Nov

20

2008

Thank You for 3+ Years of Pure Awesomeness!

inspiration | By JJ | 2 comments

The past 3+ years of my life have been filled with an extraordinary adventure called True Light Resources. Helping to create something from nothing and then have that thing become a shining success is truly life changing. A huge part of the awesomeness is due to this woman:

True Light Tracey aka Tracey Lee Wallace aka Auntie Tracey

We started True Light as two self proclaimed sisters with just pure gumption and passion… and we never looked back. I learned A LOT. I grew and evolved, had a few harrowing moments and a whole lot of fun.

I learned that starting a company is not for the weak of heart. It takes courage, perseverance, faith, and grounded-ness. I learned that all of these are easier to do if you are lucky enough to have a really great partner. Tracey and I were blessed that we were never in the “the sky is following” kind of mood at the same time. She was always there to talk me down form the ledge, remind me we were surely going to soar and when all else failed – bring me chocolate.

She picked up my kiddos when Fab!Hubby was out of town and I was sick. She gathered everyone up and made dinner for 2 families on the nights when I was nose to the grind-stone, finishing up projects with tight deadlines. She called from the freeway when she saw one of the billboards we had designed. She brought me chewy cinnamon hearts… that’s real love.

The day we landed our biggest client at the time, her boys and mine were out of school. Tracey’s boys were entertaining mine while we worked side by side in my home office. She made an assembly line of PB & J’s – 6 in all, 4 for the boys all lined up on the couch, 2 for the mommies who loved them endlessly… We vowed, as we ate homemade sandwiches, we would never forget the moment. I know I certainly never will.

Tracey is my best friend, my sister. She is Auntie Tracey to AK and The Z-Man. She is funny, loving, grounded, honest, passionate, and magical.

She shines.

And she encourages, inspires and allows other to shine because of it.

So, the time has come for me to move onto my next adventure and I am filled with gratitude.  I feel blessed to have shared this journey and I look forward to seeing Tracey and True Light Resources continue to shine and soar. As I transition out of True Light in pursuit of other passions, I know one thing for certain…

Lucy and Ethel ain’t got nothin’ on us.

(Love ya babe! and Thanx! more than a million…)

Read More...
Nov

11

2008

My Favorite Thing About Houston Today

Creative Blog,Favorite Things About Houston, TX | By JJ | No comments

My favorite thing about Houston today, on this Veteran’s Day 2008, is all the men and women, Houstonians or not, who are serving in our military today. My gratitude and prayers go out to them and to all their families who live everyday and night with a great prayer wrapped around their mind, heart and soul… that their loved ones be safe – that they come home whole.

I send a special wave of gratitude out to my baby brother who served as a Military Police Officer in the Army for 5 years – 52 brutal weeks of that in Iraq. I thank God for his return. I am washed over with the memory of the fear and desperate desire for him to come home – even today when I think about it. It is a feeling the body never forgets.

As a Quaker I am always in support of peace and non-violent solutions. This does not mean I don’t see and honor those Americans who have chosen to enlist. Those who believe serving in the our military is the best way to protect our country, our freedoms, our children.

In honor of Veteran’s Day I have put together this list below of sites and stories. Places you can donate, ways to support our troops. Mostly I would ask that you connect with whatever you believe is greater than we are and you ask for peace to spread everywhere, that warriors from all places flow back to their homes, safe and whole.

Wounded Warrior Project: This is the organization my brother, and most of his unit, ask that we support

American Widow Project: The American
Widow Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the new
generation of those who have lost the heroes of yesterday, today and
tomorrow, with an emphasis on healing through sharing stories, tears
and laughter

Read More...
Nov

06

2008

Could gives us choice, and we are never wrong.

inspiration | By JJ | No comments

Seems like should is showing up a lot these days – most likely I am more aware of it. I recently began to read Louise Hay again and thought I would share what she has to say about should…

“You see, I believe that should is one of the most damaging words in our language. Every time we use should, we are, in effect, saying “wrong.” Either we are wrong or we were wrong or we are going to be wrong. I don’t think we need more wrong in our life. We need to have more freedom of choice. I would like to take the word should and remove it from the vocabulary forever. I’d replace it with the word could. Could gives us choice, and we are never wrong.”

And here is a little diddy I found… to add a little humor to the topic
Read More...
Nov

05

2008

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time

inspiration | By JJ | No comments

Mother Martha Frances is a dear friend of mine. I lean on her in my times of spiritual confusion and when I want someone to share my spiritual joys with. She has attended the opera with a friend for years – a friend who just happens to be blind. She forwarded me this email from Ronnie this morning and I liked the message so much I decided to share it here.

What I am taking as a little gem in my pocket today is this thought: Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room w as ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

‘I love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

‘ Mr. Jones , you haven’t seen the room; just wait.’

‘That doesn’t have anything to do with it,’ he replied..

‘ Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged.. it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. ‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in
bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away. Just for this time in
my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.’ Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Read More...