The Heart

The heart that lives inside of me has always known love.
It has been sheltered from the world at times, yet it has known pain and hardship.
It has tasted bitterness and allowed criticism and judgement to creep in.
The heart that lives inside of me has known sadness and failure.
It has longed for love and acceptance.
Regret has seeped in as well.
The heart that lives inside of me has felt so alone, and fearful.
It has known peace and solitude.
It has felt complete and whole even after I thought it never would again.
The heart that lives inside of me finally understands grace, because I have felt it.
This heart is hopeful for all that lies ahead.
It is thankful for what is has felt, good and bad, in the past.
This heart is bigger, deeper and stronger.

Happiness

So, this morning I was heading out the door and saw SNOW FLURRIES!!! Yes, really! It made me so excited and happy and it was gone in basically 5 minutes. But when I was little every Christmas the weatherman for the local NBC affiliate would HOPE for snow, and talk it up, but we never got it. I can remember sitting Indian-style in front of the TV just bursting with excitement over the mere possibility of the white stuff coming my way. I would look out the window for snow, and Santa Claus, and just WISH WISH WISH for it.
That is how I felt this morning....I love that simple things that bring me joy like like that, and I pray they always do.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

This is not a deep, insightful blog, I just wanted to list a couple things in life that make me smile and make me happy. We are entering a time of year that gifts are given and received, and sometimes the things that mean the most are not in boxes and bows, but given other ways....

1. MY KITTIES...I have two babies, Sassy and Fancy, when the weather gets chilly, they get EXTRA loving, my favorite is early morning when they cuddle with me and I can hear them purring...This is love...

2. I have to take a BATH...there is NOTHING like a hot bubble bath with the phone nearby in case I need it, and a Coke Zero....HEAVEN. This seriously helps me sleep...and smell better.

3. A NIGHT OUT WITH A GOOD FRIEND. There is nothing like going to the mall with one of my girlfriends or out to dinner...talking and laughing over a good meal or while looking at the newest handbags ...coming up for air while we talk a million miles an hour. Having moments where we bond deeply, or moments where I am laughing SO hard I almost pee my pants....LOVE IT!

4. PERFUME...I have always loved it, I love all the different notes of a fragrance and the power scent has. A single smell can make me remember so much (The smell of Coast soap makes me think of my Daddy). Currently, I am loving Gucci perfume, and I love, love, love the smell of Johnson's Baby Lotion.

5. COFFEE...year round is my favorite, but especially right now, there is nothing like a warm cup of coffee when it's cold outside.

6. WAYNE...My sweet, crazy man. My friend, my love, my support....I love when we hang out, when we play cards...he is a sore loser. I love to be able to join in the awesome things he is doing for people with Soles4Souls...he makes me so proud and I am in awe of the amazing things he has accomplished. I love how much he loves people and cherishes relationships. He makes me laugh over the silliest things...he imitates me and it is hilarious and also frightening if I really sound that way. He shows his love for me with his actions...not just his words.

7. MY ROOTS...no, not my hair, but where I am from. My little small town, Paxville, SC. All my aunts, uncles and cousins....the fact that I had such a special network of people around me as I grew up that instilled so many things in me like love, family, fellowship, hard work, my faith...just to name a SMALL few.

That's it for now. There is more where that came from, I will blog some more later on...Have a great THANKSGIVING!

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about how our society is obsessed with what is going on in the lives of others. Sites like facebook and twitter are overrun with people just "seeing what you are up to". Blog sites are increasingly popular with bloggers and blog readers as people use their freedom of speech to communicate whatever they want to and others read it voraciously.



I promise to never use my forum in ways that will hurt others, whether knowingly or unknowingly. I truly believe that forums and platforms are meant to inform, educate, uplift and enlighten others, they should never be instruments that try to damage people. Love and light are the greatest tools we have, and I want to always give those away in abundance.


I discovered this quote below earlier this year and have just fell in love with it. It sums it all up. it was authored by a woman who has seen alot and pain and tragedy in her life, and continues to live with dignity and purpose, not lashing out at others. I want to spend my time building up, not tearing down, loving without condemnation, and continuously moving forward through this journey.


"Life is rarely what we expect it might be, but we need to look for the lilies. We need to do what brings us joy and gives us a sense of purpose"
Elizabeth Edwards





Use your voice...powerfully...peacefully...purposefully...with love.

Send Soles4Souls your shoes!

Soles4Souls, a shoe charity located in Nashville, TN, will be constructing the world's LARGEST tower of shoes in the center court of Opry Mills Mall during the Holiday Season! The tower will be on display from November 5th-December 31st, the Guinness Book of World Records will even be checking in to record the numbers. Please contribute to this because there are roughly 300 million children worldwide without shoes!!
That is a sobering thought considering all the shoes in my closet that I don't wear!! For more information about drop off locations and shipping guidelines, please go to www.giveshoes.org.

September 29, 2008....

Today was not the funnest day. It was Monday to begin with. Of course, as I complain to my mom on the phone that it is Monday and I am stressed out I pass Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital and there is an adolescent boy on the lawn in a wheelchair enjoying the sunshine...so I shut up quickly.

I then went to meet my friend Tami for dinner. My mind is full of the images I saw on the news today. The stock market, the bailout failure, I am worried about the economy, my job security, how will I take care of myself and my mom, if and when that need arises. I tend to be a "downer" at times, I prefer to call it being a "realist". My ever so optimistic man is starting to rub off just a little on me. I almost canceled tonight and just went home by myself. But thankfully, I didn't.

Here is what I would have missed if I had:
1. Seeing that little boy at the hospital...a gentle reminder that life is not as bad as it seems, that there is always someone who suffers more than we will know, and in spite of any circumstance we are in..sunshine seems to make everything a little easier to deal with.

2. Snorting more times than I can count at my crazy friend from Savannah who grew up alot like me and understands that going barefoot in public places will not kill you, although it is not a desirable trait, that there are coupons to be found for everything on earth and the best lip gloss shade should just be named "LIP".

3. Finally getting to try hair extensions on and wondering WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING??? Ouch....

4. Listening to Delilah as I drove home and hearing a husband call in to request a song and let his wife know that even though he can't always verbalize how much he loves her, he does with all his heart and soul. Setups like that make a love song EVEN better...

So, that is my blog for today, Monday September, 29, 2008.

Assorted New Stuff

Hey Ya'll,

I can't believe the year is flying by like this. Wow. So much has happened, 2008 has really been an amazing year for me, personally and professionally. ALL AROUND, it has been LOVELY!!

I just had the opportunity the last week of August to go to my hometown of Manning, SC to the school district I grew up in and give out a pair of shoes to every child in the Manning Early Childhood Center courtesy of Soles4Souls. Clarendon County has a poverty index of 80.6%, 71% of the children in the county live in single parent homes and this part of the state is along the I-95 corridor, where the median poverty index is 82.7%.

The children's ages ranged from 3 years old to first grade, and it was such an amazing day! I met so many beautiful children, and got to fit them with a new pair of clogs that they could wear. I saw, tickled, and touched tons of little toes and feet and got millions of hugs and kisses and sweet moments with the kids. It was a great opportunity and I owe a BIG thank you to the volunteers, teachers and staff of MECC, especially Betty Harrington, the principal.

I was reminded that day how powerful the human touch is. The kids had never seen me before and some of them were so shy, but taking the time to stop and chat with them and reach out to them was eye opening to me, they warmed up so quickly.

I will now be working with Soles4Souls more as a spokesperson, something I am honored and thrilled to be doing!

Have a great weekend, more later...
Tif