Janelle's Blog

Starting Over

"I am looking forward to starting over," she told me after we had spoken a few minutes about our plans for the New Year. I had only known this woman for a short time when she spilled out her hurts.

"Yes," I said, "It is a time of celebration of all of the dreams you have for the future."

"I want everything that went wrong to end," she told me. "I want a new beginning."

Don't we all feel that way to various degrees? There is such a tendency for us to rehearse our troubles and to remind ourselves of everything we did wrong. The more we dwell on these things, the more we lose focus on the place we want to be in the future.

I know you have dreams and hopes of what you want to accomplish this year, as I do. But, think about the effect of your actions.

When we rehearse our troubles, we lose sight of our blessings. We get on a treadmill of doing and say

The family gathered for Christmas Eve to celebrate our traditional reading of the Christmas story of Jesus' birth, sharing memories and gifts, and a meal with trimmings on every corner of the table.

Deep into preparation of the meal, several cooks were hustling about the kitchen with determined fervor to make this meal one of our best. We were almost bumping into each other when I called out, "Where is the baby?" We all looked down near the floor where my one-year old grandson, Colin, had discovered an open refrigerator door. He had been so quiet, no one noticed what he was doing. He was sitting on the floor happily tossing fresh eggs out of the egg bin on the lower shelf of the refrigerator door and making a "floor omelet". When I rushed over to help his mother clean up the mess, I didn't see the egg that rolled to the edge of my foot as I kick dropped it across the kitchen floor.

The evening was wonderful and memorable. Christmas morni

Yes, indeed. I do have something in common with the King of Action, the infamous James Bond 007. I'm the first to say we have a few differences. I am an easy going person who enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and mild gardening (when the weather is perfect). James Bond…well, he's 007.

For those of you who may have seen the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, you'll know that the James Bond star, Daniel Craig, can be seen jumping buildings, averting bullets, and crashing through whatever gets in his way. All in a day's work while holding back murders and terrorists single handedly.

Will the Real James Bond Stand Up?

I saw him recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live and almost felt a sense of relief when he walked out with his arm in a sling. That momentary reaction of seeing him as a vulnerable person instead of his invincible character on the screen brought me back to reality that there isn't a real Santa, I mean James Bond. His arm in a sling was from a shoulder injury. Then he told a story about how he cut off the tip of his finger while filming, but quickly showed the camera that it had healed up and grown back.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Most of you are celebrating with family and friends, eating delicious food, and enjoying the beginning of a long, holiday season. But, if you are alone, I encourage you to make yourself available to the friendship of others even if you have to go to the shopping mall to get around other people. Then, settle in around your computer and go to MyNBCF to meet others who may be facing some of the same experiences.

A Blessing From Someone on Our Online Community

One of the most beautiful online posts from our online community reads, "Nothing will separate us from God's love. Hair loss can't. Chemotherapy can't. Radiation can't. A bad diagnosis can't. Our mouth sores today, our nausea tomorrow and even the frustration of late lab results can't keep God's love away. Whether our blood counts are high or low

We are all concerned about the economy and are hopeful that a new president will turn things around, but the truth is that no one knows how things will go. The stock market rises and falls every day. Banking systems are failing around us. And, about the time you try to put on a smile in hopes that the depressing news of our economy does not cause you personal depression, something unexpected gives you a lift.

Take it From a Five-Year Old

My five-year old granddaughter overheard her dad talking about his finances one day. He was discussing what to do with his stocks since our economic times are so rocky. Little Ellie popped up with the answer to our investment dilemma.

"Dad, you need to hang on to your socks, 'cause your feet might get cold."

Well spoken. Folks, hang onto your socks. Whether it is a financial crisis or a health crisis in your life, let's look at how to hang onto our socks.