Three weeks before her 93rd birthday , Mimi sat in a chair at the shallow edge of the Dead Sea with her toes in the water and her hands in the air. She thought, hmmm well that’s the list… she had checked the last box-a trip to the Holy Land, and with a gaze set across the still water she tells me appreciation for a lifetime of memories filled her mind~ and then…what next? I honestly don’t think the thought had crossed her mind until that moment. A new bucket list? How would she begin it? Upon her return in the month of December I helped her to make this card online. Happy New Year~ To New “buckets”’it reads. (Photo)

Mimi amazes. Yes, she is a rare jewel. Not that we need to be able to picture ourselves at 93, but have we thought beyond the goals we hold in our current life scenarios? Whether you are a busy career gal, gunning for a top year in sales, a mom of three with sites set on making it to summer break, a graduate student working part-time to pay off loans by a certain date…Have we imagined beyond the foreseeable future and considered what then will continue to inspire us to check the boxes?

Part of what I believe has motivated Mimi’s path in life is a personal mission statement she devised for herself somewhere along the line. “Whatever I do each day I hope to make life more pleasant for someone else, to give back more than I receive, and to leave a place better than I found it.” It is this focus on others that I believe has energized her to continue to do her thing!
Sometimes when I’m having a hard time finding my motivation I think about this life lesson. If I am able to put others before myself-looking daily for opportunities to pay it forward, my lack of focus or self-centered feelings seem to have a way of clearing right up. Whether it is a season in which we are able to contribute to others in a major way or just to return a borrowed container filled with flowers, a sweet treat, or a handwritten note. In completing these selfless acts of gratitude we are actually providing food for our own souls. A woman regularly practicing a spirit of gratitude exudes a life-giving quality too bright to hide.

I saw it written “You’re so much sunshine to the square inch” the bright message on a greeting card once sent to me by a friend.
I love this encouragement~ it’s true! There is so much sunshine to spread around-
“Whatever I, (insert YOUR name here!) do each day I hope to make life more pleasant for someone else, to give back more than I receive, and to leave a place better than I found it.”
Good words to live by:)