As 2012 turned into a year of memories, and 2013 quietly slipped into the dark evening sky, our eyes were closed and our souls were resting, snuggled under cozy blankets with no shortage of pillows. Staying awake to greet the dawning of a new year was not a priority to me this year, although in years past I may have held a different opinion. Last night as our family of four celebrated new year’s eve together, we laughed, we relaxed and made a special dinner of shrimp and fried jalapenos enjoyed around the coffee table. It was an evening full of inspiration that marked a great family tradition.

In honor of time together and treasured memories, my daughters and I created this keepsake that will proudly hang on the wall of our living room. It is made from my own lost, broken, and mismatched jewelry that I have saved over the last fifteen years, in hopes that the mate to my funky purple dangling earrings may once again appear in all its glory. A few days ago as I scanned my treasure-trove of junk and trinkets, the idea to transform these lost pieces from my young adulthood into an art project was born.

Many of these mismatched earrings may have lost their mate under a bar stool during a good belly-laugh with friends, or in a forgotten purse pocket after an outing filled with heart-filled conversation and lots of smiles. Although many of these little beads and pendants were among my favorites, giving up the idea that their match would someday appear was liberating. While necklaces and vintage pieces from the past can add spunk to a dull winter outfit, my favorite piece of this project is the marking of two small handprints that make my world brighter and more full of life, every day of the year.

Today as we celebrate the first day of a brand new year, I am grateful to have a family to love and a family that loves me back. I am thankful for a new year’s eve filled with little squeals of delight over old pink baubles, a hot glue gun, and the honoring of life’s most sacred gifts.

Happy new year from team Tobbe!

As we taped our final post-it note on our 30 Days of Thanks calendar that has proudly hung in our kitchen all month, my 6-year old daughter suggested that we create the same thing for December. I was so touched by her suggestion, but as she explained further, I laughed inside. She explained that for December we could create a new, but very similar board, and instead of listing what we are thankful for, every day we would list an item we want for Christmas! Who can’t chuckle at the eagerness of a child with visions of gifts under the tree, letters to Santa and sometimes, real struggles with the desire to receive, more than the desire to give.

For our home and our family, we embrace the presents and letters to Santa, but we also try to promoting giving and sharing with others – not just at Christmas, but all year long. We celebrate Santa and we also celebrate the birth of Christ and the power of this event – each day of the year. Christmas is more than a month on the calendar or a season in time. Christmas is love in action, goodwill towards men, and the celebration of the birth of God’s own son.

Children are beautiful, bright and always ready with a new idea, even if that idea comes in the form of a daily Christmas wish-list. I am grateful for the gift of children that I have been so fortunate to mother. I have treasured learning about my daughters as we talked daily about what we happen to be most thankful for that evening. I also know that our children see their parents as teachers and observe our behaviour – even when we would rather them not be watching. Life is full of days when gratitude comes easily and days when gratitude is far from our minds, and as we turn the calendar to December, I embrace the little souls in our kitchen dreaming of presents, stockings and sweet treats from Santa. I also pray that my encouragement to embrace giving and living with a grateful heart will trickle into our Christmas memories and even into the hearts that are awaiting Santa’s arrival on Christmas eve.

Maybe I just got lucky. Maybe God chose to bless me with a happy heart. Maybe the challenges in my life are far less than the joys. Maybe all of these are true, and maybe not.

Living a life with gratitude is something I do my best to embrace. I love living with a thankful heart not because of what it does for others, but for what it does for me. Living with gratitude is a simple decision that often requires a renewed commitment daily, especially on those days that are filled with negativity, a negativity we often eagerly create. I am a happier mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and neighbor when I seek the good in others, my circumstances, and myself.

Living with gratitude is never limiting, it is simply a choice that gives us freedom to smile at strangers in the grocery store, hug a friend, or send a card to someone feeling down. Being thankful for what we have will never hinder our growth, or our ability to achieve our dreams. It will allow us to embrace the everyday and to be glad in the simple gifts held in the precious present. Living with a grateful spirit doesn’t require any formal training, a high-level degree or any amount of skill. Living thankfully simply requires an attitude of gratitude. Being grateful just feels good.

Another year will soon come to a close and as the 34^th Thanksgiving holiday that I have celebrated comes alive in our home, I give thanks for the gift of a grateful spirit. I am better, richer, and stronger because of this gift, and today I cheer, Happy Thanks Giving!

Living a life with gratitude is not easy, and is not necessarily encouraged in our society. Our world is busier than ever, and there is encouragement to strive, seek, and become more all around us. Living with gratitude each day is a choice that comes from within, regardless of circumstances, and regardless of what challenges may be around the corner. Life is a gift. Your life. My Life. Each life.

If we choose to open our eyes to the wonder, the beauty, and the treasure of each magical moment, we can experience grace and peace. It is also in our times of struggle that we experience grace through the love of others supporting us, our faith in God, and our connection to those who struggle with us.

Although I do live with a spirit of thankfulness and appreciation, I often need reminders to live gratefully, especially when I feel frustrated, or frazzled. Stress and feelings of lack can also arise when we feel beaten down by the actions of others. Seeking gratitude gives us the freedom to forgive others, to embrace our own lives, and to depend less on an event, person or outcome to give us happiness. We can only control our own behavior, but we can always control our attitude.

This year, as Thanksgiving draws near, our family is enjoying 30 Days of Thanks in our kitchen, which is an easy and fun way for us to live gratefully as a family, to give thanks, and to laugh a little as we share each day something we are thankful for. Children learn what they live. I feel blessed, honored and quite humbled to be a mom and teacher for our two young daughters. To be given a life to shape, and influence, and then release that life when it reaches adulthood is truly a magnificent gift. Although I am never a perfect parent, I do know that I try my best and fully embrace the gift of motherhood, and for that, I give thanks.

It was a bright, beautiful summer day. The skies were blue and the sun was in its glory, shining with the steamy power that only an August afternoon can offer. I had been fortunate enough to spend the day with my two favorite children, my daughters. We spent the day on our swing set, followed by a picnic in the backyard and some stories on the top bunk when time for rest rolled around. We ate fresh tomatoes with sea salt, our favorite chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, and enjoyed the slurpy-goodness of a watermelon from the farmers’ market. We ended the afternoon sipping homemade mint tea, side-by-side in our blue plastic swimming pool, listening to the best “knock-knock” jokes a six-year-old ever told.

It was a simple day. A day without the computer, or appointments. It was a day that was filled with laughter, as we soaked up every bit of juice and joy that comes from a peaceful summer afternoon without rushing. Life can often feel too booked, too frazzled, and too stressful. It is important to carve out time not just for recreation, but for re-creation. It is on days such as these that my soul is rejuvenated and revived – experiencing the beauty of nature through the examples of magic in my very own backyard – beside two little magicians who encourage me to see shapes in clouds and fairy houses in cast-off rock piles . Days such as these also don’t just arrive, they must be sought out, and committed too.

Each day truly is a precious gift, and for me, time with my children is among my most sacred treasures. Regardless of your schedule, work load, or previous commitments, I urge you to take time away from the “must-do” list and reliance on modern technology, and spend time with those you love, or alone to restore your appreciation for the gift of your life. Give the smart phone, facebook and computer the day off. Your spirit and your family will thank you and your soul is sure to smile, especially in the privacy of your own blue plastic pool.

A garden filled with purple rocks, spider webs woven together with roping, and miniature huts for creative minds to bask in the sunshine is a garden that welcomes children with open arms. The Matthaei Botanical Gardens of Ann Arbor are filled with spunk and sparkle and a lot of serious garden sense. The Botanical Gardens are comprised of the Gaffield Children’s Garden, miles of walking  trails, and a conservatory that features everything from the driest cactus to the glossy sheen of the tropical pineapple. In addition the the gardens, a farmstead is available for viewing from one of the walking trails, and a new building – MiSo house – Michigan Solar House has recently been relocated the property. MiSo house was designed to use only renewable sources of energy. The house captures solar energy and converts it to electricity, which fuels all appliances, radiant in-floor heating, and lighting within the home.

The Matthaei Botanical Gardens are a great picnic destination, complete with creative inspiration for every generation, and plenty of inspiration for little gardeners with big dreams. Parking is $5.00 for the day and all exhibits are free. For more information, visit here.

After our own visit to the botanical gardens, we were inspired to create A Tree By Me, which is a simple project that enlists little arms, hands and fingertips to construct a tree with paint.

All supplies needed to make A Tree By Me are listed below:

• Green, yellow, and brown paint (or create brown by mixing green, orange and red)
• Large sheets of blank paper
• Paint brush – or happy hands – no brush necessary!
• Clean hands and arms

Directions:

• Paint back of forearm with brown paint to make the trunk and press to the paper to create the stump of the tree.
• Paint palm of the hand with green paint to create leaves and press to the paper again to create the upper section of the tree, stamping several times.
• Dip fingertips in green paint to create the grass below the tree, and additional leaves. Add yellow paint or glitter, if desired for extra foliage.

Exploring nature is a treasure that fuels the spirit, even in small doses, rain or shine. We hope this summer you take the time to create your own adventures in nature, if even in your own backyard. May your hands be happy in the dirt within your reach and your soul be happy in the garden of your dreams.

It was a peaceful and quiet afternoon. My mind had stopped racing from a busy morning of breakfast making, teeth brushing and laundry folding. I was enjoying the laughter of my children and the freedom that comes from a few hours without an agenda when I noticed a spectacular occurrence that had happened right before my eyes, but without me paying a moment’s attention to it. It was something that had happened slowly, day by day, inch by inch, by the large window that faces west in our living room. It was something that I had walked by for months in my own home, but had stopped paying attention to, other than a weekly sprinkling of water. My old ivy that once was neatly balanced and centered atop its terracotta put was now off kilter – it was growing towards the light.

This struck me as an example of nature’s beauty and God’s encouragement – meeting us where we are, regardless of the circumstance. This plant had the sense to lean, stretch, reach and grow each day, not to remain where I had planted it, but to grow towards the light that it needed. This reminded me of my own existence and the type of life I want to lead. I want to live a  life that mirrors the wisdom of this tender plant – growing towards light and goodness, not to reach a destination of perfection, as that will never happen, but to enjoy life with a spirit of giving to others and growing towards the light that is available in our very own soil. Surrounding ourselves with people and activities that bring out our personal best, or internal light is part of our purpose. Sharing our own light with others who live with darkness is equally part of that purpose.

My old houseplant did not complain about its circumstances or placement in a somewhat shadowy corner of my living room, it instinctually grew in the direction of the light available just outside the window. This simple plant kept its roots firmly within its rich soil and gracefully leaned into the challenge of meeting its need for the sun. Life without light is nothing. A life filled with light, a healthy dose of moving water and a few storms along the way is a life that is full.

May today you find the encouragement to share your light with someone who may be stuck in one of life’s darker corners.

The temps are sizzling in Brighton and summer has officially started as we ring in the summer solstice with today being the longest day 2012 will give us. Let us embrace the stillness of the sun as our earth celebrates a pause with the seasonal movement of the sun coming to a stop before reversing direction tomorrow. It seems that the changing of the seasons and the tides of nature is ever present, tomorrow begins our journey to new chapters, not to arrive at a defined date on the calendar, but to be glad as we stroll, peddle or sing from our soul along the path that is uniquely our own to travel.

May today bring you joy and peace. May today bring you laughter, mixed with rest, and if today your desire is to sit and breathe in the earthiness of the long grasses or linger with the sounds of the birds mingling near your garden, I wish you a cool spot in the shade and an open chair.

Missy Cook was a beautiful person with a laugh that could fill a room like a crowd of teenage football players fills a school bus on the way to an away game. Missy was a girl with beautiful brown hair and a smile that drew people near. She was a person that I never had the privilege of being close friends with, but throughout the time I knew her as a teenager, I admired her very much and saw her as a true leader. Missy was a leader, not because she wanted to be, but because her soul was filled with joy and that joy was something that others wanted to follow and grab on to.

I knew Missy Cook only as a high school girl, but remember her spunk and genuine spirit vividly. I look back on the snapshots stored in my own mind of my time with Missy at Pinckney High School and I can see her laughing, running, and always sharing her spirit of kindness and warmth with those around her. Missy was loved by many people throughout her life as a teenager and clearly just as much as an adult.

It is in days like today that I question life and death. I wonder about sickness and the unknown, and at times, I struggle with fear and anxiety – how could this happen? It is in times like this that I am reminded that without faith in God, I would be lost. Simply, I would be scared and filled with worry. It is when the bad news of a terrible loss arrives that I wrestle with the nagging knot deep in the bottom of my belly. It is in times like these that I must remind myself that God has a plan for each of us, and in Him we need not worry. We can rest in knowing that His timing is not always equivalent to our own. Knowing God is in control of my life gives me a breath of peace when facing fear and helps ease the knot that aches in the pit of my being when I, as a human, succumb to worry, or learn of someone’s journey on earth coming to an abrupt close.

From reading the stories about Missy’s life,  her family and her footprint on the world, I can clearly see that she was a hero to many. She will be missed forever, and will always be remembered by each soul that she touched. Her family and friends were blessed to share time in her life and to experience her strength and courage when faced with the ultimate struggle. I admired the girl I saw leading pep assemblies and  running around the track at the PHS football field, and I admire the woman that was a hero to many in her final days and who has left our world in body, but not in spirit.

The May Day basket is proud and sturdy and is filled with memories of years gone by. It is filled with blooms from the Spring of today, but with the scent of family history, the sounds of laughter passed down from generation-to-generation and the hope of tomorrow. For our family, May 1^st represents May Day, a day that has been filled with secret surprises and joy-filled adventures for as long as I can remember. Throughout my childhood my mom and I would sneak over to her mom’s house, my grandmother, and leave a cone-shaped wicker basket brimming with freshly cut flowers at her backdoor. The next year, my grandmother would sneak the basket back to our front door and the tradition was celebrated year-after-year, and is still honored today. This year as my own children and I carry on the tradition once again, I am filled with gladness on this gray afternoon. I love tradition and sacred gifts shared by people who love each other. I love every day celebrations and am thrilled to celebrate the first of May with great gusto.