There are many times when I move too fast when I'm cooking. I sometimes take the fact that I can cook for granted and instead of paying attention to the instructions of a recipe, I'll sometimes quickly skim over the directions thinking, 'Got it, I know what to do...'

Once while preparing the batter for a cheesecake, I did just that not realizing until I got to a certain paragraph that I was supposed to separate certain ingredients instead of mixing them all together. I was too far along with the recipe to make any corrections so I just breathed a bad word to myself and continued on with the rest of the steps. Although I made what I thought was a terrible mistake, that cheesecake turned out to be the best one I'd ever made! A failure and a huge success all in one!

If we're receptive, our failures can lead us to success. Even if we just simply learn not to make a certain mistake again. And sometimes what we might think of as a failure can open the door to an even bigger reward!

It's Spooky Book Season!

What a lovely quote!

I am a scaredy cat, but I absolutely love a creepy story whether it's in the form of a movie, a television series or a book. I steer clear of anything that has to do with possessions or exorcisms. I don't want to end up inviting any spirits into my house or into myself; I'm crazy enough as it is.

When I began reading Help for the Haunted I was drawn to it because it sounded like an interesting psychological thriller and psychological thrillers are my favorite genre of book to read!

Help for the Haunted turned out to have spooky elements, which I wasn’t expecting. Each page became spookier and scarier as I continued reading. It would have been a good idea to stop reading the book altogether, because I was getting to the point where I didn’t want to turn the lights off when I went to bed. But the story was so good I couldn’t put it down! I just had to find out the truth of the situation. In the end, an unexpected twist left me feeling silly for the tricks my imagination played on me. That’s what great writing can do!

I absolutely love this quote! Books can be nostalgic. Like smells and like songs, they have the power to swiftly transport us backwards to a memory so vivid, it can be as if we are physically standing in a scene of our previous life. There are so many special books that remind me of the various phases and directions my life has taken.

One of the things I loved about Eight Perfect Murders (besides the awesome list of books), was that the main character worked in a bookstore; And as a cat lover, I truly appreciated that, Nero, the cat had a huge presence throughout the story. 

If my future retirement doesn't go as planned and bookstores still exist by the time I am a senior (and I truly hope they do), working in a bookstore will be a senior career venture of mine. To be honest, I almost submitted an application to the New York Public Library a few months ago. The only thing that stopped me was that a job offer came along that took me in a different direction. Apparently, my subconscious is already trying to jump start my senior retirement career. 

 

Verses in the Bible are amazing in the different ways they can relate to us and give us clarity at particular points in our lives. One scripture remains the same yesterday, today and forever, but the messages we receive from them can always be different depending on the challenges we are facing in the individual phases of our lives.

 

When juggling various challenges there is nothing more I would like to do than to take the matter into my own hands. The reality is that by the time a challenging situation has landed in my lap it is already out of my control.

 

Being still can be extremely difficult, but in my experience, letting go and letting God; allowing things to play themselves out delivers a way more rewarding outcome than if I would have meddled in areas of my life where my meddling fingers didn’t belong.

 

The Stranger's Project

I happened to stumble across this awesome exhibit called The Stranger's Project.

I totally relate to the story: "I wrote something but then I started to overthink like I do with everything." It's as if I wrote that one myself.

What's so cool about stories is that there is always something we can gain from each other; whether it's a different perspective or clarification on life or a dilemma.

I'm looking forward to stopping by again when I'm not in a rush!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a friend whose son was born the year my baby was due, about a month after my due date; and each year, his birthday reminds me of how old my child would have been.

When a miscarriage takes place, we women often blame ourselves. I am my own biggest and worst critic. I've combed over every single thing I did back then and plague myself with guilt about what I could have done differently.

I confided in a friend that the timing of my pregnancy wasn't right and that maybe if I had just waited until the right time, things might have turned out differently. She reminded me that everything in this life is already preordained. Things happen the way they are supposed to happen and when they are supposed to happen. There are no mistakes and everything happens for a reason.

What belongs to me shall come to me - I just have to trust the process and I know, without a doubt, that my process is not in vain.

May this [Yogi Tea] message encourage you however it relates to your individual life journey!

When I read this, I imagined myself in the Handmaid’s shoes. All of her freedoms had been stripped and she deeply craved any glimmer of normalcy. It made me think of some of the ridiculous arguments that I have with my husband. There are always crumbs scattered all over our kitchen counter after he makes one of his sandwiches and, no matter how many times I point it out, I still find sprinkles of coffee grains on the floor around the garbage can. I imagined how I would feel if he was removed from me and I was never able to nag him ever again. In the sentiment of LeAnn Rimes, I wouldn’t be able to breathe without him. I lived alone for a very, very long time, so although those little things about my husband might be annoying, it is also a huge privilege for me to find a mess that someone else made because it means that I’m no longer living this life on my own.