My niece and baby brother have received their diplomas, and my son gets his next week. My sister and I threw together a little family grad party to honor our 3 graduates. 🎓
It stormed throughout our outdoor event, and my poor sister’s house was a wreck at the end of the night! ⛈ ☔️ I also threw out my back while getting things ready, and today I’m stuck in bed in a lot of pain and unable to move.
😭
Next week is graduation rehearsal, awards ceremony, senior breakfast, Hubs and my 20th wedding anniversary, the last week of school for my daughter, and my son’s graduation day. 👨🏻🎓 Here’s hoping some lidocaine patches will get me through this exciting week!
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#classof2018 #graduationparty #graduationcake #seniors #familyfirst #loml #congratulations #🎓 #👨🏻🎓 #👩🏻🎓 #lovethem
I have a dresser drawer where I keep my clutches and wristlets. This morning, as I was putting something away, I noticed a bunch of tiny black spots all over my other bags.
My first thought was that I had roaches, termites, or silverfish in the drawer (#floridalife). But as I investigated, I found this tiny Liz Claiborne handbag.
As you can see, the exterior is crumbling. Inside, I even found a dangerously expired peppermint. I’ve probably had this bag for 10 years — maybe longer.
For the last two years, it’s been in a drawer with other bags piling on top of it. It finally got to see the light of day, only to be immediately tossed in the trash.
I don’t have Velveteen Rabbit Syndrome. I know this purse doesn’t have feelings, and a part of me is glad to have one less unused item stuffed in a dresser. But, my encounter with this neglected bag got me thinking.
Sometimes we shove our emotions away because we don’t want to deal with them. We push them down and then pile more emotions, feelings, experiences on top of them.
Eventually we become distracted and forget those feelings exist. Then one day, those buried emotions start to show, affecting things around them.
The same can be said for our relationships. If we push our loved ones away because we are too busy, too stressed, too overwhelmed, we work too many hours, we’re too tired to talk... or if we pile our crap on top of them, take things out on them, or use them as (metaphorical) punching bags to get out our frustrations, they, too, will begin to crumble.
This week, I challenge you to go through the items stuffed in your drawers (both literal and figurative). Decide which items/relationships/feelings are worth keeping and lovingly tending to, and which ones to let go.
Letting go of pent up emotions is the first step in becoming truly happy.
Letting go of relationships that don’t serve you well (or that you can’t serve well) will allow you both to foster better and more fulfilling relationships. And, if you truly don’t want to let go, you MUST work on making things better.
Remember: NOT BEING MEAN ISN’T THE SAME THING AS BEING KIND.
#deepthoughts
In a few days, these three will be high school graduates, and on their way to fulfilling their dreams. 🎓
From left to right you have my baby brother Kevin who is the youngest of the bunch. In the middle is my niece/Goddaughter Daniela who was born 2 months early and arrived exactly one day before Kevin was born. On the right is my son Gabriel. He was already 4 months old when they became a trio. 👦🏻👧🏻👦🏻
Their uncle/niece/nephew/cousin dynamic has sometimes been difficult to explain, especially when they started Kindergarten in the same classroom. I know it hasn’t always been easy for them, and it may have caused some tension throughout the years. 😞
Now that they are grown up, and will be living in different parts of the state, I truly hope that they make the effort to keep in touch, visit one another, and form a bond that is about more than having the same blood running through their veins. 🙏
May God guide you to your destiny and may that destiny include each other. I have loved being your sister, aunt, and mom and watching you grow up. I can’t wait to see what you will accomplish next. ❤️
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#classof2018 #graduation #graduates #peaceouthighschool #startedfromthebottomnowtheyrehere #family #familia #uncle #cousins #niece #nephew #happygraduation #lastweeksofhighschool #fromtrinitytoinfinity #fsubound #flpolybound #hccbound #futuredoctor #futureteacher #futureengineer #destiny #ifyoucandreamityoucandoit #futurenole #futurephoenix #futurehawk #dopicodecendants #seniors #itookthesepictures
