The Simplicity of a Complex Life

The wisdom of the Beatles, as it were. Boiling down and cutting away everything else these words get to the heart of the matter. And in the end, the love you TAKE is equal to the love you MAKE...love, to love, to give love, to be loved, to receive love...most people would argue that it is not correct to say that the love you receive is equal to the love you give, but in reality...young children who love unconditionally and unreservedly, notwithstanding, it really is about the kindnesses you give to others. To truly love someone, you give of yourself without expecting anything in return. The measure of feeling you receive when you are loved back is one of the most beautiful and pure of emotions in this world. Someone who doesn't give love out and doesn't receive love in return is a miserable soul. For it is by the giving and receiving of love that we learn to be more open with others, more willing to share of ourselves and our possessions. Someone who has all the riches of the world but does not have love is the poorest person indeed. Love with the wrong person can be like poison to your heart. Oh, but love with the right person, whether for a short time or forever, is exhilarating, freeing...opening your eyes to a world of possibilities. And you discover that you can do anything when you have that love. At that moment in time...all you need is love. Love is what makes the proverbial world go 'round. Those who find it are blessed. Those who squander it, foolish. Love, whether love for a significant other, child(ren), parent, family and/or friend is meant to be treasured, cherished, nurtured and treated with great care. Give and you shall receive. Make and take. Without strings or conditions or hesitation. In my life I loved you more... Even the Bible agrees..."but the greatest of these is LOVE". (1 Corinthians 13:13) #TheBeatles #Wisdom #AllYouNeedIsLove #TheLoveYouTakeIsEqualToTheLoveYouMake #Love #InMyLifeILoveYouMore #Nurture #Protect #Give #TheGreatestOfTheseIsLove #MomTalk #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp88jr7N1fZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I meannnnn........🤣😂🤷🏻‍♀️ #MatthewMarkLukeAndJoan #TheGospels #SortOf #Brittish #GameShow #TheChase #Funny #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqtC5dJ5wb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Who else feels this way about daylight savings time?! Worst part of the year! It takes my 13 year old forever to get used to. At least we have the week of spring break to always try and get him acclimated. Don't forget to move your clocks ahead before going to bed tomorrow night! BTW...BEST. MOVIE. EVER. 😁😁😁 #DaylightSavings #SpringForward #DontForgetToChangeYourClocks #LongerDays #CanIGetAnAmen #ThePrincessBride #TimeChange #SpringBreak #LetsLoseSomeSleepTonight #WhereHasTheHourGone #ButWhy #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #InstaFunny https://www.instagram.com/p/CpoH3xepWk54wB5s0XK8EkSgO1flQE4mRd2vlw0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

You are the sum of the 5 closest people you associate with. Are those people adding value to your life and pushing you to be better or are they providing negativity in your life? You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: IS THAT OKAY? #YouAreTheSum #IfYouDontLikeWhereYouAreChangeThings #IfNothingChangesNOTHINGChanges #AddValue #IronSharpensIron #PushYourself #EverythingYouDoMatters #LiveALifeYouWontRegret #WhereDoYouWantToBe #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #Single #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow #KeepMovingForward #StrongerThings #BetterEveryDay #BetterYourself https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWe2APtP2gjVeKcStHEWjn-7Tmb1ffizVGQus0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Tis the season for shenanigans! My 2nd favorite holiday is coming up 💚☘️🇮🇪🍀💚 #March #StPatricksDay #KissMeImIrish #AndScottish #IReallyAm #Celebrate #TisTheSeason #Shenanigans #Spring #RockOn #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #Almost50 #49AndFabulous #49YearsYoung #GenX#BrownEyedGirl #ActuallyHazel https://www.instagram.com/p/CpUGvivNlmHaqWQtS4UNwvK2vSNtummcH0-jBs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started lookin’ for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently IF YOU LET IT. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! ~ Rocky Balboa ~ The world is a mean and nasty place. It’s heartless. It doesn’t care if you or I succeed or fail. Sure, there are a lot of good, honest people on this planet who do care, but the world, the majority of the people in it, the system, and our society aren’t as concerned or vested in your life as so many seem to believe they are. Anything you get in life has to be earned through hard work, sacrifice, and persistence. There’s no such thing as a free ride. It doesn’t exist. It’s uncertainty that leads to so many quitting before success is realized. It’s grit that keeps those who are willing to work and persist and evolve, in the game long enough to see their baby, their dream, their creation, fulfilled. If more would realize that success isn’t easily attained, nor should it be, but earned through long, uncertain, and lonely nights, aided only by an internal toughness and grit that propels a select few to work while others party, drink, and play, many more would be successful in life, not just in business. #RockyBalboa #RockyWisdom #Wisdom #KeepMovingForward #DontStop #RiseAndGrind #Success #Grit #StrongerThings #BetterEveryDay #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CpSfBG6Oj68YgQ9pa3e2maxVI8Lgifennpj-580/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

March, the gateway to Spring...and a very welcome thing that is. I'm super excited about this month! Spring Break is around the corner, time gets switched so it stays lighter in the evening and this is the month of my 2nd favorite holiday - St. Patrick's Day. March is going to be a great month! 🍺🌷☀️🍀🍺🌷☀️🍀🍺🌷☀️🍀 It's chapter 3 out of 12 for the year. What are people reading in your chapters? #HelloMarch #March1 #Chapter3 #March #StPatricksDay #KissMeImIrish #AndScottish #IReallyAm #Celebrate #Spring #SpringBreak #RockOn #SingleMom #TexasGirl https://www.instagram.com/p/CpRRf_PNWsDG8TVJgxRaOWPikulOzi_FSh-wWA0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today is a brand new day. Everyone is given the same number of minutes each day. What will you do with yours? This is your chance to be GREATER! Not greater than someone else but greater than the person you were yesterday. So what are you going to do with the time you have been given? Today I will ______________. Fill in the blank. Today is your chance to shine in your own world and just be GREATER! Your future is waiting... #Greater #ItsANewDay #ZigZiglar #TickTock #Shine #Today #Future #KeepMovingForward #StrongerThings #BetterEveryDay #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX WhatWillYouDo #Coach #Motivation https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQYrspJErP18bQ4BuleGgrVfCJpU4psHoNFd80/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“Our generation is so busy trying to prove that women can do everything men can do, women are losing the unique qualities that set us apart. The God-given femininity and unique way our Creator designed us. Women weren't created to do everything a man can do.... Women were created to do everything a man CAN'T do." - unknown The lioness does not try to be the lion. She embraces her role as the lioness. She is powerful, strong, a protector and nurturing. She does not mistake her meekness for weakness. The world needs more kind, compassionate, humble, faithful, persevering, confident, fierce, bold, and tender-hearted women. Be one of them. 🦁❣️ #ForTheLoveOfPink #StrongerThings #BetterEveryDay #StrongWomen #Lioness #Roar #HearMeRoar #DontMistakeMyKindnessForWeakness #Powerful #Strong #Bold #Feminine #BeDifferent #MomTalk #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOYrmqNvzQb8Hd1gRRk9K1KZP5iUyccbhaMfs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

But for the cross... Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and reflection. It's a day to remember that we are but mortal. It's a day of hope as we also remember that, though we will one day return to the dust we came from, we have the hope of the Resurrection, so that we too may have life everlasting. Without the cross, without the death of Jesus, without the Resurrection that shattered the bond of death and sin and hell, we would be without that hope. But, because of all of those, we have hope. Without hope, there's not much to life, is there? Hope is what keeps us going long after we would have given up. Hope is that spark that keeps us moving forward when we want to just stop, lay down and throw in the towel. Hope is what lights our way in a world of darkness. Without hope, all that there is is pretty bleak. O the blood Crimson love Price of life's demand Shameful sin Placed on Him The Hope of every man... ...O what love No greater love Grace, how can it be That in my sin Yes, even then He shed His blood for me O the blood of Jesus washes me O the blood of Jesus shed for me What a sacrifice that saved my life Yes, the blood, it is my victory #AshWednesday #AshesToAshes #DustToDust #Cross #OTheBlood #CrimsonLove #JesusPaidItAll #AllToHimIOwe #SinHadLeftACrimsonStain #HeWashedItWhiteAsSnow #ButForTheCross #Thankful #Reflection #Repentance #Hope #Lent #EverythingYouDoMatters #LiveALifeYouWontRegret #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-6rcipu4aJVuIbPLIXw0yfysIWf2Jt6iuUGs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fires are lit in our lives and they can burn to shine light or cause destruction...WE get to decide. - Jennie Allen. When we talk about fires burning, it is usually in relation to someone's passion or passions that have been lit within them and has completely fired them up. But, those passions can be equally as destructive as they are constructive. It is up to you to choose which one it is going to be. Are you going to shine the light for all to see, or are you going to burn it down to the ground? #FireFireBurningBright #Fire #Passion #ShineTheLight #OrBurnItDown #EverythingYouDoMatters #EverythingYouDoNotDoMatters #LiveALifeYouWontRegret #YourResponseIsYourResponsibility #BePassionate #FiresMeUp #YouDecide #FoodForThought #MomTalk #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8b2G7NKLV6Ym452hMPEHVooQ0GVlbeAGcFwU0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sometimes you just have to be your own Valentine. Sometimes, what you thought was on track for something more suddenly gets derailed, and you don't have an explanation for it. Sometimes things can be going so well, and then you're left holding the bag of feelings on your own, without an explanation. Listen, that's on them, doll. Not on you. Maybe they couldn't handle your awesomeness. Maybe they got scared of their feelings. Maybe they were just playing you. It's possible you may never know why. And you have to learn to be ok with that. Sometimes you realize that you need more than what they are willing or able to give. And you know that if you continue to accept the bare minimum, or less, that you would be settling. And you were not born to settle for less than what your soul and your heart need. At times like these, you have to put yourself first. Date yourself. Love yourself. Put them behind you and move forward. Do your hair toss, check your nails, and when someone asks you how you're feeling, you can tell them you're feeling good as hell...and mean it. #Valentine #ValentinesDay #BeYourOwnValentine #ItsGoingToBeOk #MomTalk #Advice #Wisdom #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CoqXil9NSiLVcG4M07sD8K7TehL3Jy_jpJT5yw0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Everyone lies. We all have done it at some point in our lives. Some more than others. I try REALLY hard, though, to live a life of honesty and truthfulness. And I would expect the same from others. Sadly, that is not often the case. Lying greatly hurts the ones who have been lied to. So, why do people lie when there is so much to lose from doing so? Some people lie to save face. Some people lie in order to deceive for personal gain. People lie to preserve an image of themselves that they've projected to others. That is another way of saying that they lie because they want others to see them in a certain way. Liars take a calculated risk of being caught. Its a big gamble, depending on the size of the lie. When people lie, who do you know whom to trust? Without trust, the person who has been lied to is probably going to walk away. Or they should, at any rate. Many times, when people lie to you, it is because of your very best qualities that they are attracted to and know that if you had the truth about them or a situation, you would walk. They want you to maintain your shiny image of them juuuust a little longer. They don't want to let you down or disappoint you. Still, when lies are found out, often times the person doing the lying will confess, but continue the further pattern of repeat lying. Best case scenario, they won't. Law of averages show they will. The reason I hate lies, though, is not only because it hurts deeply to be lied to, but once trust is broken - especially when it is someone like me who does not trust easily in the first place, it is pretty much impossible to get back. If you lie to me about one thing, what else have you lied to me about? Lies are a deal breaker for me. Hurt me with the truth but don't ever comfort me with a lie. The worst part about being lied to, is knowing they thought you weren't worth the truth. #Lies #HurtMeWithTheTruthButNeverComfortMeWithALie #LyingLiarsWhoLie #WhyLie #BeHonest #HaveIntegrity #IALWAYSFindOut #DontBreakMyTrust #BeAPersonOfGoodCharacter #HonestyIsKey #MomTalk #Single #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CooMZjatM2B8M5CTQoqAiRfcdryFEJABhRqYCg0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

You are going to have haters in life. People who think differently than you and who refuse to accept anyone who isn't just like them and who speak out against you with bitterness and hatred. You will have friends whom you've known for years and/or those with whom you have an incredible connection, or so you think, inexplicably ghost you. One day they're there and the next it's as if they and your friendship never existed. You will have people jealous of what you have, whatever it is, who try to sway others against you with their words. The weak minded and those who never truly were your friends might believe it. As Taylor Swift famously said, "shake it off". There will always be the haters, the fakes, the jealous, the weak minded, the insecure. For every one of those, there are those in your corner. Who have your back. Who see and know the real you. Who don't believe the lies coming from the mouths of those who know nothing of you at all. Who see the quality of your character for themselves and who choose to believe what they know of you over hearsay and petty words coming from jealous, hate filled, bitter mouths. I guess the best way to put it comes from a Zig Ziglar quote. "Live in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it." Be kind. Treat others fairly. Be honest. Show compassion. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't manipulate. Be full of integrity and honor. Treat others the way you would want them to treat you. Be respectful, even if you don't agree with someone, and be respect worthy. Make your character bulletproof. Be the kind of friend you want to have. Live life in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it. Period. #LiveALifeYouWontRegret #EverythingYouDoMatters #BeOfGoodCharacter #Integrity #Honor #Respect #Wisdom #EarlyMorningThoughts #ZigZiglar #TaylorSwift #ShakeItOff #Bulletproof #TheGoldenRule #MomTalk #Single #SingleMom #SingleMomLife #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX https://www.instagram.com/p/CocY2z-uyEe60JcOOkIogBmZ961pMIGfnKHDCY0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In this family: we go on unexpected journeys. We believe in once upon a time, in galaxies far, far away, in magic and that wardrobe doors lead us to other lands. We go down rabbitholes and up chimneys to infinity and beyond. We do wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff while going where no man has gone before. We know that the answer to everything is 42, the odds are ever in our favor, with great power comes great responsibility, the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow and that wuv, twu wuv, will fowwow us foweva. And we care what nobody thinks about all of this because we are proud to be a family of geeks in this home! #SciFi #Fantasy #FamilyOfGeeks #FamilyOfNerds #GeekLife #MommyIsAGeek #MommyIsANerd #TheHobbit #LordOfTheRings #FairyTales #HappilyEverAfter #StarWars #Magic #Narnia #HarryPotter #AliceInWonderland #MaryPoppins #ToyStory #DoctorWho #StarTrek #HitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy #HungerGames #SuperHeroes #MontyPython #ThePrincessBride #SingleMom #TexasGirl https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVuEfJJhaGfoclezRl6FfvDYgXgroiv6eiwFs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Yeah.........I just can't with this humor. LOL! Not today... This is all of the truth. I'm 99.9% certain I'll be sitting at home with my kids...again. But, they're the BEST Valentines I've had in years, well, ever actually, so it's all good. On a serious note though, there shouldn't be just one special day to celebrate love. Celebrating love, with the one(s) you love, should be done EVERY day. Don't save it up! #SingleMom #SinglesAwarenessDay #SAD #BeYourOwnValentine #CelebrateLove #EveryDay #AsYouWish #ValentineHumor #SingleSupportGroup #KeepHopeAlive #Singles #GodHasNotForgottenYou #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX #Follow https://www.instagram.com/p/CoTiwvytn_DEk3Jvy_YZIz0Qa6nAw_FrQmnS2Q0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The only movie quote I love more than this one is #AsYouWish. #ILoveYou #IKnow #StarWars #NerdGirl #MommyIsAGeek #MommyIsANerd #HanAndLeia #OTP #MyFirstOTP #Love #Scoundrel #HeartOfGold #Princess #RebelAlliance #Rebel #SingleMom #TexasGirl #Over40 #GenX https://www.instagram.com/p/CoQltJxJd0nfVgn3dTYMD6HtGtYY0GeVSzETdA0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=