Thanksgiving 'Thanks'...

is a state of mind and heart; a consciousness...a Beautiful, Exquisite Awareness within our soul, on one day of the year~ SO strong ~ that it leads us and connects us in Spirit to the ones we love, whether physically present on the day or not, in a way like none other throughout the year. i used to say Thanksgiving was my 'second' favorite holiday to Christmas, but  i changed my mind about that this year...they're officially tied for 1st! 

while Christmas is a holiday meant to remind us of the Gift of Christ to this world, to each of us, a gift so great that we have yet to discover the divine magnitude of it, ThanksGiving is a holiday to remind us of the gifts we were given in each other and the blessings that God has given us to 'give' thanks over.  ultimately, both holidays remind us of the gift of LoVe and because of this great LoVe, we give thanks.

the table was 'set' and ready for all that the day was awaiting...and it started off with quite the 'bang’

i woke up early at 7am [unable to go back to sleep] and felt that still small voice of God beckoning me

sweetly to"Get Up!"  i knew He was pressing on my heart to 'give' the thanks that i felt in my heart, in a physical way. i knew and felt it the entire day before as i spent prepping our bird and side dishes. so i got up, rummaged through the pantry, pulled out all the canned foods that had been sitting there for over a month, and then tore apart my closet for all the things i no longer wear. even when i found myself tottering over a couple things thinking 'well maybe'...i'd start laughing as i heard the voice "Put it in the Bag"

i bagged everything up, put it by the door and looked around. there were two apple pies [one extra] on the counter that the hubby brought home. i knew we wouldn't need both as my dad was bringing pumpkin pie too, so i grabbed it and out the door i went on a 'mission' to the San Diego rescue mission downtown. sure enough as i just barely left the house i was driving around the corner to the store across the street when i noticed a homeless man crossing the street with his cart full of cans.

"random" i thought to myself, as i have never seen a homeless person in the area where we live. so i rolled my window down and yelled out the window "SIR!! i have something for you!" let's just say...the last thing i thought i'd be doing on Thanksgiving morning was chasing down a homeless man to give him an apple pie. i saw him look back at me in confusion, so i yelled "I'm coming to you, hold on!" i can only imagine what he was thinking in that moment. so i drove around the corner to find a parking spot at the gas station, grabbed the apple pie [with a plastic plate and fork i brought] and darted back in his direction. 

i caught up to him as he clearly seemed on a 'mission' himself and i told him "Happy Thanksgiving" as i handed him the pie. he looked at me, again confused, as he took the pie and said "thanks". he started walking again, so i kept up and asked a few questions."what's your name?"  i got all one-word responses. "Robert" he says. "where'r ya from Robert?""Pennsylvania" - i said "wow, you walked

all the way to California? "Half-way" he said; "Hitchhiked the rest"...he started walking faster and so i took the hint, patted him on the back, told him it was great to meet him and that i hoped he'd enjoy the pie. 

i took off back across the street to get in my car and when i looked back, i saw him stop and open the pie and pummel into it with his hands. i smiled and thought"ThankYou God for Robert"...such a small gesture of giving on my part and God would be so gracious to overflow my heart with even more Joy, Love, and Gratitude. the spirit of giving, as it turns out :) is really for our own benefit, our own reward. i'm realizing that the more connected i feel to Him, the more connected i feel to everyone and everything in the Universe around me and the more Joy and peace i experience in the process. that is a Gift from God that nothing will ever compare to...it is the greatest Gift of His Love, the greatest of spiritual gifts.

this year was very special to me for multiple reasons. about a month and half ago, as a result of prayer and a lot of change in my own heart, i decided it was the year for change...the year for 'True' Ammends. this would be the year of 'The Peacemaker'. not unsettled peace, but true Peace..for true Love & grace to conquer, for wisdom, knowledge, fresh understanding, forgiveness, Joy, laughter, and Truth. and with a little devised 'plan' up my sleeve, i decided 'the Goodales will host Thanksgiving this year'.  i have to admit, i'd be lying if i said my guest list wasn't premeditated with a lot of thought and prayer.

those who know me the best know that my family has been through a lot....how many can relate to that!? just like so many others, i come from a broken home and for years our family has gone through a lot of ups, downs, and strain in our relationships with each other as a result. the 'details' of my experiences are irrelevant, but what i've truly begun to see this year is that after all the years, 17 years that is, since my parents divorced and a whole lot of hurts along the way, experienced by each of us respectively, i am finally in a state of true peace and gratitude over all the hardships. to be sitting at the table with both my mom & dad, and grandparents, mom's side, after 17 years...was a picture i never thought i'd see again, but as we took turns going around the table and each of us raising a Thanksgiving toast, i realized... the change hadn't taken place in one of us; it had taken place in all of us.

to see my dad and grandparents talking and laughing again after all the broken years, to see my mom hand my dad a card and loaf of homemade bread for he and April, my stepmom {who unfortunately couldn't make it} to enjoy later, to see my sister Olivia making faces across the table:)  the gift of a daughter God gave to my mom, after our family had fallen apart. to see Josiah, my younger brother, who i've always mothered in a way wanting nothing but the best for him...and to feel the pride i do in seeing how far he's come in his life and career in home health care for the elderly and immobile [i.e. changing diapers], he's one of the most compassionate people i know and i couldn't be more proud of him...

then looking to my right to see my husband, my Soulmate, my better-half and the reason i sing every day:) and then to my left to see my mother...the one i never thought i'd feel SO connected to in ways i was only able to once i gave her a standing chance...really, once i gave myself a chance. i got to spend last weekend [while David was away] with her and Olivia at their home in Lake Elsinore. mom and i talked for hours upon hours for two straight days and the heavens had opened up on us...i realized how much of her has always been in me...even when i refused to acknowledge it... yep, this Beautiful Picture below was the picture of 'Thanks' in my heart on Thanksgiving Day. when my turn had come to raise a toast i broke out in tears that i couldn't contain. toasting to the "Love in God" that carried us through every hurt throughout the years, and the "Forgiveness" that brought each of us to that table in that moment had overflown my heart with gratitude. 

This is what the holidays are ALL about...Family, no matter what that 'picture' looks like:) 

it's about 'letting go' and 'letting God' ...

an ever-present Awareness that God's Love has always been there...

Roots of the Family Tree...

The Eternal Love of Family...

We waved off grandma and grandpa and finished off the night with a 'Family' movie :) 'De Javu' with Denzel Washington... with the exception of a few family members i only wish could've been part of this 'picture',it was hands down one of the best Thanksgivings to date for all of us!

The hubby and i got to sleep-in on Friday and enjoy the whole day together...after some Black Friday shopping, new tires, car wash, oil change, and movie date, Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1~loved it...we got home to enjoy turkey dinner leftovers... the perfect union of Thanksgiving and Christmas Spirit as we listened to some holiday Frank Sinatra while putting up the tree, loving every moment of this beautiful life God has blessed us with!            

Holidays, Holidays, Oh how i LoVe Thee!!!

Merry Christmas to ALL of you and a Happy, Happy, HaPPy NEW Year full of Love, Forgiveness, Thanks, Peace, and Joy!!! 

Be Blessed! 

oNe Love,

Naomi 

learning to "let it be"...

in L-I-F-E requires understanding that only 'time' heals wounds and for that reason, there will be many 'times' in our lives when we need to just "let it be". we are human. we are flawed. we think differently. we see differently. we feel differently. we react differently. 

we are, all of us, whether we like it or not, at some point in time going to hurt someone we love and be hurt by the one(s) we love in return. and sometimes, despite our best efforts, it can be a losing battle when the one(s) we are tying to 'repair' with  refuse to reason with us or step outside their own point of view for even  a moment, if not just for the sake of loVe and moving forward to 'agree-to-disagree'. the obstacle of 'pride' instead, stands tall in the way.

by nature i am a peacemaker and don't like having tension with anyone in my life. it was written on my soul since the day i was born. 'Naomi' "pleasant" 'Rose' "giver of loVe" thanks mom and dad ;) ...and while those who know me best, know that i am a pretty loving, happy-go-lucky, positive-minded individual all around...am i always a 'pleasant' person? no. am i always a positive person? no. are any of us as human beings? 

all we can do is try to remember that we 'loVe' each other in spite of our differences while doing our best to work through them...

our souls are discovering how to 'cope' in a world where we will never agree on everything....in a world where often times, our own 'blood', the ones who we feel are 'supposed' to love us and know us the best are sometimes the ones who know us the least and still manage to hurt us the most. when we are 'hurt' we are 'hurt' and it becomes very difficult to see outside any other perspective [than our own] in the midst of that hurt. we feel defeated by it, and fearful of what the future may hold over it. i have learned this lesson before...and the last couple days have proven that i need to learn the lesson all over again... to "let it be" and wait on God and 'time' for healing.

i am striving toward that and realize more and more, by the day,  that to combat any negativity in my life i must find a way to quickly turn it around in the very opposite direction, so as not to 'dwell'. even if that means temporarily removing myself from a line of communication whether i want it or not.

by nature, i am a strong willed and strong-minded individual, at times to a flaw.  i always have been. when i believe in something i fight hard for it, bull horns and all. when my character is attacked, i stick up for myself and stand my ground~ while simultaneously trying to create the peace again. "agree to disagree" is my mantra when there is no other resolution. 

if i chose to stay angry or 'write off' every friend or family member who didn't 'agree' with me,  i don't know how i'd survive. i'd be one lonely individual. i need the relationships and the love in my life to keep me going. and that is 'life' for you. knowing that the 'hurt' will happen, deciding for yourself what the best thing you can do in the situation  is when you know you've given it your all, and learning how to work through it, for the good of your own soul. whatever that decision entails. my advice remains the same. go to the 'Source' within you with honesty. 

i can only hope and pray that the day will come when things will be different. when there will be laughter again between myself and this person i love...i love dearly and will for as long as i live, even if we manage to never see eye to eye.

i am not a victim here,  i am merely coping and learning how to turn the negatives into positives,  as it happens in my life. i am a writer and this is my outlet. but for the sake of discretion, there's no 'who' or 'details' of the 'what' to this post as it is irrelevant... there is only the lesson learned.. that is, to place mY trust, ALL of it, in God who is the onLy One who knows exactly what is in my heart. He is the only path to take in these times of hurt and confusion. when i don't, i dwell on the negative. i dwell on the anger. i dwell on my own point of view. i dwell. i dwell. i dwell...

i was almost defeated to this hurt and anger last night. about to leave work, on my way out the door to go meet my 'music-producing' friend:) for a second recording session, when a string of hurtful text messages came in.  the first of which i angrily responded to, before i was bursting out in tears that were full of hurt, and anger toward this person. ready to walk out the door, to call my husband and 'unload'..dwell...and already running late at this point to record, my first reaction was to give in. to call my friend Rumsy and tell him, 'i'm sorry', 'i can't come tonight'. 

i felt so emotionally defeated and angered by what i had read. all that my 'flesh' wanted to do was 'dwell' on it. bawling my eyes out, i started the car ready to go home. that is until i heard that beautiful, sweet,  still small voice beckoning my soul. i paused. turned off the car and was ready to seek out my true 'Source' in the matter. closing my eyes, i cried out to God in prayer. 

all that came to my mind was "i trust You, i trust You, i trust You" as i began to say it louder and louder over and over again....i finally asked my 'Source' the question. 'what do i do?' ...and the answer as blunt and blatant as it could've been; "GO SING".

ironically enough, the cover song i had planned to record [prior to the start of all the personal drama] was none other than "Let it Be" by the Beatles... coincidence, maybe? or maybe, the Father of my soul~ His own way of helping me move past it and allow it to 'be'.  'the show must go on' ...

despite hearing my incoming text messages (i knew who they were from) i had to make the active decision not to check them at that point or even on my way home. i had an incredible recording session and i was on a pure natural high the whole drive home.  followed up with the video shoot this morning, my SoUL is Singing ON... "Let it Be!!!"

oNe Love,

Naomi

it's the simple 'sweets' and 'unexpected funnies' of life...

like going straight for a nice spoonful of green tea ice cream after a great sushi dinner and  instead ending up with a chunk of wasabe in your mouth.  painful. true story. can you picture it? hope so because unfortunately, the unexpected 'funny' moments in life,  much like these, don't usually provide notice for "on the spot photo opportunity".

although, i'd have to say that neither Lea, Mia, or I were laughing too hard about it at first, as we were the victims of this horrendous tragedy;) now 'mama', the girls' mother, on the other hand... mY near and dear friend Severine, the birthday girl, and the only one who had yet to taste her own birthday "ice-cream" dessert, candle and all,  just got to sit back, watch, and laugh when she'd realized [after i'd had a moment to compose myself and tell her] "wasabe" ..."definitely not ice cream"... i have to admit though, i couldn't blame her for laughing. the look on the faces of all three of us had to be quite the site to behold. at least for the few remaining patrons in the restaurant, sushi chefs, and sweet waitresses, all  baffled and confused by what was going on  in our corner.

all three of us reacted simultaneously to the unexpected foul taste in our mouths. both girls instantly gagging and coughing, on the verge of crying, reaching for a napkin to vigorously wipe their tongues off, while i went straight for my glass of water, on the verge of vomiting all over the table....oh BoY! and did i mention... i HATE wasabe? there are few things in life i 'hate'.  truthfully i don't  like to even use that word...but wasabe, i hAte!  it's actually the flavor that makes me nauseous, not the spiciness, so i always substitute it with siracha...the red, even spicier sauce that i absolutely LOVE,  so much i put it on eVerything...but wasabe  i've always found repulsive.  needless to say a large chunk of it working its way down my throat was one 'great fear' come true.

of course, after we all cooled down, we definitely found the humor in it and laughed away;)

so how did the wasabe end up in our ice-cream? on accident i suppose, off a plate on our table is what Severine concluded... truthfully, i am still wondering for certain myself.

they kindly brought us a new scoop and it was green tea ice-cream all the way!

in any case it was a much needed "sweet" "sweet" treat and night with mY 3 giRLs in celebration of one very special Birth-day of LiFe. i celebrate the day this wonderful friend of mine was born...for all the reasons that brought us together around that table, in that restaurant, wiping the wasabe off our tongues...ALL for this beautiful SoUL...right there below.

the girls, for the most part of the night got to entertain themselves...napkins soaked in soy sauce. 'baths' for the table, talking chopsticks-soy sauce-dipped and licked...while my dear friend and i got to catch up.

she's such a hard worker and when she gets home there's usually little time for us to just "be" ...there's the occasional glass of wine of course before i have to jet out and get home to the hubby, but rarely do we get our 'girls' nights like this..of course we missed you Vinko and David ! but without your business trip/ soccer game...we couldn't call it what it was...GIRLS' NIGHT!

Great conversation, great food, great sake, GREAT time! i love this family and feel more blessed by the day. than words can convey to share the bonds we do... tune in for the "Erceg Family Photo Shoot" post coming soon...of course nanny-Naomi had to jump in every other shot. but that's the 'Sweet' of life and freedom to CHOOSE the people you call 'family' .... and ForEver, i choose this one!

xoxo's

Happy Birthday Severine! 

'true LoVe lets go'...the poetry of my soul

Surreal'

smiling at you, smiling back at me

no words need be spoken, our thoughts speak loudly

here in this moment, emotions arise

as you hold me close and gaze into my eyes

i feel for you, what you feel for me

when i close my eyes, its you i see

don't want to hold back but scared to 'let go' 

knowing now these feelings will only grow

don't live for tomorrow, live for today

live for 'this' moment, i hear you say

could something so right be so wrong?

only time will tell as it carries us along

but as for this moment and the way that i feel...

i'm awake but still dreaming

it couldn't be more surreal

bY mE;) 

...i wrote 'surreal' nearly a decade ago and submitted it for publication through the 'international library of poetry'. they sent me my copy with my poem on the first page, along with a letter from the editor commending the "imagery" emanated from the words... i'll never forget that pure sense of deep satisfaction i felt over it ... 

this one was not written for my husband...i'll just put that out there:) ...and as the poem questions..could something so 'right' be so 'wrong'? ....a year from writing it my question was answered...YES! 

but hey...if i said i regret dating anyone other than [of course] my husband;) ...in my life, i'd be lying. eVerything, EVERY person, and eVery experience has been a learning lesson in my life that has made me who i am today... 

and NOW for a poem, I DID write my wonderful husband, after we had gotten back together...

'TRUE LoVE LeTS Go'

they say if you love something, let it go; and if it comes back to you  it's yours FoReVer...

i Am a believer

if not for him, could i have known the very essence of this truth...

to love and be loved within the depths of the soul...

to feel the power of that love take over even when the time comes to 'let go'...

loving someone so much that it hurts to be without them but hurts worse to be with them

when the timing isn't right...

TRUE LoVE LET'S GO...

for LoVe is not selfish and because of him i understood

Just a young woman...

wide-eyed, full of dreams and spirit, set free to find herself...

to find her path 

broken-hearted and devastated, yet free she was...because of him 

Still through the years he stood by

Always a there for her no matter the cost

through eVery moment of heartache and loneliness...

LoVe remained

a best friend he always was 

because of him 

i understood 

it's because of him that i truly understand the meaning of LoVe...

when the happiness of another supersedes that of one's own heart's-desire...

there lies true LoVe

and so it's been said...

"the best kind of LoVe is the kind that awakens the soul, makes us reach for more, plants a fire in our hearts, and brings peace to our minds" 

It's what he's given me and what I hope to give him Forever.

you can read our story in another post... 'i do' 

http://playlovelaughlive.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-do.html

oNe LoVe,

Naomi 

the sweet moments of life...

bouncing off 'singing in the rain' yesterday.... 

my soul sANg on...[ in the car] while taking the girls i nanny [Mia & Lea] ice-skating after school yesterday. every Friday they earn a "fun day" as long as they earn more stickers throughout the week [on their behavior board] than "X"s. stickers are earned through good listening [i.e. in the mornings while getting ready for school] when Naomi says, "upstairs, let's brush your teeth", they know that means 'NOW'...it also means 'no' whining or complaining while they're at it... and when Naomi says, "now hurry up and get your shoes on", they know they better run to that closet and get those shoes on! ;) when they stay 'on task' and demonstrate good listening , we all stay 'on time', and i tell them "that's something that warrants recognition and reward" hence the stickers:) 

now x's on the other hand are earned when they do the opposite. i have to admit though, this whole thing has worked better and better by the day as they realize that, 'Naomi don't mess around!' they've gotten really good about taking the one warning they're given to 'turn around' any bad listening or bad behavior in order to avoid the big X. 

every X is equivalent to one minute in time-out. one minute of 'no-playtime' after school. they've also learned through trial and error that when they scream and cry about the 'one' while serving their sentence they only continue to add X's to their over all 'time' in 'time-out'. when they don't take the one warning to 'turn it around' as i tell them, there they stand facing the wall in the corner, until they 'get' it.

we always 'talk' after and i have them tell me why they were there in the first place and what they will do 'differently' the next time around. 

i have to admit though...they've been pretty good as the stickers prove to be their entire 'mission'

sOO0 mOving off that tangent...girls earned their "fun day". it was a scAry drive to the skating rink as [at one point] i could barely see the car in front of me with the rain pouring down as hard as it was...

do i love the rain? yes. driving in the rain? now that's another story. bUt, we made it safe and sound and just in time for the overly-children-congested-public-skating-hour. 

after a 10 minute attempt at it, our little Lea, in all her frustration, gave up. yep. she wanted nothing to do with ice-skating! so, we watched her, watching us...and made sure to offer up our "hellos" on each turn of the rink... poor baby. she'll definitely have her pick for the 'fun day' next week.

now little miss MiA ~my toothless wonder:) and i --on the other hand--had a FABulous time skating CIRCLES...

LITTLE DID WE KNOW...the best was only yet to come...skating hour was up and we darted through some more puddles and into the car...ready for the drive home. only slightly exerted, i was zoned out when their sweet little voices started screaming "NAOMI!!! LOOK!!!" i looked to my right and low and behold... a beautiful rainbow peeking through the fog of the sky...as Mia excitedly says, "TAKE A PICTURE, TAKE A PICTURE!"

the three of us shared SUCH a moment in that sweet moment... it was perfect, pUre-jOy as we all~ simultaneously~did a--"WOOOO~W"....!!! before falling into a dazed silence for a few moments as we stared at it...

So what is it that makes us go, 'WOW' about a rainbow? 

i know for me, it's a beautiful reminder of GoD's faithfulness...

God told Noah and his sons in Genesis 9:15-16,  “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”

such a BEAUTIFUL picture of His Love and promise to uS, His children...

...i ALSo believe that the rainbow is symbolic of our connection to GoD directly through the energy He emanates to our souls [via the colors of this covenant to us] to re-FRESH the spirit of our souls in the most 'colorful' of ways, after the 'gloomy' weather;)

...On, 'what's yOUR color?' ...tune in to the next post.

oNe LoVe,

Naomi 

'girlfriends' ...essential to a 'healthy life'

i received an email from my wonderFUL mother-in-law, who is aLSO a near & VERY dear 'girlfriend' of mine:) ...read on, be BleSSed, and pass it on!

"At an evening class at Stanford Univ, the last lecture was on the mind-body connection- the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. 

Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely. Women do it all of the time.

We share from our souls with our sisters, mothers, and friends, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more "productively engaged” is not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health!

Forward to all your girlfriends who make your life healthier!!"

oNe LoVe

Naomi