I love this holiday. It reminds us of the important things in life!
Be thankful.
Live Simply.
Be Kind.
Do your best.
Use please and thank you.
Cherish family and friends.
Never give up. Believe in yourself.
Listen with your heart.
Help others.
Laugh often and lots.
Have a wonderful day!
But it's hard, because I'm being bombarded by Christmas. Songs, decorations, advertising, everything. I love the holidays, each, in order, but lately, it feels as if Thanksgiving is being completely squeezed out. So, I hope you'll join me in a little crusade to think about Thanksgiving. It's time for an attitude of gratitude. So between now, and Turkey Day, try to be extra thankful for everything in your life. Start with you. Look at yourself in the mirror, and smile. Be thankful for the person looking back at you.
Extend your thanks to your friends and family. Tell someone you love that you do. Do it now.
You know all of those people who make your life a little easier everyday? Tell them thanks. Look them in the eye and mean it.
Have you volunteered lately? Directly helping another human being who you don't know, who happens to be down on her luck will always impact your heart and soul. That's not the reason to do it, of course, but when you do give back you are the one who will receive.
Thanksgiving blessings abound. Spend your time between now and then making sure you notice them all.
It's that time of year, when we all reflect on our blessings. As an author, finally putting my passion into action and having the career of my dreams, I am sure of one thing - your support makes all the difference. With each book or short story, I've been thrilled by the response from long-time friends, and new friends alike. I'm so grateful my novels have resonated with you, and that you are looking forward to the next. Who could ask for anything more? But there is more. Always. My family. A week ago, my daughter's college house burned down. She lived there with 8 other girls, and thankfully, none of them were home when the fire started. It moved quickly and the damage was enormous. She lost everything - possessions, clothes, computer, photos - but she is safe. And really, that's what matters as we all know.
Her close-call was a reminder to me, and a lot of folks who saw her story, to check your smoke detectors and hug your kids; to let go of stuff, but to hold onto memories in your heart; and finally, to be so thankful for everyday we have and everyone in it. It can all be over in a moment. 
I am so thankful for you. Have the happiest of Thanksgivings.
What a wonderful day. Thanksgiving. It's a day filled with gratitude. A day meant to be spent with those you love, celebrating your blessings. A day, hopefully, to pause before the bustle of the next big holiday. A day of peace, smiles, full stomachs and thanks. May your day be everything you imagined. Enjoy!
Grace is all around us, and so is pressure. Just this week, amidst the thrill of growing and expanding my company, Real Living, the pressure has been incredible. Building a new team, reassuring new contacts. Since the real estate crash hit at the end of 2005, pressure has been mounting. Sometimes daily, sometimes just bubbling under the surface. For many of us, no matter the industry, the great recession has spelled doom, gloom, worry, anxiety and yes, pressure. Not so easy to find in our world: Grace.
And yet, something happened last night that symbolized more about grace under pressure than any business lesson I could write about.
My friend, Stefanie Spielman, lost her fifth battle with breast cancer last night. She died at the age of 42, surrounded by her family, And I know you may have similar stories. Cancer, unfortunately, has touched all of us in profound ways. What I do want to share with you is her incredible example of grace. She believed God gave her cancer at the age of 30 for a reason. She used the pressure, the unbelievable hardship that it imposed, to become a shining light of hope and grace for all who knew her and hundreds of thousands who didn't. Through her quiet power, she raised more than $6 million towards breast cancer research, while also raising four amazing kids.
In her example, I watched a woman who rose above disease while staying real in everything she accomplished. Becaues of her grace under pressure, she gave strength to others fighting the same disease. She kept her family at the center of her life, and her love story with her husband Chris is one for the ages.
This Thanksgiving, no matter the struggles happening in your life, look around you for the moments and people embodying grace. They are there. In the blue sky. In the eyes of a small child. Through the life of a friend who fought to the end. And hold on tight to each other. People come into your life for a reason.
Perhaps one of the people in your life right now is modeling this type of grace under pressure, or maybe, that role model is you.
