2016... The Year of Full Faith; Here's To A New Beginning

~Closing the door on 2015~

Have you ever wished you could have a do-over? Perhaps you made a wrong decision, said something you wish you could take back, let go of something that you wish you had held onto, or held onto something when you should of let go...

I accomplished every one of the above in 2015. It was a year of drastic change, big moves, major decisions and lots of uncertainty.  It is no surprise as I reflected as the year closed, I was left feeling caught in the tailwind of it all.

Being quite the spontaneous person despite my responsibilities, I often make quick decisions when something feels right; why waste time? We are not promised tomorrow and who wants to die asking "what if?" However sometimes, when I get ahead of myself and finally stop to look at where I stand, the reaction is... "WOW, God gave you guts of glory and the courage of a lion. You did it! NOW what are you going to do?"

~De-railed~

My last blog post was written the week of Thanksgiving, and although I wish I could say it was my busy schedule that caused the silence, I can't. This time, my silence was because I did not know what to write, what to say... I was dealing with the bottled up emotions of having one HELL of a year. For the past several weeks I have been wrapped up in an emotional roller coaster trying to find myself again. I got lost last year... REALLY lost in the numbness of what was happening around me and kicked into survival mode. Only a few people knew what was going on, and even they did not know all that was happening. I tend to be private in these thunderstorms of emotion.


~Here's To A New Beginning~

So, here I am... sharing the first blog post of 2016. Ready to conquer, turning another page, writing another chapter, allowing the past to be the past and opening myself up for what the future has to bring. I am going into the new year single, once again, in a new state, after 17 years of being in Florida,  and retired from the "hair chair"... a career that gave my kids and I a great life for 24 years. A lot of change for one year, but it's time to go after BIGGER dreams, to pursue something with even GREATER purpose, and live the next 10 years going after it like I never have.

I have a lot to accomplish, a lot of things I want to achieve, things I want to experience and I'll be honest and say that when I look ahead, the road is foggy... the clarity I am used to is gone. I am running ahead in FULL FAITH this time. I wish I knew the bible more...  (I am slowly making my way through it) There must be a story where God led someone into a crazy scenario asking them to TRUST in Him. That is how I feel right now, in this very moment. Through the tears of fear I also feel excitement because I know that when we are brought to our knees, miracles happen.  I am listening to every prompt, every word and will follow even when I am fearful...

I invite you to follow me on the continued journey... my next set of chapters 

"GOING AFTER MY HAPPY ENDING"

Until next time....

PURSUE WHAT YOU HOPE FOR; LEAVE BEHIND WHAT YOU WISH TO FORGET.... 

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

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Going After The Happy Ending....

I NEEDED SOME QUIET TIME
Tonight, as I sit here, eager to blog after a much needed break, I am not sure how it will pour out. It's been over a month since I last wrote. My kids and I were moving into a new home, so in the nooks and crannies of being a busy, single career mom, I only gave myself a month to pack up a 2500 sq. ft house...(In hind sight? probably should have given myself more time.)

Needless to say, I was burned out, and feeling a bit overwhelmed in some areas of life, so I decided to take some "quiet" time for myself. Sometimes, in order to find balance, I temporarily remove things from this often overflowing plate. Unfortunately, my blog is one of those things that I don't "HAVE" to do. It's more of what I enjoy doing; that favorite hobby that even though I prefer not to, I can and must put on the back burner once in a while. I  love to inspire you and quite honestly, it's very therapeutic for me to do so. I appreciate you reading and sharing... I want you to know that.

Taking that break was a great idea after all. I am starting to feel alive again, and even in the imperfect moments, I push through. Finding the bright side is truly second nature to me at this point. I have heaved enough hurdles, swallowed enough disappointments and overcome enough obstacles to last a lifetime... (and it actually feels like they have lasted that long.)


NOW THAT THE DUST HAS SETTLED
After getting settled into the new home last week, I was able to attend my new church for the first time, and attended again today. After an INCREDIBLE two weeks of worship and amazing messages, I was moved to get back to writing, (now that I am out of cardboard hell.)

In this season of life, I find that every message I hear gets closer and closer to my heart and know that it is certainly more than coincidence. I feel God himself is speaking to me, telling me what I need to hear like a soft whisper. It is very comforting, and makes me feel so well taken care of as I continue to pray upon a few areas of life that I just can't seem to get right.

DIGGING IN
As I travel down a completely new road of life, I am feeling a spiritual need to dig  further into the depths of my past... my present, and hopes for my future. I felt the need to write down lessons that I have learned, am learning now and ones I feel I still need to learn. I felt it would help me remind myself how far I have come, where I am now and to get more excited about where I hope to go. Perspective is everything, and often even though we are moving forward, it feels instead like we are treading water as we go after something.

STOPPING TO SOAK IT IN 
If we don't stop and breathe for a bit, to reflect and plan ahead, we will end up getting lost in our travels. Tomorrow (August 19th) marks what would have been my oldest sister's 51st birthday if she were still here. It was my first official day back to the grind since the move so I have declared it the first day of the rest of my life in her honor.

I refuse to make the same mistakes anymore, I promise myself to stay true to my values, morals, ethics and goals. I will expect more and stop accepting less than what I am worth. I will choose to limit  my time spent to those who show the desire to spend time with me. Chasing dreams is fun and exciting, chasing people, not so much.

It's amazing what you realize when you are truly honest with yourself... what happens when you sit with pen and paper and write down your mistakes and decisions and how they affected your life. It gives you clarity and helps you realize exactly what NOT to do again and exactly what to do in order to fix it, to change it. Everything good begins with change.

DON'T GIVE UP, TAKE A CHANCE
Are you TRULY happy in all aspects of your life right now? If you are, then job well done, you better cherish that! If not, what can YOU do to change your position? What is it that holds you back? What cycles are you repeating that keep you in a vicious circle of what you don't want? Are you taking chances or staying safe?

For some, taking chances is all they have ever done... (ahem, me) and for others, chances are what they have never taken and wonder why they stand still. Safety nets may catch you when you fall, but the exciting part is being shot out of the canon... the feeling you get while you are flying cannot be described nor duplicated.


MY HAPPY ENDING AWAITS... SO DOES YOURS
The 3 year anniversary of my book releasing on Amazon is October 20th... just a couple of days away. I plan to write a few hours each night until my next book is complete starting that day. I did it once, I can do it again. Focus... dedication and perseverance will get me to that "Happy Ending" that I so desire. The blessing lies in being happy while I go after it.

One day... I will be married to the man God wants me to have, or live happily in the fact of never marrying for the reasons I should have had. I will live the abundant life He promises, I will reach all my goals and LIVE OUT my dreams... because that is what being faithful means; believing that your "Happy Ending" is there even when it's not able to be seen yet.

Are you waiting for yours? Is it right in front of you or in the far far distance? It is up to you to not let it pass you by, pay attention, pursue it, GO AFTER IT and once you have it, NEVER let it go.

Until next time....

PURSUE WHAT YOU HOPE FOR; LEAVE BEHIND WHAT YOU WISH TO FORGET.... 

and  for that ONE special person that I know God is creating for me... 

I can't wait to live this life with you

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL:

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Follow me on Facebook

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        IF YOU LIKE MY BLOGS, YOU WILL LOVE MY BOOK

To purchase a signed copy 

         click here>> www.ineedthehappyending.com

              

         to read reviews and purchase it on Amazon

                                              

                                                      

                                                  click here>>> http://amzn.to/1oki1qR