Holy Heat Wave!

We're in the midst of a heat wave here in the East and it's hot!

My thought for you today is simple--enjoy this beautiful sunny weekend. Be sure to put on your sunscreen and protect your skin!

Enjoy!

Until Monday,
Deanna

Random Acts of Kindness

I was at the bank today and a bank teller came over and said something really nice to me. It really made me feel good and gave me a boost to get through the rest of the day.

Practice random acts of kindness in your day. Did someone do something nice for you? Does the lady next to you in the grocery store have a nice hair cut? Did someone go out of their way to help you? Look out each day for these moments--your day is likely filled with them...give our some compliments and see what comes back to you.

Until next time,
Deanna

You Might Be Rich!

Did anyone happen to catch this new program on Dateline NBC last night called, "You Might Be Rich!" with Tiki Barber? Well, I did and it was moving and inspiring!

The premise of the program is finding people who have unclaimed property, money, etc. Some people had hundreds of thousands of dollars returned and some a few hundred.

I was incredibly moved when they featured one woman who lost her husband last year. He was a wounded Vietnam vet. The long and short is that he was awarded a purple heart for his brave service, which she assumed was packed in a box when she moved. She didn't know that it was being held because the state did not know how to return it to her since they were not able to locate her. They had a beautiful ceremony to return it to her--which included current servicemen and three men who served with him in Vietnam the day of the brutal attack that left him injured. I was sobbing. It was incredibly patriotic and you could see the love this woman has for her husband.

I encourage you to check it out. Click here. It was funny, tearful, and heartwarming all wrapped up into one.

Have a great day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

Monday Morning Gratitude

Good Morning!

I am refreshed and renewed from a lovely vacation of travel and down time. We had the pleasure of spending a few days in Maine, one of the few places we instantly relax. I was sure to enjoy my fill of lobster and good wine. I hope you had a wonderful and celebratory July 4th.

I am obviously grateful this morning for a week of rest! We are constantly on the go. I must admit that I do thrive off of it, however some days seem to zip by and sometimes I wonder where my time goes and how it moves so fast. I wanted to share this quote as it spoke to me today:

"What's the big hurry? You're not ever going to get it done, so what are you racing toward? Every single activity that you're involved in is for one purpose only, and that is to give you a moment of joy. Lighten up. Laugh more. Appreciate more. All is well."

-Abraham-Hicks

Start your week off right, what are you grateful for?

In gratitude,
Deanna

A Note From Judy

Dear Friends,

With great sadness I will be leaving JDDesigns--this has been an extremely emotional year for me with the loss of Wayne. Gratitude for life and JDDesigns has given me the strength to move forward through my husband's illness and after his passing. Life, with its great challenges and inspiring surprises, has put me on a new path that resonates within me and which I feel compelled to follow.

I want to thank Deanna for her understanding, support, and friendship during this very difficult time as well as her dedication in helping make this business a success.

Thank you to all our Friends for your continued support and encouragement.

In Gratitude,
Judy

School's Out!

Okay, so most kids have been out of school for a week now, but we actually went to school until today!

Today I am incredibly grateful for this school year being OVER! I spent the afternoon with friends at an ice cream social for the kids and look forward to spending the afternoon with some more friends tomorrow celebrating the end of school and the beginning of summer.

I love the summer and can't wait for all the fun we have in store this summer with friends and family. I am blessed (and grateful) to have unbelievable friends and look forward to all the fun we will have over the next few months.

I hope you look ahead at your summer and enjoy every moment...because it does go so fast! Take time to breathe in the ocean air if you are at the beach, notice the beautiful blue sky, the lush green grass (until the August sun hits!), and all those little subtle moments to feel gratitude.

In gratitude,
Deanna

Monday Morning Gratitude

I read a really great article this morning on Gratitude and why it's so special.

We are taught from a young age to say please and thank you when we are given something, when someone helps us, etc. It becomes a habit, an involuntary action. It almost is as if we say it and loose a little of its meaning.

If you sat down and thought about (or better yet wrote down) all the things you are grateful for--your spouse, your pet, your home, and on and on, you would feel very full and realize how much you have in your life. I enjoy the days that are tough and I have to dig deep for the gratitude--such as I'm grateful for my air conditioning on a hot day, the heat on a cold day, being able to drive myself to where I need to go--it goes on. It's on these days that you really dig out those not so obvious things and make a shift.

In the article, I found it really interesting when the author talked about a rainy day. Instead of looking at the rainy day and being miserable because it's wet, damp, and dark--think about what that rain does to the earth, the grass, the trees, etc. and how much will grow after it. What a great way to look at a rainy day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

A Quick Thought for the Day

A quick thought for the day:

Count your blessings. A grateful heart attracts more joy, love and prosperity. --Cheryl Richardson

Enjoy this beautiful day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

P.S. I loved this picture of daffodils. It made me think of my grandmother, who will be 90 next week. It's her favorite flower.

Monday Morning Gratitude

I often speak about how important it is to teach Gratitude to our children. In this fast-paced consumer driven world, it's so easy for these simple principles to get lost. You've seen me write before about things that I do with my daughter. She's constantly learning and we are continually re-inforcing. There is so much stimulus these days--much more than I was ever exposed to--that we have to be consistent.

I got this great little article from a Phillipino newspaper this morning in my in box. It's a very simple article about teaching Gratitude to your kids. Read on and enjoy...

Teach Gratitude to Your Kids
By Trinidad Cayading

DO YOU ever feel like your children continually want and expect more stuff? Perhaps they don't respect or take care of the things they already have.

How do we teach our children to be humble and grateful for what they have? It can be difficult sometimes to convince our children how blessed they really are. One way we can help teach gratitude to our children is by showing gratitude ourselves.

Do you ever find yourself complaining about not having enough or are you continually mindful and grateful for what you do have? Children really notice the way we as parents talk about such things.

One way you can show (and teach) gratitude is by remembering to say "thank you" for the little things to family members and others. Another way to show gratitude is through prayer.

By praying out loud, your children can hear you expressing thanks for your blessings. Be sure to thank God for the blessing of your wonderful children -- and be sure to state each of their names!

Many years ago I heard the phrase: "Have An Attitude of Gratitude!" It stuck with me every since. If we have an "attitude of gratitude," then chances are our children will too. It made up a little game to keep us amused and grateful for our blessings.

As we trudged up this steep slippery hill in the dead of winter to attend our classes, we would say something like (in an exaggerated voice of course) "Boy, I am sure grateful to be getting this wonderful education -- aren't you?" Then whoever responded would have to think of something positive back, and so on. Then one of us would respond, "Yeah and we are so lucky that we get to walk up this big hill every morning -- look at all of the free exercise we are getting!" "Yeah, good thing we don't have a car -- I mean then we would have to drive around in circles looking for a parking place." "Yeah, we sure are lucky aren't we!" It was a silly little game but it kept us smiling and cheerful, and it was entertaining to see who could come up with the best responses.

We can play similar "games" with our children. I recently heard a story about someone who used her creativity to display a positive attitude when things went wrong.

For example, if someone cut her off in traffic, instead of becoming angry she would try and come up with the most outlandish story possible about why that driver was driving so fast. She would say something like, "Wow, maybe his wife is about to have a baby any second and they have to hurry and get to the hospital before she delivers in the car..." Then her child might take over and come up with a completely different story about why that driver cut them off. Pretty soon they would all be laughing at each other's stories and forget all about the car that cut them off.

Sometimes it is our kids that teach us these valuable lessons of gratitude. The other day I drove my kids to school as I do every morning and my 10-year-old daughter said, "Thanks mom for driving me to school today!" It was a little thing but it made me feel good!

Then when I started clearing the table after dinner she said: "Thanks for helping us in the kitchen mom!" "WOW -- does she want something," I wondered?

Then today I received a hand-written note that said "Thank you mom for not letting me quit piano..." Was this really my daughter -- the one who complains each and every day about having to practice a measly 30 minutes? Gratitude... maybe there is hope after all...!

In gratitude,
Deanna

P.S. Just remember my saying, "Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is everything."

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all Dad's! What a wonderful weekend to enjoy!

We had the pleasure of going on our annual Strawberry picking excursion yesterday. It's a fun time we typically share with my father-in-law. We all piled in the berry ferry yesterday at Jones' Farm out to the strawberry patch. It was warm and steamy, but not as bad as year's past. We had a fun time as always-Faith and her Papa eating strawberries all along the way. It's always a great memory.

I thought you might enjoy this fun cake recipe that they gave us:

Strawberry Surprise Cake

Oil a 13 x 9 pan. Mix 1-3 oz. pkg. of strawberry jello with 1 pint of thawed sweetened berries. Spread in the pan. Spread 2 cups of mini marshmallows over the strawberries and the jello. Prepare a basic 18 ox. yellow cake mix as directed and pour over the strawberries and marshmallows. Bake as directed. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Turn upside down on a serving tray. Try other flavors of cake mix--white, lemon, banana--for variations.

I haven't tried this, but gee it looks good!

Enjoy and have a fabulous day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

Guidance

I received an e-mail from a friend this morning with this lovely message that really caught my eye, I'd like to share it with you today:

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right..
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'.
'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.'
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and every day.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance!

I know we all have different spiritual beliefs and affiliations, but I thought this was very interesting and quite thoughtful.

May you have a fabulous weekend and to all the dad's, have a wonderful Father's Day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

Feel Good Stuff

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous magazine during my time on-line. The magazine is called Guideposts. It's tagline is "true stories of hope and inspiration." It's a wonderful little digest size, quick reading, throw in your bag kind of magazine.

It features real stories of everyday people and usually one prominent or celebrity type of person. I just got my first two issues. The June issue, which features the story of Bobby Flay, has a section called "Pass It On: People Helping People."

One of the stories really resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you:

TWIN GREETINGS

I was an 82-year-old widower trying to cope with changes and new challenges in my life when a family moved into the house across the street from me--a mother and her adorable twin 10-year-old daughters.

One day I heard a knock at the door. The twins were standing there on my porch. "We brought you something," one said, smiling at me. It was a little pamphlet of recipes. I thought it was such a nice way of introducing themselves--and since my wife had been the cook in our marriage, I sure could use the recipes! And this wasn't just a one-time gesture.

The holidays came around and the girls brought homemade cookies--and told me just how their mother had made them.

After such a great loss, a blessing came into my life in the form of thoughtful new neighbors.

Now I hope that they will know just how much their good deeds mean to me.

Donald Manley
Lincoln, Nebraska

What a sweet story. I see two lessons here--the first being that you need to be open and you never know who will appear in your life or what they are to teach you--second, what a great example these girls are that something small--just a simple gesture can mean so much.

Enjoy your day!

In gratitude,
Deanna

Monday Morning Gratitude

Grateful for Warm Weather (kind of!?)

Ok, so I'm a summer gal--I love the water and dream of my house on the shore (of course with my hubby's boat tied right to the dock), but how did we go from chilly 50's to off the charts 100 degree days? Too quick even for me!

My town had our first "Oxford Day" event on Saturday. I had a booth and it was great to get out and support the community and see so many people that I know and don't get to see on a regular basis...but boy was I hot! I have never torn down early, but I did on Saturday.

My father-in-law took my daughter to the beach yesterday and then they were back at the pool for a day of swimming--this meant a day for Greg and I to spend together. We've had a crazy year and it was great to have a day to ourselves. We took a ride to the shore and spent the whole day in the area where we rent our summer cottage. We were just so excited looking forward to the summer ahead and grateful for all the days we'll have at the beach.

My girlfriend put in a request on Saturday for a Gratitude tank top--it was so hot--who could look at a hoodie!? I guess that's the next one I need to do!

Stay cool and hydrate! Have a fabulous day.

In gratitude,
Deanna

Grateful for Opportunities

Today is a great day!

It was so exciting to watch the Kim Parrish Collection on HSN today and see Kim and the models wearing the Gratitude Collection.

It was an incredibly rewarding feeling and some great exposure for us!

As I travel on this amazing journey with this brand and its message it is remarkable to me the people that I am meeting and the opportunities that are presenting themselves to me. In a world focused on fast paced non-stop life styles, it is heartwarming to meet people who want to help you. They want to help you succeed and believe in you.

I feel that I am on the edge of so much that is before me. To all my supporters and believers, I say thank you.

Have an amazing day,
Deanna

Gratitude, HSN, and the Kim Parrish Collection

Do you love home shopping channels? If so you may know Kim Parrish an 8 year veteran of one of the leading home shopping channels who now has her own collection on HSN. Kim is also the president of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Pageant, the little sister to the Miss America's Pageant.

Kim is just fabulous and I'm so excited to share that Kim will be appearing this Thursday morning on HSN at 9am with her collection. She will be wearing Gratitude! Be sure to keep your eyes on the models as well, they will hopefully be wearing some of my collection.

This is exciting news and great exposure for the Gratitude Brand! It makes me really think of the post I wrote a few weeks back about perserverance. It's really about moving up and forward a little at a time. Doors will open when they are ready--it's just a matter of keeping strong and moving along.

In gratitude,
Deanna

Living and Learning

I decided to start my morning off proactively today, so when I was making my morning coffee I sent my two best gals an enouraging text message to start the day. Well, as soon as I put my phone on the counter I had a new message on my phone. One of the girls was sending me a positive message at the same exact time that I was sending mine. Funny how the universe works, huh? It was a great way to start my day and it's been great ever since.

My sister recently saved one of her pages from a tear off calendar. Here's what it said:

"We are a process, and the key to living that process is learning. Mistakes are not proof that we are bad or dumb; they are doors to new learning. The issue is not the mistake. The issue is not learning from it.

Unfortunately, if we don't learn, we will just keep doing the same thing over and over."

I was just talking with my Aunt today who is creating her demo for voice over work. She's very inspiring and encouraging. We talked about how much re-inventing we need to constantly do with ourselves. We make mistakes, we learn, times change, the economy changes, your family changes, you change, you age and on and on. We are constantly changing, learning, and growing in motion.

It's all about living and learning. May you enjoy your journey!

In gratitude,
Deanna

Tuesday Morning Gratitude

**Due to yesterday's cable outage, I wasn't able to post this yesterday.

Well, this week's Monday Morning Gratitude, is Tuesday Morning's Gratitude since I gave myself the day off yesterday!

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.

I am incredibly grateful for the glorious weekend we had and the unbelievable weather. We deserve it, don't you think?

We had my sister's annual Memorial Day Picnic/Parade on Sunday which was a great day with family and friends. It's such a wonderfully pure holiday for us, just good food, laughter, friends and family. No stress of the holiday or out of control gift giving.

I am also grateful to have spent some much needed family time with my husband and daughter. We've been keeping such crazy schedules lately it was really nice to have some down time.

Faith marched in her first parade yesterday for karate. I was really proud! I also had the pleasure of seeing my neighbors' girls in our new high school's band, middle school band, and brownies.

I also am so grateful to our veteran's. My dad being a Marine Corp veteran--I am very proud. These men and women have such a tough job protecting our country, but they do so with dignity and honor. I extend my deepest gratitude to these unique breed of people!

May you have a fabulous week!

In gratitude,
Deanna

You are Responsible

I've been trying to be very mindful each morning on how to start my day. I take a few quiet moments to myself with my cup of coffee to be mindful of how I'd like my day to be.

As I was at my desk, I popped open my Wayne Dyer "Inner Peace Cards" and how appropriate, this is the one staring right at me:

"I am responsible for the day I create for myself. The choice is up to you. It can either be "Good morning, God!" or "Good God--morning!"

Each day as I get Faith off to school I ask her what kind of day she is going to have. She usually (now trained) responds with a booming, "GREAT!" Some days she says in a kind of ho hum way, "Good" and I say "Just good?" She responds "No mommy, GREAT!!" I am then excited for her and feel that she has her best foot forward walking into school.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend. Take the time to relax and enjoy.

In gratitude and peace,
Deanna

P.S. Thought you might enjoy a picture of me and my sister, my best friend, at her annual Memorial Day picnic. I can't wait until tomorrow!

Honoring My Gratitude

I know this may sound repetitive for what I've already written about this week, but I have to say I'm seeing a pattern this week.



I am having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my friends in my life.

Honestly, right now without them, life would be hard. We're there for each other through thick and thin--like sisters in another life. All going through similiar feelings with different circumstances. It's been the high point of my week to see that I have this to rely on. We're all at slightly different stages, with different life experiences...together making a powerful team of women.

My girls, I honor you, I love you, and my life is better knowing you. I hope when you are reading this man or woman, that you have someone like this in your life. Someone to enrich your life, lift you when your down, cry with you and cheer with you.

The comfortable and comforting people are those who look upon the bright side of life; gathering its roses and sunshine and making the most that happens seem the best.
- Dorothy Dix

In respect and gratefulness,
Deanna

The Pathway to Success

I found this lovely poem that Louise Hay included in "You Can Heal Your Life." It really spoke to me about success and I thought I would share it with you:

In the infinity of life where I am,
all is perfect, whole, and complete
I am one with the Power that created me.
I have within me all the ingredients for success.
I now allow the success formula to flow through me
and manifest in my world.
Whatever I am guided to do will be a success.
I learn from every experience.
I go from success to success and from glory to glory.
My pathway is a series of stepping stones
to ever greater successes.
All is well in my world.

This really spoke to me today as my life and successes have had many twists and turns building to this wonderful place I am at today with my work. I am grateful for every experience that has brought me here.

In gratitude,
Deanna