It's Official and A New Forward Progress Prompt

It is official! I am now a bonafide member of These Are A Few of My Favorite Things challenge blog! I announced last month that Julie had asked me to join the team and it is now a certainty! This group of ladies has welcomed me with open arms from the beginning. And from the craziness and laughter that is shared behind the scenes, I can tell you this is going to be one fun ride! LOL! Today the winner of the favorite flower challenge will be announced and the latest challenge will be posted. Are there any movie buffs out there? If so, you are surely going to want to play along this time. You guessed it...favorite movie!



I love, love, love going to the movies! Unfortunately, life has been such that I don't get to go as often as I like. I love mysteries, comedies, action/thrillers...but my all time favorites are of the chick flick variety. Especially those with fairy tale endings.



This movie, "Ever After", is one of those feel good kind of movies. It holds a special place in my heart because Keri and I both share a passion for this one. Most of you know she was a competitive cheerleader. What you may not know is the numerous hours spent each week at practice. Keri and I always made the most of the commute to and from the gym. Laughing, singing, being totally zany. When she was in 4th & 5th grade, she would have 4 hour practices on Saturday mornings. After practice, we would have lunch together, run errands and most often see a movie. This was one of those Saturday movies...and we both fell in love...with the characters, the story, the sweetness of it all. It is a true Cinderella story.



I thought it very ironic that this challenge goes up today while I'm in Georgia helping Keri settle into her apartment. Yes, there are a few tears running down my face as I type this. Can you tell I'm already missing my girl?

I guess the tears are a good segue for my next topic. Have you visited Forward Progress lately? If you haven't, I hope you will. The blog has a new look, a new DT and starting this month, we have sponsors. That's right...an incentive for those of you who play along with us. This month's sponsor is Scrapadilly Products. As has always been the whole point of Forward Progress, the prompts are still intended to help us grow...to reach within ourselves to be stronger...better. This month, the prompt is about forgiveness. As we all know, without forgiveness, forward progress is impossible.



This topic, for me, was easy. In life, we are all exposed to teachable moments. Some we recognize as such, others might slide right past us going unnoticed. Well, I'm hear to tell you, divorce is not one of those unnoticeable moments. There are lessons to be learned at every turn. While I am certain I failed in many ways in my struggle to get through the most painful experience of my life, I am proud to say, I worked hard at forgiving from the beginning. And I firmly believe that it was only by forgiving that I was able to let go and move on.



Here are the details:

Title reads:Letting Go... of hurt, anger, resentment

Journaling: "moving forward means letting go of the past if the past fosters nothing more than pain and anger. learning to truly forgive...and in the process, letting go, has brought healing and freedom."

The Howards: married 5-24-86 separated 1-9-05 divorced 2006

I said this topic was easy for me. The layout itself...not so much. I wanted it to be somber but light...trying to convey the hurt and the healing. Well, I bombed! LOL! The pic was a no brainer. I knew from the start I would use this one and tear it to represent the broken marriage. It was one of the last good photos of us together. The words also came rather easy. The design...*sigh*...it just never came to me. So please look past the lack of creativity and see the message.

I think that is what is so refreshing about Forward Progress. It isn't all about the layout/project/etc. It is so much more. In the few months I have been on this team, I have learned that this hobby can be a venue for personal growth and inner peace. I hope you will play along this month. Please stop by and let us know what you think of our new look. Feel free to leave suggestions as well as what you would like to see in the future.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I am typing this on Friday night as I will be truckin' down the highway by 6:00 am on Saturday. I know those lazy days of summer are slip, slip, slippin' away. Please enjoy them while they last!

xoxo
L

P.S. Thanks ever so much for all the encouraging words on my last post. Good news is, everything looked brighter the next day. Partly due to the fact that a new day always brings new perspective. But there is no denying the therapeutic value of getting things off your chest and doing so with those who mean so much to you. People you feel safe confiding in. People who will pick you up with words and with the beauty of their spirit. Thanks for being there when I needed someone to listen! xoxoxoxoxo