Character & Virtue

Happy Wednesday, friends! Taking a break from the blog this week.
Life goes on!

It's the holiday season. The calendar is full of upcoming events, so many things to do. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed at what lies ahead and struggling to be content in the present moment. But at the same time, I want to really prepare myself for Advent and the birth of Jesus. I've been looking at the Thanksgiving challenge I put out there 2 weeks ago and realize, I haven't been disciplined at completing many of the things I wanted to do, because I've been distracted with work and the thought of all the things I have to do....

Content in the Present Moment - Character & Virtue I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed at what lies ahead and struggling to be content in the present moment.

We are still in Thanksgiving mode around here, making all the preparations for the big day. I heard this saying the other day from a motivation guy and was blown away and just had to share. What if we all had the mindset of, "I don't have to....., I get to." Insert whatever words come to your mind after that phrase and finish the sentence....

I Get To.... - Character & Virtue I heard this saying the other day from a motivation guy and was blown away. What if we all had the mindset of, "I don't have to.., I get to."

As if we don't already have enough to do, am I right? A challenge? That's right. Once a year, I offer up a challenge. I'm going to invite you all to join me in a Thanksgiving Challenge. It comes from Dynamic Catholic and it is their Holy Moment Bucket List. For the next 30 days, until we hit Christmas, I am challenging you to pick a few items on this list, or if you're really up for it, pick all 30, one a day, and make a difference in the lives of others in gratitude for what you already have....

A Thanksgiving Challenge - Character & Virtue Once a year, I offer up a challenge. This year, I'm going to invite you all to join me in a Thanksgiving Challenge.

Remember these bracelets? I bought these for my kids and just about everyone I knew. They are still selling them. Maybe we should all start wearing them again as a reminder and ask God to turn our hearts around. WWJD: What would Jesus do? I'm asking myself that question now. How do we get people to think about their actions and choices with that mindset?...

Turn Our Hearts Around - Character & Virtue Maybe we should all start wearing these bracelets again as a reminder and ask God to turn our hearts around.

What are you afraid of? What keeps you up at night? We all have something, don't we? Some of us could be afraid of getting sick or losing a loved one. What is it for you? Maybe it's our mortality. We can't not think about it. We can't look the other way. It's time we started facing our fears. Halloween is over....

Facing Our Fears - Character & Virtue What keeps you up at night? We can't not think about it. We can't look the other way. It's time we started facing our fears.

Just so beautiful.

I just love the colors of fall, don't you? Even the smells in the air are different. I love to sit on the back porch and watch the leaves fall from the tree to the ground. It is just beautiful. Change is in the air. It won't be long and this tree will be bare, ready for the harsh cold and snow that is to follow....

Change Is in the Air - Character & Virtue I love to sit on the back porch and watch the leaves fall from the tree to the ground. It is just beautiful. Change is in the air.

Most of us know the story in the Bible, don't we, of Martha & Mary? Martha is worried and fretting about how Mary isn't helping her with serving and getting everything ready for the crowd that has come to her house to see Jesus. She is worried about not getting things done, not having enough food, not being prepared. Mary is just sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his teaching....

Martha and Mary - Character & Virtue Most of us know the story, don't we, of Martha & Mary?Which one are you in the story?

I have a favorite t-shirt that I have worn out. It says, "Less is more. Less is more. Less is more. More, please." Letting go of stuff is never easy. I'm embarrassed to say that photo above is my sewing room. I'm not sewing at the moment and it's so easy to throw stuff in there and just shut the door....

Letting Go of Stuff - Character & Virtue I have a favorite t-shirt that says, "Less is more. Less is more. Less is more. More, please." Letting go of stuff is never easy.

Change is in the air. Blog post on the website. Link in bio.

There is a campaign causing a stir and some division in our community called 'Save Our Steeples' which, I think, should be re-named, 'Where's All the people?' Remember the little ditty we used to say to our kids? With fingers intertwined and index fingers pointed upward, we'd say, "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors and here's all the people." In some areas across the country, it has become, "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors, but where's all the people?" …...

Where's All the People? - Character & Virtue There is a campaign causing a stir and some division in our community called 'Save Our Steeples' which should be, 'Where's all the people?'

Am I being the person that God created me to be, all that I can be?

Winning is sweeter when it comes from a struggle.

“Being accountable means we keep our promises. We show up when we say we're going to show up.”

This week’ blog post is about accountability. www.charactervirtue.com

"Kids, these days." Did your parents or grandparents ever use that phrase? I caught myself saying that the other day. I don't want to be that older person who never has anything nice to say about young people. But as we get older, we also get wiser and we realize that sometimes youth miss the boat when it comes to character and virtue....

Let's Talk About Accountability - Character & Virtue sometimes youth miss the boat when it comes to character and virtue. Been there, done that. Today, let's talk about accountability.

It is said he prayed sometimes 30+ rosaries a day!

When you attend a coaching summit and people actually follow through by connecting and supporting each others dreams. It’s golden. God bless these amazing women!

Last week the blog post was all about stepping it up a notch. I am pumped after attending a coaching conference about how to live, love and matter. I am feeling the call to be a beacon of light through personal development coaching. What a conference it was! I have never been to anything like it before. There 1500 people all with the same goal in mind of wanting to help other people live a better life....

A Beacon of Light - Character & Virtue I am pumped after attending a coaching conference about how to live, love and matter. I am feeling the call to become a beacon of light.

Does your life give you satisfaction? Are you enjoying it? If you answered no, have I got some help for you. We're about to take it up a notch! This week I am traveling. I'm not a big fan of driving across country, but I tell you I am motivated to get to where I'm going. Our first stop was Memphis, but I'm headed to Austin, TX for a coaching conference with a personal development guru....

Take It Up a Notch - Character & Virtue Does your life give you satisfaction? If you answered no, have I got some help for you. We're about to take it up a notch!

Have you ever been so mad that you just wanted to spit? You just want to scream and yell, "people have no idea what they are doing!" That was me last week as I was listening to someone give a talk about the language in Issue 1 of the upcoming November election. I was all fired up and I should have written my thoughts down then....

All Fired Up! - Character & Virtue That was me last week as I was listening to someone give a talk about the language in Issue 1 of the coming election. I was all fired up.

Don't you just love family reunions? It's so nice to get together and spend time with family that you don't get to see very often. So, when one of your cousins tells you they read your blog and suggests you write about something on her heart, you do it. This one's for Dori. It's a call to excellence. I believe we are raising a generation that no longer strives for excellence....

A Call to Excellence - Character & Virtue When one of your cousins reads your blog and suggests you write about something, you do it. This one's for Dori. We are called to excellence.

I was scrolling through my social media feed and came across someone's obituary. As I was reading all the nice things being said about this woman, in my head I was saying to myself that I don't want any of these nice superficial words to be said about me. When I die, I want them to say that when they saw me, they saw Jesus....

When I Look at You, I See Jesus - Character & Virtue When I look at you, I see Jesus. I see Jesus in my pastor, my spouse, my children and grandchildren, my friends and family.

My oldest daughter called last week to tell me that her soon to be four-year-old son was having a hard time distinguishing between which grandparents' house they were going to go when she said, 'Get in the car. Let's to go to Grandma Pequignot's.' He hasn't associated last names with grandparents yet. He has only associated things with people. And so he asked, "The grandma with the puppy or the grandma with the guns?" …...

Grandma with the Guns - Character & Virtue He has only associated things with people. And so he asked, "The grandma with the puppy or the grandma with the guns?"

Dang, that's a big bus, isn't it? Struggles. We all have them. No one escapes the messiness of life. So let's all just jump on the struggle bus. We can't avoid it but we sure can learn to overcome it. What do you struggle with? Your health? Weight? Not enough time in your day? Are you frustrated with someone or burned out in your job?...

Jump on the Struggle Bus - Character & Virtue Struggles. We all have them. No one escapes the messiness of life. So let's all just jump on the struggle bus.

How are you at meeting new people? Do you make friends easily? Summertime is a time where we get outside and meet others. This week I'm challenging you to get out and introduce yourself to some new people. A gentleman recently was talking with me about how all the good women with values are taken. Surely not! He’s having a hard time meeting new women in the dating scene....

Introduce Yourself - Character & Virtue Summertime is a time where we get outside and meet others. This week is a challenge to get out and introduce yourself to some new people.

My husband is getting ready to have 'outpatient' knee replacement surgery. (isn't that wild, that we can replace a knee and go home the same day?) Assuming the role of nurse is not one I am particularly good at, mind you, but one I willingly accept, because charity begins at home. Wouldn't it be nice to watch a video before you get married of all the things that you will encounter in married life?...

Charity Begins at Home - Character & Virtue Assuming the role of nurse is not one I am particularly good at, mind you, but one I willingly accept, because charity begins at home.

There is a lot of talk about purpose. There have been volumes of books written on the subject. Do you know what your purpose is? What does it mean to be living on purpose? When did life get so hard? Why is it so complicated? Is it really? Are we making it harder than it has to be with all of our choices and decisions and the craziness of the world?...

Living on Purpose - Character & Virtue There is a lot of talk about purpose. Do you know what yours is? What does it mean to be living on purpose?

A friend recently posted on her social media that she remembers sitting on the front porch with her dad watching the storms come in. I remember doing that, too, with my grandpa. Sitting through the storms with someone you love makes you feel safe, makes you feel connected. It makes you feel loved. Mental health is a big problem across the globe....

Sitting Through the Storms - Character & Virtue Sitting through the storms of life with someone you love makes you feel safe, makes you feel connected. It makes you feel loved.

Summertime offers the best experiences, doesn't it? Campfires and friends. Vacations. Relaxation. Those are times where we expect the best. But we are going to talk about expecting the best in our everyday lives because sometimes we just settle for less. Why not expect the best from the everyday? What if you planned your days like you plan your vacations?...

Expect the Best - Character & Virtue Summertime offers the best experiences, doesn't it? Campfires and friends. Vacations. Relaxation. Those are times where we expect the best.

Taking some time doing what you love to do is very therapeutic.

It's wedding season and I thought I'd write a fun post about the do's and don'ts of weddings. As a church secretary for over 12 years, I've seen a few weddings in my day. We've have over 40 in our family of parishes this year alone. I can give you quite a few don'ts before I do. Every now and then I get the opportunity to help out with a wedding at my church....

The Don'ts Before I Do - Character & Virtue As a church secretary for over 12 years, I've seen a few weddings in my day. I can give you quite a few don'ts before I do.

That's right. I'm taking back Sunday. It's my day of rest. My day with the Lord and my family and I'm taking it back. My family has been notified that any Sunday they may come to our home for a meal and good conversation. I've been listening to a daily rosary meditation, called School of Faith. Their motto is, "friendship, good conversation and the rosary." That's what I want to get back to: relationship and good conversation....

Taking Back Sunday - Character & Virtue That's right. I'm taking back Sunday. It's my day of rest. My day with the Lord and my family and I'm taking it back.

I remember a great sign I read outside a bar one time: "It's attitude adjustment time." Sometimes we all need an attitude adjustment, don't we? When I say we, I'm including me. It's easy to fall into the trap of complaining and not being grateful. We have become such an ungrateful nation, a spoiled culture. We have so much, yet, we are so unhappy....

Grateful for This Day! - Character & Virtue Your level of gratitude has a lot to do with how well your life is going. We have to learn to be grateful for this day!

You can tell a lot about people's character when they encounter conflict, can't you? When push comes to shove, what are you made of? With grandkids, there always seems to be one conflict or another and they don't shy away from it. As grandparents, we can help them learn to overcome difficulties and conflicts through character training. Everybody at one time or another will have something hard they have to deal with....

When Push Comes to Shove - Character & Virtue You can tell a lot about people's character when they encounter conflict, can't you? When push comes to shove, what are you made of?

We live in one of the best countries in the world. The land of the free and the home of the brave. We can do and become anything we want here in America. We have the freedom to choose. But do our choices make us free? Some people choose to live in a big houses and drive fancy cars, but then work crazy hours and years to pay them off....

Freedom to Choose - Character & Virtue We can do and become anything we want here in America. We have the freedom to choose. But do our choices make us free?

There's nothing like being told, "You're old." I'm hearing it a lot lately. Maybe people have been saying it all along and now I'm just hearing it. Maybe it is just another birthday that came and went. And I started repeating it, too. But I believe, you're as old as you feel. I have some friends who recently lost their father: He lived to be 100 years old....

You're As Old As You Feel - Character & Virtue Maybe people have been saying "Your old", all along. Maybe it is just that another birthday came and went. You're as old as you feel.