Determined

I am so determined that what I am about to tell you next will absolutely shock anyone who knows me personally – because those who know me are aware that I HATE to travel alone like I would rather do just about anything besides getting on planes and waiting at airports by myself…I don’t like to sit next to strangers or carry heavy suitcases either! 

So, what I am going to tell you next will shock everyone –   I got off the plane yesterday after coming all the way from Idaho to Dallas and then Buenos Aires. That is a 15 to 20 hour on the air and going back again to do it tomorrow night. Yikes! 

Now this time I am traveling with Daniel and that is much better but still I think I am the only person who is crazy enough to travel back and forth just to spend a few days with the family but the fact that I am willing to do it repeatedly is nothing short of a miracle since for me this is a serious accomplishment considering that I get anxious when I travel alone. 

I even ask Daniel to give me a blessing before I leave so I can be calm and not as nervous and even though I am a little scared at times to experience turbulence I am committed to getting back on a plane again tomorrow why? because I love seeing my family. 

Con amor,

Vero

Do your best and leave God the rest

Today, I got back from visiting Cristi and family in Idaho and each time I come home I feel that there is never enough time to do it all but the good thing is that we try. You must remember that in life all you can do is your best. Put your heart out there. Lay it all on the line. And once you have done that there is absolutely nothing that worrying about will do for you. You do your best and you let the rest come as it may with your head held high and your hopes for great things to come. It does not help to worry about the things left undone. 

Don’t waste one minute of your life immersed in worries or sadness for things that you cannot change either. Focus on the positive. Focus on what you can control and let go of the things that you cannot control. Trust God, or trust whatever higher power you believe in. Life may not go the exact way you think it should, but trust that things are happening for your own best good so long as you are doing your very best in all you do.

I need to remember that it’s okay to get on my knees and ask God for help. I sometimes I get caught up in the “I am capable therefore I should be able to cope with this myself,” and in doing so I forget to use the best resource for help that I could ever get – prayer!  I need to be willing to ask for His help a little more in my life and I need to stop thinking I must do it all myself.  As a parent, I love it when my kids ask me to help them – it makes me feel like I am important to them when they want my help.  So, I suppose it would stand to reason that God, who is our father, would feel good when we come to him and ask for help; So sure, I am going to work on doing that a little more.  And then I am going to do my best to do my part and then trust the rest to him.

Con amor,

Vero

Feeling grateful

On this month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, I cannot think of a better way to honor this holiday than to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives. I will not write for the next two weeks because I will be busy in Idaho visiting family and I don't write when I am away from home. 

When I stop and really think about all the people who have made a difference in my life I am overwhelmed with how blessed I have been. From my ancestors who established a legacy for me to try and live up to, to my parents who brought me into this world and raised me with good values, to my family members, to my dear husband, to our children and their families, to my mentors, teachers, business associates, to our neighbors over the years and to my friends…my life has been blessed tremendously by these people and I am forever grateful to have them in my life. 

As I read Timothy 1 and 2 last week I thought of you and how I am grateful for the example you set for me and for the things you teach me. I am grateful for your patience and forgiveness you extend to me when I fall short. I am grateful for your support and kindness when I need someone to lean on. I am grateful for your laughter and all the funny stories you tell, (the story of the towel in particular) puts a smile on my face each time I hear it. I can’t tell you enough the happiness you help bring into our lives. I am grateful to call each of you my family. I am grateful for the chance we had to visit abuela Nela twice since we moved to Buenos Aires. 

As we have lived abroad, I am grateful for strangers that come into my life and teach me things through their example and who make me feel accepted, cared for, appreciated, understood, valued and loved in each area we have lived. I am grateful for the person who smiled at me as she passed me on the street today. I am grateful for the man who helped lift my suitcase into the overhead bin on my last flight from New York, when it was too heavy for me to do alone. I am grateful for the email I received from a woman at headquarters letting us know how much she appreciated what we have done to help her find good doctors since she is new in town, I am grateful for the person at the intersection who paused so Daniel could get in front of their car.  Yes, I am thankful for every stranger who has impacted my life for the better because not only did they made me feel special, but they served as a reminder for me of the person I wanted to be to others.

Most of all, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and for His son, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for their unconditional love and endless mercy. I am thankful for the challenges they have helped me get through and I am thankful for the blessings they have bestowed on my life. I am thankful to know that they are always there for me, even when I fall short and don’t deserve them, they are always still there, wanting the best for me and eager to bless me with the things I stand in need of in my life.

Celebrating the day of the dead a couple of days ago, reminded me of how life is fragile and we never know just how long our own time on this earth will extend. It is my hope that we would each take the opportunity this month to thank each person who makes a difference in our lives. But then it is my hope that we won’t wait another year to extend that thanks, but that we will all make an effort to do it on a regular basis so that if our own time on this earth were to come to an unexpected end, that we would be at peace knowing that we had expressed our gratitude and thanks to all of those who have made a difference in our lives. 

Thank you so much to all of you for being a part of my life and for all you have done for me. I love looking at Instagram and watch what you and the kiddos are up to. I watch them over and over again. May the Lord bless each of you. 

Con amor,

Vero

See you at the top!

I found this thought about success that I like!

"What is success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To lead the world a bit better, whether
by a healthy child a garden patch
of a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded."

James E. Faust (quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson)

My high school graduation was over forty years ago so there was a big celebration that took place the first week in July 2018.  I remember as a Senior wanting so much to finish up so I could start College and actually be with people I really liked. Don’t get me wrong, I had good friends in High school but many were into bad language, drinking, smoking or being too materialistic and not only that, but some of them were even mean to me.  One class that we had to take as a Senior was to prepare us for College. 

I remember vividly the teacher asking all of us to buy the book See “You at the Top” by Zig Ziglar. I often though who names their child Zig? Those of you who know me know that I am a huge fan of great motivational speakers and I rely on their quotes and words to help inspire me on the days when I find myself getting down.  Zig Ziglar is one of those great motivators who spent the bulk of his life lifting others up with his motivational words.  

Zig Ziglar, sadly, passed away a few years ago from pneumonia or I would have loved to have met him. His inspirational example and words will be with us forever and I am truly grateful for the incredible impact he has had on my life through his speeches, his audio talks, his books and his quotes.  In his memory and as a former student of his I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes of Zig Ziglar that have lifted me up in my life. 

 “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could” 

“Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be. If we do our best, we are a success.” 

“If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.” 

“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”

 “Make today worth remembering.” 

“You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.”

 “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”

 “The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little.” 

“Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” 

  “Many marriages would be better if the husband and wife clearly understood that they’re on the same side. ” 

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now” 

“There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.” 

“You cannot consistently perform in a manner which is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.”  

“Some of us learn from other people’s mistakes and the rest of us have to be other people.”  

“The more you are grateful for what you have the more you will have to be grateful for” 

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” 

“You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” 

 “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great” 

‘People say motivation doesn’t last, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” 

 All amazing quotes from Zig Ziglar. A true American icon.  We would all do well to live by his wise words. People who knew him have expressed that he taught mostly by his example that anything is possible and how important attitude is to our success in life.

 Success is what he preached, that every individual was born with all it takes to succeed and if we help each other along the way, everyone can succeed. 

Many of my classmates made it fine but no one that I know became an icon or extremely wealthy nor famous. It’s all relative but what I mean is they all have good jobs that pay well and some even started their own businesses but none of the class of 1978 has made it to the fortune 500 companies. However, there is still time cause 60 is the new 40! 

Con amor,

Vero

Feliz Dia de los Muertos

For those who speak Spanish: Una amiga puso esto en WhatsApp que lo he modificado un poquito para compartir.

Reflexión para este día de muertos.

Para este día no tengo flores ni altar, no prenderé velas ni hare oraciones, de hecho, no tengo muertos en la familia. Lo que tengo son personas que se han ido, pero que su sangre fluye por mis venas, que siguen aquí, conmigo, en mis recuerdos desde cuando yo era apenas una nena. 

Hoy, no habrán calaveras ni flores, tan solo festejos por haber convivido con personas valiosas que solo se adelantaron a la presencia de nuestro creador.

Para este día no tengo lágrimas, lo que tengo es mucho agradecimiento. No hay tristezas solo recuerdos, si algo yace en mis sepulcros familiares son evidencias de quienes aún dan vida a mi vida con su legado. 

No usare este día para meditar sobre la muerte, al contrario, agradeceré la oportunidad de la vida que Dios me ha otorgado. En mi casa todos son bienvenidos, sobre todo los recuerdos de las personas que ya no lo están físicamente, pero si en espíritu. 

Para este día de muertos no adornare la casa con motivos fúnebres, abriré mis cortinas para que la bendición del sol entre y acaricie mi vida. 

Para este día de muertos y para el resto de mis días, pensare en la muerte para valorar la vida, mi ofrenda será tratar de ser mejor y mi incienso una sonrisa sincera para los demás. 

Para este día de muertos abrazare aquellos que tienen muerta la esperanza, que han perdido la paz o se les murió la fe. 

Para este día tengo tantas gracias que dar, un réquiem a mi tristeza y un epitafio en mi puerta que diga: “Aquí yace y vive una persona que no quiere morir en vida.” 

How do you live your dash?

One of my favorite poems is How do you live your dash? In celebration to the Day of the Dead. 

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone,

From the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth

And spoke the following date with tears

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents

All the time she spent alive on earth…

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars…the house…the cash,

What matters is how we lived and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read

With your life’s actions to rehash…

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash? 

 Anonymous 

Con amor,

Vero