Day 64 - Today I am Grateful for.....

Home again home again jiggety jig!

Beautiful afternoon with family and purpose.

Today I am grateful for...

• Bacon and eggs on a weekend morning.
• Flexibility...and sometimes it is all about the emotion.
• Terrific conversations with young women.
• Family visiting from out of town.
• A terrific way to end the day.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 63 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Ugh - I say I won't do it .... and yet every year I wake up the day after Thanksgiving with an absolute food hangover. I know I am blessed to have such a problem as there are so many who do not - but why do I not use restraint!?



Today I am grateful for.....

• A beautiful trip back to Seattle over the mountain passes.


• A wonderful husband who let me sleep on the way home (I never sleep in the car.)


• Date night.


• The health and success of a very bright and special young woman.


• Family.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 62 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Gobble! Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving - how wonderful that my 100 Days of Gratitude runs through this wonderful holiday. I must say that other than my birthday this is my favorite holiday - it's not about things and stuff....it's about family and friendship and gratitude.



Had a great morning in Wenatchee, WA where I grew up and participated in their version of a Turkey Trot called, "Turkey on the Run." I've never participated in this quite common tradition until this year, and must admit I loved it.



Today I am grateful for.....

• The wonderful community organizers who worked to put on such a fun event to benefit such a worthy cause.


• My health - I don't attend to you as much as I should, yet you forgive me and care for me in such a spectacular way.


• The bills that arrive in my mailbox each month - they represent the roof over our heads, and the many blessings of our lives.


• My mom's decision to retire at the end of this year....such an example she has been to me of work ethic.


• The wonderful phone calls from two friends today telling me how grateful they were to know and have me in their life.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 61 - Today I am Grateful For.....

It is such a treat for me to be able to be 'adult friends' with my parents. For all the lessons they have shared with me the greatest gift I have ever received from them is their friendship. It takes work on everyones part to make sure this connection stays strong and is honored within the space of a relationship with my parents....as my parents.



Today I am grateful for.....

• The friendship of my parents.


• A wonderful 6....almost 7 year old boy who I love so very much.


• Abby's Pizza (there are somethings I can't find anywhere other than home.)


• New 'pre-Thanksgiving' traditions inspired by Pat.


• The confidence people place in me when they need to look good.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 60 - Today I am Grateful For.....

****Technical difficulties while over the Thanksgiving holiday have posts for days 60-63 posting simultaneously****



It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and it is truly one of my most favorite times of the year. The smells of fall, and comforting foods and the gentle ease of all my friends as they embrace and enjoy their traditions with their families or with the families they have made as adults.



We drove to my parents house about 2 1/2 hours away today - and while it was a bit wet and dreary - it was still an easy trip with no severe weather and that will lead off my number one.



Today I am grateful for.....

• Safe passage to visit my parents.


• Being someone who really enjoys going home for the holidays.


• Celebrating my dad's birthday today - what a fun way to kick off the visit.


• A family who supports me and my dreams.


• A friendship that will forever endure.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 59 - Today I am Grateful For.....

It is amazing how a short week can be so much fun. Today was Monday and Friday! I am so eager for Thanksgiving and family time with my mom and dad, best friend Deanna and her son Trever. Do you ever get so overloaded by everything coming at you you just need time with everyone? It's how I feel - taking a break from technology and connecting with people...what a joy!

Today I am grateful for.....

• Cheering on a woman who has left one career and considering launching her own business.
• The diversity of my clients.
• Lunch!
• Warm wonderful women who love working with me.
• A few minutes of quiet before everyone got home!

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 58 - Today I am Grateful For.....

I read an article today about whether or not it is possible to be grateful for being grateful. I believe it is. Sometimes the exercise becomes the lesson - I know it has been for me.

Today I am grateful for.....

• A woman who sees something in me and wishes to share her success.
• Family plans that change.
• Bravery.
• Best friends.
• A Monday that is also a Friday!

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 57 - Today I am Grateful For.....

It's been a pretty exciting week topped off by a little washing machine issue that has resulted in the handy hubby making an appearance. I know there have been times in my life where some incident like this would happen and it would almost be like the straw that broke the camel's back - this time we both went - ok, let's deal with it - did a little jockeying and went to work fixing it.

It's nice to be finding such a balance in our lives and choosing how to respond and as I have said previously - most importantly how to "be" when life tosses little gems to us.

Today I am grateful for.....

• An opportunity to be with myself and my thoughts about the future.
• My husband who knows when I need a break, and takes me for a car ride.
• The confidence I see in Pat.
• A funny greeter at Home Depot who asked me if he could help me find something when I passed him for the third time, and when I replied "My husband." He laughed - which made me laugh and said, "Aisle 12 - they're on sale."
• The support and encouragement of amazing people in my life.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 56 - Today I am Grateful For.....

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

What a week?! I am tellin' you I spent so much time this week - focusing on my good work and making sure that the 'things' going on around me were not because I was reacting, but because I was being .... and I have to tell you - it feels ...terrific!

Today I am grateful for.....

• A beautiful morning to write and appreciate my white space.
• The bald eagle who followed me on my walk this morning.
• A rare breakfast at a wonderful locally owned restaurant - we love Christo's on Alki.
• An amazing compliance department to help me get my work on the radio.
• The ability to know that the reaction of others - has nothing to do with me.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 55 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Crazy couple of days...where did the moon go?

Today I am grateful for....

• An early morning with my journal and peppermint tea.
• Time with my fantastic assistant.
• An amazing day of networking.
• Good women who let me know what they can do.
• An unexpected clear Friday.

......my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 54 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Had a momentary regression to kindergarten today - I felt like Emily had stolen my crayon....a day that I was really looking forward to in a moment changed - I felt deflated and crushed.

In a previous life I would have spent much time wondering what was "wrong" with me.....instead today I listened to 'input' from someone else - heard very clearly that what they were voicing was not about me - and was truly all about them......and then I let it go.

I reflected on how far I have come. Just a couple of years ago I would have spent hours upon days feeling badly and all that comes with that.....

Tonight I vented - I laughed - I am blogging - and tonight I will be done.

Can you do that? What skills or tools have you picked up that allow you to deal with conflict? Do you have a process for releasing it? (I came home and burned sage....get that icky energy off me!)

Today I am grateful for.....

• Having business wisdom to share with another woman business owner.
• A warm network of professional women to be with and learn from.
• Time to make an outline.
• The skills to recognize what isn't mine.
• Support of friends.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 53 - Today I am Grateful For.....

What a defining day! An entire culmination of a two year adventure arrived today with me accepting an opportunity to host a radio program - that is on the fast track to syndication!

I am blessed in more ways than I could even have imagined.

Today I am grateful for....

• The opportunity to realize a life long dream.
• The support of my husband who says, 'this is what you have always dreamed of...'
• Working on a presentation with a very talented attorney.
• A great day.
• A gift of information about my uncle who was killed in Vietnam.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 52 - Today I am Grateful For.....

I had these fleeting thoughts this weekend of ' how I was going to get all my tasks done' - and then both my significant time commitments today had to reschedule. Yes, I worked from about 7 am until 8 pm - but boy did I get a lot done!

I can now go to bed as soon as I wrap this up and sleep in a bit - still address client needs in the morning and be off to two meetings.

It is such a blessing to do what I do - and have so successfully architect ed this life I am living.

Today I am grateful for....

• An early rainy fall morning with coffee and my journal....(I know I am grateful for my former nemesis!)
• The referrals of wonderful clients.
• The advocacy of clients who are so pleased with a very long term relationship they gladly and regularly refer friends and colleagues.
• A paper boy who wants to know where he should deliver my paper....when was the last time that happened?
• The wisdom to evaluate the intentions of people who I have never talked with who want to participate in some of the opportunities that are manifesting.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 51 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Are you looking through your life like it's a cracked windshield?

I ask only because on Friday I had my car's windshield replaced - and it was LONG overdue. The rock chip that spread and became not one, or two, but 3 spider legs across my front windshield didn't bother me anymore - I had learned to drive with them - leaning to the left or right depending on where I needed to go.

When I got in my car Friday afternoon - the big clear windshield became a very clear (pun intended) metaphor for what has been happening in my life.

I have been working on myself for many years, however with such crystal clear precision for slightly more than two years, and as I drove home I marveled at how in my own life I had been leaning to the left and right for so long - and this big clear windshield was now my metaphor for all the possibilities ahead - with no distractions - just unlimited possibilities.

Today I am grateful for.....

• A quiet morning with my writing.
• Brunch with some girlfriends.
• Making progress on reclaiming our garage.
• Finding the pickles my dad likes on-line in bulk quantities!
• The deep gratitude of my husband.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 50 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Fifty days of conscious gratitude - I have noticed a shift. Have I shifted or am I attracting those who also live this life of gratitude?

When I started this journey 50 days ago I wondered if I would go from expressing gratitude to living or being in a state of gratitude - always - or at least the majority of time. I find myself doing funny things now in certain circumstances where before I would get frustrated or irritated and now I pause and wonder what's the lesson I am supposed to be learning - and spend time being reflective instead of reactive.

I have read through the 245 expressions of gratitude up to today and am absolutely awed by the abundance of riches in my life - the experiences and the people. Few of these gratitudes have been things and I love knowing where there is such richness in my life has very little to do with "stuff" - this makes my heart fill with joy.

This is National Donor Sabbath - the weekend two weeks before Thanksgiving when those who have been touched by organ donation and transplantation have the opportunity to share within their communities of faith the ultimate act of compassion and generosity. Today I want to open a window of gratitude for organ donation and transplantation.

Today I am grateful for.....

• The Kime family of Seattle. In February of 2001, twenty year old Kristopher Kime's life was cut short - Kris was a designated organ donor - his decision to be an organ donor saved the life of my dad. 8 years, 8 months and 12 days later I have the opportunity to tell my dad how much I love him and I get to hear his voice on the phone when we talk each day. All because of the generosity of a stranger.
• LifeCenter Northwest - our regional OPO - the staff and leadership that saves lives every day.
• Witnessing the transformation of a young girl to a young woman as her life was saved when she received a liver transplant.
• The people who have registered their wish to donate AND have talked with their family.
• The opportunity to witness the miracle that is the gift of life.

If you would like to register to be an organ donor, or to get more information - visit this website http://www.donatelifetoday.org/.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 49 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Farewell is not something we do well. Without the intention I started to say farewell to a friend who is on an adventure to leave her current life and travel around the world.

I went to dinner. I laughed - and it started to hit me - this would be the first 'last time for......." Have you ever had the chance to say adios to someone you love who has had an impact on your life? Did you tell them what they mean to you? Why do we wait too long or until it's too late.

I have been blessed to have a handful of deep friends in my life. The first arrived when I was 4 - she wore purple pajamas and wondered why I was having cinnamon toast with her mom. The second was with a delightful girl named Valley - who helped me navigate my adolescence. Then there was Jocelyn and Wendy - whose gentle wisdom I still draw from each day. Melanie was my first adult friend - these are wonderful thoughts of friendship and waiting for news results on babies....Taylor and Kylie - I hope you still like the yellow room. And then there is Betsy.

This is a friendship that is an absolute blessing and I am inspired and challenged and am accepted in every moment I share with her. Thank you for all the lessons you keep sharing with me.

Today I grateful for........

• Friends who have flexibility.
• A husband who is his own advocate.
• Egg Lemon soup at a Greek Restaurant.
• Resolution.
• Amazing friendships.

...my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 48 - Today I am Grateful For.....

One of my favorite quotes from Anthony Robbins is, "When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."

Until very recently these were simply words or a nice quote - I am now here to tell you it's mighty true.

These past 48 days are certainly a test and will continue to be an exercise in patience for me and while I am not exactly 'anxious' for the learning opportunities. I am definitely trusting the mystery.

Today I am grateful for....

• A quiet early morning on Alki on a beautiful day where a seal joined Harley and I for a walk for at least 1/2 a mile.
• A client who tells me, "how much I care" is why she loves working with me.
• An amazing interview with a wonderful entrepreneur committed to sharing her knowledge and resources with others....thanks Amber.
• Having a clear vision for our future.
• The amazing review with a family who have been clients for 12 years....their oldest child now has a 4 year old of their own. We all laughed at how young we were when we met! It will always be my passion to make sure they will get where they need to go with their investments.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 47 - Today I am Grateful For.....

I have been working on myself for more than two years now. It started as 'working on my business'...thanks Bill. Out of that came the realization that the Tony Robins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy library was trying to send me a message.

In 2006 I intentionally chose to focus on what is working in my life and not what wasn't working. In 2007 I chose to release intensity and live in love. In 2008 I released the need to know (or control) and trust the mystery. And this year in 2009 I acknowledged and let go of my need for perfection and am now ready to step into excellence.

I did not know consciously of these decisions - tactically - it was only tonight after a very wonderful conversation with my spiritual teacher that I recognized and acknowledged how far I have come and how much work I have done to get me here.

...geeze...is this what blogging is about...whew....this is big - I think I'll just hop to gratitude and re-visit this later.

Today I am grateful for.....

• Setting an intention to be ready to step into my excellence.
• Having a great conversation with a client.
• Being a connector.
• A good learning opportunity.
• The thoughtfulness of the wise women in my life.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 46 - Today I am Grateful For.....

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

I certainly didn't imagine when I started this adventure 46 days ago, that in my quest to have a bookend for the day I would be finding such clarity. What a gift.

Today I am grateful for.....

• The unexpected gifts that come to me each day.
• Wonderful email from a former employee who shares how grateful they are at the impact I've had on their life.
• Integrity in my personal and professional life.
• Sharing the love I feel for the people in my life - they will always know how much they are loved.
• People who support me.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 45 - Today I am Grateful For.....

This weekend I heard someone say essentially that many people only pray when it desperation or dire straits - and it reminded me of a quote from my childhood and one of the greatest baseball players EVER...Satchel Paige who said, "Don't pray if it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."

Gratitude is something that is particularly easy to identify if you are not dealing with challenges and much harder when adversity is prowling around your life. I do know for myself these past 45 days have been an exercise and a true wonder in the journey between 'saying' I am grateful and 'being grateful'.

Today I acknowledged I having been living a life of gratitude for a long, long time. It is no longer necessary for me to search for what this gratitude lifestyle looks like. For me it is in every morning when I get up with my husband and say good morning, it is in the emails my dad and I share every day where he tells me I am the smartest girl....it is in the phone call to my mom at the end of her day - and the conversations I have with good friends who remind me that my life is truly a blessing - I am grateful for so many things.

Today I am grateful for.....

• The rain that comes into my life it gives me time to rest and rejuvenate.
• The sunshine that comes into my life and gives me warmth and hope for the future.
• Monday morning emails from my dad with messages such as, "Go for it."
• Beautiful meetings with genuine and kind women.
• The courage to speak my mind and help resolve conflict within an organization.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.