Many people choose a word to meditate on instead of a new year's resolution. Yes, I got on the band wagon, except I could not choose just one! I am all over the place! I thought I needed one word and then a different one came to mind. I kept thinking of really positive words! So here I am owning three words for the year 2015. Do you have a word to use in your life? Here are mine: Balance - Awareness - Transformation

Well, I wrote this wanting to inspire but, at the same time, I was not feeling very inspired because I had been looking at the news. Another teen killed by someone who did not wish to accept the fact that he was different than him. Another parent asking if they should step down from ministry because their daughter just came out of the closet. Another person judging me. Another person judging you. I JUDGE ME. I don't need others doing it. So this became a look in the mirror moment. We all have things we do not like about ourselves. What do you do about it? Do you go out and judge the next person? Or fix what you do not like about yourself?

I want to talk to you about us...you, me, our neighbors, our enemies, sisters, brothers, bosses, children, parents. Yes, us and each and every person we come in contact with. But, it starts with you and me and how we acknowledge ourselves. Like lovers acknowledging their love, we must find a way to discover, embrace, and care for ourselves.

How do you view your everyday life? Is it a battle you fight daily, or is it an adventure? It's all in the way you look at things! Instead of focusing on setbacks and the next frustration, plan for the next adventure.

I mentioned in my last article, The Gift of You, that you are more precious than silver and gold. At the end of that article, I left you with the question: "How do you measure your worth?". So, here that question is again. How do you measure YOUR worth? How do you measure anyone's worth? We hear and read love quotes about how someone is priceless or what he or she does cannot be measured on an earthly scale. The Jerry McGuire quote is a great one: "You complete me." Magazines and other media sources give unrealistic guidelines, nearly impossible to follow, let alone keep a ritualistic account of our everyday lives. Too many try to follow those media ideals of the "IN" way to do things and who we should "BE" and end up portraying someone other than themselves.

This time of year is crazy, when we brag about all the things we are grateful for and then rush around, gathering up stuff that people may be grateful for. It is silly if you think about it. My friend is so stressed about what she got each person. All I hear is frustration and hesitation, hoping these people will be happy with her choices. Now several of these people will, of course, be overjoyed by the sentiment of the gift. But there are a few who won't be thankful. She knows it, because it is the same way every year.

A few days ago, while raking leaves, my cat loved attacking the rake. I laughed at the amount of joy that Mageara gained from this menial task I needed to finish. I enjoyed the task more because she did. Just as I began to pull in another pile of leaves and the cat jumped at the rake, I took delight in something else! I uncovered little white daisies. They were in full bloom, smiling up at me as if they had the secret to life. I laughed out loud at such a weird find in late fall. And then, of course, I took a picture! Several thoughts came to mind, which I want to share with you.

I was given a rose a while back. I could not help but delight in the scent and the feel of silk as well as the deep color of the huge petals. There was such beauty in just that one rose, that I did not need a dozen. That one flower was created just for me for that moment. While others may have enjoyed its beauty before me and some will after, the fact is, in that moment, it was just for me. We are created to DO something... To touch someone...if only for just a moment.

What I mean is.... there are MANY things in life that we look at. We have looked at them so much, it becomes second nature to ignore them. For instance: The clouds... We know they are there most days so we do not take in the different shapes that could be talking to us. A dragon, an angel, a dog chasing a mouse. Yes, you read it correctly. A dog. Clouds don't care! Then you have the vast array of stars you may have glanced at a few weeks or months ago, but with all your business, you have been looking forward and not very often up. I looked up last night and found thousands and thousands of diamonds crying out for attention! I just stared in wonder at the beauty of them all. Big dipper, little dipper. Orion's belt. The North Star. We looked for them as kids. Have you looked at how big the moon is? With our naked eye, so many things are seen but not admired even though we may have admired them a lot.

Have things in your life been a struggle? Maybe things have just been constrictive or you feel stuck. Maybe you are frustrated with a situation you just cannot seem to get past. Lately I have had butterflies on my mind. No, not the nervous butterflies in the tummy but the beautiful, flighty, colorful creatures that take to the sky and land on the wild flowers. They do not stay in one place long, but before those beautiful moments of flight, it was a caterpillar snug tight in it's cocoon. That is where it goes through metamorphosis. Changes. There are stages to it's growth. And then, when the time is right, the cocoon tears away to reveal the colorful wings that take flight.

How many times have we not paid attention to the beauty right in front of us? We go searching for beauty in magazines and in nature and in our experiences...But what are the simply beautiful things that we should take notice of all around us?

Well, about a week ago, I got out of the car and noticed a butterfly on the ground. He was pretty damaged. An inch of one wing was missing. The rest of him was beautiful - a mix of colors; orange, yellow, brown and blue. He was broken, but he was still beautiful. I took a picture of him as I thought of how God had created this beautiful creature and how he could still be so lovely in his brokenness.

Remember the balance beam in the school yard? Did you walk on it, balancing with your arms out from your side in the air? What about the lines on the sidewalk that you would walk like a tightrope? It was all about feeling the success of walking the line without falling off. We all have experienced that bliss of success. We also all know how it feels to "fall" and be in the topsy-turvey moments. How did you handle it when you fell off the balance beam? Did you criticize yourself? Did you swear to never get up on that thing again? Or, did you get right back up and take the risk of falling off again? Maybe a little of both? But here is the nitty-gritty: Each choice we make has a purpose. Life requires moments of imbalance in order to find the perfect balance.

Ahhhhhh summertime! I just love ice clinking in a glass and then adding the lemonade. Wait. I am not done. I would also like a slice of lime, a slice of lemon, a cherry - stem on because it looks so much more decadent that way, and a sliced strawberry. Oh sure...add a slice of orange and some pineapple too. What do you mean, "That's not lemonade?" It is lemonade...with a twist.

Delight in each day! There is something that is going to happen today that should be celebrated. You woke up. Maybe you were able to witness the sunrise? Even if you did not see it, it happened and it was a magnificent painting of wonderment. Even if nothing out of the ordinary happens all day long there is going to be thousands of stars shining brightly down on you tonight asking you in a twinkle, "What will you do tomorrow?" "Which star will you wish on tonight"? "What will you be celebrating tomorrow?"