Today is my Birthday.
I want to thank you all for your presents ("presence")
The gifts of your "presence" in my life.
Whether I've know you a moment, an hour, a week, a month, a year or a lifetime, you have all gifted me with your presence and like the song in Wicked says....because I've known you, I have been changed for good.
It is the people in our lives and their "presence" who make up the wonderful pieces of the complete puzzle we are and will become.
We take each piece and try to fit it into the different grooves until one day the puzzle is completed and our life becomes a final piece of art.
Sometimes, the pieces don't fit, (the negative pieces), but when the pieces that do fit (the positive pieces) the puzzle making becomes an amazing game, and as the pieces come together, it brings so much joy.
Today, I celebrate my parents who started the puzzle called "Kelly". I celebrate my siblings who were the first pieces that were added to my puzzle. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, I celebrate you. My childhood friends, my teen hood friends, my husband (one of my favorite pieces), my beautiful children, my grandson...you are all some of the best pieces that my puzzle is made up of. My adult hood friends, my work friends, my children's friends, my theater friends, my new and old friends, you and your presence in my life all make this puzzle making an everyday adventure, and I look forward to adding new pieces and new friends to the puzzle which is my life.
I am grateful for your "presence" and I thank you for all the Birthday messages I received today. I can't wait to keep adding pieces to my puzzle, and one day (many many years from now) when my puzzle is done, I hope you all see apart of yourselves in that puzzle.
Thank you for contributing to my piece of art.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Me and My Shadow
In keeping with my theme of gratefulness, I am writing my blog today in dedication to Shadows, and light.
Two weeks ago, I went to have my knee checked out for a torn miniscus. At that appointment, the x-ray showed a shadow on my femur. Then the MRI, Cat Scan and Bone Scan showed the same shadow.
What could this shadow mean....well, they sent me to an Orthopedic Oncologist to make sure that that shadow wasn't cancerous. I waited for over a week for the appointment with the Oncologist, and during that week, I went through a series of emotions.
The shadow on my femur, now became a shadow made up of worry, fear, depression, and many other emotions that come with the shadow of the unknown.
I tried to remain positive, and I know I had family and friends praying for me. The hard part of not knowing and waiting to get your results is the roller coaster of emotions you go through (not to mention the tons of food you eat to self medicate yourself)
How could I not remain positive? 11 years ago when my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that went to her brain, she never once lost her sense of positivity. Was it her positive attitude, that made her survive the cancer, or was it fate. She just went with the flow, and today she is a walking miracle. We were blesssed. We are blessed. I am one of six children, my husband is one of five. We have healthy children, healthy parents,a healthy grandson, healthy siblings and healthy nieces and nephews.....I think this is where my fear came into play....
My mother lost her father at 52, her sister at 65, her brother at 42 ,her sister in law at 56, and her mother at 88. My father lost a sister in law,a brother in law, a nephew, his parents and other loved ones. And in my husbands family we lost his fathers parents, his mothers father, and we were blessed to have his grandmother till she was 102 years old. Loss is such a random thing in life, that when you have a shadow cast upon your health you do tend to worry, and wonder....when will our family be touched by loss again?
Today, the shadow was dispersed when the Oncologist confirmed that the light in the tumor shown on the MRI was just cartilage and not cancerous. Wow! What a relief. But how crazy is that. I am grateful to once again be blessed with a positive outcome. But I am also more sensitive to those who have not had the same good fortune. I will take this news and continue to have new adventures and make more memories. While doing so, I will continue to pray for strength for those who did not get good news in their time of shadows, that they too will be able to find some light to lift their spirit. I will remember loved ones who have passed and remember the light they brought into my life.
Me and my shadow, will continue to see light and love in each new day. I am grateful for today.
Blessings to all
Two weeks ago, I went to have my knee checked out for a torn miniscus. At that appointment, the x-ray showed a shadow on my femur. Then the MRI, Cat Scan and Bone Scan showed the same shadow.
What could this shadow mean....well, they sent me to an Orthopedic Oncologist to make sure that that shadow wasn't cancerous. I waited for over a week for the appointment with the Oncologist, and during that week, I went through a series of emotions.
The shadow on my femur, now became a shadow made up of worry, fear, depression, and many other emotions that come with the shadow of the unknown.
I tried to remain positive, and I know I had family and friends praying for me. The hard part of not knowing and waiting to get your results is the roller coaster of emotions you go through (not to mention the tons of food you eat to self medicate yourself)
How could I not remain positive? 11 years ago when my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that went to her brain, she never once lost her sense of positivity. Was it her positive attitude, that made her survive the cancer, or was it fate. She just went with the flow, and today she is a walking miracle. We were blesssed. We are blessed. I am one of six children, my husband is one of five. We have healthy children, healthy parents,a healthy grandson, healthy siblings and healthy nieces and nephews.....I think this is where my fear came into play....
My mother lost her father at 52, her sister at 65, her brother at 42 ,her sister in law at 56, and her mother at 88. My father lost a sister in law,a brother in law, a nephew, his parents and other loved ones. And in my husbands family we lost his fathers parents, his mothers father, and we were blessed to have his grandmother till she was 102 years old. Loss is such a random thing in life, that when you have a shadow cast upon your health you do tend to worry, and wonder....when will our family be touched by loss again?
Today, the shadow was dispersed when the Oncologist confirmed that the light in the tumor shown on the MRI was just cartilage and not cancerous. Wow! What a relief. But how crazy is that. I am grateful to once again be blessed with a positive outcome. But I am also more sensitive to those who have not had the same good fortune. I will take this news and continue to have new adventures and make more memories. While doing so, I will continue to pray for strength for those who did not get good news in their time of shadows, that they too will be able to find some light to lift their spirit. I will remember loved ones who have passed and remember the light they brought into my life.
Me and my shadow, will continue to see light and love in each new day. I am grateful for today.
Blessings to all
Saturday, October 10, 2015
The Magic of Disney
So, this morning, I stayed in bed and watched Disney Channel with my husband. To many of you, you will think this is totally lame. But to many of you, you will totally "get it".
We started out watching Girl Meets World. When my kids were young they all watched Boy Meets World, and as sappy as the show was, I can guarantee you, that many of my kids can still quote many of the Topanga and Corey lines from the series. It was a wholesome sitcom, that usually had a life lesson, imparted in the theme of the series, usually by Mr. Feeney, or Corey's Mom and Dad.. Girl Meets World, is a little more caricaturist, or over the top tongue and cheek, but I seriously love it! Its message is always of acceptance, perseverance, friendship, family, and yes...Love. In this series, the grown up Corey Matthews, (now a teacher married to Topanga) begins the show in a classroom setting with a teaching moment...a moment that takes an educational topic, and usually turns it into a life's lesson.
I watch the show, and absorb all the sappiness, and turn to my husband and say, why can't all life be like a Disney show. As I look over at him while watching the series....he too is feeling what I am feeling, and he will often say...."We've been married along time" meaning, we think alike and we feel alike. We are not living in a Disney series, and our life is far from perfect, but gosh darn it....we feel the Disney Magic. The magic, simply put is....we love Sappy Happy Endings, that come from sappy one liners, quotes from Disney shows, and the promise of what could be.
After we watched Girl Meets World, we watched the new Disney movie "Invisible Sister". Again another movie with a Happy Ending, and messages of acceptance, perseverance, friendship, family and Love. Is it so wrong to find simple joy from watching these programs? I think not. I wish all of us could find a little Disney magic in our lives.
My profession is being a Baby/Child Wrangler on photo shoots and videos. Watching the Disney movies and channel, has made for some wonderful conversations with the young children I work with. They get all excited about talking to me about the newest Disney movies and shows, and I remember back to when my children used to love all those programs as well. In their youth and excitement for those shows, I feel the Disney Magic, just as I still feel it today as an "Old" yet young at heart woman.
For my youngest child's College graduation, Donnie and I are taking all our children, our daughter in law and our new grandson to Disney....It has always been a magical place for our family, and though our children are all adults now, I hope to watch them and watch my little grandson all experience the Disney Magic....because I feel that Disney magic everyday, when I accept my children for who they are, watch them persevere through good times and bad, watch them with their friends from childhood and adulthood, love that they will often come for family dinners just to see each other, and most of all Love, because just like a Disney movie or series....Love is what makes the "Disney Magic"
We started out watching Girl Meets World. When my kids were young they all watched Boy Meets World, and as sappy as the show was, I can guarantee you, that many of my kids can still quote many of the Topanga and Corey lines from the series. It was a wholesome sitcom, that usually had a life lesson, imparted in the theme of the series, usually by Mr. Feeney, or Corey's Mom and Dad.. Girl Meets World, is a little more caricaturist, or over the top tongue and cheek, but I seriously love it! Its message is always of acceptance, perseverance, friendship, family, and yes...Love. In this series, the grown up Corey Matthews, (now a teacher married to Topanga) begins the show in a classroom setting with a teaching moment...a moment that takes an educational topic, and usually turns it into a life's lesson.
I watch the show, and absorb all the sappiness, and turn to my husband and say, why can't all life be like a Disney show. As I look over at him while watching the series....he too is feeling what I am feeling, and he will often say...."We've been married along time" meaning, we think alike and we feel alike. We are not living in a Disney series, and our life is far from perfect, but gosh darn it....we feel the Disney Magic. The magic, simply put is....we love Sappy Happy Endings, that come from sappy one liners, quotes from Disney shows, and the promise of what could be.
After we watched Girl Meets World, we watched the new Disney movie "Invisible Sister". Again another movie with a Happy Ending, and messages of acceptance, perseverance, friendship, family and Love. Is it so wrong to find simple joy from watching these programs? I think not. I wish all of us could find a little Disney magic in our lives.
My profession is being a Baby/Child Wrangler on photo shoots and videos. Watching the Disney movies and channel, has made for some wonderful conversations with the young children I work with. They get all excited about talking to me about the newest Disney movies and shows, and I remember back to when my children used to love all those programs as well. In their youth and excitement for those shows, I feel the Disney Magic, just as I still feel it today as an "Old" yet young at heart woman.
For my youngest child's College graduation, Donnie and I are taking all our children, our daughter in law and our new grandson to Disney....It has always been a magical place for our family, and though our children are all adults now, I hope to watch them and watch my little grandson all experience the Disney Magic....because I feel that Disney magic everyday, when I accept my children for who they are, watch them persevere through good times and bad, watch them with their friends from childhood and adulthood, love that they will often come for family dinners just to see each other, and most of all Love, because just like a Disney movie or series....Love is what makes the "Disney Magic"
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Bubbles
When you are a child, blowing bubbles, popping bubbles and watching them float in the air, brings such awe and joy. Each bubble is unique and effervescent and captures the light in such a way, that you can see a rainbow prism in each bubble you blow.
When I think of bubbles now, sometimes I wish I could capture my children in a beautiful effervescent bubble and keep them safe there, in a land of rainbows, awe and joy. But my children, like each bubble we blow have their own journeys in the wind, their own beauty, their own uniqueness.
What makes me think of this analogy, is the fact that all of my children are now adults, and my husband and I are getting closer and closer to a complete Empty Nest. When our youngest graduates next Spring, she too will join the other "bubbles" to float in the air, capture the light and follow where the wind blows her.
I wish that I could continue to keep them close and inside a protective bubble, but I realize that the minute you take that wand, dip it into the soapy liquid and blow those bubbles, you are setting them free to share their own beauty with the world.
When I think of bubbles now, sometimes I wish I could capture my children in a beautiful effervescent bubble and keep them safe there, in a land of rainbows, awe and joy. But my children, like each bubble we blow have their own journeys in the wind, their own beauty, their own uniqueness.
What makes me think of this analogy, is the fact that all of my children are now adults, and my husband and I are getting closer and closer to a complete Empty Nest. When our youngest graduates next Spring, she too will join the other "bubbles" to float in the air, capture the light and follow where the wind blows her.
I wish that I could continue to keep them close and inside a protective bubble, but I realize that the minute you take that wand, dip it into the soapy liquid and blow those bubbles, you are setting them free to share their own beauty with the world.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Set another Plate at the Table "Ode to our Kitchen Table",
Our Kitchen table has another place setting there,
Our Joy is overflowing cuz our first grandchild is here.
So many memories made, so many yet to come,
These moments fill my heart, it's why I became a Mom.
Ninety-six inches long when all the leafs are in,
A Kitchen table, is where many stories begin.
So much laughter, arguing, and agreeing to disagree,
It's the place we sit around as we grow our family tree.
No conversation is ever out of bounds,
My family conversing at our table is one of life's sweetest sounds.
Now Leo's cry is saying "Listen to Me",
And in years to come, may he be joined by many cousins who will add to our glee.
I'm sitting alone at my kitchen table as I write this Ode,
And I look forward to future memories made at the table in our Naugler Abode.
Our Joy is overflowing cuz our first grandchild is here.
So many memories made, so many yet to come,
These moments fill my heart, it's why I became a Mom.
Ninety-six inches long when all the leafs are in,
A Kitchen table, is where many stories begin.
So much laughter, arguing, and agreeing to disagree,
It's the place we sit around as we grow our family tree.
No conversation is ever out of bounds,
My family conversing at our table is one of life's sweetest sounds.
Now Leo's cry is saying "Listen to Me",
And in years to come, may he be joined by many cousins who will add to our glee.
I'm sitting alone at my kitchen table as I write this Ode,
And I look forward to future memories made at the table in our Naugler Abode.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
The Story Goes On
And so our story goes on....two teenagers who fell in love at 16, married at 20 and had five beautiful children, now have a grandson.
Our son Ryan who at birth was given a 5% chance of survival, did just that....he survived, met his wife Annie at 16, fell in love got engaged at 20, married at 23 and at 26 became a father of a beautiful healthy little boy, who will continue our story.
Our grandson is blessed to have 4 great grandparents, 4 grandparents, countless great aunts, and uncles and many many cousins who can't wait to meet him, love him and welcome him into the Naugler, Dougherty, Lilly, and Cincotta families.
When Donnie and I were dating at 16, we knew at a very young age, that we were destined to be together. We always knew we wanted to have a large family, and God Blessed us with our five children. Today, looking at my grandson, who looks so much like my son, my heart was filled with so much joy, because he is just the beginning of this story that never ends. The circle of life.
My blog has always had a theme of gratefulness, and today, I am so grateful to have a healthy grandson with two loving parents. I am grateful to have had Donnie's grandparents, and my grandparents alive and full of stories rich in family history when my first child was born. I am grateful that Leo will have my parents and Donnie's parents to share their family history's with him. I am grateful that Annie's parents are going to fill Leo's life with stories of Lilly and Cincotta history. This is how the story goes on.....it goes on, in the story telling by all those who came before Leo, and will be passed on to all those that are still to come.....
Welcome to the Story Leo Salvatore Naugler.....I look forward to seeing how your story will unfold.....but one thing I know for sure....your story started with LOVE
Our son Ryan who at birth was given a 5% chance of survival, did just that....he survived, met his wife Annie at 16, fell in love got engaged at 20, married at 23 and at 26 became a father of a beautiful healthy little boy, who will continue our story.
Our grandson is blessed to have 4 great grandparents, 4 grandparents, countless great aunts, and uncles and many many cousins who can't wait to meet him, love him and welcome him into the Naugler, Dougherty, Lilly, and Cincotta families.
When Donnie and I were dating at 16, we knew at a very young age, that we were destined to be together. We always knew we wanted to have a large family, and God Blessed us with our five children. Today, looking at my grandson, who looks so much like my son, my heart was filled with so much joy, because he is just the beginning of this story that never ends. The circle of life.
My blog has always had a theme of gratefulness, and today, I am so grateful to have a healthy grandson with two loving parents. I am grateful to have had Donnie's grandparents, and my grandparents alive and full of stories rich in family history when my first child was born. I am grateful that Leo will have my parents and Donnie's parents to share their family history's with him. I am grateful that Annie's parents are going to fill Leo's life with stories of Lilly and Cincotta history. This is how the story goes on.....it goes on, in the story telling by all those who came before Leo, and will be passed on to all those that are still to come.....
Welcome to the Story Leo Salvatore Naugler.....I look forward to seeing how your story will unfold.....but one thing I know for sure....your story started with LOVE
Sunday, April 12, 2015
I found my Pot of Gold in Ireland
If you asked me over a year ago, Do you think you would ever go to Ireland and find your Pot of Gold? I would have said, " probably not!" But I did indeed find my Pot of Gold in Ireland last week.
Our youngest daughter has been studying abroad in Brussels and when she had a two week semester break, we decided to go visit her for a week in Europe. We chose Ireland to visit because it was only a short plane ride for her from Brussels. Did we have the money to go? Was it a good financial decision to go? Did we miss Jane like crazy? Would it be a worthwhile trip? NO and NO to the first two questions, and Heck YES to the last two!
Letting Jane go abroad was probably one of the hardest decisions we have ever made, but our hearts told us, she needed to go and that it was the right thing for her to do. I cried so hard for a week before we put her on the plane to leave, I prayed that this would be a positive experience and would change her life.
So how does this all lead up to finding my Pot of Gold? Well I will tell you.
I first found my Pot of Gold when I first saw my baby girls smiling face when we met up with her in Dublin after not having seen her in months. To see that smile was priceless and its shine warmed my heart and my soul.
I next found Gold in Ireland by having 7 straight days of Golden Sunshine. Something the locals in Ireland said is very rare at this time of year. God was smiling down at us each day in those beautiful rays of sunshine, he knows how special this trip was to us.
I found Gold in finding the birth place of my Great Grandmother Julia Marie Kelly Tobin. The house was still standing with only three walls, but the connection I felt to my ancestors and knowing that this is where my Nana's mother was born, gave me the strongest sense of awe and connection to my roots. No money on earth can give you that feeling, but there is definitely Gold in knowing how precious that moment of finding her house gave me.
I found Gold in being with my husband and being so grateful to experience Ireland and all the different counties that my relatives came from with him by my side. And definitely Gold in the fact that he did a great job driving on the Left Side of the Road.
I found Gold in the sheer beauty of the Waterfalls, the landscape, the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the golden daffodils all in bloom, the mountain side, the counties, and the music we heard in pubs and on the streets of Ireland.
I found Gold in having Jane travel with us, and having her be so engaging, and talkative the entire time. Not once did she use her phone to call people, text people, or play games. She sat in the back seat and regaled us with stories of her months in Brussels, all the people she has met, all the different sights she has seen, and her excitement of her future plans. She and Donnie marveled at the history of all the castles and sights we saw. We talked about politics, science, evolution, religion, life and love. She was and is "Happy" and to me that is worth more than all the Gold in the world.
It didn't rain, so we saw no Rainbows, but we saw so many stars each night as we finished our days of sightseeing. I didn't meet any leprechauns, and I didn't see any fairies, but I felt the magic in the air, and the spirits of my ancestors.
We didn't need a rainbow to find a pot of gold at the end of, because the Gold was with us every day, and is still with us. My Pot of Gold was with me all along, because whether I'm in Ireland or here at home, my Pot of Gold comes is the warmth of Family, Friends and Love.
Our youngest daughter has been studying abroad in Brussels and when she had a two week semester break, we decided to go visit her for a week in Europe. We chose Ireland to visit because it was only a short plane ride for her from Brussels. Did we have the money to go? Was it a good financial decision to go? Did we miss Jane like crazy? Would it be a worthwhile trip? NO and NO to the first two questions, and Heck YES to the last two!
Letting Jane go abroad was probably one of the hardest decisions we have ever made, but our hearts told us, she needed to go and that it was the right thing for her to do. I cried so hard for a week before we put her on the plane to leave, I prayed that this would be a positive experience and would change her life.
So how does this all lead up to finding my Pot of Gold? Well I will tell you.
I first found my Pot of Gold when I first saw my baby girls smiling face when we met up with her in Dublin after not having seen her in months. To see that smile was priceless and its shine warmed my heart and my soul.
I next found Gold in Ireland by having 7 straight days of Golden Sunshine. Something the locals in Ireland said is very rare at this time of year. God was smiling down at us each day in those beautiful rays of sunshine, he knows how special this trip was to us.
I found Gold in finding the birth place of my Great Grandmother Julia Marie Kelly Tobin. The house was still standing with only three walls, but the connection I felt to my ancestors and knowing that this is where my Nana's mother was born, gave me the strongest sense of awe and connection to my roots. No money on earth can give you that feeling, but there is definitely Gold in knowing how precious that moment of finding her house gave me.
I found Gold in being with my husband and being so grateful to experience Ireland and all the different counties that my relatives came from with him by my side. And definitely Gold in the fact that he did a great job driving on the Left Side of the Road.
I found Gold in the sheer beauty of the Waterfalls, the landscape, the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the golden daffodils all in bloom, the mountain side, the counties, and the music we heard in pubs and on the streets of Ireland.
I found Gold in having Jane travel with us, and having her be so engaging, and talkative the entire time. Not once did she use her phone to call people, text people, or play games. She sat in the back seat and regaled us with stories of her months in Brussels, all the people she has met, all the different sights she has seen, and her excitement of her future plans. She and Donnie marveled at the history of all the castles and sights we saw. We talked about politics, science, evolution, religion, life and love. She was and is "Happy" and to me that is worth more than all the Gold in the world.
It didn't rain, so we saw no Rainbows, but we saw so many stars each night as we finished our days of sightseeing. I didn't meet any leprechauns, and I didn't see any fairies, but I felt the magic in the air, and the spirits of my ancestors.
We didn't need a rainbow to find a pot of gold at the end of, because the Gold was with us every day, and is still with us. My Pot of Gold was with me all along, because whether I'm in Ireland or here at home, my Pot of Gold comes is the warmth of Family, Friends and Love.
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