Today is Thanksgiving in the USA. I haven't written for a long time. We are now living in a condo since 2010 and loving it. We are currently remodelling our kitchen by changing the cupboards and the counter top. So we are eating breakfast and lunch at home and dinner out. I am currently with no water and sink, so the easiest thing is go out for dinners. I know one thing for sure, I will be happy to cook again when the times come. The past four years were quite challenging that is life. Since I no longer work outside the home, I am enjoying my grandkids. Three of them, two girls and one boy. A girl 41/2 yr old, a boy two and a girl 19 month old. They are so much fun.

Daily Life

Today is a good day. My day began with a massage with one of my favourite person. She told me that she will no longer do massages but concentrate in Life Coaching. At first in my mind I said Oh! No!. Again my life is changing....Is that a good thing?

My life has been changing faster since last September. My mother is in a secure environment and I had to say goodby to this person that I discovered in the last twelve years and began to like.

My grandchild was born this past February and that we are enjoying so much. Our little angel on earth.

My husband diagnosed with colonrectal cancer in March and that he is curently receiving treatment to save him.

In June I turned 60 and yes it is only a number but it is here. My story at this time is that I am scared of the changes and that is alright because with time I will learn to appreciate of what will happen because other doors and/or widows will open to a new life.

Is that True?

Too funny....nail

To be like a child

On Saturday I was at my massage therapist waiting for my turn, a mother with her child that was trying to whistle walked in and this little girl had beautiful long strawberry blond hair and was maybe no older than 4 years old. She was adament to put her coat on a hanger herself even though it was too high for her. Her mother help her and then they proceed to the waiting area.

This little girl went to a small chair at a table with colouring books and books to read. She began to colour in the colouring book while she was singing a Christmas song. She was happy, she was joyful, all the adults in the room were mesmerized by this child. A yound lady came in and was watching the child being hersel and my massage therapist came into the room and ask the young ladies if her hormones were ok, the young lady was surprised by this question and the therapist proceeded to tell her by watching you looking at the child, maybe you are yearning for a child.... We all began to laugh and I said, you noticed that she did not ask me whether or not my hormones were working...and the therapist said well you have the grandmother hormone working full blast and i laughed.

This bundle of joy is planned to arrive on February 14, we are looking forward to his/her arrival.

The mother of this little girl is doing a wonderful job with her child. This child was genuinely happy, she projected joy in the room. She had no qualm of being her true self.

Hopefully she will continue to be joyful, truthful. As we grew up some of us have lost this childlike qualities, but we can find it again, by taking time to breath, to be truthful, to be joyful.

I know that I am learning the skill that I lost a long time ago to be joyful. What a way to be!

Play, laughter

Hello Blog,

I am reading a chapter on "Play" in Martha Beck's book called "The Joy Diet" and remembered while Dominic and I recovered from a car accident and eventually closing the business and his brain surgery all happening within a 6 week period, Dom and I did a lot of laughter.

We would laugh at almost everything and anything. Quite often we forget to laugh, er take life too seriously and forget to play and to laugh.

I would guess that while we were experiencing the most stressful time in our life, we chose to laugh instead of feeling like victims.

A lot makes me laugh, children playing and their giggling, babies cooing, a good joke, my children make me laugh quite often.

Playing is my favourite thing to do and I discover the word play when my children were small and now that they are grow up, I have a ball with my grand niece Giuliana, she is playfull and I love being with her so we can play together at whatever she wants to play, by the way she's the boss and it's OK.

Joy and Treats

Yesterday after my weekly treat of going into the studio to paint for 5 hours I finished a painting of a still life that I will post on my blog and I began a new painting of another still life. How cool it is.....

So after the art studio I went grocery shopping and purchased a few books so I can use them as a daily treat.

I know I committed myself to do a daily walk...already I failed to follow through...sigh. No story to tell and will not explain the reason why I failed to walk. Sigh

I have been busy on the computer today by following through with the meeting of this past Wednesday evening.

I look forward for the preparation with Mary-Ann for Maya's baby shower in January.

Treats

This morning I woke up very late and was not in the mood to go walking specially that the weather was not enticing.

I prepared my Sunday lunch and then got dressed and decided to go to the neighbourhood bakery you know to feel that I had a purpose for my walk. Well when I got there, the bakery was closed and I started laughing because it told me I do not need to find reasons to go for a walk; the bottom line I am the reason. There is my Joy Walk of the day.

Now my treat, mmmm what kind of treat to have today... Well I know read a book....

Hahaha I think that I am reading two books by Martha Beck at the same times. The Joy Diet, Finding Your Own Star and a fun book called Family Tree that I finished.

Today is a good day even when the weather is grey...

Taking care of me

This morning I made up my mind that I need to move more. So I began doing a Joy Walk to get me back on track with taking care of myself.

I had my ipod and was listening to a variety of singers like Edith Piaf, the group call Tricot Machine, Dalida and more either in French or in English.

Three years ago I lost 40 lbs. just in time for my daughter's wedding. I have for the past year and a half gained back 25 lbs. My eating habits is quite good most of the time so I know in order to get back on track I need to move more.

I do not like the word exercise, so instead I am calling this a "Joy Walk". I am committing myself to do a daily walk for the next week at least 20 to 30 minutes.

To plan a Retirement

To plan a retirement is not only monetary planning but to plan what we would do with our spare time.

This past week my husband and I were discussing the subject of retirement. He asked if I remember when my daughter and I used to tell him that he needed to have a hobby. He surprised me by saying that when he will retire he would like to volunteer his time with "Habitat for Humanity". I had goosebumps when he mentioned that. Volunteering helps you to meet new people and to better learn about ourselves and specially to feel good about ourselves.

My husband's family were not a family that read books, volunteer etc. My daughter and I encouraged him to read by giving him books for Christmas. When my children were very young I would volunteer my time to get me out of the house. The bottom line to make a change is to lead by example.

It Has been a long time....

It has been a long time that I have written on this blog.

I am currently taking a course called "The Joy Diet" based on the book of Martha Beck.

Daily I am learning to take 15 minutes of nothing. 15 minutes of nothing you might say...Do I have time for this? Well It is a beginning process of becoming happy. The book speaks of 10 daily practices for a happier life and doing the 15 minutes of nothing is the first step.

Thoughts come and go throughout these 15 minutes. There are time that taking 15 minute of nothing is too long...sigh...

When these thoughts come I ask question Is that story I tell myself true? I had a aha moment when I tell myself I am not good at this or that and I ask if this is true and can I change the story. This process is very interesting.

Eliane Reyes plays Chopin at

Tout Commence par un rêve -Francis Bernier

FROGDIVA: Francis Bernier - Prince d'Azur

FROGDIVA: Francis Bernier - Prince d'Azur

Francis Bernier - Prince d'Azur

Facebook Movie

Facebook.com Song

Middle School Bullying

Bullying is a sad affair,