy the warm Florida sunshine, the love of my family and all my pets both furry and feathered. On my own, at my own will, I do not need help from others to do all of these things. My Goals, I have my mind and body, enough of both to set and achieve goals.Again, I am only human and sometimes I set goals and do not achieve them but either way I am blessed enough to be able to do both. Ability to work, We all have the dreams about being rich and not working for others. But how about be...

Well I know it has been 2 months..So much for my daily blog!  I will shoot for weekly blog posts because that is much more realistic. After a much crazy month, I think I am ready to get back at it. So here I go!! Let's start with Happiness.. What defines happiness?? This is different for everyone. Why? Happiness is based on perspective, life situations, health situations, or it can be a financial situations. It is up to you.. It's your happiness, right? Now for me it has always been the chase for financial freedom, that so called freedom that comes from the financial rewards of working hard and doing the very best job you can do. But, is that really what I need to find my happiness? I have questioned my skills, my abilities, and even my thought processes. And guess what!  I landed an awesome job with a great company who make me feel like family. I am financially rewarded and respected but it didn't make me as happy as I thought it would. Why?? Is there something wrong...

Good Evening... Blown away that my first blog post was read almost 800 times... I apologize for not posting last night as promised. I had a dental visit that lasted 4 hours long. I had just begun to fix my teeth when the stupid cancer struck again at my house so I am just trying to get caught back up. I had read sometime in 2006 that metal fillings were not good and contained mercury. Let me tell you my mouth was full of metal, so prior to Rachel getting sick I was on a mission to have them removed and switched to white or composite resin. On this journey of tooth repair I had to stop because at that time Rachel's health and well being was my main focus. Besides that the little money we had left over after Rachel medical bills couldn't be wasted on me or my teeth. That was silly...or was I silly for not trying to continue to take care of me?? Little did I know way back in 2006 when I was reading about the Mercury in my fillings, these metal fillings were taking my Thyroid...

Where to begin !! I would first like to start by saying I am just a mom with 2 kids that have had cancer and I have recently had to battle it myself. . I wanted to share my past journey as well as my future plan. I am not a blogger and I have never taken the time to express my own thoughts like this before. But here I go, my past journey started in the first half of 2007 . My daughter Rachel who was 12 years old at the time had been ill. Test after test and doctor appointment after doctors appointment only to find out she had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As my blog continues I will go into deeper details as to how we discovered it and why. Zip ahead 5 years to 2012 my daughter is just found to be 5 years clean of this terrible disease and my son Nathan was diagnosed with Brain Cancer he was 13 years old. As my blog continues I will go into deeper details as how we discovered his and why. Then guess what like clockwork fast forward 5 years and poof February of 2017 I was diagnosed...