"Tis the Season

’Tis the Season

I recently heard about a man who had been in a coma for some time and whose family had tried just about everything to wake him. It wasn’t until he heard someone singing a Christmas song that he awoke and then recovered fully from that deepest of sleeps. I can’t recall exactly what tune they sang, but it did the job, and now he’ll continue his life’s journey.

Christmas songs hold some of our most vivid memories, and I’m sure that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, hearing Christmas music triggers flashbacks to your childhood or adolescence and some especially precious moments associated with the holiday season. Never deny yourself a few minutes to reflect back on those days and all those special memories. One thing for sure, if I’m ever in a coma, be sure to play The Carpenters’ “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” or Andy Williams singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I promise I’ll wake up.

“What is Christmas? It is the tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” –Agnes M. Pharo (19th/20th –Century American Writer)

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The Value of...

The Value of…

On a long drive recently I was listening to the radio and heard one of my favorite country songs, “Chicken Fried,” by the Zac Brown Band. Probably because I was born and raised in Atlanta, this song touches many chords with me. Among the many great lines in the song, one of my favorites is “no dollar sign on a piece of mind.”

I started thinking about all the wonderful things in life that have incredible worth but are often overlooked on a daily basis. What’s the value of a piece of mind, good health, your family’s health, friends, the love within your home, someone special in your life or one more sunrise? My wish for you is that in the hubbub of daily living, you take a few moments to recall the value of life’s simple but precious things. You’ll soon realize that they are indeed priceless.

“Well I was raised up beneath the shade of a Georgia pine

And that`s home you know

Sweet tea, pecan pie and homemade wine

Where the peaches grow

And my house it`s not much to talk about

But it`s filled with love that`s grown in southern ground

And a little bit of chicken fried” –Zac Brown Band 2008

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Thankful

Thankful

I wanted to take this special week and share with you the words to one of my favorite songs by Josh Groban. There truly is so much to be thankful for—Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful
Some days we forget
To look around us
Some days we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for …

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The Greeter

The Greeter

There is a gentleman--I would guess in his 50s--who greets each and every person as they enter a Laguna Beach church every Sunday. His name is Skipper, and he’s always dressed in a full baseball uniform, from cap to cleats. He gives unconditional hugs and wishes all “a homerun day!” with more enthusiasm than someone who just won the lottery. He’s full of wonderful energy and exhibits the true spirit of Trust Your Journey. Skipper has some special needs but doesn’t allow those needs to interfere with his love of people and enthusiasm for life.

Needless to say, Skipper touches my heart. He makes me realize that all is right with the world, and that I should take time each day to count my many blessings. Skipper is definitely one of those blessings.

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.”
-- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004 Swiss-American psychiatrist and author)

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

Before we launched TYJ we thought it would be appropriate to have a mission statement that would serve as the foundation of our journey. We discussed it for months among ourselves, our marketing company and our dear friends. The TYJ mission statement is:

“To inspire women everywhere to honor their inner strength and celebrate their personal path through life.”—Trust Your Journey (2006- )

There are three key words for me in the mission statement: inspire, honor and celebrate. “Inspire”, which means to encourage somebody to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity, was very important to us. We wanted to be among your biggest cheerleaders in meeting the challenges of everyday life. We’re here if you ever need us. “Honor” had a natural pairing with inner strength. This part of the mission statement was meant to be a reminder to “know thyself” and to recognize and use all the power available within you. Follow your heart; it will never mislead you. Lastly, your personal path through life is shared by many through similar experiences, but is truly unique and duplicated by no one. Now that’s something to “celebrate.”

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Symphony

Symphony

In my coaching years there was always a need to understand a variety of personalities so that I could assist them in basketball or even along life’s path. Of the 14 players on a team, there are only five on the floor at one time, and it’s obvious that many of the 14 will see only part-time action or none at all. My favorite metaphor at the start of a season was to compare the team to a symphony orchestra that has three violin sections. Whether you played 1st violin or 2nd or 3rd, your part was as important to the sound and harmony of the piece as the others. The performance wouldn’t have sounded near as beautiful if one of those three sections was missing. In fact, each individual violin makes a unique contribution to the whole effort.

It was that way with my team as well. Even though some of the girls played very little, if at all, their contribution to the whole team made a difference. Our overall success was due to each girl playing her role as best she could.

Life works in a similar fashion. We’re all important to the whole, and it is vital that we understand our roles in this world. It matters not if you’re in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd violin section. What counts most is that you realize you’re a valuable part of a much bigger picture that’s trying to bring harmony to our world. You matter!

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No Pain, No Gain

No Pain, No Gain

Those four words seemed to be constantly ringing in my years when I was young. There were many times when I thought that my coaches, teachers, parents, and other authority figures were in my life to constantly drum that phrase into me. As I grew older, I realized that pain could come in a form that was tangible (broken finger) or intangible (broken heart), and that the gain could be an actual move forward or could masquerade as a setback.

As a result of many life experiences, I’ve come to the conclusion that, often enough, something has to “pain” us before we make a move to improve some aspect of our lives, be it a relationship, our health or a career path. One current example is the price of gas, which pained us all. Since the record high cost per gallon, we’ve decreased our consumption and found alternative means of transportation. There’s a much more concentrated effort by larger well-funded groups to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by exploring and exploiting alternative energy sources found here in America that are far more eco-friendly. Even though there’s still a lot of work to do, I believe the pain at the pump created a gain that’ll benefit the whole human race. Life seems to work that way and, if we choose to look beyond the immediate, we’ll usually see the gain that’ll come from the pain.

“I don’t accept the maxim ‘there’s no gain without pain’, physical or emotional. I believe it is possible to develop and grow with joy rather than grief. However, when the pain comes my way, I try to get the most growth out of it.” –Alexa Mclaughlin

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