...day 30 gratitude image

Grateful EVERY day for these faces.

ox 

kolleen

...day 29 gratitude image

(go here and visit Maria's shop to find

sweet little treasures like this!)

if you are looking for something really 

A-MAAAAAAA-ZING

 to do this holiday season with your 

family or a group of friends....

THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO!!!!

NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!!

I am so grateful to be a "BRAVE GIRL"

and to be a part of this strong

community of women!!

(you can read about it here)

and last but not least...here is some 

GREAT 

Monday Music!!

hope you all had a wonderful 

Thanksgiving Weekend.  i am so

grateful for each and every one of you

who take time out of your days to visit me!

ox

kolleen

...DAY 27 AND DAY 28 GRATITUDE IMAGES

 A DAY LATE....BUT STILL EVER SO GRATEFUL!!!

spending time with an 

amazingly wise, stunning, beautiful soul.

i am ever so grateful for 

my dear friend Patrice!!!

i am so grateful she took the time to 

drive down to see me and spend time with me and

my hubby and 4 crazy kiddlies!!

we have had amazing conversation and laughter!!!

she is a treasure.

ENJOYING THE SUNSET....

GRATEFUL.

Wishing bountiful blessings of gratitude.

ox

kolleen

DAY 26 GRATITUDE IMAGE AND AN "IBFI" REMINDER!!

(photo taken july 2010 at my parents)

Next Friday I will be beginning

the 6 week series of

"IM BETTER FOR IT" stories...

told by YOU!

Please read HERE where

it all began!

if you are interested in sharing your story

please email me at: kolleenharrison@mail.com

i strongly feel there is so much power

in the sharing of our stories.

it can be SO healing for the

writer and for the reader.

i feel if your story can

help ONE person...it is worth telling!!

today i am grateful for an afternoon

of walking, talking and coffee fun

with my sweet Sophia.

and then home to play in our shadows!!

PEACE and LOVE!!!

ox

kolleen

....DAY 25 GRATITUDE IMAGE

I am so grateful for the 

unconditional love my husband 

shows me day in and day out.

(bless his heart for putting up

with me and my sassiness!!)

and

so grateful for EACH AND EVERY one of

you that take your time to stop by my little ol

spot to say hi and visit me.

i truly appreciate it!!

and i love you!

ox

kolleen

"let us be grateful to people who make us happy;

they are the charming gardeners

who make our souls blossom."

          - Marcel Proust

...day 24 with a little say whaaaaaaaaaaat wednesday??

today...i am grateful to be standing here.

(yep...that's me peakin out in the photo!)

so...answer this for me

WHAT ARE YOU MOST GRATEFUL

FOR THIS THANKSGIVING SEASON?

wishing you all a blessed,

happy, safe and magical

thanksgiving day!

with love

ox

kolleen

...days 22 & 23

grateful for some time to begin a new painting

and grateful to have my tree up!!

this is a partial view from 

my little studio room

(it is the earliest i have ever put it up...

just wanted to enjoy it a little bit longer!)

look to your right....what do you see 

that you are grateful for??

ox

kolleen

....gratitude images (days 20 and 21)

i missed a day of images so am making up for lost time!!!

yesterday i was grateful for silly 

picture taking with my oldest mackenzie

and today for great conversations with my Chandler.

i learn from him every single day how

to be more patient and how all of us are

different...and how he tells me "our brains

are different mom."

if you have time...please check out my

post from friday. 

i strongly feel there is SO MUCH POWER

in the sharing of our stories.

i feel it can be so healing for the writer 

and for the reader.

if you feel moved to share your story,

please email me at: kolleenharrison@mail.com

i will be starting a 6 week "im better for it" series 

beginning friday, nov. 26.

i am hopeful it will give courage

to many to deal in order to heal!

 and remember...

if your story can help one person,

it will be worth telling!!

ox

kolleen

"IM BETTER FOR IT"

i have been going back and forth 

with this idea and how to present it....

and how to get others to join in and share their stories....

and potentially how it may really help others....

and then possibly even help heal others.

a few months back i did a post here and posed 

this question to my friends who come visit me...

i asked them to share with me 

"what they are better for?"  

i loved reading the responses and how 

open and honest everyone was in sharing.

so today, i want to go first.  

i want to share my first experience 

of really acknowledging 

some yucky things that happened to me and 

how years and years later i can finally say 

"I'M BETTER FOR IT".

(please bear with me as this is one of my stories and it is me getting pretty personal.)

when i was a young girl growing up 

i always wished for and envisioned 

myself having this wonderful marriage, 

being a mom, living a fun and simple life...

full of laughter and love and 

many, many, many years of marital bliss. 

  

i imagined all the good yummy stuff.  

but isn't that what we do as children??  

plan our fairy tale lives?!? 

not once did i ever imagine i would face divorce, 

be in a very difficult marriage for many years to an addict, 

and have to raise two little girls as a single, working mother.  

never once did i imagine going it alone 

at 30 years old with a 3 year old and 9 month old 

without any family nearby and 

an extremely tiny support system (i can count two people).  

never once did i envision this storm that lasted

many years.

it wasn't in MY plans...

STOP!!!

i didn't sign up for this!!!  

but that is exactly what did happen in my life.  

i did face divorce.  

i was in a difficult marriage to an addict.  

i was working full time trying to raise two little girls alone.  

and i was angry.  

i was SO angry.  

how dare someone else make choices that 

forced me to make choices i never would have 

wanted to make in my life.  

how dare someone do that to me.  

how dare someone shatter my dreams 

into a million tiny pieces.  

see...i WAS ANGRY!

it took me many, many years and 

lots and lots of tears to truly want to face the things 

that happened in my life.  

the role i played in all of it...

i felt like a failure.  

i felt unworthy of love.  

i felt LOST.

SO lost.  

i felt like i lost me.

so after many years of diverting and distracting myself, 

i realized it was time.  

it was time to get the help i needed 

in order to move forward in my life.  

it was time to face some of my demons 

so i could be a better mom to my girls.  

it was time to start to pick those pieces up 

one by one and start to put 

my life and myself back together.  

it was time for me to deal, in order to heal.  

it was time for me to get brave

and now, after working through LOTS of "stuff",  

(and it is an ongoing process)...

i am at a place of gratitude for those tough times.  

i am at a place where i can 

look back on that marriage, 

look back on the years of being a single mom, 

look back and know...

really know... 

that today, 

where i sit right now, 

I'M BETTER FOR IT.

I'M BETTER FOR ALL OF IT.

i realized that 

WE HAVE TO DEAL...IN ORDER TO HEAL.

in order to be free...

in order to help others...

in order to 

REALLY.  BE.

BETTER FOR IT!!!

so i am very hopeful that i will find others 

who want to be featured here on fridays 

and share their stories about 

how they have gone 

through struggles 

and trials 

and obstacles 

but know that they can say 

"I'M BETTER FOR IT."  

because...after all, 

we all are, 

aren't we??!!

please email me:  kolleenharrison@mail.com 

if you are interested in sharing your story.

i am hoping to run this every friday 

for 6 weeks and then see where 

it may go from there.

i truly believe there is 

SO MUCH POWER 

in the sharing of our stories.

in the opening up of ourselves.

thank you for listening.

all my love

ox

k

...gratitude image day 18

It's that time of year!!!

these little guys made me smile today!!

PLEASE come visit me tomorrow as 

i am introducing something new to 

my blog for Fridays.  

it is something that i am hopeful

will not only help many 

but also heal many too.

as always...thank YOU for visiting!!

ox

kolleen

...gratitude image day 17 & say whaaaaaaaaaat wednesdsay?

i am always grateful for my Wednesday

nights and the laughter this show brings me!

it is a great escape in the middle of the week.

it is a time my hubby and i relax on the 

couch and just veg out!

so...tell me

what tv show brings you some

escape from your "reality"??

ox

kolleen

...gratitude image day 16

i am grateful for these boots...

they have taken me down many a path!

they took me on many walks with beautiful

brave souls in mccall, idaho.

(where boots were a staple part of

many of our wardrobes...my goodness....so many great pairs!)

they ran me through an airport

to ensure i didn't miss

a flight to soul sister stew in minnesota.

where i became utterly love drunk!

they've braved shopping with me,

walks with my little ones,

quiet strolls where i needed quiet and calm,

adventures into the unknown.

i look forward to going on many more dates

with these bad boys and cannot wait

to see what other paths we travel

down together.

how bout you...

do you have a fav pair of shoes you need

to show some gratitude too??

ox

kolleen

....gratitude image day 15 and monday music

grateful for this store....

one of my FAVS...

even though i can only afford to browse!!

it always inspires me and i was very happy

to browse around in there today!!

here's my choice for today's music...i love the lyric

"you're beautiful just the way you are".

and we are, you know?!?!

EMBRACE YOUR BEAUTY...

EMBRACE YOU...JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!

ox

kolleen

...gratitude image day 14

it's all in a kiss!!!

i am crazy grateful for smooches!!!

hoping you all had a wonderfully

magical, inspiring weekend.

i was surrounded by friendship

and love and the beauty of nature....

many, many

things to be grateful for.

now...

go smooch on someone you love...

i dare ya!!!

ox

kolleen

...day 13 gratitude image

love intertwined...(by feet!!)

...day 12 gratitude image

i am very grateful for a comfy, cozy bed

to crawl into each night.

it certainly isn't something to take for granted.

what are you grateful for today???

ox

kolleen

...day 11 gratitude image

a love note from my youngest

waiting for me on my dresser...it's the little

things that can make the greatest impact!!!

don't ya think?!?!

ox

kolleen

...day 10 gratitude image and say whaaaaaat wednesday question

today i am grateful for the two beauties

that inspired this painting.

i have been so blessed in the last year and half

to connect with some of the most

amazing creatives, some of the most

amazing souls, some of the most

amazing women.

i feel so unworthy at times to

have all of these sacred connections in my life.

all of these HEART CONNECTIONS.

but i realize as i get older....just how important

it is to me to truly connect with others...

to connect with their stories,

their truths,

their hearts.

so please answer this...

what connects your heart to others??

i share a heart connection with

these two gor-juss souls who

are standing next to me in my painting.

i love you Lori

i love you Rachel

today i am especially

grateful for the two of you...

for our heart connection.

thank you for connecting to mine!

ox

kolleen

...day 9 gratitude image

i try to count my blessings every

single day....

and my amazing mom in law is amongst

those blessings.

she is a woman that i strive to be more like.

she is strong and smart and funny and creative

and kind and loving and generous and beautiful...

i could go on and on.

she is Italian through and through and can

cook and bake like nobody's business!!!

tonight she had my dad in law drop

off this DEEEE-LICIOUS lasagna to

us for dinner.

(she could put many restaurants

to shame....SOOOO good!!)

i am so grateful today for my italian mama in law

and her fabulous cooking!!!!

ox

kolleen