Food for Thought: Grace

Hi Everyone,

For today’s post, I want to share some thoughts about grace, which has been on my mind a lot lately.

How do you show someone grace when you don't think it's deserved? 

How do you continue to show someone grace when they clearly don't appreciate it? 

Why do so many people, especially women, feel guilty about showing themselves grace? 

I'll be honest, I struggle with grace. In situations where I could be showing grace, I’m usually reacting with frustration and annoyance. At the same time, I've been shown grace repeatedly over the years when I didn't particularity deserve it (and I still often feel undeserving), but clearly needed it from someone. So, you see how grace is a rather tricky conundrum for me to sort out. 

Recently, though, I came across a Queenism (see end of post for more info)*** that touches on grace, and I knew it was something that I wanted to pass along. 

 

 

This really spoke to me because women almost never put themselves first, often saying “yes” to someone or something out of guilt when they would much rather be saying “no” – which, by the way, would be showing themselves grace. 

Therefore, practicing grace does not mean ignoring your personal boundaries. Rather, it is more than okay to take time out for yourself, to put yourself first, to treat yourself with kindness, to practice self-compassion. Allowing for the time and space you need to take a step back, especially for the sake of your mental health, is one of the greatest expressions of grace you can show yourself.

 

Until next time, 

Eddy 

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*** Lifelong friends, Kathy Kinney (American actress, voice actress, and comedian) and Cindy Ratzlaff (personal speaker and award winning marketing & branding professional), originally began writing and creating Queenisms™ -- small doses of daily inspiration -- for themselves. When they started sharing Queenisms™ on their Facebook page, women everywhere responded with messages of thanks and gratitude. Over 10 years later, Kathy and Cindy, co-authors of Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown Up Woman's Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve and Queenisms: 101 Jolts of Inspiration, continue to inspire women everywhere, one Queenism at a time. 

Image Credit: From QueenofOwnLife on Pinterest

Food for Thought: The Secret to Happiness

Hello All,

It's hard to believe that close to nine months have passed since beloved game show host and television personality, Alex Trebek, passed away. For those who grew up watching "Jeopardy!" each night, it's definitely strange not to see him hosting. The guest hosts have been holding their own, but it's just not the same show without Alex. Many believe that "Jeopardy!"champion, Ken Jennings, is the best choice to take over hosting, but it looks like executive producer, Mike Richards, will likely get the job. We shall see.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a quote from Alex Trebek about happiness. 

Keeping our spirits up has been difficult since our world got turned upside down and life became extra stressful, so it's important to take a minute to just breath... to appreciate what we have, to be thankful and grateful.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Understanding Life

Hello Everyone,

It's been a couple of months since my last post, and even longer since life was "normal" for all of us. How do we make sense of life in times like these? Seems all we can do is keep on keeping on, hence the quote I'm sharing today.

 

 

In other words, hindsight is 20/20. Life is ever changing, moving, evolving... so all you can do is live, reflect, learn - repeat. There's no such thing as understanding your life if you haven't lived it, and living is a day by day process.

Therefore, you make sense of your life one day at a time -- and take comfort in the fact that no one has it all figured out! 😄

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Grief and Grieving

Hi Everyone,

It's been a very sad time as of late. Sleep is hard to come by and I am exhausted. I'm not up for writing much more, so I'll share something to think about and be on my way.

Until next time,
Eddy

Food for Thought: Priority vs Option

Hi Everyone,

I'm sharing some food for though today that I think is very powerful. I don't know about all of you, but the older I get, the less patience I have for people who see nothing wrong with coming around only when they need something... when it suits them... when they have no one else. In fact, I consciously make a point of staying away from people who treat me this way, and that is why the following quote by Mark Twain really struck a chord with me.

Why should I go out of my way to be there for people, to do things for people, who treat me like an option? Nope, I'm done with that crap!

Relationships are about give and take, so don't do all the giving, and don't do all the taking.

I deserve better, just as you deserve better if you often find yourself in the "option" position of a relationship. Stick with people who also take time out to make you a "priority" because they will be there for you through the good, the bad, the whatever, just as you will be there for them. They won't only come around when they have no other option.


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: A Mother's Love for Her Child

Hi Everyone,

I know Mother's Day isn't until the weekend, but I've been super busy lately, so I'm posting something while I have the chance.

The following quote about a mother's love for her child comes from best selling author, Agatha Christie.

To all you mom's out there, I salute you!


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Grief is Just Love...

Hello Everyone,

Since my earlier post last Friday, JB and I have had a bunch of sad news come our way. The saddest news of all being that a very dear cousin of ours passed away. Cancer... I hate that disease.

Our cousin was something else. Husband, father, brother, friend... story teller. Truly, he could talk and talk and talk! I have no idea how he could remember so far back into his childhood with such clarity. I'm lucky if recall what I ate last night for dinner. I'm going to miss his stories. I'll miss his phone calls -- "Hey, what you doin'?" -- every month. He lived out west, so we didn't see each other much. I think the last time we got together in person was over five years ago. Time goes fast when you're busy living your life, but he's done living now -- at least on this earthly plane. No doubt he's chatting up a storm with his parents, my dad, and other family members who've crossed over. Yep, they're having a reunion party, while the rest of us are grieving. And so it goes....

What is grief? I came across something by a woman named Jamie Anderson that really resonated with me and I want to share it with all of you.

"Grief is just love with no place to go." Well said, Jamie, well said.


Goodbye, cousin. Thanks for the memories. We'll miss you.

- Eddy & JB

Food for Thought: You're Different

Hello All,

Happy New Year --- and I sure as heck hope it is for all us. Buh-bye 2016!!

My first post for this year is a quote by a woman named Alfa. As someone who's never been much of a follower, I thought what she had to say was perfect for anyone out there who's ever felt like an outcast, or misunderstood, or whatever.

My sentiments, exactly!! Unique (and united) we stand!

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Feelings Buried Alive Do Not Die

Hi Everyone,

In a couple of days we'll be saying goodbye to August and the summer of 2016. With more than half the year behind us, I've been thinking about my belief that this year was going to be an awesomely wonderful year for me, and how I've been let down. January went by without a hitch, but something strange happened to me in February that pretty much threw everything off course. Long story short, I've been in and out of physio and other treatments ever since, and I am so tired of it all. Mentally, physically, emotionally, financially... I am once again tapped out! ~ sigh ~

Anyway, I don't like to whine and complain about what's going on with me, but sometimes you just need to vent, know what I mean? You can't just keep pushing down your feelings and expect them to go away. So, with that in mind, I'm sharing a quote from Iyanla Vanzant, an inspirational speaker, teacher, life coach and the list goes on....

Iyanla has been through some very difficult times in her life, so she definitely speaks from experience. Plus, I think we can all agree that she's 100% right about not being able to heal if you refuse to acknowledge your feelings. What I admire is how she was able to turn all of the bad around into so much good for herself and for others.


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Highway to Hell... Stairway to Heaven

Hey Everyone,

How goes it? I saw this quote the other day and thought it was pretty clever. The author is unknown, but you might recognize the songs being referenced.

An interesting interpretation that could spark a heated Heaven vs. Hell debate with some folks.


What do you guys think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: The Greatest Heroes

Hi Everyone,

Today is Mother's Day and a fine day to share some food for thought! I know, it's been a while, huh? Well, this quote by relationship author Shannon L. Alder really captures what it means to be a mom.

May all you mom's out there have a most splendid Mother's Day!

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Begin by Believing

Hello All,

Here we are, the last day of 2015. Looking back, it was a rough one for me -- mentally, physically, emotionally, financially.... Yep, a lot of stress on many levels, so I'm looking forward to 2016 with the belief that it's going to be an awesomely wonderful year for me. "Awesomely wonderful" -- yep, that's what I said! How about all of you out there? Well, here's some food for thought to help you on your way to thinking good thoughts and believing that 2016 can be awesomely wonderful for you too!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Bad Things That Happen

Hi All,

How's everyone doing? Have you all been making sure not to get caught up in other people's drama and "poor me" sagas by focusing on what you do have power over? Don't get me wrong. We all need to vent sometimes, but when you're constantly focused on the bad things in life, it's exhausting! Seriously, how do you feel after a conversation with someone like this? I feel like I've had the life sucked out of me, and I can only imagine what it must be like for that particular person to be in such a negative mindset all the time. So, this time around I'm offering up some food for thought about how the bad things in your life could actually be trying to guide you towards good things.

Now, you might be thinking that I'm talking crazy, but there goes another negative thought! Open yourself up to the possibility that bad things in your life are wake-up calls that will keep happening until you re-examine them and ask yourself what they're trying to teach you. If you could learn from the bad things that happen, then you could be on your way to more good in your life.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: What You Do Have Power Over

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe that we're already one week into fall. If you're like me, you've been going and going, so I decided to slow us all down for a bit with some food for thought. This quote by Steve Maraboli (life-changing speaker & bestselling author) touches on a very important point that's come up a lot over the last year and a half in conversation with certain family members, but it's a tough one even for me. There are a lot of things in life that we simply have no control over. We might want to control them, and Heaven knows we've tried to control them, but we simply don't have the power. HOWEVER, there are also a lot of things in life that we do have control over! These are the things that we need to focus if we want to see results.

So, as a reminder to all of you and to myself, let's concern ourselves with what we do have power over, and the rest, well, we just have to let it go.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: The Natural State of Motherhood

Hello Everyone,

Mother's Day is this weekend and it's been a while since I posted some food for thought, so I wanted to share a quote by award-winning actress Jessica Lange. I have no doubt that all you moms out there know exactly what she's talking about. I sure do!

My best wishes to moms everywhere. Have a wonderful and blessed Mother's Day surrounded by those you love and cherish.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Love is Friendship Caught Fire

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since I posted some food for thought, so I figured something love related would be appropriate with Valentine's Day coming up this weekend. :) The first line of a poem by Laura Hendricks really grabbed me -- "Love is friendship caught fire" -- and, after reading the rest of it, I knew that I had to share the whole thing with all of you.

I think the poem really expresses what real love is -- how it's not sunshine and rainbows all the time. How many of you have the real thing? Leave a comment below.


Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: New Year's Day

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year!

To kick off 2015, I thought it was appropriate to share some food for thought... a reflection by best-selling author Sarah Ban Breathnach. She wrote the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. Sarah's book reminds us to search for the small and simple pleasures in our daily lives, and -- as we begin 2015 -- she reminds us that each year is a chance to begin again... to learn, discover and dream... and bring about the changes we wish to see going forward.

May all your dreams come true!

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Never Give Up...

Hi All,

Last week I was considering whether I should "walk away or try harder" when it comes to a certain family member. Well, this week's food for thought is the answer to my question.

I've decided that I can't give up on this person who is always in my thoughts, not after all this time. Sure, I might wish that things were progressing at a faster rate, but I know that people need to learn in their own time. And, when I think back on everything that's happened this past year, there are some things that this person has done that I am really proud, one being apologies to other family members that were long overdue. It takes a lot to admit to mistakes and wrong doings, so that was a major step in the right direction. Most of all, though, this person is family. Therefore, I will continue helping, guiding and supporting the best that I can, and I will praise all positive changes with the hope that this will encourage many more good things to come.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to comment below.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Walk Away or Try Harder

Hi All,

Back in July I wrote about how I sometimes find it difficult letting those I care about learn lessons on their own. I'm experiencing this again as of late. I have a family member who is particularly stubborn and just can't seem grasp that change is required if change is desired. Hmm, I'm a poet and didn't know it. LOL Seriously, though, I am at the point where I don't know how much harder I can try to get this person to understand this concept. ~ sigh ~

There is a huge back story to all of this, but the long and the short of it is that this person has been through a lot -- emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually -- and I know it's going to take time to make changes and form new habits, but I feel like I am being used and I don't like it. On one hand, I think I have given all of the support and good advice that I can at this point and it's time to let go. On the other hand, however, I feel like I need to be more patient with this person because of the back story. ~ sigh ~

It's tough, really tough. JB and I were discussing this the other day, and she said, "Eddy, who's going to take care of you?"

Yeah, good question.

Until next time,

Eddy

Food for Thought: Get Out of Your Head!

Hello Everyone,

Anybody catch the season premiere of Criminal Minds last night? If you've never seen the show, one of the things it's known for is opening and closing quotes. Last night, one of the quotes I heard was something by Edgar Allan Poe (an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic). I knew it was some serious food for thought that just had to be shared.

Incredibly intense and profound, right? Well, if this sounds like you, get out of your head!

Until next time,

Eddy