“Be the Change you wish to see in the world!” Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi got it right!
If I’ve learned anything in this life (and I’ve learned lots), it’s that you can’t control others. You can’t make them be anything. For instance, you can’t make someone else be happy. You can’t make someone care. You can’t make someone be anything they don’t want to be.
We are impressionable beings. We are social. We hang out in groups, and we listen. We can be influenced.
We can be change!
We can be goodness! We can be love! We can be light!
Today I have a singular light brightening my brain. This light has been calling to me for months. It’s a light I need to shine brightly and to share, because it’s a light of making a positive difference. It’s a light that shows just how good we can be! It shows the change we can make!
Be a BEST PERSON in peoples lives!
A little while back I learned that a dear friend had passed. She was young. … Cancer. Taken before her time, and a devastating loss to all those who were fortunate to share life with her.
She liked ice cold cokey colas. Just about everything she ate needed “a lil salt” after a first tiny bite. Her laugh was mirthful and hearty. No one could decorate a Christmas tree like her, but pilots could use the lights as a landing beacon. And her heart was pure gold!
She was hard work, determination, grit, and a lickity split brain! She was reliable, authentic, and she liked flying under the radar. Meghan wasn’t looking for other people to make her feel important with ribbons and awards. But she was special; she was perfect (in only a way Meghan could be)!
Meghan was a Best Person in my life! (which is why I’m sharing with you!) :0)
Do you have a Meghan (Best Person) in your life?
I think we all have Meghans in our lives. The people who authentically shine and make us look inward to be our best selves!
I think to all the people who have come into my life. Beautiful souls! Bright lights! Angels on earth! Even spritely little fairies of goodness!
I can strive to always be my best, give my best, and help my best for others!
I feel that even if I only get five seconds in passing, I can smile! I feel deep gratitude for you and this time we share! And I strive to always be a light in your days!
I can be the change for goodness! I can be the change for love! I can be the change for authenticity! I can be the change for happiness and wellness!
I invite you to be a Best Person for others! (Be the change!)
Being a best person (the change) isn’t about being perfect. It’s not about always being something uber, impossibly positive.
A smile.
A hug.
Words of kindness, or love, or support, … or all of these!
Maybe it’s a gift of your time to help them tackle something challenging they are facing.
Maybe it’s just time shared laughing together and having a fun chit chat.
“Be the change …”, as Gandhi has said. I call it Being the Ripple!
You are precious!
You are light! We need you!!!!
Our world is faced with many struggles! And one thing is for sure, Our Love and Light can help!!! (It certainly won’t hurt … so … sweet blossom … Let’s be the change! Let’s be the ripple!)
Love and Big Hugging you big … and I’m smiling at you so bright my cheeks are practically in my ears!!!!
It was a scary time On the Bog! Lightening struck, and thunder shook the very walls of Starry Cottage!
Dark skies roiled. Heavy rain blew and blustered, drenching everything in sight and obscuring the usually chipper sights of the Bog. All the creatures were silent and still, hiding in their homes and shelters, hoping for the storm to pass quickly.
Inside Starry Cottage with a candle lit in the window for hope and light, Kat, Bear, and Wogs huddled closely together, holding each other tight.
Kat(shuddering in response to a loud, nearby lightening strike): I’m scared.
Wogs(hugging Kat tighter and gently stroking Bear’s head for comfort): Me, too. But it’s scary outside, so that’s normal.
Kat(cuddling in closer to Wogs and petting Bear with calming love): I’m so grateful we have each other!
Wogs(loving Kat and Bear big time with gentle comforting hugs): Me, too!
Bear(loving Kat and Wogs so big and thankful for their comfort in such a scary time, snuggled deeply into Wogs lap and felt calm with Kat’s gentle touch): <3
It would be great if scary times didn’t happen, but they do. They can throw us off-center and disturb our calm. They can bring tremendous upset and upheaval. We can struggle to navigate these difficult times.
But navigate we must. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. One breath at a time.
They help us be a little braver, be a bit calmer, and help us find the strength we need to get through the scary time with less soul scorching … less fear … an in a way that helps us feel not alone, … and simply better.
Nourishing positive relationships with others, growing love with friends and partners, and investing in meaningful connections all take time to flourish, but these bonds are gifts in our lives! They brighten our days! We have goodness to share! Support to lend! Hugs to hold us!
Together, we celebrate the good times, and comfort each other in the scary and difficult times!
Together, we make life happier, healthier, PINKer, kinder, more loving, more caring, … simply filled with more goodness!
I am filled with gratitude for this shared time with you! Thank you for being here with me as we navigate the good days and the bad days! Thank you for sharing your brightness with the world!
May any scary times you face pass quickly and without lasting debilitating impact. May you have the love and support you need to hold you, comfort you, and guide you safely back to brighter days! May you always feel my love holding your heart!
Early summer rains brought cool winds and dark skies. Kat, Bear, and Wogs were nestled warmly near the toasty fire in their Starry Cottage On the Bog!
Inside, Kat, Bear, and Wogs cozied up on their comfy couch and listened with giddy glee to the happy, froggy harmony coming in from the Bog. You almost couldn’t hear the steady pour of rain for the loudness of the frogs.
Kat (giggling at the delightful sound): They’re SO LOUD. The rain is making them very happy!
Wogs(turning to look at Kat with big, wondering, playful eyes): What if it’s not lots of frogs? What if it’s just one REALLY BIG frog!
Kindness and Caring. These go a long way and make a big difference in the world around us. And for ourselves.
Dear Sweet Blossoms,
I find myself vibrating with the stress of an unkind, uncaring interaction today. We had trees planted here at our Starry Cottage On the Bog (we are so grateful for our new trees, the life and light they are, and the life they will support)!
The trees are a delight!
The planters of the trees were unkind and uncaring, and their actions and attitudes have been a challenge to process. I mention this, not to be a bummer, but to highlight our actions have impact. Whether for good or for bad. We can be bright lights and love and bring ourselves and the world up, or not. It is our choice.
I feel our times are changing us. I’m feeling harshness where once their was, at minimum, social civility.
It does not have to be this way.
We can be kind. We can care. We can love. And we be bright lights!
For me, I find it feels wonderful sharing and smiling and hugging and being there for others!
Being here with you is AMAZING!!! Being here with you is SQUEE!!! Being here with you is HEALING!!! Being here with you is LOVE and BIG HUGS!!!
Be well, my sweet peas! May you find yourself surrounded by kindness and caring today, and everyday (and for when you don’t, know I am hugging you tighter and brighter, all day long!)!!!
If repetition is key, then tell yourself how much you love you. Tell yourself kind things. Tell yourself supportive things. Give yourself positive reaffirmation every day. Self-Love and Self-Care with Positive Reaffirmation is POWERFUL!!!
We are constantly bombarded with so much negativity and drama, every single day. It’s in our news, our social media, and our entertainment. It’s in our daily lives. Depression and anxiety rates are up. And for anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship, one of the first truths that holds is “if you hear it long enough, you begin to believe it.”
This is a form of reaffirmation. And reaffirmation is POWERFUL. When subjected to it negatively, it diminishes and disempowers us. It brings our lives and our mental and emotional well-being down, which in turn impact our physical well-being negatively.
BUT, when practiced POSITIVELY, reaffirmation can powerfully change your life for the better. So MUCH BETTER!
So let’s use this POSITIVE REAFFIRMATION POWER for AWESOME Transformation in our lives!!!
Repetition Is Key! Repeat goodness to yourself every day!
Self-Love and Self-Care yourself with Positive Reaffirmation to transform you and put that smile on your face and the glow in your heart!
I talk about my POSitudes … a POSitude to me is a positive statement of love, reaffirmation, support, self-care, kindness, gratitude, and giant PINK & LOVE filled hugs! POSitudes are gentle reminders and guidance I use daily to support myself and that I share with you to help you live a happier and healthier life.
For me, my POSitudes and POSitude cards are vital and amazing and wonderful! I keep my cards on my desk and near me all the times. And for today, I want to focus on some of the positive reaffirmations that are incredibly meaningful to me. I encourage you, please, if repetition is key, then tell yourself how much you love you. Be kind to you. Tell yourself supportive and nice things. Tell yourself these things:
I am loved!
I am irreplaceable!
I am wonderfully unique with a light that only shines when I am in the room … the world needs my light!
I am enough!
I am needed!
My heart is big and beautiful!
I can do this!
Every little bit I do is better than not doing anything at all!
It’s Valentine’s, and I love any day dedicated to love. Especially now more than ever when there seems to be so much negativity in the world. So for this month of love, take that first step … self-love and self-care yourself with positive reaffirmations. Use the POWERFUL tool of transformation to enlighten and empower you! Be kind to you. Say nice things to yourself. Think of something you like about yourself and remind yourself of it daily. Tell yourself supporting things. Hug yourself! Big Time!!! Put the smile on your face and the glow in your heart for your happiness and healthiness! Love you!
Until next week …
Keep telling yourself positive, happy things about you! Self-love and self-care yourself with POSitive Reaffirmations!!! Give yourself the power you need to transform you and your life into the happiness and healthiness you want for you!
Be my Valentine! I love you with my big, happy, PINK heart, and I’m hugging you so SQUEEtastically tight!
Love and Big Hugs,
More Happiness from Mary Kate
Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!
Needing some self-care, love and support? Wanting hugs? Treat yourself or someone you love to these Big Loving, Big Hugging daily inspirational, motivational, and empowering POSitude cards! They really can make a big difference in your day!!!
Get Your POSitude On!
Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!
Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!
What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!
These cards are colorful and cheerful! They stay on my desk at work and have made for great conversation with colleagues. I look forward to choosing my daily pick me up. I reflect on my current mood or what inspiration I need for the day. I do have a few favorites that I’ve used more than once or have displayed longer than just a day.
These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!
Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher
I love my POSitude cards! I pick one to display on my refrigerator for the week. Reading the card makes me happy and gives me a variety of ways to stay positive in my daily life. It has also become a conversation piece for all who enter my kitchen.
Karen Henry, Retired 4th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant
The Positude
cards have
made a difference for setting the
tone during meetings. I have set them in the middle of
the meeting table and while we are settling in, people pick them up and read
them. This small gesture makes a huge difference in the
quality of the conversations we have during our 1:1 meetings.
Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator
I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!
Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom
Get inspired every day with a deck of my new POSitude cards! Each deck has 35 different full-color, fun, happy POSitudes (36 cards total, with one card sharing suggestions on how to get the most out your POSitudes.) Available in my Etsy shop. Check them out and learn more, now!
You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!
Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?
Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!
Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!
Lub loves you!
Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!
You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!
I’m a week late and a cherry dessert Danish recipe shy, but
my dad died last week, and between coping with his loss, family drama and
trauma, and my chronic fatigue, I find I’m struggling. So for now, let’s talk about the message that
beats loudest in my heart, body, and soul:
Be Love.
I promise I’ll get you
that recipe, but for today, in this month of love, let’s talk love.
To me, there are 3 big hearts in Being Love:
Surround yourself with love
Share your love with others
Love yourself
Surround yourself with love
There’s a saying out there that says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. It’s an interesting idea, and one I believe in. People who stand by you and bring you up help you be your best self; whereas people who do the opposite, make it so much harder for you to be your best self. Living in POSitivity, happiness, love, kindness, and support is heartwarming, smile making, and energizing; whereas, dealing with criticism, angst, sadness, frustration, and drama drags us down and saps us of our energy. So pick your people well.
Find people who love you and who you love. Create your world of love and support by filling it with people who care about you and love you!
Share your love with others
Be it friends. Family. Your special human. Fur babies. All of these.Grow your love by giving it to others and sharing it. Build on commonalities. Experience new things together. Strengthen your relationships with POSitivity and acts of kindness. Be thoughtful and learn more about each other.
And in this month of love, I challenge you to grow your love even more by giving of yourself to someone in need.Make someone’s day. Pick any person who you feel needs a little extra love, help, kindness, and be an expression of love for them. Brighten their day. It doesn’t have to cost money. Just do something that is thoughtful for them. Something that lets them know they are not alone. That someone cares about them. That they are worthy. Quite simply, the difference we need to make in the world starts with each of us.
Imagine how much happiness we can make by being thoughtful for someone in need, giving him or her some love, kindness, and attention. It’s a beautiful thing!
Love yourself
This is the one I think is hardest for most. We’ve been taught to be self-critical to succeed and excel in a competitive world. I feel like we’ve learned not to be patient with ourselves. We’ve learned to be excessively critical and unforgiving. We say mean things to ourselves. Undermining untruths. Have you ever said to yourself things like: I’m so fat. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not that smart. Or maybe you’re a little craftier about it and less direct. Perhaps you say things like: She’s so thin. She’s so pretty. She’s so smart, … all the while using those statements as quiet comparisons to judge yourself by.
It’s amazing and daunting how automatic we can be in self-degradation.And the thing is, in actuality, it’s self-abuse. There’s a destructive effect that comes with constantly telling ourselves negative things about ourselves. If we tell ourselves these negative things long enough, we can start to believe them. It works the same as if someone else is saying negative things to us.
We haven’t really been taught to approach ourselves with kindness, love, and patience. We could instead say things like, “I’m going to find ways to eat and live healthier,” if we feel we are overweight. Or, “I am going to find a haircut that highlights my striking cheekbones, or brightens my eyes,” if we don’t feel confident about the way we look. Or even, “I’m going to learn and experience something new to grow my knowledge-base,” if we feel we could know more.
If repetition breeds belief, then start telling yourself positive things. Good things for you to know and believe about yourself. Reaffirmation is POWERFUL!!! Use it to grow your self-love and self-confidence. And in the areas where you feel you need growth and improvement – give yourself the patience and time you need to grow and learn new things. To become the reality of yourself you want to become. Love yourself!
So in this month of love, I challenge you to tell yourself something positive about yourself each day, even if it is the same thing every day, all month long.Find something you like/love about yourself and tell yourself out loud every day this wonderful thing. It can be something you’re good at like, “I am kind kind to others!” Or it can be something about you physically like, “I have a bright smile!” Or even something emotional/mental like, “I am resilient!” Pick anything – one thing or even many things – and keep reminding yourself every day of the goodness in you. Reaffirm yourself. Love yourself, even if one little bit at a time … because I promise you, you are worth your love!
Until next week …
Loving you Big Time and Hugging you Tightly!!! Remember, surround yourself with love, share your love with others, and love yourself. Together we will make life a happier place to be!
Love and Big Hugs,
More Happiness from Mary Kate
Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!
Needing some self-care, love and support? Wanting hugs? Treat yourself or someone you love to these Big Loving, Big Hugging daily inspirational, motivational, and empowering POSitude cards! They really can make a big difference in your day!!!
Get Your POSitude On!
Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!
Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!
What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!
These cards are colorful and cheerful! They stay on my desk at work and have made for great conversation with colleagues. I look forward to choosing my daily pick me up. I reflect on my current mood or what inspiration I need for the day. I do have a few favorites that I’ve used more than once or have displayed longer than just a day.
These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!
Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher
I love my POSitude cards! I pick one to display on my refrigerator for the week. Reading the card makes me happy and gives me a variety of ways to stay positive in my daily life. It has also become a conversation piece for all who enter my kitchen.
Karen Henry, Retired 4th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant
The Positude
cards have
made a difference for setting the
tone during meetings. I have set them in the middle of
the meeting table and while we are settling in, people pick them up and read
them. This small gesture makes a huge difference in the
quality of the conversations we have during our 1:1 meetings.
Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator
I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!
Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom
Get inspired every day with a deck of my new POSitude cards! Each deck has 35 different full-color, fun, happy POSitudes (36 cards total, with one card sharing suggestions on how to get the most out your POSitudes.) Available in my Etsy shop. Check them out and learn more, now!
You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!
Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?
Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!
Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!
Lub loves you!
Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!
You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!
Pauli and I celebrate Christmas, and if you celebrate Christmas, we wish you a very merry holiday! For those of you celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, Diwali, Chinese New Year, HumanLight, and Newtonmas, we also wish you a very happy holiday! We wish you all love-filled days!!!
We hope you will celebrate with us in sharing our joy in love, kindness, fostering positive relationships, giving of our hearts, happiness, healthiness, POSitude, gratitude, self-care, peace, and earth-care!
Each of us are bright stars with light and love to give and share! We hope you shine brightly, always!
Loving and Hugging you BIG TIME with our whole hearts!!!
ps: If you find yourself all up in the stress, drama, sadness, and/or hectic chaos that can happen during the season, please remember to take a moment for yourself, take a deep breath, find a quiet healing space, relax, find calm, just be. Remember, we’re here for love. Love and big hugs, and positive, happy time spent together will go further than any other gift. You and your heart – that’s what is important and what they love! So give yourself precious time to self-care and feel your own goodness. You are wonderful and beautiful and bright! You are a bright star!!! And you are loved!!!
Until next week …
Thank you for being here with me! I am filled with gratitude for being able to share my love and big hugs with you, and for spending this time with you! You are wonderful, and I wish you peace, light, love, laughter, healthiness, and happiness in abundance. May your days be filled with kindness, goodness, and gratitude!
Love and Big Hugs,
More Happiness from Mary Kate
Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!
Needing some self-care, love and support? Wanting hugs? Treat yourself or someone you love to these Big Loving, Big Hugging daily inspirational, motivational, and empowering POSitude cards! They really can make a big difference in your day!!!
Get Your POSitude On!
Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!
Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!
What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!
These cards are colorful and cheerful! They stay on my desk at work and have made for great conversation with colleagues. I look forward to choosing my daily pick me up. I reflect on my current mood or what inspiration I need for the day. I do have a few favorites that I’ve used more than once or have displayed longer than just a day.
These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!
Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher
I love my POSitude cards! I pick one to display on my refrigerator for the week. Reading the card makes me happy and gives me a variety of ways to stay positive in my daily life. It has also become a conversation piece for all who enter my kitchen.
Karen Henry, Retired 4th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant
The Positude
cards have
made a difference for setting the
tone during meetings. I have set them in the middle of
the meeting table and while we are settling in, people pick them up and read
them. This small gesture makes a huge difference in the
quality of the conversations we have during our 1:1 meetings.
Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator
I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!
Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom
Get inspired every day with a deck of my new POSitude cards! Each deck has 35 different full-color, fun, happy POSitudes (36 cards total, with one card sharing suggestions on how to get the most out your POSitudes.) Available in my Etsy shop. Check them out and learn more, now!
You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!
Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?
Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!
Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!
Lub loves you!
Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!
You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!
It’s that time of year again! It’s time to help kids smile big and bright and feel love and happiness in their hearts!!! Christmas can be a difficult time for children in need. There are so many families who for so many reasons cannot afford to gifty-gift their kids at Christmastime.
Having connections to the medical community, for instance,I know that parents fighting cancer oftentimes face tremendous medical expenses that make Christmas even more difficult. Then there are the kids of low income families. And even right before I started writing this blog post, I was reminded of the children who themselves are hospitalized at Christmas fighting their own battles. This list goes on. And so for me, I thought … let’s help make some kids smile big this holiday! My special gift to give always is love and big hugs … and this year, I have a very special way of sharing those big loves and big hugs. She happens to come in the form of an adorable, lovable, happy monster named Lub who is having a very happy day! Thus 100 Books – 100 Happy, Smiling Kids! Lub’s Very Happy Day! Holiday Donation Book Drive was born.
Pauli and I were never able to have kids, so our nurturing hearts found other ways to share and spread love! And Lub’s Very Happy Day! story and activity book is one of those ways! This year we have already donated one classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books to a 4th grade classroom in Bay City, MI. And I got this big idea … Let’s do a Lub’s Very Happy Day! holiday donation book drive to get 100 copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! donated to kids in need, so we can make at least a 100 kids smile … cuz Lub will do that to you … she’s big on making smiles, sharing love and happiness, and giving hugs! … And then, if 100 books get donated, we can do a random hat drawing for one lucky donator to win a classroom set for another classroom of their choice! Also, as I mentioned a moment ago, a nursing friend of my reminded me that there are children who will be confined to their hospital rooms for the holidays, and so I’m also open to the gift set of books being donated to children in hospitals.
With all of this in mind … let’s be the loving, bright stars we are and share and donate! Let’s make a happy, smiling big, loving difference to kids in need! Here’s how!
Help me put smiles on at least 100 kids’ faces this holiday season by buying a copy of Lub’s Very Happy Day! and donating it to the charity that moves your heart (Toys for Tots, your church toy drive, etc).
In return, I will donate a classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books (up to 30 copies) to the winning participant’s classroom of choice (to be determined by random hat drawing).
This holiday donation book drive ENDS Sunday, December 15, 2019, midnight, EST.
The recipient classroom of the classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books (up to 30 copies) must be in the continental United States.
You send me proof of your purchase to marykate at loveandbighugs.com
I will put your name in a hat for a random drawing for every copy of Lub’s Very Happy Day! you donate.
You donate the copy to the charity that moves your heart (Toys for Tots, your church toy drive, etc).
When we reach 100 copies donated, I will draw a random name from the hat and donate an inscribed, classroom set (up to 30 copies) of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books in the winner’s name! (Shipping to classroom’s school included.)
It’s that easy!!!
Lub makes kids of all ages smile big and instantly feel happier. She can’t help it … she’s drawn that way, lol!
What the kids are saying about Lub and her very happy day story and activity book!
“My grandson thinks Lub is cool! We love Lub’s Very Happy Day!” Kris B. Elkhart, IN
“I read Lub’s Very Happy Day! to Ethan (6) and Ally (5), and they said it’s full of joy, and it made them feel happy!” Karen H. Hamburg, MI
Maybe you are wondering what Lub is all about … well, she’s very much me in my kid-like, loving, cute monster self … so when I wrote her story I thought about things I love, and I wanted to fill her story with happy images of some of my favorite things. So that’s exactly what I did!
I love cute monsters – so of course Lub would have to be adorable.
I love PINK – so, lol, of course – Lub’s the PINKest monster, EVER!
I love LOVE. Love in all it’s kindness. Giving and sharing. Compassion. Big Heartedness. Playfulness. Silliness. All of it!
I love nature and being outdoors. The sunshine. The woodland creatures. Adorable buggy boos. The flowers and the trees. And oh how I love bright, sunny, warm blue skies with fluffy cotton ball clouds floating by … and all the imaginary shapes I can see!
I love reading, creating, playing, eating healthy snacks.
I love spending happy time with friends and loved ones.
Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!
Lub loves you!
Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful as Lub lovingly models healthy behaviors, like:
Being happy
Smiling big
Having fun
Being kind
Spending fun time with oneself
Having independence/self-reliance
Being imaginative
Having positive friendships
Napping
Eating well
Having compassion
Enjoying silliness
Valuing companionship
Being grateful
Watch your child’s face brighten with big smiles at every adorable page turn. Kiss them goodnight with happiness floating in their heads and big smiles filling their hearts!
Additional Features of Lub’s Very Happy Day:
Adorable, bright, full color, happy art and images spark big smiles
Thank you for being here with me! Thank you for donating your love and big hugs to this 100 Books – 100 Happy, Smiling Kids! Lub’s Very Happy Day! Holiday Donation Book Drive and helping me help at least 100 kids to smile big! I hope your holiday season is filled with love and kindness, big hugs and big love, laughter and squee, and healthiness! And the biggest smiles, ever!!!
I have a Thanksgiving story of Gratitude-Giving to share with you. It’s all about how a treasured friendship lost gave me something life changing to be grateful for, and how it’s made my life a happier and better place to be!
Treasured friendship lost
Has it ever happened to you? You’ve had a friendship with someone who simply brightened your heart with so much happiness and big smiles, who made a positive difference in your life, but then time, distance, circumstance … life … happens and your friendship is lost, but the love is still in your heart?
It has happened to me with great sadness. I will miss my friend forever, but I am grateful for every wonderful, life changing gift I got from our friendship.
I know I’m not alone in this as I’ve talked to other gorgeous souls who have experienced friendship loss as well. We talk about how great it was when we had our friend in our lives, and invariably the conversation always drifts to wondering … What went wrong? What happened? Why did our friend let go? Sometimes we get answers. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we can reconnect. Sometimes we can’t.
My thoughts for my friend-lost and my shared wisdom to the gorgeous souls I talk to … I take from the book/movie Eat, Pray, Love … send them your light and love and wish them well wherever they are in the world and in whatever they are doing. I feel this truly and deeply in the depths of my soul. Yes! For as much as I miss my friend, there is a reason I miss her so much – she was a delight in my life – and I wish her goodness, healthiness, and love in all that she does, even if it means without me.
For as much sadness as I’ve felt from the loss of this friendship, I have so much to be grateful for, and especially as it is Thanksgiving and a time for Gratitude-Giving, I want to share with you the amazing life changing gifts I received that made this friendship so worth the pain of losing it.
Life changing gifts
To start, I am grateful for every single day I got to spend with my friend … for all our laughter, shared love, shared wisdom, shared goals, shared philosophies, supporting one another … the absolute delight of feeling fully connected to another person in this giant lonely world and getting to spend time with her. What a gift!
And she gave me another gift; one I never saw coming. It changed my life, forever. She gave me the gift of encouragement. It helped me grow a new confidence in myself I’d never had. She saw a creative talent in me that I didn’t feel was worthy of sharing. She disagreed. She told me my art looked like me. It had all my happiness in it. That my art was a visual embodiment of my voice.
Then, she gave me the gift of knowing … she
taught me how to use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
I started
out slowly. Figuring out the digi-tech
part of art. Playing around. Birthing a new craft. And as my confidence grew, I tried new and
bigger things.
Living my gifts
And this is
how Lub’s Very Happy Day story came
about!
A few years
ago, while we were still friends, I decided to create a children’s story and
share it with her as a prezzie. She –
like me – loves children’s picture books to fall asleep to. … You know
how life can be stressful? Well, at
nighttime, you want to fall asleep, not being stressed. You need to let go and relax. You want to go to bed with good juju running
around in your head so you can have happy dreams, not stressy ones. A novel, although a very happy escape … if
you get sucked in (we’re talking hours of awesome reading), you lose sleep and
rest. So to help us calm down, me
and my friend love to read happy kid’s books.
They’re quick. Cute. Fun. Often
silly and squee. And help you calm down
and sleep sweet.
So I thought, hey, why don’t I write a cute, happy kid’s book for us to enjoy before sleepy-time? I wanted it to be filled with happy images of favorite things. So that’s exactly what I did.
I love cute monsters – so of course Lub would have to be adorable.
I love PINK – so, lol, of course – Lub’s the PINKest monster, EVER!
I love LOVE. Love in all it’s kindness. Giving and sharing. Compassion. Big Heartedness. Playfulness. Silliness. All of it!
I love nature and being outdoors. The sunshine. The woodland creatures. Adorable buggy boos. The flowers and the trees. And oh how I love bright, sunny, warm blue skies with fluffy cotton ball clouds floating by … and all the imaginary shapes I can see!
I love reading, creating, playing, eating healthy snacks.
I love spending happy time with friends and loved ones.
So of course, Lub’s Very Happy Day! is inspired and guided by all this love and happy goodness. It’s filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles! (It’s self-care in picture form!)
I can’t look at Lub & her picture pages without smiling so big! For me, she has that silly something that just makes me feel better instantly. :0)
Lub was born from all my squeelightful monstery pink-hearted happiness and giddy clapping to brighten our days and sweeten our nights! Her very presence on paper is a silly monsterification of all the giddy love in my heart! And she’s been keeping me company at bedtime ever since.
Not too long ago, a friend – who is also a retired elementary school teacher – was visiting me, and we were in my studio. She saw Lub’s book, and she smiled huge (Lub will do that to you!). My teacher friend asked me about Lub; what her story was; and how it came about. She started flipping through the pages, and page after page, her smile grew bigger. She told me I should publish the story. That she thought it was really good!
I was all like, “Really? … Like share with other people kind of good?” I had written it for fun and bedtime positive imagery, never thinking to put Lub into the world.
But my
friend insisted.
I was moderately convinced. My artwork in my personal copy was from my first days in the digi-painting world. My doodlebug fingers hadn’t grown their confidence bones quite yet, back then. So I asked around to other school teachers I know. Every single time I got the same thing. Share Lub! She’s adorable and so happy and so fun!!!
Fueled by all
the excitement of how easily other peeps were falling in love with Lub, I
decided to update the artwork. For as
much as I loved her and everybody else seemed to be loving her, too, I knew my
art could be cuter with my improved and more experienced doodlebug digi-skills.
And
voila! Here we are today. Lub’s
Very Happy Day is a story come to life to share happiness and love with
like-minded and pink-hearted monsters who are giddy clapping for more POSitude
and happiness to brighten their days and sweeten their dreams.
My life: a happier and better place to be!
This is how a treasured friendship lost gave me something life changing to be grateful for! And how it’s made my life a happier and better place to be! I have learned how to be a digi-art doodlebug! I’ve grown my skill with experience. And I’ve gained confidence in my doodlebug digi-art skills and having a visual voice to share my love and happiness with you! I feel this is a gift that pays forward. Now that I’m digi-art doodlebug, I have another medium to share all my Love and Big Hugs with you, and this makes me so very happy!!! Especially as, let’s face it … most of us are visual people. A picture is worth a thousand words. And my art is me all over the page sharing all the PINKness in my heart to help you feel better, more loved, happier, and healthier. And this is gratitude in my heart!!!
I hope you give yourself the gift of Love and Big Hugs all day long today on this Thanksgiving day! And every day. May your day be filled with love, happiness, and healthiness, and may you be surrounded by peeps who get you, love you, and cherish you for all the goodness in your heart!
Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!
Lub loves you!
Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful as Lub lovingly models healthy behaviors, like:
Being happy
Smiling big
Having fun
Being kind
Spending fun time with oneself
Having independence/self-reliance
Being imaginative
Having positive friendships
Napping
Eating well
Having compassion
Enjoying silliness
Valuing companionship
Being grateful
Watch your child’s face brighten with big smiles at every adorable page turn. Kiss them goodnight with happiness floating in their heads and big smiles filling their hearts!
Additional Features of Lub’s Very Happy Day:
Adorable, bright, full color, happy art and images spark big smiles
6 Delightfully fun coloring activity pages included
