I Believe . . . . .

I believe . . . .

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe . . . .

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe . . . .

That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, it doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe . . . .

That you should always leave loved ones with loving workds.  It may be the last time you see them.

I believe . . . . .

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe . . . . . .

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe . . . . .

That sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe . . . .

That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.  Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe . . . . .

That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe . . . . . .

That the people you care about most in life are taken from you much too soon.

I believe . . . . .

That life is more precious that money will ever be able to be.

Mother Nature Unleashes Her Wrath

Watching the news this morning, it occurred to me how much we joke about Mother Nature never realizing how deadly she can be.  Japan is one of my most favorite countries to visit.  I love the culture and the people and the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.  Seeing the devastation this morning broke my heart.  All those lives lost, all that damage, all because Mother Nature decided to reign down on Japan for no other reason than she was there.  Tsunamis are dangerous animals, this one was more deadly than most.

The United States fared much better thank God!

But my heart goes out to all those that lost loved ones and their entire lives in the blink of an eye.

New York City, Here I Come!!!

I finally booked my April trip to NYC and I am totally psyched.  Not only do I get my hot dog (knowing me, I’ll definitely have more than one) in Central Park, but I get to see Smarty’s girls again and hopefully meet Bubbles’ daughter.  M is coming down for the party and we have a pretzel date all lined up.  I see copious amount of alcohol being consumed while I am there as well as much wandering around the city while looking up at tall buildings like any self respecting tourist would do.  Oh, and Bubbles and Mr. Smarty are running a race Sunday morning so I will get to cheer them on before I return home. 

The Chopped Champion's Champion

Madison won!!!  And I couldn't be more thrilled.  Anyone who knows me knows I love Food Network and "Chopped" is one of my favorite shows.  But today was special because they had the $50,000.00 championship cook off between 16 winners.  It was brutal.

I adored Madison when he won the first time.  He has been homeless on two continents, is Jamaican by birth, married to a Danish woman, and his daughter is the light of his life.  He is humble and exudes sincerity and honesty.

When he won, they brought out his daughter and I watched him hug her and tear up.  Hell, I teared up as did Alex Guarnaschelli.  I was in very good company.

But what I loved the most was his parting line.  "I showed my daughter today that it's not what you say, but what you do."

The First Day Of Many

Starting a new life is rarely easy, but it can be rewarding if you but allow it to be.  As I sit here in my office listening to the hustle and the bustle of a typical Friday in transportation, I am reminded of where I was when I started my previous blog. 

Back then, January of 2008, I was sitting in my home office, in tears, missing a great love and trying to figure out how I would ever survive without him.  No, he really didn't "leave" me, but he had just moved 1000 miles away and I was heartbroken.  So what did I do?  I wrote about our first date.  It made me feel closer to him. 

And you know what else?  Writing about it made me feel better. 

I really didn't start seriously blogging for about  a year and a half after that, but I did ocassionally allow the power of posting my words to help me through some very difficult times.  And then the writing bug really hit me and I devoted a good amount of time to it.  I never did have one set course for my writing.  It was always about what I felt like at that moment.

I think back and laugh at how many times some of us would be talking and say "Now that would make a great blog post!"  Sometimes there is nothing better than the power of the written word. 

I met life long friends in that far far away Blogland and for that I will always be grateful. 

So today I start my journey in this "new" Blogland, silently hoping that I will come to love it as much as I used to. 

I figure if I am sitting in an office again (albeit a different one) and pondering all sorts of things, it bodes well for this new blog of mine.