2016 Was A Bad Year???

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being in the now, being present, blessings, children, community, compassion, Diana Schwenk, family, friends, happy, health, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, love, memories, New Year, parents, Purpose, Relationships

It seems to me that I was bombarded with the message of the title of this post continually leading up to 2017.

And I guess I understand why, given over 130 well-known people died in 2016, including Canada’s much-loved Leonard Cohen, who incidentally was born in the same year as my much loved father, and given our Albertan economy has taken a nose dive and many people employed  in oil and gas have lost their jobs. I’m sure you have similar or perhaps worse stories you could share from your corner of the world.

But I can’t help thinking that compared to others; we’re doing well here in Canada.

I mean considering the events in other parts of the world, I am fairly certain that ninety-something per cent of the world’s population would gladly change places with almost anyone in our country, knowing their lives would be greatly improved.

That’s why it’s important for me to be grateful for the blessings, large and small, that made up my daily experience in 2016.

On a personal level, these blessings include that more and more when I remember Dad, it brings a smile to my face instead of tears. That although my family is spread out, we’ve all worked harder to connect more often. That with much practice, I am learning to be more present in the moment; to give the person or situation in front of me my full attention – something I will continue to work on in 2017.

Professionally, I’ve seen that our work to engage the community has started to show evidence of authentic and mutually beneficial relationships. People are wanting to be, and becoming involved on many levels of our organization, making a huge difference in the lives of men and women who are in recovery, while hopefully also increasing their own sense of purpose and meaning.

I hope that you too, can find your blessings in the past year when you look back. Here are just a few of mine in the photo gallery below.

A selfie by my brother’s pool

Visit from Germany

Old stomping grounds

Visiting the house I grew up in

soccer!

A visit from down under

A Corpus Christi Christmas

YYC Rocks for Sobriety

Ride for Refuge

Remembering Josee

Christmas 2016

New Year’s Eve

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Wishing you and yours a blessed 2017 filled with moments you can treasure for a lifetime.

Diana xo

You are powerful beyond measure

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believe, community, courage, Diana Schwenk, dream, integrity, love, Marianne Williamson, mission, New Year, passion, peace, powerful, Purpose, world issues

My brother shared an inspirational video on facebook yesterday that I want to share with you as we move into the New Year. May your 2013 be filled with the awe and wonder of the power you have to change the world.

With love and in awe of all of you,

Diana

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us;

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God

Your playing small does not save the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you;

We are born to manifest the glory of God within us.

It isn’t just in some of us, it is in everyone

And as we let our own light shine

We unconsciously give other people the right to do the same.

~ Marianne Williamson

One Heart at a Time

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community, compassion, courage, Diana Schwenk, end of the world, family, friends, happy, Holidays, kindness, love, Martin Luther King, New Year, Purpose, world issues

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

As you can see for yourselves, the world did not end on December 21st.

But maybe the way we do business in this world should end.

As previously written by the brilliant and beautiful Magnolia Beginnings…

we  have an opportunity to conduct ourselves in a new way.

One of the ways we can do this is to choose love over hatred.

It’s up to me

It’s up to you

One person, one heart at a time, is all it would take.

I know, it’s hard to love sometimes…

but hatred takes much more energy.

Negative thoughts breed more negative thoughts…

and often we, who have them, suffer the most.

Are you someone who makes New Year resolutions?

Will you consider changing the way you do business in 2013?

Perhaps, like me, you will choose love…

when someone believes differently than you

when things don’t work out quite the way you planned them

and it feels like the entire world is against you.

Let’s start with the person nearest to us.

Let’s choose love.

Wishing you and yours a 2013 filled with love