It's the last day of 2014! The thirty first of December is one of my favorite days of the year. Not only is it a great time for reflection but it is a great time for forgiveness and love. There is no need to carry old wounds or grudges into a beautiful new year. Today is the perfect day for "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" as we make room in our hearts for all the love 2015 will bring. It's like trading planes halfway to your destination. You do not take any extra baggage that is not yours. You do not take the trash of what you ate with you beyond the trashcan at the door. So why would we carry emotional baggage through the doorway of a new year? I'm grateful to forgive those I love. I'm grateful to take the sometimes harder step and forgive myself for the mistakes I made during this year. I'm grateful to release my judgments and start fresh. I'm grateful to feel my heart opening to the new opportunities and beginnings. I'm grateful to set the intention for a great 2015. Every day is the opportunity for a fresh start; a new beginning. And yet there is special significance in it also being the last new day of the year. How would you like to spend the last day of 2014? Is there someone you are wanting to forgive? Can you embrace them and yourself knowing we are all doing our best? May today bring loving closure to old wounds. May today be filled with beautiful release to make room for all the good of 2015. Have a beautiful day!

It's that time of year that I begin working on my vision board for the coming year and prepping my vision for how I want my life and business to look. As I reflect back and look at the things on my vision board from last year, it is interesting to see which have reached fruition and which are still yet to manifest. I look at what my fiancé and I put on our joint board and see how it is coming together for us. And as I reflect back at the year, I  have realized that this may be the best year of my life. I'm so blessed with great family and friends. I'm grateful for two healthy dogs. I'm grateful for my Subaru that gets me everywhere I need to go. I'm grateful for this beautiful home and a loving fiancé. I'm grateful for all I have learned about myself this year. I could go on and on but the point is, this was a pretty great year. And the truth is, the year before was pretty fantastic as well. Yes there were bumps and bruises along the way but overall it has been great. I can't help but think of all the people I have heard talk about their best years as being in the past. The best year of your life, does not have to happen only once. It simply means it is the best one yet, and every year could become the new best year if you set the intention. Now I'm not saying there won't be some struggles or even heart-breaking events. The loss of a loved one for example, may not be overcome within the year to make that the best year. But the best years can begin again, when you are ready. So how do you make each year the best year of your life? By practicing gratitude, conscious and positive living, and loving the world around you. So what is your intention for 2015? Would you like to make it the best year of your life? What do you want to see happen? Create a vision board, share gratitude, and take that step toward the best year of your life. You deserve it! Have a beautiful day. May you find peace with the year that has passed and find hope in the year to come.

Hair is one of the most common tools of self-expression. It can be dyed, cut, shaved completely, or grown long. It can be curled or straightened, made into an afro or spiked. Often we take hair for granted unless we, or someone we know, begins to lose their hair due to an outside circumstance like cancer. Yet it is right there, one simple tool by which we create self-expression. Over the weekend I went and got a haircut. It was to the length that normally I would donate it but, as I plan to get married this year, I wanted to keep it long. So I had about three inches cut off and had it trimmed in layers to frame my face. Over the last few months I have been daydreaming of dying it, putting in some red lowlights. I mentioned this to the hairdresser while I was there and I got the typical response. "But your hair is so perfect! People try so hard to get all these shades of blonde to get this perfect wheat color!" It's true that I enjoy my hair color and so I found myself torn. Hair is a great tool for self-expression and at the same time I truly believe we are made in our own perfection and don't "need" to change anything. But both can be true. I'm grateful for my beautiful "wheat-colored" hair. I'm grateful for it's strength and shine from taking care of it. I'm grateful that it is straight and easily manageable and also grateful for curling irons that can add some body on special occasions. I'm grateful for simple haircuts that allow me to keep it healthy. And I'm grateful to know that just because it is perfect as it is does not mean I cannot enjoy self-expression through my hair. How often do you change your hair style? Do you see your hair or lack of hair as an expression of yourself? May your day be creatively inspired. May you embrace the self-expression you choose. Have a beautiful day!

The beautiful, hectic holiday is passed. Soon it will be a new year, time to pack the holiday garland and put it back in the recesses of the basement. Some of you are back to work today, back to normal daily life. My fiancé and I chose to take today as a holiday too. To rest and exhale before a weekend of more Christmas parties. Today is our exhale, to practice life in the moment. There is nothing that HAS to be done today, no agenda. I'm grateful for this moment. I'm grateful to be lying in bed writing a blog after sleeping in. I'm grateful for the exhale. I'm grateful to have several possible things I could do today and I'm grateful to feel no pressure for any of them. I'm grateful to wake to breakfast already made from friends of ours, delivered Christmas Eve. I'm grateful for the way the bedroom stays dark but then can be magically cast into light just by opening the curtains. I'm grateful to see all the beauty and peace in this moment, surrounding us. Can you find beauty in the post-holiday exhale? What are you grateful for in this moment? How can you choose to enjoy today, no matter where you are or what you have to get done? May your exhale fill you with peace. May the year end on a good note. Have a beautiful day!

Happy holidays, everyone! I have decided to take tomorrow off from the blog to sleep in and celebrate Christmas with my fiancé undistracted. So today I share my gratitude for this beautiful holiday season with you. Yesterday I spoke about unity but there is so much more about the holidays that I'm grateful for each year. 

I'm grateful for the beautiful twinkling lights shining all around town. 
I'm grateful for the joy and cheer spreading around. 
I'm grateful for the star at the top of the tree. 
I'm grateful to live in a place of holiday diversity. 
I'm grateful to share laughter with my brother and sis. 
I'm grateful to share fun holiday gifts. 
I'm grateful to give to my mama and papa.
And I'm grateful for rhymes that just won't stop-a. (Haha!)
I'm grateful for poinsettias that survived with their leaves, 
 even though they were cared for by me. 
I'm grateful for spirits of loved ones gone
 that still sing along in our heart song.
I'm grateful to wish you a merry holiday season, 
 no matter which holiday, background or reason. 
I'm grateful for all in the world who are caring.
And ask that you think of your own gratitudes for sharing.

What can I say, sometimes I just have to rhyme it out. But isn't that part of what the holiday is about; sharing what is in your heart however it wants to be expressed with those you love? What gratitude can you share with the ones you love today? May your day be blessed with warm hearts and loving embraces. May your holiday, whichever ones you choose to celebrate, fill your heart with love. Happy holidays, everyone! Have a beautiful couple days!

Tis the season of shopping, caroling, and being with family and friends in celebration. The weather may be brisk outside but it seems just a little warmer when shared with the ones we love. Like fibers of a rope, we are stronger when we are together. The love we share during this season warms our hearts and strengthens us. It is a season of unity. Today I am grateful for the gathering of friends and family. I'm grateful to see all the merry faces of those who are ready to celebrate the holidays. I'm grateful to know that the shopping is done for this holiday and I'm eager to see the faces of loved ones as they open their gifts. I'm grateful to share more than just the holiday in celebration with family. I'm grateful to get to travel over the weekend to see my to be mother-in-law and extend the holiday a little longer. What are you grateful for about the holiday season? How can you warm your World with the love of family and friends this year? May you find joy in this season. May you be able to share it with the ones you love, knowing you are loved in return. Have a beautiful day!

The path to our dreams is not always straight. In my experience it has had more twists and turns than a roller coaster. I am reminded today that even when we cannot see the end of the line or even the next steps on the path that does not mean we are not heading in the right direction. 
Last night with the Winter Solstice giving us the longest night of the year we were also greeted, in the wee hours, with the New Moon offering to us a rebirth and creation of who we want to emerge as in the next phase. This is a great time for setting those intentions for what you want to see in your life and who you want to be. 
I start a new part-time nanny job this morning. There are those who may see this as moving away from the goals of my business but I would disagree. I am confidently moving down my path, even when it twists, knowing that I'm making each choice from the heart and mind. I'm grateful to have a supportive fiancé. I'm grateful for the wonderful family that I will be working for and the beautiful children I will get to spend my day with today. I'm grateful to be traveling my path in all it's loops and turns. And I'm grateful to continue to share my journey with you today. 
How is your path looking these days? Are you confident in taking the next steps even when you cannot see the end of the path? May there be confidence in your feet and may they be guided by your heart. I hope you had a beautiful Solstice and New Moon. The meditation is still up and can be accessed by clicking the meditation link of the events page of www.Reyofgratitude.com. Have a beautiful day!

In the quest to follow my dreams I often focus on what to do next or what steps can get me to the next spot. Yet often times it seems that asking for what I want allows me to get it much quicker than pursuing it myself. Asking about the art on the wall of a coffeehouse turned into a photography show of my own there, tonight. Asking for advice from a fellow small business woman turned into opportunities to share what I do. Asking why I kept hearing that I reminded people of a wonderful, internationally known coach led me to meeting her and taking her training. And most obvious, asking if people would like to purchase my photography allows me to sell some of my work. Does everyone say yes? No. But in opening up that possibility it allows people to say yes. Not every opportunity is going to be met with a yes and a golden opportunity and yet even in a no there is opportunity to learn and grow. There is not a single business out there that has made it big, on its own, with just the actions of the owner. Businesses need clients and getting those clients requires asking. I'm grateful to ask. I'm grateful for my photography show tonight. I'm grateful to be learning the power of asking each day. I'm grateful for all those who have said yes and those who have said no. I'm grateful for all the lessons I have learned and all the ones to come. When was the last time you asked for something? What could you ask for today? May you find strength and reward in asking for your desires. Have a beautiful day and weekend, everyone!

This morning I am grateful for the amazing capabilities of the human body. I'm grateful for all the things it is doing all the time to keep us going; pumping blood, oxygenating our cells, processing information from each of our senses just to name a few. It can easily be taken for granted all the things the human body does. One of the most amazing to me is the way it can heal. The body knows how to defend itself and how to heal, whether from scrapes or colds. When we listen to our body's needs we can rest and help it do its job. When we ignore it and push through with our own agenda, the body has to speak louder. That is what happened to me yesterday. I wasn't listening and so my body made me stop. I'm grateful for my clients and boss who were so understanding as I recovered from fainting. I'm grateful to start listening to my body again and go home and take the rest my body was needing. I'm grateful to be taking it slow and easy today as well. And I'm grateful for all the ways my body keeps me healthy and functioning. What is your body saying to you today? When was the last time you stopped to think of all the amazing things your body is doing every second of every day? May you honor your body today and be blessed with health. Have a great day!

I admit that there are times I find my fiancé and my differences frustrating. Yet in truth, when I pause to think about our differences, it is those very differences that make us stronger. He is more grounded while I am more the dreamer. I search for the natural, organic solution while he can tell me the properties and uses of each medication on the shelf. I could go on for the hundred ways we are different or even the hundred ways we are similar. The similarities help us understand each other but it is our differences that truly give us strength. When the way I see something is not working, I can lean on his knowledge and resources and vice versa. I'm grateful for all he has taught me and all I have been able to teach him. I'm grateful for his roots so I can spread my wings. I'm grateful to listen even when I may not agree in the moment. More than likely the time will come later on where I can use that knowledge. I'm grateful for a relationship that is growing and strengthening. And I'm grateful for a loving man walking next to me. Who in your life shows you another side of things? Are you able to step back and see the beauty of these differences? Sometimes that can be difficult but for me it has never gone without rewards. May you find strength in the differences of beliefs and ideas in the people in your life. May you take a moment to celebrate these differences. Have a beautiful day!