Merry Christmas Eve

As I sit here on my inlaws couch nestled in the middle of the flat land of the Midwest, I am thinking on all the things of which I am thankful. Many would even call me lucky.

Then I remember all the times in 2011 that I didn't feel very lucky. I wasn't very thankful.

But I am.

I am blessed.
I am happy.
I am lucky.
I am overwhelmingly loved.
I am the recipient of a life better than most of the world.
I am sometimes sad, sometimes mad, sometimes ungrateful.
But always better off than I deserve.
And luckier than most.

Merry Christmas Eve! Be thankful and remember how very blessed you are!

Family on Purpose: A Glimpse Into the Life and Family of Ralph Lauren

I sit down, flip through a few stations and stop on a show I rarely watch. Oprah. But today it was meant to be that I hear a message that churns deep down in my soul.

She is talking to the family of Ralph Lauren. Fashion mogul, kind-spirited man, and father.

Oprah asks this question of his children: "How did your parents manage to create such good people? 'Cause everyone states what good people you are."

David Lauren: "My parents were always home. As kids when we came home from school our parents were there; we had dinner together. Being together as a family was a priority. We really felt like a family because they were there on purpose."

To be such a high-profile family now, the Lauren family certainly paid their dues. Their two sons state how they shared a bedroom when they were young. But the overwhelming current during this interview is that Ricky (mother) and Ralph Lauren "did family on purpose".

I believe that we must "do family on purpose" with every fiber of my being. everything matters from the words we speak, glances we pass, absent moments, present moments, meals together and even the mumblings. Although we might not always get it right, it still makes a difference to try.

So relax, take a few things off of your "to do" list and place a few things on your "family on purpose" list. Enjoy a glass of sweet tea with a loved one on your couch, cook dinner for your parents or grandparents and have them over for a lingering meal and a long talk afterward, or go for a walk with your spouse just because and no agenda.

These are the things that make life, love and a happy home an experience to remember.

Freedom

Today we celebrate freedom.

Freedom means so many things.

Freedom is . . .
Being able to make our own choices.
Being able to decide to listen to advice.
Being able to make wonderful decisions.
Being able to make terrible mistakes.

Freedom is . . .
Being able to learn from our experiences.
Being able to heal and grow from our pain.

Freedom is . . .
Being able to love and laugh.
Being able to cry and mourn loss.

Freedom is a wonderful and generous gift.
Freedom always has a cost.

This day of celebration is coming to an end. Let's not forget that freedom always has a price; a price that is worth the victory, and worth the lesson it brings.