You are new everyday....

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict."



Picture taken by my friend Turid Vier, Norway

"The measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." ~ Samuel Jackson

Make a commitment today to do something bigger and more important than yourself....

"Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings." ~ Arthur Rubenstiein

"The best effect of a fine person is felt after we have left their pressence. " ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am not a has-been, I am a will-be....

"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities." ~ Maya Angelou

"Thanking God for everything will help you get through anything."

An attitude of gratitude....

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." ~ George Eliot

"Today you have 100% of your life left." ~ Tom Landry

YOU ARE GREAT!!!

"Don't confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are."

The meaning of life is to live it.....

"Wherever I am or whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence takes place." ~ John Gardner

Daughters be good to your fathers.......thoughts of dad

I miss my father and the many things he did like fix my car, and jokingly give me a hard time for missing my plane every time I would visit my parents when they moved away to Hilton Head (one of my absolute favorite places). I miss his sense of humor and the stories I heard for the "hundredth time", and acted as if I had just heard them for the first time. Thank you dad for believing in me and loving me. Even though the words were often silent, I always felt them!

Thank you for teaching me so many things like learning to drive your John Deere tractor! My love of the water started when you would take us fishing on the weekends on Lake Erie, and then later when I learned to ski. And dad, even though you rarely let me drive the boat, I have become a pretty good captain; you would be proud of how I handle a boat now! I remember the happiest day of my life as you walked me down the aisle as you tried to hold back your tears, blaming your sinuses!

My words and emotions were often silent to you. I have grown much throughout my life which has come with many challenges as you well know, and the words "I love you" come easier for me. Dad, I wish I would of told you many times how I felt, the gratitude and appreciation for all the things you did for me. Always know in my heart that I love you, and when the day comes for me to join you I will embrace you with those words! Until then, pet Benson, keep those Cardinals flying my way, and keep your protective eye forever watching over me!

Michelle

WARNING: Humor may be hazardous to your illness...

"Learn to laugh at your troubles and you'll never run out of things to laugh at." ~ Lyn Karol

Overcoming adversity....

" Every time you meet a situation, though you think at the time it is an impossibility, and you go through the torture of the damned, once you have met it and lived  through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Embrace life.....

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time carrying our hope for love, joy, and celebration. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and search each moment as it passes...Embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich,  beauty is all around us, every personal connection has meaning, and that laughter is life's sweetest creation. Just as the cardinal with its vibrant color signifies strength, beauty, and passion for life, the hummingbird gracefully reminds us to always have faith and never give up our hopes! ~ MD

Expand your vision...

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Smile....

"There are no language barriers when you are smiling." ~ Allen Klein

You only go around once....

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Loving life....

"Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to do it anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problems and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of a human being." ~ Anthony Robbins

Just do it......

"If we did everything we were capable of we would literally astound ourselves." ~ Thomas Edison

The world is going to the dogs........

The Saturday Pet Blogger Hophttp://www.lifewithdogs.tv/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pet-blogger-hop-pink-copy.jpg

Our world is changing..............

Our world is changing so fast sometimes it is difficult to keep up with it all and embrace that change. We have to remember that each one of us the power to contribute to change in a positive direction that works for us and others.

"The time is always right to do what is right." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

R E S P E C T.....

"Follow The Three R's: Respect For Self, Respect For Others, And Responsibility For All You Actions." ~ Dalai Lama

Speaking of peace.....

'Heaven is not a place that you have to go when you die, its that moment in life when you actually feel ALIVE."

Just do what you do best whatever that may be....

"When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We can learn a lot from a child...

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.  She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.  I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.
 
A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet.  I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.'
 
Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.
 
Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Make sure to honor yourself everyday!!!

Live a more inspired life! Know what you believe and express it. Truly AUTHENTIC people have CONVICTIONS that come from inside their minds, hearts, and souls, and know Truth in all situations! Lucille Ball once said, "Love yourself first and everything falls into place."

Enjoy this beautiful day friends. ~ Michelle Dukes

Words to live by...an all time favorite

                                                      Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember
what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even
the dull and ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, for they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity
and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nuture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. Do not distress yourself with dark misgivings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aaspirtions
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its' shame, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful! Strive to be happy!!!!!!!

"There is nothing better than the encouragement of good friends." ~ Jean Rousseau

New Beginnings...

Each chapter that is ending
Leads us to a new beginning.
The past that we are leaving
Means a future we are winning.
Each change that fills the present
Sets the stage for our tomorrow
And how we meet each new challenge
Helps determine joy or sorrow.
In every new beginning
Spirit plays a vital part.
We must approach tomorrow
With a strong and steady heart.
So as we turn the corner
Let all apprehension shed
And fill our hearts with confidence

As we proceed ahead.  ~ Bruce Wilmer

Onward and upward....

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations but about your unfullfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you you do." ~ Pope John XIII

You were born to Fly…Love, inspiration, memories

I was extremely touched by this story that my dear friend Susan Williams shared with me, and I wanted to share this with my friends as a reminder of how precious life is, and that each one of us impacts another in some way. I hope you enjoy this beautiful life story. Thank you Kathrine and Susan!


"Alyssa made such an impact on all of our lives, my fondest memories of my
time with Alyssa were Thanksgiving and singing around the Bonfire and
being in the room with her during her Bone Marrow Transplant…I cried
tears of joy as I watched one life being woven into another life
intravenously. I also remember her and me singing to the Spice
Girls…”I’m a Survivor”. And yes, we both were Survivors in our own
ways!!! A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about Alyssa. She is
always “precious in His Sight”. ~ Susan Williams

My Story
By: Katherine McCarty


My passion for the Lord began as a sophomore in high school when my Home Economics teacher led me in the prayer of salvation in the back of the classroom. Little did I know then what an incredible journey my life would take being a child of God. The transformation in my life, however, with just that simple prayer was deep and profound and often misunderstood by the rest of my Catholic high school friends. But God was faithful to me and I began to know Him with all of my heart and soul. I devoured His Word, read books incessantly and shared with anybody that would listen to what He had done in my life. Through college, the Lord opened doors for me to be a leader in my sorority as Chaplain and my reputation followed that I was “sold out” for the Lord. Because of my gratefulness to the teacher who led me to the Lord, I became a teacher of English with the hopes of helping other students who needed to know about the love of God.
I met and married my husband after my first year of teaching. Hal loved the Lord as intensely as I did and together we vowed to serve Him all the days of our lives. We welcomed our first son after the first year of marriage and I became a stay-at-home mom. Within a matter of years, we were the proud parents of five beautiful children: Jared, Lauren, Alyssa, Tyler and Lindsay. We had little money on a teacher’s salary, but we were happy serving the Lord by being obedient in raising our children. We were diligent to teach them the Word as well as to impart a heart of worship to each of them. I home-schooled our three oldest for seven years before releasing them to a school and returning to teaching in an effort to save money for college educations. I became the head of the English department and Dean of Faculty at Great Hills Christian School and brought our children there to complete their education. Little did I know how quickly our life would change a year later.
Our daughter, Alyssa, was a beautiful third-born child. People would stop me on the street when she was a toddler and comment on her physical beauty and I would retreat home to seek the Lord’s wisdom on how to raise her with character that would reflect Him. She had memorized many scriptures in her early years, but the one I remember teaching her as a life message was from Proverbs 31: “Charm and beauty are deceitful, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.” She learned this at age seven. Alyssa continued to grow in grace, giving her heart to the Lord and being baptized as a sign of her commitment. She, as well as the rest of our children, were healthy and never experienced any illness besides a common cold during their formative years. Jehovah Rophe, our God as Healer, was just one of the names of the Lord we proclaimed in our household. Alyssa became an accomplished flute player, gymnast, volleyball player, student council president and cheerleader by her eighth grade year at Great Hills Christian School. Early in the fall of that year, she would come home from volleyball practice complaining of her back and ankles being sore. Hal and I would glance at each other and wonder if she had “growing pains.” Then one day in November, her knuckles swelled. She sat for two days with her hands in buckets of ice as we thought it must have been due to her all-star volleyball tournament she had just played in. Hal even asked me if I had changed washing detergents which could have caused an allergic reaction, but that was not the case. He was off for a class period on the following Wednesday and took her to the Scott and White Clinic to have her examined. Once there, even the nurses agreed that it looked like an allergic reaction but took a blood sample to make sure. “We’ll call in a few days,” they said, but two hours later I received a call at school retrieving me from my AP English class with a frantic plea, “Get her to Temple, NOW.” My world immediately whirled, but panic mode with the Lord is in slow motion. By the end of the day, we had been told that Alyssa had a rare form of leukemia and would begin chemotherapy the next day. I did not have time to react, only to process that we were now in a battle to save her. My husband and I clung to each other and cried as we made the heart-breaking phone calls to her siblings and our extended family with the news. Everyone vowed to pray. Everyone vowed to help. The Body of Christ was put into action not only here in Austin but all over the nation. I knew God was in control even though our world was terribly awry. What I witnessed taking place can only be experienced by those who know Him and many of our extended family members were soon to see first hand. I even remember laying awake the first few nights in the hospital and hearing the Lord ask me, “Did you mean what you said when you dedicated her to me?” It was a question that would ruminate in my spirit over and over through the months. The story of Abraham’s faithfulness to God with his son Issac reassured my heart. “Yes, Lord. I meant it.” I would answer. I would never question God’s ways, not once. It was part of my life commitment: to know Him and make Him known…even here.
One of the largest obstacles in the beginning to overcome was the fact that we did not have medical insurance at that time. Money was tight and we had opted to not enroll in the expensive health care plan for one more year. We would soon find out just how expensive critical care would be, and yet God would show His abundance as Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. Our response to the doctors was that we would sell all that we had to insure Alyssa’s health care needs would be met and with that they went to work. Chemotherapy would be the initial process taking a week to stay in the hospital and two weeks at home. Taking a leave of absence from the school was the only answer for this journey, but it would also take away the much needed funds for her care. However, my focus was on the Lord and as long as my children at home were taken care of, I would be beside Alyssa. From that point, I never left her side. Hal’s job was to maintain at home as normally as possible, but everyone was making sacrifices to accommodate this journey. Through the weeks that followed, I watched people come to my house, wash and fold my children’s underwear, prepare meals, help with homework, clean our toilets, and serve us in most humbling ways. All the while, I was an hour away holding trays while my beautiful young daughter spewed the toxins from her system. Her countenance never changed from the first hour of her knowledge of the cancer. She had a peace that passed all understanding. As her room filled with well-wishes from her friends through the months that followed, I watched as they too began to pray and believe God for a miracle for their fellow classmate. It was a family affair…God’s family at their best. I remember going to make the first payment on our hospital bill that had already in the first week exceeded $50, 000.00 and the business office secretary looked up the file and said, “But Mrs. McCarty, you don’t owe us anything. The hospital has given your family a grant and your bill is paid for.” I was shocked! But that was the beginning of what God would provide for us due to our faithfulness in the small things—tithing our time, talent and resources.
Talk of transplant began soon after Alyssa’s diagnosis. The need for a donor, the costs, the trip to Fort Worth’s Cook Children’s Hospital, the plan for those left behind all consumed our thoughts. Each of our children was screened as a possible donor, but medical personnel were quick to warn us that there might not be a match. But God was faithful in this instance as well. Not only was Lauren a perfect match, but two of our other children were perfect matches to each other as well. Doctors were amazed! This rarely happened in families. We always acknowledged God at work to them. As transplant neared, I initiated a “Team Alyssa” campaign that organized her school and all of the family, friends and acquaintances that were now a part of this journey through their prayers and support. A banner was made in which all of the students signed their best wishes to her as she headed to this part of the healing process which would include months of isolation due to a compromised immune system. Everyone wore “Team Alyssa” hats, took pictures with up-raised thumbs, and sent her off with their love and support. During this time as well, Shoreline Christian Center’s Men’s Athletic Ministry, of which Hal was a part of, organized the first Hawaii 5K Run benefiting the Leukemia Lymphoma Society with proceeds going to Alyssa’s transplant costs. Over 800 runners came to support this cause, and according to Run-Tex, was the largest first run in their history of marathons. Alyssa, if well, was asked to give her testimony at this event. I remember running in this race and asking the lady next to me why she was doing the same. She remarked that she had read Alyssa’s story and was so moved by her love for the Lord that she felt she had to run for the cause. On top of that, she brought eleven people with her from her office at Dell. Ironically, Alyssa’s life scripture was I Corinthians 9:25: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run ...Run in such as way as to get the prize” What a picture of the Body of Christ! We would later realize as well that this was her birth date, 9-25-86!
Alyssa continued to astound the doctors through the transplant process. She never ran a fever nor developed a rash.—all signs that would have indicated a rejection of the donor’s blood. We knew this was due to the hundreds of people who were praying. We returned home forty five days later but cautious of the tremendous risks that lay ahead. During this time, music continued to minister to us and the song, “I Know My Redeemer Lives,” by Nicole C. Mullen was one of Alyssa’s and my favorite. I remember shopping for about an hour one day during transplant and this song piped over the intercom. I had to stop and find a corner to just cry in…I rarely allowed myself to do that in front of Alyssa. She took her cues from us in the beginning and yet towards the end, we took ours from her.
Alyssa returned to school that fall semester and continued to heal. She returned to cheerleading, volleyball (but as a manager due to her weakened state) and socializing with friends. We continued to see her doctor on a weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly visit. Each time a clean bill of health was given, we would high-five each other in the parking lot before traveling an hour back home. Life would seem to be getting normal. Then, just before Christmas holidays, our last visit for the year would once again shake our world. Dr. Frankel would draw blood as usual, send us home, we would high-five, and begin celebrating. The call would come around six o’clock as I prepared dinner. “It’s Dr. Frankel, mom,” one of the kids would yell from upstairs. I hastened to the phone of what had become our dear friend and little did I know that Alyssa, too, had picked up the upstairs phone. “I am so sorry to tell you this, Katherine, but the cancer is back. I need Alyssa up here tomorrow first thing in the morning.” I was stunned to silence. Then I heard Alyssa start weeping on the phone…my heart broke. We knew what this meant. Dr. Frankel had told us that if the cancer returned, it would come back with a vengeance. The date was December 18, 2004.
“We had no sudden healing…” the song recites by Natalie Grant called “Held.” I knew the phrase well. Two months to the day, February 18, 2005, Alyssa slipped into the arms of Jesus with all of us at her side. The infections that had followed her chemotherapy regime had left her looking like she had been in a nuclear explosion. So ravaged was her body, yet so strong her spirit. She fought so gallantly to the last day when she finally looked at me and said, “I cannot do this anymore.” I told her I knew. The night before she died, Hal took her in his arms and told her that she was going from one father’s arms to another Father’s arms. With that, she went into a coma and slept until 3:30 in the afternoon when I know the angels came and escorted her to the throne of God. As I read Psalm 27 over her, the song playing in the background was “I Can Only Imagine” which had just been released a few days before. God had been faithful to her and to us as a family. She was my very heartbeat and I would miss her so much.
In the weeks following, I was placing some of her memoirs in her hope chest and I came across a picture from her dedication day. There, a young looking Hal and I stood offering our child to the Lord. “Did you mean what you said when you dedicated her to Me?” I would recall what the Lord had continually asked. I still said, “Yes, Lord.” Then I saw it. The date read November 30, 1986…the same exact day fourteen years later when she was diagnosed with cancer.
Alyssa left behind a legacy of courage in the midst of adversity, uncompromising faith and an unconditional love to her many friends, family members and those we don’t even know. I know that she fulfilled her purpose on earth and that someday when I close my eyes for the last time, it will be as if I last saw her on February 18, 2002. I am the one bound by time, but with the Lord, one day is like a thousand, so I look forward to the day that I will walk by her side as we worship the One we lived for here on earth. For those of us who are left behind, God promised to be near to the brokenhearted and to be...held.

Sharing love and inspiration

I came across this poem written by my brother especially for me many years ago when I was going through a divorce and a first of many major life changes. My brother was basically telling me what a strong person I am and will get through whatever life throws at me. The words continue to inspire and touch me, and are just as applicable today as I continue to overcome challenges as when this poem was written.

LITTLE TURTLE WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

From birth the little one wandered the world
Being insignificant to it's grandeur.
From it's youth he was alone
To go through life with questions,doubts,changes,
His problems were endured
His feelings sealed.
The questions of life still unanswered
In a world that was cruel,
Untamed, tarnished, malignant.
The little one crawled through life
Getting caught in the flaws of the world.
He fell beneath himself
To depths unknown.
The little turtle cried for peace,
But what is peace?
The little one was freed
Strong with self reliance,
Courage, Strength, Hope.
It embarked on other journeys,
Finding another to be joined
In all the cycles of life.
This was good for the turtle
For it found a soulmate.
Love was exchanged,
Beauty was given,
Knowledge was learned,
Peace was attained.
Fate is an everchanging being
Changing the balance of what is solid,
What we know,
What we fear,
What we are used to.
The little one saw fate changing.
Not being ready,
Caught, confused, saddened.
The stream of life from which it had started,
So slow, easy to follow
Has now become rapids.
Engulfing it were thunderous rocks;
Their names were Deceit, Denial, Anger.
The little turtle was drowning,
The world was still turning.
With selfish intent
A branch cut through the jagged waters,
Pulling the turtle to shore.
In more ways than one
The turtle was made known.
It did have love,
It did have beauty,
It did have importance.
With strength now gained
The little turtle jumped from the banks of life
Into the heart of the world
Turning with it as he went
Keeping all that he had learned
Fighting the arms of fate
Facing life fully
With STRENGTH, DIGNITY, HOPE.
I see the turtle every now and then
Swimming through the banks.
Where are you little turtle? I ask
I am following the stream
To see where it goes.
To a fresh spring in the mountains high
Where only eagles dare to fly
Where lands end and the sea begins
With all it's mystery before me
To enchanted places lost by man
Marveling in wonder and awe
This stream is my life,
My life has no boundaries.
Along my way I will have troubles
Predators on the banks,
Rocks to climb,
Sandbars to get through.
But I will overcome them,
They will be behind me.
My destination will be ahead,
And I will get there.

~ Ray Lipinski

Life thoughts

" Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work." ~ William Arthur Ward

Peace-

"It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work, it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."