Write Your Story; Leave a Legacy

22/04/2024

I wrote a little book.
A summary of my life.

I have kept my experiences and evolution very private, and now I’m ready to come out and share.

I want the world to know the REAL ME!
And I hope to inspire others to be REAL!

I look forward to sharing more in the future. For now, here is my whimsical intro!

P.S. I just love piggies! And I found it fun to learn that my maternal grandma did too! 🐷

19/04/2024

Yesterday I really needed some grounding time, so I took a little walk through our tulips — barefooted — and enjoyed a little photo shoot with them. Then I added some of my key words as “I am” statements. What a delightful activity for my soul! 🌷

❓What are some of your “I am” words?

15/04/2024

A PLACE WHERE STORIES CONVERGE

My life took an interesting turn in 2009, when I took an income tax preparation course … and subsequently got hired at a tax preparation office.

Since 2010, I have learned the inner workings of a tax return, a tax office, and dealing with the IRS and state DOR. Such useful info and experience! 🤩

There are a handful of countries in the world where the citizens do not pay annual income tax. 😱 The US is not one of those countries. And today is our annual tax deadline, a date important in my calendar each year.

Most people are overwhelmed and fearful about their finances and paying their annual taxes. It has been a true ministry and joy to support thousands of people over the years during this stressful time for them. 🙏🏼

It occurs to me that A TAX OFFICE IS A PLACE WHERE STORIES CONVERGE. Each person I sit down with shares relevant stories about their family and their finances – births, adoptions, graduations, marriages, jobs, retirements, divorces, deaths. There is laughter and tears. I am honored to be trusted with their intimate stories! ☺️

Many years ago, an older man brought in his tax papers. His wife had recently died, and I sensed that he needed to talk about her, so I listened. He told me that her birth name was an awful name, and when her employer offered free legal services, she use that benefit to change her first name. He told me her name was so horrible that he couldn’t tell me what it was. 😅 I was not intimidated. I leaned in and quietly told him, “My mom’s name was Dorcas!” He relaxed, laughed, and shared more details. He lit up just to talk about his dear one!

(continued in comments)

09/04/2024

I am such a wonderful combo of my parents 💛 … and yesterday’s solar event was just a perfect illustration of that! 😅

Mom — all practical, little emotion, is this worthy of my time and energy, let’s do this and move on to pressing matters

Dad — nerdy, life is cool and fun, stop and smell the roses/enjoy the sun, find people to enjoy it with

Paula — feeling the deep spiritual meaning of the event, wanting space and solitude to take it in, feeling giddy about the cool nerdiness of this day, soaking in the healing sunshine, while at the same time connecting online with someone who inspires me

(see photo captions for further enlightenment)

☀️

Yesterday I had very few words for what the solar eclipse meant to me. It was unique. It was cool. It was special. I’m grateful I carved out time to take it in.

Today I continue to soak in the experience and the healing sunshine of yesterday. Something has been shifting in me, as symbolized by the “light turning off and back on” yesterday. 🌓

☀️ New Beginnings.
☀️ Clarity.
☀️ Commitments.
☀️ Action.
☀️ Vibrance.
☀️ Authenticity.
☀️ Renewed love of the Sun.

❓ What did the eclipse experience mean for you?

25/03/2024

🐈 ANIMAL LOVER 🐈‍⬛

Some people have pets who simply and quietly hang around the house, and they interact like ships passing in the night.

And some people stop everything they are doing when an animal walks into the room … and they stop in the middle of the driveway when a bunny appears … and they break out in their high-pitch animal voice and talk to the animal as if it were their baby … and they scoop up the animal and snuggle it with lovies for a few minutes … and when they take a walk in the neighborhood, cats appear from the bushes and walk towards them. 🙋🏼‍♀️

The second one is me! And I own it!

1️⃣ My first pet was a stray kitten who appeared in our yard one day when I was about 11 years old. Mom was not an animal lover, and I suspected she wouldn’t agree to our family having a pet. So I took the kitten up to my bedroom and kept it in my closet. That worked until morning, when the kitten had understandably p*e’d and poo’d in the closet. Oops! Mom and Dad conferred and agreed to let me keep the kitten, after observing how much I loved it (I respect their wisdom in that decision). The kitten was free to come and go (and p*e outside), and after several days it disappeared.

Well, now we had a bag of cat food and a girl who adored cats, so my parents found another cat!

2️⃣ Our next kitty was Tigger (a golden tabby) and later came 3️⃣ Frisky (a black & gray tabby). They were my babies, and I loved snuggling with them whenever I could. They had warm and fun personalities and loved to lay on the book we were reading or on Dad’s desk while he was trying to pay bills. Frisky was also known for his church attendance! He loved to sneak into our church (across the street) on a summer Sunday morning when the church doors stayed open, and he loved to greet church goers after services. I was heartbroken when Tigger died of apparently getting into some poison. Frisky lived a long life and died after I had moved away from home.

… (continued in comments)

24/03/2024

Today is a day of birthdays and death anniversaries. Interesting how that sometimes happens.

Life is a celebration, from beginning to end! One of today’s celebrations is this sweet, happy one-year-old boy — my youngest grandchild!

Who are YOU celebrating today?

01/03/2024