Imagine all the people…

Over the years, I have started and stopped many different blogs, with many different names. Some were chosen out of haste, while others were chosen from pieces of me. I wish I had kept up with blogging instead of skipping my way through the years but here I am. I am back and I miss it. I wanted a name that totally fit me and spoke of who I am and how I live my life. This name was chosen from those past pieces of me, in my other blog titles and my online persona of “soulbella.” And from this quote from Frank Lloyd Wright:

The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.

It is true, as I grow older, the more beautiful life becomes to me. I cherish each day differently than when I was younger. I look at things through a different viewfinder and it is quite ironic how the simplest of things are now so beautiful to me. Through all the pain and heartache that I have endured in my forty years and through all the ups and downs of every day life, I stand firmly in the truth that life is beautiful and that I am living a beautiful life. Thus, a vita bella was born. Italian, eh? Yeah. Um, I am not Italian. I am Irish with some German and American Indian. The Italian is from a dear friend who changed my life in many ways. He came into my life during a very difficult time and unknowingly answered a lot of my internal questions and after some pain transferred between us, our relationship suffered, but we both soon gained a lot of clarity in our muddy lives. He is Italian. And Italy lives in my heart long before I even met him. So call it an homage to those pieces of my heart.

Yesterday was Christmas. We celebrated with my husband, my three daughters, momma, poppy (my step-dad), my dear sister and her family. We laughed so incredibly hard and for most of the day. We bonded on the most simplistic of things and we needed it. We chose not to focus on material gifts this year and chose to celebrate our family and I had one of the most incredible days that I have ever had with my family. There was so much beauty wrapped up in that day. We shared moments to cherish and remember forever.

In a world where violence is becoming a commonality instead of a random occurrence, we really need to hold tightly to our core beliefs, morals and foundations of love, hope, faith and grace. We must value the beauty in our lives and the lives of others. Life is valuable and should not be forsaken. We need to spread love and light and embrace humility and not take for granted each day we are given. Each day you are given, you should celebrate with deep gratitude and chose to do good, be happy, share joy, compassion and love. The more we choose these virtues as a way of life and daily living, the more good we can send out into this world and start to change the hearts and lives of those around us.

Imagine all the people…

So if you stuck it out with me and are reading this right now, I hope you will embrace the beauty in your life. I hope that you will live a life of joy and celebrate your triumphs, count your successes not your failures and just see the beauty of your sometimes tragic, sometimes magic life. May your blessings be bountiful and your heart spilling open with love and your soul bursting with joy. Soak in the good, detox the bad. Give yourself and others grace. Walk in faith with grace. Be grace.