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Always grateful!!

16 Friday Jan 2026

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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“Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.”― Anne Lamott

2026 will be an amazing year!!

Why?  you may ask.

Because I said so! :–)

Well, this is the year I am turning 60 years old.  That thought it is hitting me like a ton of bricks.  It is daunting to think I will be 60.  What happened to 30, 40, and 50?  It feels like it all went so fast.

At moments I get a bit down about it.   60 feels heavy.  It feels like I have done nothing with my life.

Then I remember and realize how blessed I am, and how much I have accomplished.  Age is just a number. What is important is to live every moment to the max. It is important to not to waste this beautiful gift called life.

So the best thing to do is to live it up, no matter what the number is. 60, 70, 80, or 90 like my mom.

I have so much to be grateful for.  Everything is a matter of attitude and perception. Today I am choosing to remember all the beauty and blessings. My family, Michael, health, home, work, friends, a great mind and great heart.  My breath, the ocean, my bike, French bread with butter… and the list goes on and on.

I am even grateful for the hardships that made me strong and successful. 

What I have today is even more than I ever dreamed of.  Not to enjoy it and be grateful would be a sin!

Enjoy it all!

But remember, until March 28 I am still in my 50s! 🙂

 
An old Portuguese prayer of gratitude:
And what do you want the coming year to bring you?
Nothing, I don’t want it to bring me anything. The only thing I want is for it not to take anything away.
May it not take away the roof that shelters me, the food that nourishes me, the blanket that warms me, nor the light that illuminates me. May it not take away the smiles of my loved ones, my health—which is my treasure—nor the work that sustains me.
May friendship, companionship, hugs, and kisses remain.
May it not take away my dreams, nor the pieces of my heart—formed by the people I cherish—that I always carry within me.

 

Highlights and lowlights

31 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me, Food

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“It’s a New Year and with it comes a fresh opportunity to shape our world.
So this is my wish, a wish for me as much as it is a wish for you: in the world to come, let us be brave – let us walk into the dark without fear, and step into the unknown with smiles on our faces, even if we’re faking them. And whatever happens to us, whatever we make, whatever we learn, let us take joy in it. We can find joy in the world if it’s joy we’re looking for, we can take joy in the act of creation. So that is my wish for you, and for me. Bravery and joy.” ― Neil Gaiman

2025 was a tough year, most of all because of my dad’s passing.  Still, I know that his passing was timely and was a blessing for the fact that he is no longer in pain, and he passed on his terms.  He transitioned. He is here but in other form.  I was able to be there and hold the family together – for that I am so grateful.

 

Today was a cold day (for Florida) so I am using my dad’s sweater and lounging pants.   There is something comforting about that.

Dad, be in peace!  You are loved!

 

Then there was the long regulatory audit… so much stress, so many sleepless night,  and let’s not forget the costly assessments for our condo structural repairs.

Still, in 2025 there was also a lot of highlights, such as:

  • Taking my mother to a casino resort in Argentina to celebrate her 90th birthday
  • Skiing in El Colorado, Chile in August
  • Skiing trips to Breckenridge
  • Cruise to Caribbean
  • Trips to the Seminole casinos
  • Sunrises at the Indialantic Beach
  • Sunsets at Melbourne Pier
  • No regulatory fines
  • Condo construction finished

For 2026 I am hoping for more adventures and fun trips with Michael.  The future seems so bright and big.  I am blessed, and I know it!

For you I wish so much love and joy.  I wish you strength and wisdom! I wish you peace!  I thank you for being in my corner in 2025.  I thank you for the kind word that showers me in love!

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
― Neil Gaiman