Dear Reader:

Life’s messy and unpredictable. You don’t have to like every moment of it or every circumstance you find yourself in. However, by being willing to accept that you can’t change the moment, you are adding to your growth and level of self-acceptance.

I have discovered throughout my life that I am most content when I accept the fact that some things are simply beyond my control and must be turned over to a higher power than me. If I have given the situation the best I know how to do and still come up short…so be it.

I think the people who continue to stress out are the ones who listen to the ‘nay-sayers’….who think “Doing your best is a cop-out cliche…after all was it really your best?” That kind of ridiculous outlook is bound to keep someone in the throes of self-doubt and fear throughout their lives.

So many of our fears date back to childhood or how we were raised by our parents or other adults…even distorted memories. The loved ones I always gravitated to were the openly accepting adults who reassured me that “I gave it my best” and something good was surely coming my way. And it always was.

I realize now that saying “yes” to life just as it is…is crucial to happiness. Life is full of experiences, some that we enjoy and others we dislike. When we push away or attempt to avoid feelings of sadness and pain, we also diminish our ability to feel joy.

So until tomorrow…I think the nicest thing anyone can tell us is “You matter.” Things aren’t the same if you are missing from a family gathering or you are told nothing seemed the same without you at a particular celebration….That is all we need to hear…we simply need to feel that we are always still needed. We matter.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Beauty and bravery do go hand in hand…so yesterday I took pictures of nature while the rain fell…to bolster my courage.

Poor Sammy just couldn’t hold on to the suet cage yesterday morning in the rain and get any food…so I got some more bird seed and spread it on the ground…soon he was back and so happy to have something to eat.