Peace - this says it all.

Graceful Exit

Ellen Goodman

"There is a trick to the 'graceful exit.'  

It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, 

a life stage, or a relationship is over - and let it go.

It means leaving what is over without denying its validity 

or its past importance to our lives.

It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, 

that we are moving up rather than out."

Shared by my best friend, HFT.

Thank you.

Into the Free
     by Julie Cantrell

I love {LOVE} my Kindle Fire and the freebies I am able to score with my Amazon Prime membership.  I was lucky enough to download a novel {for free} by a new author to the fiction genre.  Julie Cantrell has written an amazing book with her new release 'Into the Free'.


I had difficulty reading this book at times, yet I didn't want to put it down.  Julie Cantrell made my heart wretch with Millie's pain.  As a young teenage girl, Millie, suffers heartache and despair due to alcohol abuse and the unrelenting anger of her father and the drug abuse and deep depression experienced by her mother.  With her father often on the road with the rodeo, his absence {both a gift and a curse} leaves Millie the one to parent her mother. 


The story follows Millie's heartbreaks and triumphs before and after the death of both of her parents. This book keeps the pages turning with family secrets, wisdom from a old gypsy lady, whispers in her ear from a long gone elderly neighbor, and love.  It ends with forgiveness and hope for a once lost soul.  It's not over done, it's done just right.  


A few of my favorite quotes from the book as Millie struggles to find herself in the midst of chaos:

“For years, I have searched and searched for this God. This feeling of complete love and acceptance. He was always out of reach. But here, where food is scare, money is tight, heat is heavy and tensions should run high, God is everywhere. Just as during the night around the gypsy fire, I am mesmerized by watching people who are truly happy. At peace. Kind. Grateful.” 


“Maybe God doesn't care if we get all dressed up and sit in the pew every Sunday, as Diana believes. Instead, maybe God comes to us through men like Sloth, watching over us as we make our own decisions. Maybe God has always been with me. Opening doors, leading me to opportunities, letting me choose my own path, and loving me even when I chose the wrong one. Never giving up on me. Knowing all along that I am on a journey. That I must find my own way to Him. Maybe River was rights. Maybe God does still believe in me.” 

Julie Cantrell more than delivers on her first novel.  A sequel is to follow at some point, I'm anxious to see where Millie goes in life with the hope she had at the end of this book!

Diary of a Pharmgirll: New Normal? I reject that!

Today, I'm super proud of my cousin, Kathy.

Her latest post as a recovering cancer patient opened my eyes as to what I didn't know about what happens when the cancer treatments are finished.

I'm happy that she is still here because was proactive by investigating, learning and fighting her way through cancer and now is fighting her way through cancer recovery. How many of us even knew about cancer recovery? Those of us who have not dealt with cancer can't possibly know the emotional, spiritual, and physical toll that cancer, cancer treatments and recovery can take on a person's body and soul.

My cousin hit her cancer head-on and I know she must be a great inspiration for those who are just starting their cancer journey. Kudos to you, Kathy.

Take a moment to read her post:

Diary of a Pharmgirll: New Normal? I reject that!: I have been pushing through physical rehab these past 7 months. Today, my progress was evaluated. Mainly balance and strength testing with a...

A true warrior!

Mother Teresa

Six words.  Try it!

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

I stumbled upon this little gem while being lost in pinterest.  I think we've all felt lost a few times in our lives. The author, Rebecca Solnit, reminds us that we all have choices in how we handle the bumps in life, and gives us hope that we can find our way back.  Now I'm going to have to buy the book!

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

If I can do it, YOU can do it!

...and survive!

1.  I CAN learn to cook at 40-freaking-three...with the help of great friends who are patient and understanding by giving me step-by-step instructions.  And I mean s.t.e.p. -b.y.- s.t.e.p.  Really.  Okay, I'm pretty sure this one is still a work in progress.

2.  I CAN fix the toilet after three trips to Walmart, three failed attempts, finally taking photos of the inside of my toilet, one trip to Lowe's and the help of a supreme toilet expert.  {Let me just add, the toilet expert at my local Lowe's is a chick.  How cool is that?} By the way, my toilet is a Mansfield toilet.  Who knew?

3.  I CAN learn to open the hood to my car and discover what all those pieces and parts are AND refill my the fluids when my engine lights reads, "SHUT ENGINE OFF"...that was kinda scary.  {Oh all right!  So I couldn't actually unscrew the cap to my anti-freeze reservoir by myself and did need male assistance since that thing was screwed on tighter than...well, you get the idea}.

4.  I CAN drive to Richmond in the dark with no GPS, one wrong turn, night blindness, deliver my second son safely to his mother AND find my way back home safe and sound {after only one call for return directions, but I DID it}!

5.  I CAN survive the holiday season with my family unit being splintered {I must admit there were a few sucky moments and maybe a pity party or two, but overall I thought I did well!}.


...I'm still working on this post, but this is a start from my life in the past week.  

Ultimately, we all Can Do Hard Things.  Hard things aren't typically fun or enjoyable.  In fact, they pretty much suck, not to mention they can be daunting and create fear and anger.  But once we've done that hard thing, be it a physical, mental or spiritual thing there is that HUGE feeling of satisfaction knowing that we DID it!  We were NOT defeated by an over-grown piece of white porcelain, the lack of anti-freeze on a warm day, the hulking kitchen stove, the dark night, or splintered families.  We CAN DO IT!