All We Have Are the Memories

January 18, 2026 findthegoodinyourlifeLeave a comment

Hello Beautiful People. “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr. Seuss

I love pictures, music, even some smells, and how they can transport you back to a memory. I have boxes of pictures that should be digitized and pay for storage on my phone because I don’t want to delete anything. I love how we can freeze a moment in time and remember it like it was yesterday. I love how that picture can bring up feelings of love you may have felt in that moment, the laughs you may have shared, and the inside jokes that will last a lifetime.

Have you ever been walking in a store and someone walks past you and you smell their perfume, and it takes you back to a moment in time? My favorite is when we are driving with the windows down and I can smell the orange blossoms or the night jasmine. It’s like I’m time traveling back to a place and time that brings me joy. When I smell jasmine, I can vividly remember my little clock radio playing and the song, “Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind,” with a cool breeze coming through my bedroom windows. We had gone to the beach earlier that day and played, laughed, built sandcastles, came home that evening, and had a cookout. And just like that, I time traveled, all in the blink of an eye.

This week my daughter turned 30, and I combed through pictures of her over the years, wanting to post them all. I did not. Instead, I posted one that reminded me of the little girl she was — and that I was. I remember that day and that moment. I was taking care of six children and an adult who was an addict, suicidal, and suffering from depression. It had been a very long day, and I was feeling the overwhelming feeling of failure as a mom and caregiver when my daughter crawled over to me, wanted up, and when I picked her up, she started kissing my face as little kids do — big open-mouth kisses, slobber everywhere, knowing they were full of love for me. I had the camera out because I had taken some pictures of her earlier that day, and it was sitting on the coffee table next to me. The oldest of the kids I was taking care of said, “Aw, that’s cute. Can I take a picture?” I said sure, and we both smiled at the camera. Then he said, “You’re a really good mom. I’m glad you’re here with us,” and he ran off to play.

I cried for probably the eighth time that day, but that time because even though I didn’t feel like a good mom, to them I was. I was there. That picture — trust me — I am far from looking my best, but it’s a reminder to me that through it all, I tried my best. I loved, I showed up, and I was there even when it was hard. That picture gets me through the “I wish I could have been better” moments because in that moment, even when it was hard, I found a way to find the good in my life. I know sometimes things don’t feel like they are going the way you hoped, but if you look back at the snapshots of your life, I hope you can always Find The Good In Your Life.

Entrepreneur · family · fear · gratitude · Inspirational · Life · Overcoming · Uncategorized

Groundhog Day

February 13, 2024 findthegoodinyourlifeLeave a comment

Hello Beautiful People! “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” ~Unknown

Did you hear that the Kentucky Groundhog passed away? He saw his shadow and then passed. Actually, he didn’t see his shadow this year, so early spring. But how sad for him. Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? He had to relive the same day over and over again. Then one day, he was finally out of the loop. In the mean time he did they same thing over and over trying to figure out what would get him out of it. Then he found some moments that he liked and relived them. I’ve thought about that movie and others like it. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things was a good one. In that movie there is a boy and a girl who find out they aren’t the only ones going through the day over and over, and they go through it together. They thought if they could find all the good things in the day, they would get out of the loop. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t until the girl was actually ready to say goodbye to her dying mom that they could move on.

I have asked people if you could relive a day over what would it be? I’ve gotten so many different answers, but most of the time it actually comes down to moments that people would want to relive over and over. One of my husband’s favorite moments is when we were in Hawaii. It was after dinner and we sat at our table that had an amazing view, we were listening to the band sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, looking out at the water watching the sunset. Matt said he felt so much peace at that moment. He lived in Hawaii growing up so he always feels at home when we are there. I too am an island girl and always feel at home near the ocean. I think most of us, when we think about reliving something, it’s wanting to capture a feeling. I know for me there are so many memories I wish I could hold on to because of those feelings I had in that moment. I love thinking about them because they will put a smile on my face, but I have never been one to want to relive something over again, because I am always waiting for the next moment. I love thinking about that moment Matt and I first kissed and how electric it felt. One of my favorite stories I’ll share another day. But there are so many amazing memories in life, like holding my children or grandchildren for the first time. Staying up all night with my best friends at sleep overs and laughing till we can’t breath. The smile on my high school boyfriend’s face when I told his grandmother I was his girlfriend. Up to that moment we had only been friends. It still makes me laugh to this day. I think about the nights Michelle and I had in DC, eating 7-11 hot dogs at the feet of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, or riding the carousel over and over. Her and I walking through the museums, sometimes laughing about everything we saw, to sitting in silence as we looked at a Monet painting wondering how they could make us both feel something different. We both always wondered why all of O’Keefe’s pictures looked like vaginas. But I think those memories, even though they were great, all come down to a feeling. The feeling of love, friendship, joy, peace, true happiness, something that can’t be captured, but only felt.

I love pictures. My bestie Bean is an amazing photographer and is always taking pictures. She told me once, “take lots of pictures, because one day that may be all you have left.” She is right. I wish I would have taken more pictures or didn’t throw them away because of a heartache, because there was a memory attached to them. If you have read my blogs for a while you know my grandma had Alzheimer’s and her memory went, but we would look at pictures with her and see if something would trigger a memory. The funny thing is, a smell or a sound would sometimes bring her memory around. When she would talk I could hear her reliving that moment with feeling. Just like when you tell someone a story that made you laugh, they may never understand it like you did because they don’t have the same feeling you do. It’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ things, but they can see how it made you feel. Though we can’t ever go back and recapture those moments in time, we can remember the way that moment made you feel. Matt and I go to Hawaii often, and though we never had that same exact experience again that he recalls as one of his best days, we still make amazing memories there. We still feel peace and happiness there. Though I love remembering the past and sometimes can still conjure up those feelings when I think of that moment, I would never want to relive that moment over and over again. I personally am always looking forward to making new memories. Going some place new or reading a new book is so magical to me. Why would you want to relive one day over and over when there are so many beautiful days ahead. I hope that you can always find those beautiful feelings and memories that make you smile and in every day you can Find The Good In Your Life.

family · gratitude · Life · Overcoming

Lessons From Grandma

January 11, 2024 findthegoodinyourlifeLeave a comment

Hello Beautiful People! “Grandchildren give us a second chance to do things better because they bring out the best in us.” ~ Unknown

I have been blessed with 3 amazing grandchildren, and I never take for granted the time I get to spend with them. Every Wednesday is “Grandbaby Day” where Pop (Matt) and I go to our daughter’s house (usually) and bring at least one of our granddaughters to play with our grandson while our daughter does things she needs to do. Most Wednesdays are just playing at the house with dance parties and lunch with some outside play. But then there are days where we go to Disneyland and we eat ice cream and popcorn and watch parades. We wave “hi” to Mickey Mouse and ride Merry-Go-Rounds and then rewatch the videos on my phone for the next few months till we go again. Once a month we do a sleepover at our house where we to crafts, watch movies and eat popcorn. I love every moment of these days.

My Grandma was my favorite person. She was my confidant. She was the person I knew I could trust to tell me the truth even if the truth would hurt. But she would always say it with love, never harsh. When I was young I lived with her for a while until I moved back with my mom. Later in life she was where I would go for a few weeks during the summer, and then when I had my kids, her house was where I would bring them with me for the weekend. I loved sitting in Grandma’s kitchen. We would talk about everything. Nothing was ever off the table. I would call throughout the week and she always had time for me. I knew she was busy, but she never said, “not now.” I always felt calm at Grandma’s house. I know her house was covered in prayer, because her love for the Lord was one of the things I admired about her. I would often ask her who her favorite was, and her answer was always, “Jesus.” I was ok with that answer. It wasn’t until I became a grandparent that I understood her more.

As a parent I was always rushing to get things done. I had to make sure the house was clean, the kids were fed, homework was completed, on top of every other responsibility I deemed necessary. I liked Grandma’s house because it was calm, while my life, for so many reasons, seemed out of control. I was overloaded and didn’t understand why. I didn’t have memes then telling me that “it’s ok to not be ok” or that all moms are feeling like this. I didn’t know I would one day wish for the toys to be all over the house or to have my children crawl into my lap and ask for another story. I admired that parent who seemed to like playing tea party, or made time do puzzles, or had their child help them cook. I wanted to be that parent, but I didn’t have that example of a parent, so I didn’t know not everything had to get done. Thankfully I had the best example of a grandparent. I will sit and make time for each grandchild. I will allow the Christmas tree to be decorated any way they want and for Play-Doe and slime in the house (story for another day). I will sit and play tea party when asked and listen about their games they are into with excitement, even though I have no clue what they are talking about. I will always try to be that calm for them, the trusted voice when they come to me because they are The Good In My Life.