Women's Healthy Weight Day (The men today can observe International Walking On Eggshells Day - ha!) Today is a day to celebrate each other right at the size we are at.  I 100% support that. I also 100% support women, and men, practicing lifestyle habits that get them to a healthy weight.  The facts are too hard to ignore.  The more we weigh the more strain we are putting on our joints, organs, etc. Now. Our healthy weight is most likely NOT what media and culture will tell us, get with a doctor and discuss what your true healthy weight is.  Then make a commitment to yourself to get to that weight and maintain it.  It's a lifestyle not a flash in the pan diet.  Make changes that are realistic for a permanent lifestyle.   Here's 24 tips for losing and maintaining a healthy weight without dieting. But today? Even if you aren't at your healthy weight, I most definitely am not, celebrate you anyway! You are not the sum total of your body size, you ar...

January Named for Janus the Roman god of gates and doors; represented with two opposite faces. Janus is an ancient Roman, composite, obscure god who is associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions. A usually two-faced god he looks to the future and the past. ( source ) Get Organized Month Studies have shown that America can save 55.2 minutes per day, or 14 days per year, if they were more organized. Could you use the time elsewhere in your life? I know I could!  How to Organize Your Time Better in the New Year Monthly Organizing Checklist for January 2015 , this list provides a realistic breakdown of where and how to start so the task of organizing doesn't feel or seem so overwhelming. Hot Tea Month Tea, it's what's good for you 31 Ways to Celebrate Hot Tea Month Start your habit today and continue it all year long, maybe with a monthly tea subscription. Be Kind to Food Services Month Can I get an amen?  The people who work in caf...

Life. We rarely celebrate it. Oh sure, we celebrate birthdays and we celebrate some holidays but the day-to-day life?  The day-to-day when life is actually lived ?  We don’t celebrate that very often.  We allow the mundane to overshadow our days, weeks, months, and before we know it years. No wonder we drag ourselves in and out of daily responsibilities without a whole lot of “bright side” perspective. Last spring I happened to see from my Facebook feed that it was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. I thought to myself, “That NEEDS to be celebrated!” I’m a “from scratch” baker but the work day was already well under way by the time this came on my radar so I went to the store at lunch, bought chocolate chip cookies and handed them out at work. It’s true that anytime there is free food at my workplace the masses descend but what happened this day was a light bulb moment for me. Almost everyone hit the kitchen at the same time and I stood back and watched faces light up,...

Today I watched two friends of mine (who used to be my bosses) celebrate their love story in a wedding ceremony.  They actually got married last July but this year had a ceremony that family and friends could be a part of.  It was really moving.  I had the privilege of watching them enter into a romantic relationship after being friends and co-workers for many, many years.  It was fun to watch my direct boss get all giggly and blush when we would mention his name. It was fun to watch him drop by with candy or flowers for her just because.  Their story has been really special to witness and today as they allowed us to celebrate with them in a more formal way I felt so grateful for the opportunity to know them, love them, and celebrate their love story.

(For Saturday May 31) Today we celebrated the upcoming marriage of my youngest brother to his lovely fiancée and my soon to be sister-in-love, Adele. Her Aunt threw her a lovely bridal shower and we had a great time. I was so joy filled to be there (thanks Daddy!) and so glad to be able to meet her parents and brother and spend time with them at their home after the bridal shower.  To celebrate Brad and Adele today and in 2 months when they married makes me so grateful for my relationship with him and the rest of our family. To be happy to celebrate this next step in his life and Adele's in a true pleasure and honor.  I am grateful for the celebrations life gives me opportunity to participate in.

Have you ever stopped to really reflect on the life you are celebrating when you sing or say "Happy Birthday" to someone?  Have you thought about that person and what they have accomplished in their years so far, or what they have been able to overcome, or what kind of legacy they are leaving?  Have you been able to celebrate the potential they have? Have you been able to celebrate how valuable they are despite mistakes they have made, hurts they may have caused, etc? Today I've been thinking about this and I feel grateful to be able to celebrate the life of my family and friends. I feel grateful to have the opportunity to speak life into their life, to show them how valuable I think they are, to encourage them to keep on keeping on.  If you feel grateful about being the one celebrated think about how grateful you can also be as the celebrator.