Tag Archives: holidays

holidays, Making it happen Monday

Making it happen Monday: Memorial Day

Taking a slightly different angle to Making it happen Monday this week. Focusing today on… today. Memorial Day.

If anyone can be credited it for “Making it happen,” its our military.

Nashville National Cemetery -- Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day has come to be viewed at the kick off to summer… as a day to go to the lake, barbecue, etc. (I plan to go out on a ride with my husband on the motorcycle at some point today, myself!) But its more importantly about our military casualties.

Thousands (actually over a million) men and women have laid down their lives for this country — to make and/or keep the freedoms we take for granted every day. They’ve taken their orders, facing the possibility of death with fear but not hesitation, giving it all… laying it ALL on the line… to do what they had to do.

Today, I urge everyone to take a moment and think about our military who lost their lives. If you have a military cemetery near you, take a drive or a stroll through it. Let it sink in… let it really sink in.

201: Nashville National Cemetery -- Memorial Day 2011

I bet it really makes you look hard at your own life and what’s going on in this world today. Every time I visit the Nashville National Cemetery, I leave humbled but also motivated to do better. Motivated to grab the opportunities I have today thanks to those men and woman who fought to assure me the freedom to make my own decisions and chase my dreams.

mihm

holidays, lessons learned

Making Thanksgiving stand out…

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I always feel like Thanksgiving gets lost. There is the big push for Halloween and the thrills and giggles of it. Then we run towards Christmas, and Thanksgiving ends up just being Black Friday-Eve… though this year, the madness begins ON Thanksgiving.

Whatever happened to taking time to count your blessings? Whatever happened to spending the day with family and friends? What happened to being thankful for what you have instead of focused on what you want to go buy?

One thing I’ve NEVER done is decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I’ve been steadfastly against it. I will NOT do that!

Then we got a mini-heatwave this week and I went, “Maybe we should decorate while its warm instead of waiting…”

So today, we dug out the Christmas decorations and I’m about half-way done with decorating our house. I thought I’d feel guilty for it. Something weird happened instead…

It made me even more thankful.

As I pulled out item after item, memories of when we got them came back to me. It made me look around and take note of so many blessings.

I’m thankful for family and for friends. I am thankful for a roof over my head, a vehicle to drive, and food in the refrigerator. I’m thankful for work to do, and more ideas than I can possibly put into action. I am thankful for all the hard times that taught me lessons about the world and myself. I am thankful for love, faith and hope. I am thankful for my health — even as I stop to blow my nose periodically. I’m thankful for God’s love being a constant in life.

Maybe Thanksgiving doesn’t end up getting lost after all. Maybe Thanksgiving stands out all on its own without having to try… because it really and truly lives in one’s heart as opposed to the calendar.