eleven things i know but need to keep relearning

at the end of each month, i write a post about what i have learnt. coming to the end of this month i have realised - i have learnt most in the reminders.

1. love to the best of your ability. not your mothers or brothers or best friends - your own.

2. persevere, even when the road gets hard. every uphill struggle becomes a freewheeling bike ride with the wind running through your hair.

3. timing is out of your hands, learn to make peace with it.

4. be open, it's inviting to others.

5. fear is a smokescreen, you are stronger than you imagine.

6. embrace your creativity, it's your unique oxygen.

7. you control your decision making ability, look for the short and long term outcomes before determining your final conclusion.

8. be kind, it certainly never killed anyone.

9. make certain you want that dream you are working towards. someday when it comes true you will be thankful you took the time to look at all angles.

10. prayers do get answered, even when you think god might have gone deaf and has certainly grown sick of hearing the same one.

11. remember to laugh. it truly is lifes best pick me up.

Emma 

linking with emily at chatting at the sky

success, failure and the drive to keep creating

i watched this video last week on the ted website and have been waiting for it to hit youtube so i could share it with you. elizabeth gilbert knows what it's like to be a success and what it's like to be a failure, here she shares her wisdom about how to get back to your "home" - after you have experienced either - she does so eloquently and in seven minutes. enjoy.

Emma

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weekend visiting

this weekend i went to visit jane. we both took a rare day off and spent time together - just the two of us. i mean really, that hardly ever happens. we live almost 200 miles apart, there are family and jobs and commitments that get in the way but hey, if you can't make time for your best mate, life has got way too busy. so of course we did what two woman alone but still with a bit of stuff to get sorted do - we shopped and ate lunch. there were changing rooms run in and out of, a good dose of laughter, a great deal of talking and a waiter who knew not to rush to the desert menu. the following day there was bargain hunting, wisteria watching, rain walking and much more laughter. note to self: when your best friend says "don't put your wellies on, we won't walk through the bluebells" know that you are going to walk through the bluebells, get soaking wet whilst wearing a makeshift headscarf and love every minute of it.

Emma

best part of the week

Going for a walk with your best friend on a Saturday afternoon- getting soaking wet in the rain to the point where water drips off you- and then turning round and saying 'we should take a selfie'.
Happy times.

Jane and Emma

this weeks ear worm

Emma

thankful thursday

this week i am thankful for rest, for laughter and time spent with friends and family. this week i am thankful to meet people who are making a difference to close friends lives and am thankful to see the changes. this week i am thankful for clear blue skies, the warmth of sunshine, and sunburnt noses.  this week i am thankful for health and community spirit. this week i am thankful for sacrifices made to allow life to be lived fully. 

Emma

the manford effect

today i woke to a facebook like that actually took me down the rabbit hole of something good, something really good. in my news feed a friend had liked comedian jason manfords status about stephen sutton. stephen sutton is a nineteen year old lad who is terminally ill with cancer, he started a blog about his fight and has been fund raising for teenage cancer trust. jason met stephen last month at a teenage cancer trust comedy gig. yesterday stephen posted a final thumbs up on facebook telling everyone it wasn't looking good for him. jason, a father to three girls, eloquently took to facebook to rally the troops as stephen had wanted to raise a million pounds for teenage cancer trust before he went - it was on his bucket list. a young lad terminally ill found it easier to cope with his own discomfort whilst he was helping others. without any help from jason he had got himself over half way there, raising £560k, jason pledged he would help him get to the final figure and then took to facebook and told his 674k followers to spread the word. By lunchtime today a million was reached - jason has now asked us all to double it. at the time of writing the total stands at £1,361,406.51 if you would like to help this nineteen year old surpass his dream and leave a legacy find how to donate here.

Emma