Vol 1 Iss 24

The hectic pace of a full-time job plus serving my clients and following up with referrals (Thank you SO MUCH, and keep them coming!) has settled somewhat. I feel somewhat "normal" again, though we all know that "normal" is just a setting on the dryer.

What has really amazed me is how much I am capable of accomplishing with very little time. It's really true "If you want something done, give it to a busy person." I am the queen of time management and follow through. No one is more amazed than me!

This Thursday (in the U.S.) is Thanksgiving. Families are gathering and cooks are plotting to outdo each other. I'll be at my son and daughter-in-law's home for a huge feast combining several families.

It feels good to know that family traditions have been handed off to the next generation, and they hold them with the same reverence. My grandchildren will experience some of the same rituals I did when I was young, and my mother before me. That thread of tradition and ritual is what keeps us grounded.

I'm thankful for my heritage, for my loving family, for my health and spunk, and for all the amazing people that appear in my life. I am a rich woman indeed.

Please take the time to count your blessings this week (and often), and let me know how it goes for you.

P. S. Find out about the adventures of the World Smart group (and my daughter) by following this link:

http://www.upwithpeople.org/pageinpage/2004studentnewsletters.cfm

Many years ago I cut out of the paper a letter from a woman who shared a "receipt" from her Kentucky grandmother describing wash day. It was scribbled on a small piece of paper in an uneducated hand and went something like this (I'm going from memory):

Bild fire in back yard

When coals are hot, put big black ketle on to boil

Seperate clothes, culerd in one pile, white in another

Make paste from ...... and rub black spots on werk pants

Scrub culerd clothes - rench in stream

Put bluing in biling water

Rench whites in bluing water

Dump water in garden

Comb back hair with side combs

Set a spell in rockin chair and count blessins

Doesn't that make you really appreciate your washer and dryer? For me, this recipe for doing laundry represents a hard day's work and the exhaustion that comes from taking it to completion. And, after all the hard labor, there is gratitude and the knowledge that it could be worse. She knew there could be a time with no clothes to wash.

Our nation is the richest in the world. You are surrounded with unimaginable luxuries compared to many people on this planet. No matter what circumstances surround your employment, your career, your livelihood, you are substantially better off than many, many others. (Only 6% of the world's population has a computer to read something like this...)

Please take some time to reflect on what is right in your life. On what is working. On the simplest everyday occurances that represent who you are and your place in the world. Write it down in your gratitude journal and feel it deeply.

Do this every day. Your life will change.

If you want a partner to share your blessings with, PLEASE call or email me (at debra@forwardmomentum.com ) and let's partner on your growth. You have a good heart and you deserve happiness.

in the hair I brush each morning,

in the Cannon towel, newly washed,

that I rub my body with each morning,

in the Chapel of eggs I cook

in the outcry from the kettle

that heats my coffee

in the spoon and the chair

that cry "hello there, Anne"

in the godhead of the table

that I set my silver, plate, cup upon

right here in my pea-green house

though often forget,

to faint down by the kitchen table

in a prayer of rejoicing

as the holy birds at the kitchen window

peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,

let me paint a thank-you on my palm

for this God, this laughter of the morning,

lest it go unspoken.

The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard,

I have begun a new teaching relationship with Hyland Hills Recreation District in Westminster, Colorado. They have a long-standing program of offering quality classes to their public and I'm honored to be a part of it. To find out more about Hyland Hills and their programs, and how to register, click here .

Help! I Need a Different Job

Saturday April 16 and Saturday April 23, 2005, 9:00 to 11:00 am

Learn the process of discovering your next career step, whether it's a different job or a brand new career. We'll look at defining what work suits you best, job search strategies, and action plans. You'll learn how to research and approach the companies you'll be happiest working for and how to network to find that company.

The Un-Retirement Landscape

Saturday April 2, 2005, 9:00 to 11:00 am

We are living longer than any time in the history of mankind, and we are retiring at an average age of 57. What in the world will you do with the next 30 years? Learn the areas of life that will need attention in your retirement. It's not all about money!

For the full listing of workshops, visit www.forwardmomentum.com.

You are free to use material from Moving Forward! in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including a live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:

"By Debra DeVilbiss, CPCC, of Forward Momentum, LLC. Please visit Debra's website at http://www.ForwardMomentum.com for additional articles and resources on creating your right livelihood."

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