"You did what you knew how to do and when you knew better, you did better."
Maya Angelo

The sun was shining bright today. The only thing missing was warmth. "Oh well," I thought, "I may not be able to recharge my solar batteries from sunshine without heat but nevertheless I can enjoy it just the same."

I sat on the beach with a hot chocolate, read and enjoyed watching families playing together on this Thanksgiving Sunday. Then I walked barefoot on the beach. It felt good to feel the sand on my toes again. It was a good walk.

Later as I folded my chair and towel and headed back to the car, I noticed a bounce had returned to my step. Driving home it occurred to me that I felt rejuvenated. My solar batteries were recharged.

It seems that it is the light of the sun as it shines on me that recharges me and not necessarily the warmth.

Warmth or no warmth it feels great to feel energized again.

To the friend who shared this with me, thank you very much.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity, boiling water, and each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which are you?

Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose you strength?

Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Baked additional cookies to take to the area Fire Departments. Happily didn't burn but one batch, yeah!

Watched the Macy Day Parade. Reminded me of the Thanksgiving I got to see the parade in person. It was totally awesome to be there up close and personal. Years later I am smiling as I remember that experience and the rest of the fun I shared during that weekend with my sons and brother and his family.

Watching Santa arrive in the parade is the launching of the holidays for me.

Then it was off to deliver my cookies. A simple little thank you that has tremendous gratitude backed into each cookie. To do their job is priceless. It is certainly not something I would ever have the courage or skill to do. It has been my pleasure, my privilege to deliver a sweet little thank you to area fire departments for a long time. It has become a happy Thanksgiving tradition.

I dined at a local beach bar. I enjoyed a cheeseburger in paradise. It was tasty and the view was spectacular.

Later I enjoyed the movie, "Christmas with the Kranks" it was fun. It is the third Christmas movie I have seen starring Tim Allen. If anyone wants to find a holiday smile at the cinema all they need to do is go see this movie. It doesn't have suspense, intrigue, or a road chase and violence it is nice, a delight and will make you smile.

Home now to take a bubble bath and have pleasant dreams of Thanksgivings gone by and maybe dreams of happy, fun ways to share and enjoy them in the future.

By the way my favorite part of the day today? It was hearing from the ones I love and miss so much. Happy Thanksgiving.

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes, pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round, 'til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, PLEASE!

This Thanksgiving I will be in Florida far from family. Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving that would remind me of the Norman Rockwell type celebrations of the past, I am going to have a succulent cheeseburger at a beachside
cafe and listen to a gentleman as he does his best to sing Jimmy Buffet tunes.

Under the sunshine at the water's edge I will give thanks for all the lessons I've learned, the wonderful people in my life, and God's Blessings. Key lime pie for dessert and a walk along the beach at sunset and despite the miles that separate me from the ones I love, it should be a terrific Thanksgiving day.

May you and your family and friends enjoy a healthy and happy holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving!

It was Sunday morning, I called David to wish him a sensational Sunday and to stir up his hope and orneriness as we did for each other nearly daily since 1988.

It was then I received the dreadful news. His girlfriend, Jan, was crying when she answered his phone. "I thought someone had called you," she said through the sobs, "David died this morning."

My mind swirled as I tried to think of something to say, something that might comfort her. I suddenly felt sick at the pit of my stomach. My world was coming apart.

Normally in a situation like this the first person I would call for guidance would be David but David was dead. How surreal.

I knew in the logical side of my brain that he was gravely ill and losing his battle with cancer but deep down where my heart and spirit reside I had been filled with hope that a miracle would arrive and he would rebound.

The next minutes, hours, and days are blurred. I made calls and sent e-mails to make sure my responsibilities for the week were covered. I was scheduled to participate in a sales blitz in Chicago with our CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau). I had follow-up work to do, preparation for travel agents visiting our resorts the following week, as well as other assorted "have tos" that needed attention. Everyone I spoke to was caring and helpful.

Even now days later, my focus is scattered trying to make sure I don't neglect my responsibilities while being filled with the desire to find a quiet place on the beach with my memories of David and let the world just go on by for awhile.

I have never been one who has handled good-bye easily or with grace and poise.

When I have the pleasure of visiting my sons, their families, my sisters, brother and friends I hug and hold on tight then leave quickly anxious to return for another visit soon.

My grandchildren and I share green M&Ms when I leave after a visit. My dad told me that it is hard to cry and feel sad when you eat them. The thought that we are each filling our mouths with these tasty morsels makes us laugh and smile. My dad was right, it helps.

Unfortunately, no amount of green M&Ms can ease the pain of saying good-bye to someone who is your history, who has shared so much of their life with you. Known to many when we worked together at Travel Agents International as the dynamic duo, our lives were entwined.

We shared good times and bad. Together the good times became fantastic and the bad times better. Our adventures would fill volumes.

The rituals of a wake and funeral are traditions to help family and friends celebrate and pay tribute to the person who has died.

In the past when David and I would attend a viewing we would only stay moments electing instead to leave quickly after paying our respects to the family and friends and go to the movies, always a happy movie. Then we would spend the rest of the day or evening reveling in stories about the person who died, celebrating their life in "remember when" stories.

It was all I could do not to run out of David's wake. My heart went out to David's family and loved ones. His daughter, Debbie, made her dad proud. She was a wonderful hostess greeting and thanking everyone who came.,

I on the other hand, no doubt ticked David off as he looked down from heaven. I had promised him I wouldn't cry and truly I tried but my eyes kept filling to overflowing as I wept.

It was a selfish cry. I believe David is now at peace and no longer suffering. I know David got a miracle, not the miracle I wished, but a miracle non the less. He died as he wished at home peacefully and not alone. It just was a different miracle than the one I prayed for and that is okay. I'm only a human being and know the reason things happen are often out of my realm of comprehension.

My tears were for my sense of loss, selfish tears...missing him and wanting him to be alive and healthy full of energy and orneriness, making me smile and laugh, challenging me to be the best version of myself. My mind was bombarded with a thousand memories of the experiences we shared colliding with the thoughts of the unfulfilled plans for the adventures we'd made.

My parents have each died and I miss them both each day.

I have never had a relationship with anyone like the one I shared with David. It was born out of a professional work partnership and evolved into something extraordinary. I always said I was "Hallalized" and I am blessed that I was.

At the Mercy Dinner following the funeral, one of the ladies that spoke said that being able to experience the sense of community you get when you are drawn into the Lebanese community is a wonderful gift. She was right; and to have had the opportunity to share 16 years of my life with David has enriched the tapestry of my life with bright and happy colors.

I will smile with memories of David and our adventures each day for the rest of my life. He may no longer be in Cleveland, Ohio but he lives now and forever in my heart.

To all who have been so kind and caring thank you, most sincerely.

Mother nature has been busy with her paint brush. Vibrant yellow, red and orange adorn the trees. The fallen leaves look like brilliant polka dots on the lush green grass. The sky is a beautiful shade of baby blue dotted with white cotton candy clouds and streaks of sunshine.

Living in Florida, I don't have the opportunity to experience the dramatic changes in the seasons. In St. Pete the change is more subtle. The humidity seems to disappear, the beaches are no longer crowded. The temperatures drop a little but still remain warm in the upper 70s low 80s.

The bright color we see is at sunset. We have the most incredible sunsets from late October thru January. The evenings are 10 - 15 degrees cooler than daytime creating pink, yellow and crimson streaks across the sky.

Whether living in the north or south, Fall is definitely the time Mother Nature dips into the bright golden colors of her paint box.

It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to visit, to experience the sights and smells of the season as people here in Virginia rack leaves, harvest pumpkins and slip on sweaters to keep warm from the brisk chill in the air.

I may miss curling up in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book because I live in Florida but it is a fair trade since I can drive to the beach with the top down on my convertible to enjoy a game of volleyball.

During the last several years it has become evident that I am solar powered. Living in St. Pete, Florida with an average of 361 days of sunshine is a healthy invigorating environment for me to thrive.

Noticing the beauty of the changing seasons are reminders that miracles exist. They are the rewards for taking time to notice and keeping wonder and curiosity alive about the possibilities tomorrow holds.