My Bit Part to Foster Peace and Joy

In this sure to be, (what's the word I'm looking for?) bizarrest? political season coming up, we can already see all kinds of ugliness (yes, that's the word I'm looking for) thrown around.  We see plenty of it already on Facebook.

I've decided I'm not going to play on that court. But I'm not walking away from Facebook because I do find some joy.  And I'll be sharing those joyful posts.  Whether it's pictures of my grandkids,

Little Miss as Anna (Frozen) 

Mr. C finds a frog in his back yard

or gratitude proclamations,

or songs that make you realize there's a lot of RIGHT in this world,

I'm going to stay positive.  I'm going to exude positive.

As I've said before, over and over (borrowed from tut.com)

And with some luck, this will spread and we'll bring more peace and joy to our world.  We need it right now.  And it's within each of us to make it happen.

Keeping in Touch

Has this ever happened to you?  All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, a friend you haven't heard from in a while comes to mind.  It's not like you kept in constant contact with them, but every few years, you'd touch base.  

That happened this week.  So as I usually do, I did a Google search seeing if there's info on where she might be living.  And I found an obituary.  My heart sank!  Totally caught off guard.  And I'm sorry I didn't know sooner.  I'm sorry I didn't have an opportunity when her loved ones were grieving most, to tell them what she meant to me.  

   

Carolee Long Thomas - 1943-2013
A friend, a mentor, an angel.

You see, she's one of those people that have such an impact on someone's life that she's unforgettable. She recognized something in me when I worked with her at AT&T, then called me when there were openings at Verizon.  I honestly would not be where I am today had she not opened some doors for me.  And now she's gone  I have no regret about not telling her, because I did. She was my mentor and friend. She called me her angel.  I went back and found the last email exchange and cried my eyes out.  

So why am I telling you this?  Because I realized that I went through a silent time with friends where I didn't reach out, didn't answer emails.  I don't know why. I didn't journal at the time. I'm sure it was some sort of depression.  But I'm back. Reaching out is important to me. I'm hoping to blog more. I want to honor the friendship I had with Carolee to make sure I don't go into some lapse again.  And if that happens to you, reach out to someone.  Just one person who will protect you when you need it most, but will understand until you are ready to blossom again.  I'm just sorry I missed reaching out to her one last time!  

Rest in peace, my friend!