LIFE IS ALWAYS FILLING
Marion is an eccentric combination of Annie Oakley, Gloria Steinem and Shirley Temple. Like Annie Oakley, Marion understood tough times and learned to work hard in order to become financially successful. In the 1860’s Annie, changed ideas about the abilities of women. A century later, Marion did the same. Both had the courage to prove that a woman could stand her ground in the world that men controlled. 
Marion, a single, teenage mom with an 8th grade education began waitressing in a small cafe bringing tips home to provide for her infant son and mother.
Over the years she gained her PHD in the ways of life eventually purchasing the cafe, bars, supper clubs and even a construction company. Like Gloria Steinem, she was not afraid to speak up and voice her opinion -even when it was unpopular. She continues to be a strong advocate for women and doesn’t shy away from a discussion about her political views. I’ve seen Marion lock in a business deal during dinner, strongly expressing her opinion about the details of the agreement and, then, just as easily changes her composure, blinks her flirty eyes and giggles with the impish playfulness of a young Shirley Temple. Marion is a force to be noticed. Marion is my mother-in-law. I delight in listening to the stories of her younger years when purchasing property was done with a hand shake and over-bearing men were no match for her. She tells of how she has made money, lost money, felt success and experienced desperate times. It was during one of these stories that I heard her make this profound comment, “I never really looked at my glass as half full or half empty. I always thought my glass was filling up!” That statement should be on T-shirts, coffee mugs and tattoos! That is not just optimistic – that is living a life of expectation. A life of adventure. A life of anticipation-- of learning from whatever waits around the next corner. What if we could all see life that way? The next time you believe you are having a bad day or living through a challenging time think of it as your life just filling up. Filling up with experiences to learn from. Allow your cup to fill with all life has to offer- the good and the challenging. I hope for Marion, for me and for everyone that our cup of life continues to fill until that very last drip tickles the rim and runs down the side. And when that happens we all wink, giggle and with an impish smile know that our life was full! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson- “Your glass is not half empty or half full – it is always filling!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how you look at life- is your glass half full, half empty or always filling? Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2018 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.
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CupCake It!
We don’t take time to celebrate. I know what you are thinking – "What? We celebrate all the time!" Yes, we break out the ice cream and cupcakes to celebrate birthdays and holidays, but we need to “cupcake” the little things in life. Every second of every day we are surrounded by things to celebrate. Some are obvious. A promotion at work or the birth of a baby are the green fields for the dance of celebration, but let’s dig deeper. I don’t think there has been a morning of my life that the sun didn’t rise bringing with it a glorious splash of love and light. That is cupcake worthy! The first smell of spring, the flower squeezing between two rocks to find the sun, or the smile on the face of an elderly woman as she watches a toddler walk – cupcakeable! The smell of coffee in the morning, the kiss on the cheek from someone you love, the note from a friend that says they are thinking of you, the tail wagging greeting from your dog and sliding into bed on clean sheet day –- yep, cupcake with sprinkles! Watch for these moments and even sweeter, try to turn frustrating moments into a cupcake moment. It may be a red light that stops you when you are late for an appointment, but what can you celebrate as you take a breath? It may be that the pause that forces you to calm down to take the breath is worth a celebration in itself. A spring storm may require you to add snow shoveling to your already busy day, but those white snowflakes are crystals of beauty and the moisture will guarantee the green burst of spring in your yard. Do you see how you can turn frustrations into celebrations? Now, I’m not suggesting you start baking cupcakes on a daily basis. None of us have time for that and our waistline wouldn’t thank us for it. But imagine a cupcake celebration in your head when these wonderful life moments occur. Who doesn’t like a party? You can create one just by paying attention to these delightful moments. The mental confetti will spill, the balloons will bounce, the champagne glasses will clink with a “cheers it” as you begin to cupcake the small things in life. Begin now! Start taking time to celebrate freely. What will you cupcake today? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: Take time to celebrate the small moments in life – cupcake them! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how we celebrate holidays in a BIG way, but what about the little everyday moments -- how can you celebrate them? Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2018 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. 
MIND BODY AND SOUL FOOD
If we are what we eat then today I am oatmeal, blueberries, a turkey sandwich, an apple, salmon, salad and green beans. Oh, and a medium vanilla chai latte and one...okay, two really tasty sugar cookies. Well, I'm not perfect! Think about what else we feed ourselves every day that helps to create who we are. Did you savor the taste of love and joy? or Did you eat a big helping of self-criticism and negative talk? Did you swallow shame and guilt? How much anger and resentment did you chew on today? What about that green smoothie of jealousy you had for a midafternoon snack? And then right before bed did you munch on doubt and insecurity? All of these things blend into one big combo meal of emotions and feelings that feed who we are. Have you heard the expression, "junk in- junk out?" This is exactly what happens to your body and life. In the same way eating high calorie, sugar-filled junk food will show outwardly in the form of weight gain, when you feed yourself negativity then negativity will show outwardly to create a life of anger, depression and pain. Isn't it time to pay attention to what you feed your mind, body and soul? Create a menu of positive self-empowering mind, body and soul food. Begin mixing in healthy amounts of gratitude and self-care into your diet. None of us are perfect and along with the occasional really tasty sugar cookie there will be times that negative self-talk, doubt or shame will sneak into your daily diet. Forgive yourself when you indulge in these and then - move on! If you knew you had the power to create happiness in your life wouldn't you do it? Well, you do! It all starts with being grateful. Begin and end each day in gratitude. Just like weight lifting begins strengthening your body with one work out at a time, exercising your gratitude and self- compassion muscles will reshape your life one thank-you and one act of self-love at a time. Gratitude leads to love, joy and kindness. When you begin fueling your soul with these it will show outwardly bringing happiness to your life. YOU do have the power to become what you eat! Eat wisely. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "You are what you eat -- feed love to your mind, body and soul!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to your negative self-talk and emotions that you consume and replace them with loving self-care and gratitude. Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you!
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All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2018 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward and share this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information.
This is a "Pennies From The Past" that I wrote in 2013. On September 13, 2018 I will have been in the water 11 years... and still I wear my life vest.
LIFE VEST
I was forced in the water 5 years, 8 months and 5 days ago. She was pushed recently. I met her last month. Immediately, I saw the ache in her eyes as we spoke; the hurt that hides behind the everyday chit chat and smiles. I know too well how to recognize the look of buried pain that is in the eyes of every grieving parent. We shared photographs. We all carry one. Some are wrinkled and worn and some are sealed in protective covers to keep them safe. I noticed the care she took when I handed her the picture of my son, J.T. and the loving way she brushed her fingers over it. I silently thanked her for that. I did the same with her photograph. We parents with angel children understand that the love we send them does not stop just because they are not physically here with us. Our stories are different, and yet the same. The love we feel for our children. The pain we feel without them. The memories, the "did-that's”, the "wish-we-could's," the missing and the wanting all roll into one similar pond of pain. I am further in the water than she is. The hot and cold of it, the swirling and splashing is a continual dance of how we maneuver without drowning. The trick is to do it with the grace and balance required to keep our heads above water -and breathing--always breathing. At times I have fought the water current and at times I have floundered reaching for a life vest. The life vest has become one I wear secretly like bullet proof protection under my clothes with the hope that nothing this painful will ever penetrate my heart again. I continue forward. I see others in the distance, with well-worn life vests, who have maneuvered the water much longer than I have. I feel comfort in knowing they are leaving a trail to follow. I turn to see the ones behind me as they wade in, stumbling and unsure if they will survive the voyage. I reach my hand back to steady them as the waves hit, listen to them as they cry and help them position their life vests. After 5 years, 8 months and 5 days I have learned to swim a little better. But, I will always wear my life vest. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Sometimes we need a life vest and sometimes we can be a life vest for others.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to reach out to others going through a difficult experience-- one that you have lived through! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2018 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. 
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
It seemed like a giant step to the front platform of the church. When the piano began playing it was our cue to begin singing. Each time we visited our grandmother who lived states away, my brother, sister and I sang, This Little Light of Mine, at the Hurricane Baptist Church. When we sang my body swayed back and forth – mostly from nerves. My eyes linked to the glowing face of my grandmother. Her smile encouraged me to sing loud and strong. I loved her and would do anything to make her proud and happy – even overcome the fear I felt standing on a huge stage in front of a crowd to sing the same lyrics year after year. Not long ago I was back in the Hurricane Baptist Church. As I stood in the pew looking at the one small step to the front platform I realized the passing of time had shrunk the size and scale of the space I stood in as a little girl. Decades of events skipped through my mind. This was the church where my parents were married. This was the church where I cried at funerals. And this was the church where I learned the song that I could hear as it circled my memory now. Occasionally, a life lesson is a long time in the learning. Standing in that pew I realized the lesson my grandmother was very intentionally teaching. We could have sung a different song every year, but it was always THAT song. She wanted us to sing it over and over again until we understood the meaning. We all have our own unique spirit inside; a one of a kind light that needs to shine. We must bravely allow our individual personality, our talent and our joy to be seen and shared. We must have the courage to stand up in front of others and hold up our light. And, never allow anyone to smother it. What a bold and bright lesson in one little song. This church was my grandmother’s space; a home where she felt love and joy. This is where HER light shinned. This is where I followed her encouragement and love to take that giant step as a little girl. This is where I held up my little light and allowed it to shine boldly, brightly and bravely. This is where I now understood the power of my spirit and the importance of bringing it out into the open space for others to see. Yes, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Allow your light to shine boldly, brightly and bravely…only then will you know the power of your spirit.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YOUR TURN...
My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to shine the inner spirit of who you are to the rest of the world. It is in this light you will find fulfillment and happiness. How do you let your light shine? Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2018 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. |
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