THIS MYSTERY WE CALL LIFE....

Have you ever noticed how life just sometimes catches you by surprise? There is no warning, no sign of things to come. It just unfolds and you wonder what you did or didn't do to warrant the outcome. It's really funny that way.

The old saying goes, "The best things in life are FREE"...but have you ever thought about how the best things in life can also sometimes be those things that you least expect. If we really look back over the course of our lives, we find that everything that has ever happened to us is all connected. If you start from the point of where you are and work backwards as far as you can remember, the pieces fit. The hows & whys of certain things that made no sense at the time of their arrival, soon make perfect sense when the next thing shows up in your life.

It was said to me once by a good friend of mine that relationships work the very same way. Each one is a stepping stone to where you are supposed to be. Think about that for a moment and look back over all the relationships you've had in your own life be it relationships with friends, family or love interests. People come in and out of our lives for reasons. Each person is placed in our lives at the right moment and is there for a purpose. We may not know why they are there, but can be assured that their purpose in our lives will be fulfilled. The outcome of that purpose is always determined when the next phase in our lives comes along.

We're constanly traveling on the road to our destiny. Where we were 5 years before, may or may not be where we are today. And 5 years ago, 1 year ago, or 6 months ago even, we had no idea of the things that would reveal themselves to us at the present time.

Life is a journey, full of discovery, challenges, ups and downs. We must embrace every moment and be grateful for the moment we are in. It is said, "Nothing lasts forever". That may be true to a point, but if we look back at some of the things in our lives that have occurred, we can quickly find many things that we are thankful did not last forever.

Life is not so much about whether or not something lasts forever, but rather how things just happen in the proper moment and time and not a moment too soon. As we think about where we are today, the things and people that are currently in our lives are there because they are supposed to be. If we travel back in time to 1 yr ago or even 5-10 years ago, and think about where we were at that point in our lives, the current people/things/events would not have fit into our lives at that moment. We were in a different place back then and the people, events and experiences of yesterday were preparing us for the current moment we are in.

Life is indeed a mystery. Some would say they prefer to know what is going to happen at every turn as it would certainly determine many outcomes. But isn't it nice not knowing because when life's unexpected surprises show up, it makes them all the more cherished and bittersweet.

HERE'S A PEEK...

I thought in this posting I would give you a little peek inside my 1st fiction novel that I have just completed. Bear in mind that the book is currently undergoing major editing work. My goal is to have it ready to pitch to agents/publishers by early summer. Please feel free to offer any comments and feedback that you may have. In the meantime, enjoy!

The deafening boom of the plane explosion jolted Carrie Thomas awake and rattled every window. She sat straight up in bed unsure of what was happening; breathing heavily as if she had been running. Her eyes darted around. Rain beat against the window above her. A flash of light swept over the room momentarily before vanishing into the darkness.

It took a moment for Carrie to get her bearings. Still groggy, she reached over and switched on the lamp on her bedside table. She rubbed her eyes and forehead. And then, jarring her as much as the thunder had;, came the realization that she had been dreaming about Brad again. “It was only a dream,” she said to herself, repeating it slowly in an effort to calm her racing heart.

After a few minutes, Carrie settled back down in her bed, leaving the bedside lamp on for comfort and rested her head on the pillow. She closed her eyes and attempted to fall back asleep. Ever since the dreams started, even though she hated them, she equally despised waking up in the middle of one. No matter how hard she tried to induce sleep in the hopes of finishing her dream, it never worked.

The dreams had started some time back. She couldn’t exactly recall exactly when. At first, they occurred every so often. Then they became more frequent until they were part of her nightly slumber. The dreams weren’t fleeting in nature or ones she couldn’t remember. Each was vivid and stayed locked within her memory. Carrie had always heard the adage about such dreams being messages or signs of things to come. But she had never allowed herself to buy into that ridiculous notion. Until now.

As Carrie pondered that concept, panic again flooded her heart. After the most recent series of dreams about Brad, she reluctantly began to wonder what they were trying to tell her. Could it be? No, she thought. Don’t be silly. They were only dreams.

After lying in bed tossing and turning, Carrie decided sleep was not her friend. She looked at the clock. It was 2 a.m. She kicked off the covers, got up and headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

This had become her pattern on many nights. There was nothing worse than being awakened so abruptly and being cheated out of precious sleep. Of late, she wasn’t quite sure what it meant to get a good night’s rest. Sleeplessness did not bode well for someone who had to be up at 3 a.m.

Most nights, she could stumble around in the kitchen for a drink of water until she felt relaxed enough to sleep. Carrie uttered a soft curse as she realized that wouldn’t work this time. This particular dream about Brad had rattled her to the bone.

THE DREARY DAY BLUES....

Today has been one of those days when the blahs have set the tone for the entire day. I concluded earlier that the amount of cloud cover and rain we've had of late has been a huge contributor to my current mood. I've spent the better part of the day wishing for an early Spring to help lift my spirits.
There's just something about sunshine & weekends that make for a good combination. Most would argue in light of the football playoffs, that this weekend provided the perfect kind of weather for taking in all the televised games. After the Panthers loss on Saturday night, it's difficult for me to find solace in the arms of the Steelers or the Eagles at this point.

Then there are those who would argue that today was a perfect day for curling up with a blanket and a good book and just reading the day away to help combat the dreary weather outside. Does going to the library and checking out a book that I have yet to sit down to read count?

Or maybe some would say that its been a good day for doing nothing but sleeping the day away. Laundry prevailed over sleep today, I'm afraid.

So, if not taking in one of the above recommendations on a day like today, what does one do? Well, I think I may have just found the perfect solution...coffee!! I think I'll go brew me a soothing pot of coffee and allow its rich, robust flavor to take all the dreariness of this day away! I feel better already!

HELLO 2009!

If my lack of blogging entries at the end of 2008 is any indication of what's to come in 2009, then I am definitely in trouble!

Yes, I've been away from the blogging world for the past several weeks. As anyone knows, the holiday season is one big hustle, bustle whirlwind time of year that is over before we know it, followed by a brand new year that comes in almost as quickly as the holiday season spins in and out of our lives.

Over these last 9 days, I've seen it repeated often that most believe this is going to be 'their' year. Whether it is the left-over remnants of Obama's mantra of 'change' or the simple fact that 2008 was just a less than memorable year for many, most would agree that this is the first time in as many years that so many have their hopes pinned on this being the 'best year ever.

The masses are not alone. I, too, join in the crusade for making this the 'best year ever'. I am not one, however, who believes 2008 was my 'worst' year on record. Believe me, I've seen years past that get my own personal endorsement of being the all-time worst year ever!

But I'm really psyched about this year. For one thing, I just finished my first fiction novel at the end of last year. To even finish writing a book is an accomplishment in itself. But now I've started the editing process which is the next step in line of preparing to submit to agents & publishers alike. The project is in motion and I'm excited about the anticipation of where this process will take me.

Then, new years are all about new beginnings and of course, resolutions. I decided that I would avoid the whole resolution trap altogether and enact any possible hint of a resolution before the New Year began. Yes, you guessed it, I'm on a weight loss mission! My goal is to lose 40-50 pounds. (Must have been all that sitting in front of the computer last year!) Thus far I'm down 6 lbs. Yay Me!!

Starting something new at the start of a New Year isn't necessarily a bad thing. The 1st day of the year serves as a good starting point for many, but it can also be an unneccesary evil that puts incredible pressure on the individual who uses January 1st as their day that marks the start of something new in their lives. I mean if someone gets going on their new outlook and they falter then they soon realize they were on the wagon of change for 'x' number of days before they fell off and watched the cloud of dust looming ahead of them in the distance.

I guess it isn't so much about when we enact new beginnings in our lives. The important thing is that we are always growing and changing to make ourselves better human beings.

So here's to 2009! May it be everything we dreamed of and so very much more!