Happy New Year, 2012!

HAPPY '2012' MY FRIENDS! 

It is my wish for each of you that 2012 will be 

all that you hope for it to be

 ~ including love, laughter, joy, happiness,

 peace, health, prosperity 

and just enough insanity and "life"

 to keep you humble and grounded! 

For the tears we've shed 

through heartbreak and/or happiness,

 I toast each of you with a heart full of love

 ~ looking forward to making

 as many mistakes next year

 as I made this year 

with as few regrets as I have right now!!! 

To unconventional thinking, 

listening with your heart and not your brain, 

and living life your way, regardless of what others think! 

And, most important...

loving & forgiving unconditionally and completely, 

everyday, like it's your last one because it could be!!! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Cheers to a New Year

 and another chance for us to get it right."

 ~ Oprah Winfrey

The truth isn't always pretty ~ but's it's always the truth!

Poor "Elvis" ... a nightmare that was real!

12/6/2011 ~ In SPIN class @ Ladies Fitness with Alexis kicking my booty when I see my phone light up with an unfamiliar number; I ignore it. Another one...Another one... I stop and answer and all that I can hear over the music is "Tori & wreck..." 
I leave the gym, still on the phone ~ "Where ~ When ~ ..." I get basic info and simple directions... and I'm heading there not knowing what to expect bc the State Patrol didn't tell me anything except the "basic" information. 

Imagine my horror when I see the multi colored flashing lights and then "ELVIS" on it's side with the (new) wheels/tires in the air! I'm looking everywhere ... school books strewn across the road and under the car...

At that point, all I wanted to see was blonde hair & blue eyes! 

The Cville PD and State Patrol come towards my car as I get out, still no Tori, and both are talking ... I don't hear them bc I'm only listening for one voice and my eyes are looking for one sight ...

FINALLY, there she is ~ teary but not broken! THANK YOU LORD! 

She wasn't hurt (again, THANK YOU LORD) other than a big lump on the head and bruises.
No citations given; just an 'accident' ... 

It only take a second to realize that life is precious and, regardless of the situation or circumstances, "... love is not a fight, but it's something worth fighting for ..."  
(I know that song was written for a marriage movie, but I don't have a husband ~ I do have a daughter!) 

It's been one heck of year ... can't wait to see what 2012 has in store!! 
Whatever it is, I'm sure I've got "heels to get me over the hills" ... I'm blessed!

Merry Christmas, my friends! I wish you all a safe, happy & healthy 2012!! 

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas

I saw this photo of Marilyn Monroe and I have to admit ... 

She makes me proud to be a woman! 

I am not afraid to be feminine ~ I embrace it ... 

Curves, Attitude, Giggles ...

All that goes with being ME!

Give Blood ...

Tori gave blood for the first time today ... I'm so proud of her! She didn't faint or get sick or anything!
AND, she weighed ONE POUND over the required weight! LOL!

I used to give blood regularly but it's not acceptable any more ~ too many transfusions.

I'm very thankful for all that do give ~ it really is a live saving choice!
Thank you!

Glory Road

Watching GLORY ROAD ~ forgot how much I like this movie! It's like REMEMBER THE TITAN'S ... a good movie that makes a person look at life and the world around with wide open eyes.

Best line in the movie "no one can take ANYTHING away from you that you don't let them take" ~ so true!

One of the best ...

One of the best ~ I like it almost as much as "When The Sun Goes Down In Georgia" by Corey Smith 
Jason Aldean is great ~ "Even If I Wanted Too" is awesome too!
This is a great album. I just look him up on Youtube and let him sing ...

...
When the sun slowly chases the moon from the sky
And touches your face as you open your eyes
What are you thinking? Do you like what you see?
Is it all that you dreamed of or do you wish it was me?

Is the life that you chosen free from regret?
Or is what might have been just to hard to forget?
Has the glitter all faded? Do you get what you need?
Are you satisfied baby or do you wish it was me?

I know you did what you thought you should do
It was safe and secure so completely thought through
You sacrificed passion and abandoned your dreams
Baby, was it all worth it or do you wish it was me?

Does each kiss seem closer to the first or the last?
Is the fire still raging or has it burned down to ash?
Do the memories still haunt you? Do they beg and pled?
Are you satisfied baby or do you wish it was me?

Is the life that you chosen free from regrets?
Or is what might have been just to hard to forget?
Has the glitter all faded? Do you get what you need?
Are you satisfied baby or do you wish it was me?

Is your "one" the wrong one?

Is your "one" the wrong one? (click to access article)
This really is a good article. 
Yes, it is mostly common sense stuff, but some people forget that they really do have common sense! 
One of my favorite sayings is: You can manipulate your mind, but you can not manipulate your heart! 


From the article: 
Q: Which of the book’s guidelines for knowing that a relationship is “wrong” are equally as applicable to men as they are to women readers?

Gauvain: The most important lesson for men and women to get from this book is learning to trust your gut feelings. Those gut feelings can sound that little voice in your head that makes you stop and pause, or the funny feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, or the sense that something is just not right. Our gut feelings are triggered by the red flags we mentioned earlier. Some call it intuition — being able to trust yourself enough to do what is right. If you are dating a woman who is constantly setting off a gut reaction within you, listen carefully to what that little voice in your head is trying to tell you about her. Carefully consider your girlfriend’s behavior and how she treats you. Does she constantly belittle you in front of her friends? Is she critical and judgmental of you? Do you share the same common core values? Is she disrespectful towards you or important people in your life? Are you constantly walking on eggshells? What happens inside of you when she behaves this way? If you have been ignoring your feelings or pushing them aside, STOP! Take a moment to examine those feelings and ask yourself if you truly want to be committed to someone who causes you so much discomfort.

Q: In the book, you stress that it’s more important to listen to your instincts than to memorize a list of red flags — that recognizing your own unique set of red flags is the most important thing. Do you hear from male readers who’ve had trouble listening to their own inner doubts?

Gauvain: I think the reasons that men and women squelch their instincts are similar in many ways — with one key difference. The women’s reasons for staying revolved around their insecurities or feelings of loneliness. They told us: “I was tired of being alone” or “I didn’t think anyone better was going to come along.” The majority of men we talked to stuck with less-than-fulfilling relationships out of their sense of duty, obligation, or unwillingness to hurt their girlfriends’ feelings. 
It sounds like a cliché, but when you meet the right woman, you will just know. She will bring out the best in you, not the worst. She will be a constant source of strength for you through the good times and the bad. Your face will light up when you talk about her to your coworkers and friends. She will be the first person you want to talk to in the morning and the last at night. She will be the one who brings you a week’s supply of homemade chicken soup when you get sick with the flu. She may not like to watch “the big game” with you, but she will respect your desired pastimes and have her own set of hobbies that she does independently of you, without complaining. She doesexist… but sometimes you have to free yourself from the wrong woman before you can find the right one.

2011 Pandora Breast Cancer Charm

I don't say "I WANT THIS" very often ... but, I WANT THIS! 

It is the 2011 Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Pandora Charm.

I'm not a jewelry person.

In fact, other than my PANDORA bracelet, I only wear earrings & a watch!

But ... I REALLY like my PANDORA! It's goes where I go!

Relay for Life 9-9-2011

American Cancer Society
Relay for Life
9-9-2011
Dellinger Park

"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" - Martina McBride

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

Dellinger Park

Cartersville, GA 30120

September 9, 2011

Survivor Lap @ 7:00pm

My treat ~ to myself!

Treated myself @ Wal-Mart while buying groceries today! I deserved it!
I don't need a boyfriend to buy me chocolates or daisies! LOL!
(...but it sure would be nice! gigglessss)

Amazing ...

I have really great friends! Even long lost, haven't spoken to in years, friends! Amazing ... 

I needed some "girl help" this morning and I texted (who I thought was) a relative to come help me. 

"Hey, it's Sandy ~ can you meet me in a few to look @ a car for Tori? I don't know anything about cars and I need some "girl help" please!" 

He responded "Ok, yeah I can, but do you know who you're talking to?"

I texted back "Yes, Phillip, I do! I'm not totally crazy yet! LOL! Can you meet me?" 

Soon I hear the ding of a response "I'm going to jump in the shower and I'll be right there ~ but you know how far away I live so it will take a few minutes to get there." 

"THANK YOU!!! That's fine ~ I'll see you in a few!" was my reply. 

About 35 mins later, I was waiting on my help~ the person I thought  was meeting me.

In pulls a truck driven by a long lost (ghost of the past) friend that I had not seen in literally TWO years, or more. His daughter and my daughter used to play soccer together in the early middle school days. 

I said "Hey, what are you doing here? Small world! Are you selling this car?" 

He looked at me and laughed, "No, you texted me to meet you here bc you needed help." 

"NO I DID NOT (I said laughing) ... I texted Phillip H.to meet me here. I haven't seen you in years! How are you & the kids!" 

He grinned and showed me his phone ... and, YES, I had texted him! It was right there on the screen!

I turned about every color red imaginable and starting giggling like a school girl! I had tears streaming down my face! He was howling too! I gave him a hug, admitted my error, and said, "Well, since you're here ... I could use some help!" He said, "that's why I came ... "  

Apparently I had crossed up the phone numbers, or linked them or something ... but, OUT OF THE KINDNESS OF HIS HEART, at 9:00am on a Sunday morning, this sweet man responded to my text for "girl help" and drove from nearly Adairsville all the way to nearly Emerson to meet me and look at a car for my daughter!! 

Now, that's what FRIENDS ARE FOR! I have "friends" that I see all the time that wouldn't have been that receptive to a Sunday morning call for help!! LOL!
Nothing like a "good ole' country boy" to be a gentleman no matter what! 

"Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop trying to figure out precisely how we feel, stop deciding with our mind what we want our hearts to feel, sometimes we just have to go with…..what ever happens—happens" 

Poverty ~ Discernment ~ Faith ... Me

If I had scripted my life, it would be absolutely nothing like it is today ... I don't think ...
It would be "different" but that doesn't necessarily mean that it would be "better" ~ for example these two things I would have liked to have experienced sooner in life, but, life knew I wasn't ready ...:

• I was almost 30 when I became a "MOM" but now I don't really know what I'd do without my Nellie! She is, and always will be, my greatest accomplishment! 
• I was 40 years old the first time I truly experienced unconditional, complete, sacrificial love for a man. REAL love ~ the kind that you can't control, you don't "pick" it, it picks you! The most humble love, because it equals all that you are and it forgives as easily as it accepts.

July was a month of changes for me. In essence, my "normal"" disappeared! Pretty much everything that was a constant in my day to day world, changed ~ and it changed quickly and completely and irreversibly! Like I've stated before, when the "constant" in your life is removed, you don't have anything to "fall back on" ...

I didn't really "do" anything to prompt these changes in my life, either~but, I didn't have control to stop them. 

I've done some soul searching and I don't have many answers ... lots and lots of questions, very few answers!

However, I do know that nothing is coincidental, nor happens by accident, all things have a reason ~ every action has a reaction and a consequence ~ good or bad.
I can only accept what I can not change, and change what I have the power to change ~ me! 

I've often been told that God has 'gifted' each of us with one, or more, Spiritual Gifts.
We cannot chose the gift; it's who we are.
What we do with the gift ~ how we use it for the call and purpose of our life, is up to us as the recipient.

These 'gifts' could be considered a God given talent, a blessing, an inherited trait, a natural human ability, or something that you have a passion for, a desire to be, to learn ... the key is that unless your gift is used by you, and offered to others with love, it has no worth or value.

I have heard of many different gifts ~ Faith, Help, Encouragement, Hospitality, Wisdom, Intercession,Giving, Evangelism, Celibacy, Healing, Music, Pastoring, Teaching, Writing, Leadership, Mercy ~ just to name a few.  

At the encouragement of a sweet friend, I decided to take a Spiritual Gifts Test Analysis~yes, it is a real test and you take it online! It was surprisingly enlightening and pretty accurate for my life ...

Of all the gifts listed (28 total) my top three (by a landslide) are as follows: 

1. Poverty (voluntary) ~ The special ability God gives to some to purposely live an impoverished lifestyle and renounce material comfort and luxury and adopt a personal lifestyle equivalent to those living at the poverty level (even if they have the means to live at a higher level) as an identifiable example to society that happiness and peace are not found in material possessions. 
2. Discernment / Distinguishing behavior ~ The special ability God gives to some to detect and know with assurance whether certain behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power. The divine enablement to distinguish between truth and error, to discern the spirits, differentiating between good and evil, right and wrong ~ pure motives from impure and are able to sense the presence of evil. 
3. Faith ~ The special conviction God gives to some to be firmly presuaded of God's power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him and His word that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction; the attitude of trust to go forward when others would not. 

I am not surprised at these answers ~ All my life I've lived without the need, nor desire, for "the finer things" ~ clothes, fancy car, big house ~ material things just aren't important to me. 

Having those types of things does not make a person "better" than someone without; nor does it make them worse. 

It's all in what is most important in your heart ... to me, that is simple ~ HONESTY is what I value. And, I don't mind being honest with you even if you chose not to be honest with me. 

I can tell when a person isn't sincere and genuine ~ that is why I have no tolerance for "fake" people or those with selfish motives. 

Now, Faith ... that one is my equivalent to HOPE ... and, anyone that knows me, knows that HOPE is how I live ~ it's who I am ~ it's what I do and how I cope with life. 

So, I learned a little about why I am the way I am ... and, possibly, even why I enjoy Jane Austen so much! This IS one of my favorite quotes by her ~ could be why I've been single for almost 12 years! 

"Single Women have a dreadful propensity for being poor—which

is one very strong argument in favor of Matrimony." 

Ready ... Set ... it doesn't matter because you have to GO!

The thing about almost everything in your life changing at one time ... you have no other option but to keep going because you have nothing to "fall back" on! Ready or not ... time doesn't stop ... 


Two of my favorite quotes by Tom Krause ~ 


“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.”

“If you don't want it bad enough to risk losing it- you don't want it bad enough.”

Repost from 10-25-2009 ~

Video by Tricia Riley, my "BCSS"

 ~ Breast Cancer Survivor Sister ~ 

"...you can't always "follow" your heart ~ sometimes, you have to lead it..."

I love that line from the movie "Fireproof" because it is so true.

Love shouldn't be a fight or a struggle - but it should always be worth fighting for! My grand-daddy would tell me: "Sandy, if it is easy, anybody can do it...easy isn't necessarily the best. If you aren't willing to work for it, then you don't want it bad enough."
I agree with him ~ and I agree that the farmer will not by the cow if he is getting the milk for free!

I have had days when I've been on top of the world and I've had days when I have felt like the world is on top of me ~ right on my shoulders! Doors haven't just closed, they've actually SLAMMED in my face and trying to force them back open has only proven more painful than the initial shock and hurt. I guess sometimes when a door closes ~ you just need to LOCK IT! LOL!

"One door closes, another one opens" isn't that they way it goes? HHMMM... wonder how long that takes? As I was coming home from Chattanooga today, I was flipping radio channels and stopped because I heard Tim McGraw (I ALWAYS stop for Tim McGraw!) and he was singing "Live Like You Were Dying" which for me, given all that I've been through recently, touched home. Some of the lines are something like..."I loved deeper, I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness that I'd been denying... I became a friend a friend would like to have...Live like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity to think about what you did with it..."

I'm not dying, THANK GOD! I'm surviving! It's strange to think about, but I never really knew how to forgive until I knew how to love and I didn't know love until I let go of the "control" on my heart. I was completely bewitched, captivated, mesmerized by another individual ~ I had no control!
Doors close...Time heals…Windows open…
I’ve tried to live my life with as little regret as possible ~ when I have had reason to regret, I find that it is regret for the things I DID NOT do more so than for the things I DID do! I’ve lived 41+ years this way ~ I hope I have 40+ more! LOL!!! I’m not afraid to stand up for what I believe in; go to battle for what I know is true, right, honest; speak my mind or my heart… I’m not afraid to lose but I always, always want to try! Failure isn’t necessarily defeat…just like being couageous isn’t about not having fear!
Living life – Laughing at myself & enjoying the beautiful, loving people around me! Always Loving with an open, free heart without worrying too much about the path I’ve traveled, hurt from the past, or what tomorrow might throw my way, because, truthfully, I would walk back through all the heartache and pains that I’ve experienced over the past 40+ years to get right back to where I am today!
NO REGRETS… LIFE IS GOOD… I AM BLESSED!!!

love my friends~looking out for myaz

To all you single ladies who are in such a hurry to get married, 

here's a quick piece of Biblical advice: 

Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz. 

While waiting on YOUR Boaz,don't settle for ANY of his relatives: 

Brokeaz, Drunkaz, Poaz, Lyinaz, Cheatinaz, Dumbaz, Cheapaz, Lockedupaz, 

Lazyaz or Marriedaz and especially his third cousin Beatinyoaz

. 

Please, wait on your Boaz & make sure he respects Yoaz. 

Words of advise given to me by Deana Watson ...

Aries Horoscope today ... I needed it!

Daily Extended for August 12, 2011 (Today)

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Aries

3/21 – 4/19

Overview

When did you lose that famous 'can do' attitude of yours?! Today you need to try to get it back -- so ask friends for encouragement. They will love to let you rely on them right now, especially after all you've done for them. Think positively -- tell yourself 'You can do this!' as many times as it takes -- because, dear beautiful soul, you can! Your abilities have never lessened, but it looks as though your self-confidence has. The good news is, you can get it back today.

We only get one shot ...

"The greatest loss of time is delay and expectation, which depends upon the future.  
We let go the present, which we have in our power, 
and look forward to that which depends upon chance--
and so relinquish a certainty for an uncertainty."
Seneca

Sophomore Year 2011-2012

Tori Turk
8/3/2011
1st Day Sophomore Year
Cass High School

Christmas in July (2011)

Yayyyy! Christmas in July!

I like surprise presents ... 

they are my favorites!!! 

Don't ask me what I want, or if I want it,

because I will usually say "NO" even if I do! 

Just buy it for me and watch me smile! 

I can ride any time I want to ride ... 

I don't have to go to the gym @ 5:30am! 

NOTE: I was really getting bummed because I LOVE to take the SPIN classes  (ride the bike) @ the gym but, being unemployed, money is tight and I don't have (or need to spend) the $$ on gym fees. 

SANTA visited me early ... giggggless! 

Even if he doesn't come back in December, I will be happy because I like my "PINK and WHITE" girl bike! 

Plato described it 2,500 years ago

The twin-soul concept is not new...

Here is an excerpt... “And when one of them meets with his other half, the actual half of himself, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other’s sight even for a moment.” It sometimes happens that a man and a woman meet...... and instantly recognize the other half of themselves behind the eyes of each other... 

The eyes have been rightly called "the windows of the soul." Even their voices are familiar to each other's ears, like a remembered chord of music... These are two who immediately sense the unalterable fact that they have been--are--and must always be One... even though they might have fought against their fate for centuries and struggled in vain to escape their linked destiny... Almost from the first moment they meet and gaze upon each other, their spirits rush together in joyful recognition, ignoring all convention and custom, all social rules of behavior, driven by an inner knowing too overwhelming to be denied... During the periods of twin flames being apart, however brief or however extended, both persons are lonely, empty, and incomplete... yet even throughout any such temporary spaces in their togetherness, there's a constant, pulsing astral communication between them-- for even then, they are linked by a cord that connects them over the miles, time, space, and other relationships. 

What will happen when I do find my Twin Flame

It will be a Direct bond with this person, so drawn that you can’t let go of the connection even if you never had a relationship, or if he/she is not single. Thoughts will be never ending, sometimes for years. Will it lead my life in destruction, what do I do? The connection is very intense and you can feel what they are feeling, even apart. Even when there is a positive or negative lifestyle, you will sense this emotion. Sound a little scary? It can be as beautiful and as traumatic an experience as it sounds. Sometimes people can’t handle this deep Spiritual Bond and block it, but the Twin Flame is never one sided. The feeling between the two will always remain and will in some way find themselves back to their Twin flame when Karma permits. This depends on everyone differently. When will it connect? A Twin Flame usually pops up when you LEAST expect it. You will also find yourself coming down with the same symptoms of a "soul mate connection." It's telepathic, and hugging each other is like coming home for nourishment. 

What is a Twin Soul?

Not everyone meets their twin soul in every lifetime, nor should one seek it out ... it's out of his/her control as to the time when the two soul halves will meet, and their successful reunion depends upon the balancing of karma with other souls, the balance of male/female energies within them and between them, and their Spiritual evolution. The energy between them is powerful, the two halves are often like magnets, there is the irresistible pull, or the inexplicable "pushing away" as the energy is sometimes too powerful for one or both to deal with. Some people mistake unrequited love for a twin flame relationship. It is not but can often be the threshold leading to the meeting with your twin soul. As we learn to love and release and open our hearts fully in compassion, forgiveness, and unconditional love, we are being made ready for the ultimate reunion with the other half of our soul. Both halves will feel this connection, and often many synchronistic events and signs will lead up to this magical meeting.Often one or both will try to run from the energy, it can scare the "stuff" out of you to meet with this person whose soul resonates so strongly with your own. Looking into this person and seeing yourself can frighten you if you haven't done the inner work. If the two halves have not evolved spiritually to come to the place of unconditional love and inner strength, then the meeting can be tragic, short-lived or beset with difficulties (Nelson Eddy & Jeanette McDonald, Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton come to mind) but the magnetic pull remains. Often many obstacles lay in the path between the twins and their ultimate reunion. Lessons in patience, perseverance, acceptance and surrender. Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning loved from afar for 20 years as her parents kept them apart. Would such beautiful poetry been born if not for this separation and test of their love? There are stories of twin flames married to others who connect only on the Spiritual plane while respecting the earth vows of their partner took with someone else even knowing that that person is not the "right one" for them. Evolved twin souls will do no harm or damage to existing relationships, for it will create more karma to be balanced before their reunions can take place; and they will take place. Separation of two that are destined to be together cannot be avoided. It transcends time and space.

When someone you have a deep connection with...

... suddenly pulls away, the dis-connect leaves you feeling as if your soul has left your body, like an empty shell. You just can’t get back to reality and you can feel as if you simply exist. Life does continue;however, it is with an empty void that is only filled by the one that is absent. This experience is similar to grieving the death of a loved one and I know many counselors, at least those who accept and understand connections, who will treat this pain in the same way as a bereavement. What we're talking about here is not a conventional emotional relationship. A soul connection is the most powerful soul level connection with someone and when separations like this occur you just can't "get over it" or "move on" however hard you try. Many people can't eat sleep or work for a long time, a lot end up on medication and in counseling. When you are separated from a soul mate, you miss your partner every minute of the day and most days are nothing more than a torture of aching and needing. The soul mate connection is unlike a conventional relationship for, in these cases, the pain of separation doesn’t lessen. Some days it feels as if your heart will burst out of your chest and fly to your true partner.

I guess tomorrow does come ...

This song has beautiful lyrics ...

my daughter made me listen to it ~ she even "tears up" ...

she said, "but MOM, I didn't think tomorrow ever really comes ... I guess it does, huh..."

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet ..

Tori, "pretty in pink" @ the rodeo 2011

MY HOPE ...

I had someone tell me the other day "enough of this "HOPE" stuff ... you have more than HOPE ...

I don't really know what I have that is more important than MY HOPE ~ I can't think of anything!

I have known love and it hurts ... I have a foundation of faith and it reassures me ... but "MY HOPE" keeps me going!

Learning to love taught me how to give unconditionally and forgive the same ~ it also taught me that just because you give it, doesn't mean that it will be returned equally. 

"MY HOPE" ... what it means to me ... it is something that I am, that I do!

Most people understand hope as wishful thinking, as in "I hope something will happen." 

This is not what true hope means to me. 

The "Biblical" definition of hope is "confident expectation." Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown (Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 11:1,7). Hope is a fundamental component of the life of the righteous (Proverbs 23:18). Without hope, life loses its meaning (Lamentations 3:18, Job 7:6) and in death there is no hope (Isaiah 38:18,Job 17:15). Those who trust or put their hope in God will be helped (Psalm 28:7), and they will not be confounded, put to shame, or disappointed (Isaiah 49:23). 

Along with faith and love, hope is an enduring virtue of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13), and love springs from hope (Colossians 1:4-5). Hope produces joy and peace in believers through the power of the Spirit (Romans 12:12, 15:13).

I was given the passage above [as a child] by my grandmother~ it stays in my purse all the time so when I am down & out, I read it and remember ... NEVER GIVE UP! God has a plan ... when I make plans, HE LAUGHS! I am certain that I am HIS constant source of entertainment!

I will never understand the way my life has turned out ... the "why" of so, so many things that are beyond my comprehension (my health, my past, my failures, my losses and my demons ...) 

Trust me, I always try to succeed and achieve in the things in life I WANT ... but even when it doesn't happen for me, I still have HOPE ... MY HOPE!

I am blessed ~ very blessed, more so than I deserve ~ and I am appreciative and grateful for everything in my world, and even for the things that I don't have bc those struggles and disappointments only served to make me who I am today ~ stronger, more independent. 

No matter the situation or outcome, choices and decisions made beyond my control that affect my life, my world ... HOPE remains within me; it always will.

Just like I don't understand how people live without it, I realize that some people do not understand and have a difficult time understanding me because of it ... my "unconditional" ... but, this is how I choose to cope with life.

I laugh, I love, and I have HOPE! 

Never give up on something you cannot go a day without thinking about ...

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway." 

Mother Theresa

As close to real life as fiction can get ...

Kalyn & Tori ~ Summer 2011

Quotes I like ...

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, 
it is a matter of choice; 
it is not a thing to be waited for, 
it is a thing to be achieved."
Winston Churchill


"The measure of love is to love without measure." 
Saint Augustine


"Listen to your heart. Because, wherever your heart is, that
is where you'll find your treasure." 
Paulo Coelho


"Act mindfully. Accept entirely. Move strongly. Think softly.
Speak beautifully. Live simply. Love completely." 
Anon


"The soul would have no rainbow, had the eye no tears." 
Unknown


‎"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway."
Mother Theresa

Ever have one of those days???

... It's ALWAYS the "little things" ...

Multiply it by infinity, and take it to the depth of forever ...

"MEET JOE BLACK" ~ One of my favorite movies ... True, beautiful sentiments ... one could only be so lucky as to actually be thought of in such a way ... a rare gift to cherish and treasure always...

Susan Parrish: Love, passion, obsession, all those things you told me to wait for, well, they've arrived. What are you afraid of, Dad? That I'll fall head over heels for Joe? Well, I have. 

Joe Black: I don't care Bill. I love her. 

William Parrish: How perfect for you - to take whatever you want because it pleases you. That's not love. 

Joe Black: Then what is it? 

William Parrish: Some aimless infatuation which, for the moment, you feel like indulging - it's missing everything that matters. 
Joe Black: Which is what? 
William Parrish: Trust, responsibility, taking the weight for your choices and feelings, and spending the rest of your life living up to them. And above all, not hurting the object of your love. 

Joe Black: So that's what love is according to William Parrish? 

William Parrish: Multiply it by infinity, and take it to the depth of forever, and you will still have barely a glimpse of what I'm talking about. 
Joe Black: Those were my words. 
William Parrish: They're mine now. 

William Parrish: I loved Susan from the moment she was born, and I love her now and every minute in between. And what I dream of is a man who will discover her, and that she will discover a man who will love her, who is worthy of her, who is of this world, this time and has the grace, compassion, and fortitude to walk beside her as she makes her way through this beautiful thing called life. Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

Tori Turk & Imani Whitfield 4X100 relay

FAT DOG WILLY

It's been a rough few days @ the Turk house ... FAT DOG (Willy) isn't feeling too well. He had to go to the E. R. Vet on Sunday morning for lower back & hip pain. A follow-up Monday morning with his Dr. confirmed he is suffering from degenerative disk ailments and hip dysphasia. In other words, he wobbles when he tries to walk, his little back legs buckle and he falls. He can't even squat to potty! BLESS HIM!
I've ordered him a brace and prayed for him ... but he is uncomfortable.
The pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills help; he just can't move around ~ he stays on his little bed unless I carry him outside. It's sooooo sad!
Lucky for him; however, because his two "BFF's" are with him! (By "BFF" I mean Best Furry Friends!!) They are watching over him and keeping him company during the day while I'm at work.
I love that FAT DOG! and, no matter what kind of mood I'm in, how I look, or if I stink from the gym ... He loves me right back ~ unconditionally!
If only more humans were capable of that type of WHOLE HEARTED love.
I sure hope this brace helps because surgery isn't an option and I can't stand the thought of him being in pain and not being able to play! That's no way to be ... that is just "existing" and he is too sweet and precious and special not to really LIVE!
"FAT DOG, FAT DOG ~ HISTORY OF THE WORLD ... MOMMA LOVES YOU!!!"

Sandy C Turk
Sent from my iPhone
Please excuse typo's/auto spell
sandycturk@yahoo.com

My booty's worst nightmare! This teensy little bitty egg!!!

Seriously... some people

Needed a sweet tea to take with my Goody powder this morning. Ordered @ Mickey D's and was waiting to pull forward, when I hear the man in the car behind me yell "IDIOT, MOVE THE CAR FOWARD SO I CAN ORDER!" Seriously!! Jesus must have been waiting on HIM @ church! LOL! I can only assume that he was stupid, rude, AND blind because I don't know where he expected me to go other than ON TOP OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME! I am so thankful I can laugh ... he needs the sweet tea more than I do!

Sandy C Turk
Sent from my iPhone
678-231-3999
sandycturk@yahoo.com

WORDS FROM THE HEART OF A FRIEND

"...You are valueable. You have to know it and not allow anyone to treat you any other way or they are dismissed. It is an attitude or a belief system you put into place and don't settle for less. People who treat you the way you deserve. It starts with you. Not an option; a priority. Love isn't a competition..."

MORAL COMPASS

I do believe the moral compass of some "adults" is irrevocably broken!

I often hear, and wonder myself, why children & teens behave the way they do ... they are following the example of those they look up to ... Adults!

It's like a merry~go~round ... society accepts it!

Men these days really have it made bc females tend to give free advertisement and sampling!
I'm not judging, I'm just calling it like I see it.

Low morals, fleeting character, and virtually zero self respect ... It's very sad to witness bc it's not "bad" people behaving in such a way ~ it's unhappy, unfulfilled, lonely people that have absolutely no idea how or what real happiness is or how to achieve it!

One used to have to pay to see what is now free in most "clubs" and social venues/events today! It is a "man's world" and women can't complain too much bc it's the depreciation of values we've allowed amongst our gender that has lent itself to the degradation of our society and the expectation and acceptance of such promiscuous attitudes!

Snow 1-10-2011
Willy & Sandy
Willy in his "new" sweater!

Gwyneth Paltrow - Country Strong

"... push me in a corner and I'll come out fighting ... I may lose but I ALWAYS keep my faith..."

The movie is very good!

Love the lyrics to this song!

Several other songs in the movie are really good, too!