Overcoming Daily Obstacles

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" Mathew 7:7

I often find myself guilty of losing faith in my own potential. I try to stay positive, but life events can cloud my direction, and leave me leaning onto my own short term understanding of things. During such times, I have to coach myself back to the reality of the big picture. I have to encourage myself to understand that whatever I'm going through will pass, and that I must continue on the path of my goals.

None of us are perfect, but we must strive to be the best that we can be in any situation. Sometimes, that illumination comes from within, and other times, it can come from the most unlikely of sources. The reality is that, regardless of how difficult the obstacles we face, there are others who are facing even greater obstacles. Such is the overwhelming truth of our existence.

I was once told a story about a soldier who, while patrolling in the jungle for weeks, became miserable because he longed for air conditioning and his soft bed. One day, he ran into a small boy searching for food in a deep part of the jungle. The boy had no shoes, and appeared hungry. The soldier offered the boy his rations, but the boy declined.

Curious, the soldier followed the boy to a small village and found that the boy was not looking for food for himself, but for his parents, who were both disabled and unable to provide food for their son and a younger daughter. He noticed that they all slept on thin mats on the ground, and that there was no running water, or any of the amenities that would make life comfortable.The soldier offered his rations to the family, and days later, encouraged his fellow soldiers to do the same. Each time they fed the family, he noticed that the small boy was the last to eat.

When he questioned the boy, the small boy told him that he got his greatest joy from knowing that his family was taken care of, and that he could not enjoy a meal knowing that there may not be enough for his family. Suddenly, air conditioning and a soft bed did not seem so important, and from that point, whenever the soldier was faced with obstacles in life, he would think of the small boy and his family, and refused to complain.

Think of where you are in life today, and know that your life is indeed blessed, regardless of the circumstances which you are facing.

Have an AWESOME day!

Opportunity Knocks (Open the door!)

Great Opportunities Don't Grow On Trees

Great opportunities are all around us, but they don't just grow on trees. Someone once said that opportunities are like pennies on the ground, we always walk over them until we actually need one. But, every now and then one comes along that makes us take notice. Either we believe in it, the timing is right, or like a penny on the ground, we simply just need it.

I recent found an opportunity that fit all three for me, and I'd like to share it with you! It may, or may not be for you, but like that penny, you may just need it.

Opportunity knocks!

Happy New Year and Keep Those Resolutions

I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope with all of my heart that this becomes the best year for all of us. Over the past few years, I've learned to stay away from making New Year's resolutions, not so much because I don't believe in them (I do), but because I've seldom followed through with them.

This year is different.

Not only am I making resolutions, but I'm also resolving to remain committed to them. Yep, the usual are on my list... Lose weight, volunteer more of my time to special causes, etc. But, the big one is to save more money. I'm learning though, that in order to do that, I need to earn more money, so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, have a great year this year, and let's all win in 2010.

Theresa

Also... Check out my new site (click here).

An Apology to My Readers

I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to my readers for taking an extended leave of absence. There was a lot going on in my personal life that simply took longer than expected to resolve. But I'm back now, and happy to reconnect with all of you.

Thanks for everyone who sent words of encouragement.

Theresa

Spring Weddings Make Me Mushy

I love weddings, they seem to always make me cry.

My sister, Patricia, got married last week. For the past few weeks, you'd have thought that it was me who was preparing to walk down the aisle. I got excited because she got excited, anxious when she was anxious, emotional when she got emotional, and cried when she cried. I guess you can tell, we're very close.

Tish married a wonderful man who adores the ground she walks on. It was a beautiful spring ceremony on a beautiful spring day. Her happiness is my happiness, and I think that counts twice as much for our mom. But it's amazing to me how quickly after the hectic, never-seems-like-enough time running around a wedding creates, that things must get back to normal.

It seems like the drop off in excitement should be more gradual. One day, everything is amazingly chaotic, the next day, I'm saying goodbye to loved ones that I haven't seen in years. I went from an incredible high, to an instant l;ow in less than 24 hours. It doesn't seem fair.

But I'm happy for Tish and her new husband, and I wish them the very best in years to come. Meanwhile, I'm getting back into the groove of my day-to-day routine.

Springing Into A Positive Attitude

                                                

Okay, I've got to admit... the recent 70 degree weather after months of dreadful cold got my motors running. I sort of went crazy for a few days, looking for any excuse to get out of the house. But when it dipped back into th 40's, reality set in, and now I'm back into my grind.

It's only the first few weeks of warm weather that effects me that way. Once spring and summer sets in, I'll be complaining about how hot it is. I really try not to be a complainer, but hey, it's a part of what makes me who I am.

And that's what makes blogging so great. Here, we can explore every aspect of ourselves without being judged for being one way or another. Sure, there are some extremists out here, but it's hard for me to believe that anyone can be so one dimensional that they are in one singular mode all the time. Everybody has their good days, and their not so good days.

I choose to feel like it's the first few weeks of spring all the time, but the reality is that there are days when life  feels a little cold and dreary. It's how I choose to get through those days that matter.  There's one thing in life that I've learned for sure, and it's that the sun will come up again tomorrow. And on that, you can bet your bottom dollar.

Opening The Doors to the Mysteries of Blogging

Blogging is a passionate pastime for many people, and for the more serious bloggers, it becomes a lifestyle. But to those who stand outside the door to the blogging world, it seems a world of mystery and cult-like obsession.

I try to maintain a life of balance and and inclusion, but many of my friends do not understand how important my blogging has become in my life. And when attempting to explain some of the nuances of what I do, they just can't seem to grasp the concept.

They don't mind visiting a few blogs that target their areas of interest. And I've even walked a few of them through creating blogs of their own, only to have them fall from the ranks of the blogging initiated into that block hole of "I'll get to it when I have more time." Yet, they can spend hours a day keeping up with television programming which does little to stimulate the creative process.

Are bloggers really that different? Are we a part of some new techno-social culture with a different brain structure or psycho-environmental make up?

I'd rather believe that I'm a part of a new-age community of artists who find that our palette for creativity is the pages on which we post our passions, obsessions, or confessions. Or, maybe we're just a community who've grown to enjoy the online company of other bloggers. Our world is not that of a secret society, and to any who choose to enter, the door is always open.

I'm Giving Away EC's to Celebrate the New TheresaSez.com

Hey Everyone!

I'm excited because TheresaSez is now TheresaSez.com. I know that seems like such a small thing to make so much noise about, but it has never taken much to make me happy.

Anyway, to celebrate, I'm having a party and I'd like for you all to join me. Only at this party, the gift is on me!

I'm giving away 2000 EC's as a grand prize , and 500 EC's to the second place finisher. Details are below, and I hope that each and every one of participates.

Theresa

The contest will run from Feb. 17th thru March 15th, and is totally based on participation. Here's the scoop:

To Enter:
1. Sign up for the TheresaSez.com feed
2. Drop at least one card on TheresaSez.com
3. Leave at least one comment on this site.
4. Post a comment on your site about Theresa Sez.

The winners will be determined by meeting entrance eligibility, the most number of cards dropped on this site during contest period, and the most number of comments left on posts on this blog.

Good luck, and y'all come back now, heere!

I'm changing to...

Okay...

First I'd like to apologize for taking a few days longer than usual to write a new blog post. But trust me, I have been working hard in the background on attempting improvements to this blog.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone for your patience and feedback. It is because of your support of Theresa Sez that has prompted improvements. It is also because of your imput that I've registered Theresa Sez as a domain name, so in the very near future, you'll notice that the official URL for this site will change.

Soon, you'll be able to find this blog by logging into www.TheresaSez.com. Hopefully, this will create easier access, and not lose anyone in the process of transition.

I'm still working on the technical stuff, and as many of you may already know, I'm not the most technically gifted blogger in the world. But, I'm sure I'll get through it, and as soon as I do, I'll be sure to let you all know.

In the mean time, please hang in there with me. Progress is not always an easy process for me.

Theresa  

Should Bloggers Own Their Domain Name

                                           

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been researching the pros and cons of owning my own domain name. And quite honestly, I'm no farther ahead in making a decision than I was when I began thinking about it. I notice that a lot of bloggers do own their own domains, but I also see others (which happen to be very good blogs) who don't. 

I can certainly see the benefit of having a shorter web address. It's often difficult trying to explain to the point-and-clickers exactly how to to get to my site. Also, I've got to admit that it would probably be easier for me to just type www.TheresaSez.com than the rest of the trailer in the address. And owning the domain is a relatively inexpensive investment.

But, because I'm cheap (oops, I prefer economically efficient), I'm not all od that sold on the idea of paying for hosting. I also don't want to lose any of you who already know exactly where to find me, or those who have signed up for my feed.

I'm kind of at a crossroads, so any input would be greatly appreciated. The bottom line is that I ultimately what what's best for those who visit this blog on a regular basis.

Have a GREAT blogging day,

Theresa J