Dogs of War

You all know I love dogs.  There is something amazing about how closely they understand the people they love.  They are so brave and loyal.  And just plain freaking awesome.

The dogs are simply the most elite dogs out there.  They are soldiers.  They are not trained to kill, they are trained to take down suspects.

Look at this piece about dogs who are fighting the bad guys for us:

The ties that bind us

My big sister is pretty much the opposite of me.  My middle sister is the opposite of her in the opposite direction from me.  We're all very different is my point.  Then again, people who meet one of us, and later another, find similarities between us.  I shouldn't be shocked, but they are there.

One thing that we have in common is that we are good people. We have good intentions.

Back to big sister.  She's not perfect (another commonality with me), but she's also amazing.

Last week she told me that she went to the shoe store.  The manager came up to her and asked if she remembered him.  She didn't.  The manager was a fairly young man in his 20's.  He notified her that he was the little boy that she used to take to school over ten years ago.  She was a property manager back then, and the mother was a tenant who was unable/unwilling to take him.  So my sister did.  Very often.

This man thanked my sister.    She made an impact on someone she forgot about.  But he never forgot.

Awesome.

Don't Rush If you don't have to

I'm getting married in less than a month. It's been a long time coming.  I knew I wanted to marry N December 26th 2011, two years to the day of our first date.  There was a lot that happened along the way to bring me to that point, including over a year and a half of me taking a break from N when I was sure there was no way he could be my person.

Life has a way of leading you down the path you need to go down in order to get where you need to.   

I'm thankful of my path.  I'm thankful of my time.  

You simply can't hurry love.  Or the KG.  But once I'm there, I'm there.  

We are more beautiful than we think

You may have seen this already, but if not, take a look at the video below:

I'm going to start to own it. I'm going to start to own the parts of me that are beautiful.  Proof?  See the video below.  We are so overly critical of ourselves.  I think most of us barely see who we really are.

There are women in this video who are ashamed of themselves and sad for what they immediately recognize as the pain they have inflicted upon themselves for too long.

The truth is I have heard from many people over the years (and by so many I'm counting about two hands worth of people) that have said that I have a great smile.  BUT, I hate my smile and always have!  All I see is  my teeth which are too small and my gums which are too big... it just doesn't look good. I wish I had my mom's and my oldest sisters smile- much better.  I don't even know if I've told them I am jealous of their beautiful smiles.

However, I have had people out of the blue tell me they think I have a great smile.  Even last night my mom's best friend wrote to me about how she was so excited to see my smile on my wedding day next month.  My first thought was, "me?" My next thought was, "is she just being nice?"  Guess not.

Third thought, here is the exact quote, "You will make a stunning bride, with a smile that melts our hearts."  How sweet is this?  Even better than I remembered.  

Own it, KG, own it!

And remember, "Women are their own worst beauty critics," Dove says. "Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful ... we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."

I think you are awesome because.....

"Bible says, "Don’t let one unwholesome thing come out of your mouth, but that which is helpful in bringing others up.” Ephesians 4:29. Friends, let me ask you today, have you ever taken inventory of the words that you speak during the day? Our words have so much meaning, they impact peoples lives. And all too often, throughout our day, if we were take inventory of what we say, who we speak about, sometimes our words can be unwholesome and unhealthy for someone's soul. 
For example, maybe you have an opportunity to gossip about someone at work, draw attention to someone's weakness or disability, judge someone at the grocery store, argue with a family member and say something you wish you didn't. We all have opportunities to say words that can be unwholesome. But my challenge to you on this Wednesday is to think before you speak. Make sure that the words that come out of your mouth today and everyday encourage, inspire and lift up others. I have found that one thing that people never get tired of hearing is a compliment, an encouraging word. Mark Twain said, "I could live one full year with one full compliment." Friends, go out today going on the offensive and encourage and inspire people. Never underestimate the power of your one word in someone's life. They will leave an imprint in someone's soul that can last forever. Have a blessed Wednesday. Fr. Nicholas Louh" 

I read the above this morning as a bit of inspiration   And immediately I thought- YES!  I would rather a compliment over a material present any day.  I suppose it could be fairly egotistical to want to hear nice stuff about myself.  But, sometimes you just don't know what people are thinking.  You may not know that people think you are awesome for a certain reason..  

Have you told someone why you think they are awesome   I'm not even talking about your best friend or your partner. I'm talking about a colleague.  Your parent. Your sibling.  Try it.  It matters! 

Terror at the Race

I was so focused on my busy day, I missed the news this afternoon.  Two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  I thought it was a joke at first.  It wasn't.

I was born in the Boston area.  My mother and grandparents are from there.  I have family there.  My mom went to UMASS.  I have friends that live there.  My facebook was littered with updates from people that were at the race, or running in it.  They all seem to be OK.

I'm shocked and feel pain for Bostonian's tragedy   I just don't get it.  Why there, at that location, at this time? At the end of a race, which was dedicated to the memory of those poor children who were murdered in Newtown CN.  

People train forever and a day for the Marathon.  Running this race is many people's life long goal, and the perpetrator ruined their joy.

The silver lining is the hope I feel from those heroes that helped those in need without a moment's thought of their own safety.  There are good people out there.  And they outnumber the bad.  We always will.

I pray for Boston.  I pray for the victims.  I pray for the runners.  I pray for the deceased, May their Memory be ETERNAL.

Coaching up

I've coached kids on sports teams, and I've been coached.  Seeing this dude in action, makes me sick! What is this guy thinking?  Does he have roid rage?

I'm glad he got fired.  I hope someone sent him to some counseling and an anger management program.  Being that mean does not inspire people.  Fear does not inspire the best in other people.