by hope | May 17, 2022 | Inspirational
By now, you will be fully aware that protecting your mental health is just as important as your physical wellness. Keeping stress levels low during daily activities will be one of the most effective ways to make it happen and make life less stressful.
Modern life is stressful, but making a conscious effort to eliminate it through the following ideas should make a world of difference.
Declutter the home
We are all influenced by our surroundings, especially at home. Therefore, taking the time to declutter the home can be the perfect way to also declutter your mind. Your home will feel larger and gain a sense of tranquillity that can significantly enhance your mindset.
The benefits of decluttering the home can also extend to reduced maintenance and cleaning, as well as improved family health. With more time on your hands and fewer illnesses, you’ll be in a far happier place.
Invest in your physical health
Physical and mental health are very closely linked. As such, it makes sense to start exercising more and paying greater attention to your dietary habits. Incorporating workouts into your life, for example, can yield progress within weeks. If you want to make your life less stressful consider getting more physical.
As well as eating the right things and staying active, you should invest in your sleep patterns. Getting 7-9 hours each night, with a regular pattern that avoids screens before bed, you will notice big upgrades. You’ll feel far less stressed as a result.
Alter your relationship with tech to make life less stressful
Modern tech features can have a hugely beneficial impact on daily lifestyle matters. However, we have all experienced stressful moments as a result of tech products too. A little time spent improving device performance levels can work wonders.
Learning how to free up the scratch disk on Mac, for example, can prevent unexpected application closures or the inability to save files. Similarly, removing duplicate files from your hard drive or smartphone’s internal memory can aid speed. Perfect.
Cut down your social media time
We all use social media to keep in touch with friends and stay updated on the latest celebrity news. However, too much time looking at newsfeeds filled with people living their best lives can lead to FOMO and a sense of inferiority. It’s not a good way to live.
Time spent in the digital space may also harm productivity levels or impact your sense of ambition and energy. Therefore, limiting your time on social media may be one of the best ways to reduce your active stress levels.
Stop spending time with the wrong people
A winning support network can be one of the greatest tools for maintaining a positive mindset. Conversely, though, a toxic relationship or friends may cause a lot of stress and prevent you from ever feeling relaxed. You must address this issue ASAP.
It may seem like a drastic measure, but taking a step back is vital. Aside from enabling you to invest less time on the wrong people, it’ll help you spend more time with those who matter most. It can help you feel like a brand new person.
Have a space to relax
When life feels stressful, even a few minutes of meditation or conscious relaxation can make a world of difference. Whether it’s a spot in the garage, backyard, or bedroom doesn’t matter. Creating a spot to practice stress-busting activities is an amazing thing.
It could mean playing a relaxing playlist of music, using deep breathing exercises, or embracing an artistic activity. Whatever it is that brings your headspace into a better place, the benefits of finding this solution are huge.
Find a great work-life balance to make life less stressful
A rewarding career is unquestionably one of the most rewarding things you can achieve in life. But it’s important to remember that the purpose of the job is to fund a better lifestyle. Sadly, it’ll be very hard to make this happen if you’re always working.
Of course, finding a job that you love and feel passionate about will aid the cause. Even so, knowing that you have enough time to enjoy hobbies, family life, and days out will be vital. A chance to relax and refresh your mind is essential for long-term success.
Talk
Whatever you do, it’ll be impossible to eliminate stress entirely. When negativity is kept inside will only enable stress levels to grow. Talking to a mental health expert can be hugely rewarding when tough moments surface. It instantly lifts a weight from your shoulders.
Even if you are simply experiencing short-term stressful moments, talking to friends and family can be very useful. Online and local groups of people going through similar issues will bring immediate and long-term rewards too.
by Hope Zvara | May 11, 2022 | Inspirational
While there are many things you can do to reduce your chances of getting cancer, unfortunately, it is still the reality for millions of people around the globe. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming and upsetting, and come with a whirlwind of different thoughts. You must seek support after your diagnosis, so you can learn how to manage your new journey, and continue to live your life. If you are not sure where to begin, here are some top tips to help you seek the right support.
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Get a professional opinion
A professional opinion is the best thing to do when you receive your initial diagnosis, or you are worried that you are showing signs of cancer. A professional opinion will make sure you get the correct diagnosis and advice that is tailored to your situation. When you know what type of cancer you have, you can find a specialist who will be able to support you through your journey and provide you with the best treatment available. Always do some research to find the best doctors for your cancer diagnosis, as this will give you a better outcome. They will have extensive knowledge of the type of cancer that you have been diagnosed with, what stage you are at, and create a treatment plan that is best suited to your circumstances. They will advise you of the best treatments available, and the side effects, and help you make better-informed decisions about your care, and how to manage your symptoms.
Be honest
You must remain open and honest about what’s going on, with your loved ones and medical professionals and keep the lines of communication open. You will feel much better and people will be able to support you in the right way, if you don’t try to put on a strong front or hide bad news from people. It can be difficult at first, but facing your reality will get you closer to getting better.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle, whether you had one before your diagnosis or not, is going to be vital to how you feel moving forward. Eating a healthy diet filled with essential vitamins and nutrients will significantly help your mood, energy levels, and sleeping patterns, which will help you manage your diagnosis and treatment much better. These are all important factors that can significantly impact the way that you feel every day and can cope with stress. If you feel up to it, and your medical professional has approved it, you may decide to participate in regular exercise. This is a great way to keep your body healthy, make you feel better and stronger, and help you to live longer. A healthy lifestyle is an important way that you can maintain control of this new journey you are embarking on, and help increase your chances of recovery. It can also serve as a great escape and a way to deal with the stress and emotions you are inevitably going to experience.
Go to support groups
While you should keep your friends and family members close and confide in them, it can be especially helpful to seek out a support group in your local area. A support group is filled with people who are in the same boat as you and are going through the same things. This can be a great way to come to terms with your new diagnosis, learn about others’ experiences with their diagnosis to help you, share your feelings and experiences that might be too difficult to share with friends, and feel comfortable and supported in an environment filled with like-minded people who understand what you are going through. This can help combat loneliness and poor mental health, and reduce stress.
Try to live your life as normal
You must try to live your life as normal as possible. You should balance this with making adjustments where necessary, that are going to make your life easier and more accessible. But for the most part, you should take it a day at a time, and stick to your habits and routines. This will help you cope better and stay strong during stressful times. If you drop your normal lifestyle, this can lead to feelings of stress and uncertainty, as humans are creatures of habit. Your normal habits can help you feel in control, and reduce overwhelm.
The key to supporting yourself when receiving a diagnosis, is honesty, support and lifestyle choices. If you can make positive choices, you are going to significantly improve the way you cope with your new diagnosis.
by hope | Sep 22, 2021 | Inspirational
It’s so vital that you do what you can to take care of your mental health. If you don’t, you may find that you end up not being able to live your life to the fullest and experience way more stress than you need on a day-to-day basis. If you want to help yourself, then this is the guide for you.
Talk about It
Talking about the way you feel can help you stay in good shape when it comes to your mental health. It can help you deal with the times when you feel troubled, and it can also help you get things off your chest. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about how you feel, this is understandable, so look into other options instead. It may be that you keep a journal or try and meditate when you have some spare time. Either way, if you can focus on yourself and how you feel from time to time, this will help you more than you realize. If you have lost someone recently, it may help to talk with someone at Memorials.com, as they can help you choose a suitable urn or even keepsake.
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Eat Well
Your brain needs a mixture of nutrients if you want to stay healthy. A very good diet for your physical health will be perfect for your mental health, so make sure that you keep that in mind if you want to start taking better care of yourself.
Don’t Drink too Much.
People often drink alcohol because they think it helps them with their mood and relaxes them. Some people drink because they are fearful or lonely, but you have to remember that the effects are always temporary. When your drink wears off, you may end up feeling worse, and you may find that it affects your brain and the rest of your body as well. Drinking is undoubtedly not a good way for you to be dealing with any complicated feelings that you may have, so avoid it if possible.
Keep in Touch
There is nothing better than catching up with someone, but this is not possible all the time. You can give them a call, you can drop a note off, or you can chat with them online if you want. It’s a good idea for you to try and keep the lines of communication open as this will help you get the support you are looking for when you need it. You may even find that you can unload some of the stressed and anxious feelings you are noticing as well.
Ask for Help
Nobody is superhuman at the end of the day. Sometimes people get tired, or they get overwhelmed by what they feel. If this sounds like you, then you need to know when to ask for help. You need to be able to turn to someone, and you also need to know that there is nothing wrong with this.
by hope | Feb 22, 2021 | Inspirational
Remember Self-Care!
In an age of social pressures to be better, go bigger, and taking a little time off or practicing self-care can be looked at as weak, wasting time, or not doing enough. All of those practices listed will give you more time, more ideas, more income, more passion, and more purpose.
For years I fell victim to the assumption that I had to keep going, that not going fast and hard was a sign of weakness, and even though I taught self-care, it was hard for me to practice it myself. I was burning the midnight oil 24/7, and it came at a cost. I was burnt out and disconnected from the very people that mean the most to me- my kids.
As an addict in recovery, I know first hand the need to practice self-care and put your health first. But owning your own business is not easy. It’s in my DNA to never settle, and since I was young, I knew that I am meant for more than what was served to me in school. It feels a bit uncomfortable to say, but I knew where I was going; I just had no idea how I would get there. And in the last several years, it has become apparent that no dream will be achieved without you.
It’s an exchange; when you give yourself time, you get more time.
When you practice self-care, you can better care for your business and the people in it.
When you take a time out, the time you step back in will be fresh, full of energy, and ready to achieve greatness.
I believe that it is about the little things, the small moments throughout the day that add up to your sanity by day’s end. Big empty promises will drive you nuts. And (at least for me) the idea of a 2 hour Morning Routine is crazy talk when I sleep, my kids getting off to school, and coffee are among my morning must-haves. I may not have 2 hours, wait, let me rephrase that, I‘m not willing to give up 2 hours of sleep to spend two hours doing something that takes me 5 minutes to do each morning. I”m practical, real, and motivated to do what it takes. I’m not as willing to spend more time on things than is necessary to get the same results.
Self-care is essential, but it shouldn’t take you hours a day, and it can be as simple as 1 minute here, three minutes there, five minutes over here throughout the day, every day. Because when your self-care routine starts stressing you out, it needs to go out.
Here are ten things I do every day to practice self-care, keep my body and mind healthy and my business blossom.
- Drink a full glass of water each morning. Before you even think about it, chug it down. Each morning I wake up and reach over for a big 10-20 ounce glass of water and down it before I can even think about what my day will be like. I wake up, sit up and put my feet on the ground and drink it all down. Starting your day hydrated will only lead you to more hydration. Did you know that dehydration is a symptom of depression? Doing this every morning helps me in that no matter what happens, I at least drank 20 ounces of water. And that’s a good thing.
- Hug a real human every day. This global situation has got us all social-distancing like the plague, and the trade-off is real human connection. Did you know that just 10 seconds of hugging someone can boost serotonin in the brain? When is the last time you hugged someone? Like full squeeze mode? I make it a point to hug each of my kids every day and hug my husband. That connection has been vital to our health on all levels. Who can you hug today?
- Massage your feet. Every day I use my acupressure ball and roll out the bottoms of my feet. It May sound a bit odd, but our feet our connection to the earth. And we all wear shoes way too much, disconnecting us from what grounds us, and well, when your feet hurt, it can just about ruin your day. I keep my mini acupressure ball underarm my desk, and I travel with it wherever I go. A quick rub on my feet, and it’s incredible how much better I feel. And then after don’t forget to use some natural pain relief to leave you feeling great!
- Take a deep breath. I’ve had a panic attack more than once and know how scary that can be. Many people in todays world are walking around stressed out, in a panic, and having an out of body experience, but not in the way you think. Breathing can help bring us back into our bodies and help us get out of our head and into the moment. Deep breathing is simple. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and take a deep breath in and feel your belly expand, and your chest rise. Briefly pause after your inhale and then exhale and feel your stomach deflate and chest collapse down. Work to get all the air out and repeat this at least two more times. Breathing not only brings more oxygen to your body and brain but also shifts your mind off whatever is stressing you out and gives you space to regroup and refocus.
- Get outside every day. It’s winter and currently -1 outside. But I make it a point to step out for a few minutes to feel the fresh air and sun (or clouds, rain, or snow). There is a feeling of being alive that happens when I do this and has become a real game-changer when I begin to feel the heaviness of the midwest winters weighing on me. That timeout outside also helps me shift my focus when I’m having a stressful day back to nature and back to feeling alive.
- Get up and get moving. I’m not going to tell you to exercise, but you do need to carry every day. Can you find one, two, or three pockets of time to get up and stretch, walk up and down your stairs a few extra times, squat in the bathroom, twist in your driver’s seat or chair? This all adds up. Instead of empty exercise promises, how about you focus on adding more moving into your everyday life. Then if you happen to make it to the treadmill, gym, or yoga mat (join our online mindfulness and yoga studio for just $9.99 a month!)- it’s a bonus!
- Tell yourself something positive about your efforts. Every day I self-talk (Read 12 Nuggets of Advice That Have Changed My Life Blog). For years a negative internal dialogue took me down a path I wish on no one. And I discovered that your biggest enemy and critic is often sitting right between your two ears. Talk positively to yourself; what are you doing well? What has gone right? Look how far you have come. For some, this dialogue may not come naturally, but it’s one conversation you might want to have anyways. I recognized a few years back that I’d get so far, and then I was the one sabotaging my efforts because I didn’t believe I deserved success. Kicking that habit was the best thing I ever did.
- Visualize your success before you go to bed. Your subconscious replays the last things you think about, read about, and watch while you sleep. Every night before I go to bed, I visualize my success. If I can’t get thoughts out of my head that is negative or stressful or tells me that I”m not successful, I pop on my headphones and listen to meditation to shift my thoughts and mind and drift off to sleep. This has been a game-changer for me and one that has borne much fruit. Plus, it requires little to no effort on your part but can be the cherry on top.
- Eat good food. You’re foggy, and you’re tired, you’re irritable. Did you ever consider how you feel might be because you aren’t feeding your body good food? Food is fuel, and if you’d ever even considered putting questionable, cheap fuel into your car because you know the consequences would be expensive and could leave you carless, why do that to your body. If you are still reaching for quick fixes to change your body, may I suggest an apple? A salad. A something that didn’t come out of a box. I”m not trying to be rude, but somewhat real. You are a living being, so you need to eat living food. Start small, how about that apple? Your body craves junk food because it is searching for real nutrition, and you aren’t feeding it any. An apple a day really can do more than just keep the doctor away.
- Offer gratitude. Every day I find ways to show appreciation. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your stuff, and I believe you get what you give. You don’t have to give money if money is tight. You can give your time, your love, your compassion, your support. I try to remember that everyone is fighting their own battle and has their stuff going on and if I can spread a little hope, a little cheer. Then I’ll do it. Because one day I may need that too.
I use to tell myself that it needed to be the perfect time to do X. And it was a way for me to stay where I was. Safe, but stuck. Happy in my unhappiness. All the empty promises I gave myself only left me more defeated. All the programs that promised me better health, more happiness, and a profitable business were a bust because it was too much. I wasn’t ready. And what I discovered is I needed to start even smaller, and that so-called self-care was not mean to be this big hill or crazy routine I was to add to my day (which, mind you, only gave me more anxiety when I thought about it). It was about the little things that kept nudging me forward towards the next right decision.
The results… It’s working. My suggestion for you today, start small, pick one of the ten I listed above, and do it until it’s like brushing your teeth ( and if you don’t brush your teeth, maybe start there). You will be amazed at what comes from a simple small action like this!
Check out My Meditations Custom Crafted just for YOU with music by Dennis Hawk >> HERE Click on MEDITATIONS to grab yours!
by Hope Zvara | Dec 30, 2020 | Core Functional Fitness, Inspirational, Lifestyle
We all have had those moments that were life-changing, those words of wisdom that just stuck and truly impacted us, and over the last several years or so I have had many, and I just want to share them with you. These words of advice, thoughts, and ideas have come in all forms and from all kinds, some from others, some from my own insights, but each of these have had a significant impact on me, not because of the power of the words but because of what I was able to do afterward. These are 12 nuggets of advice that have changed my life.
This is just one moment among many moments in your life right now.
I would get so caught up in the mistakes, things I did or didn’t do or the feelings I was having. Time never stops and all things pass, no matter where you are right now it will soon be over.
When something stinks, step back and make sure it’s not you who smells.
We all want to blame others for what we did or didn’t do ourselves; it takes a far bigger person to admit when they are wrong than it does to point the finger.
Kill em’ with kindness.
When in doubt, you can’t argue with kindness.
You have everything you need right now.
I used to hate this saying, but wherever you are right now you are fully equipped to tackle it, just check to make sure you are using all that is available to you.
You can’t change everyone else you can only change yourself.
If you want others to change, be the example first.
Always be willing to have the hard conversations.
Any time I have ever had to have a difficult conversation, and actually had the courage to have it without getting in the way, the outcome has always been for the better.
Never be afraid to be honest, you can’t control how others receive your truth.
We typically fear the truth because we worry about what will happen after, but cleaning up a lie is way more work, because you don’t have to clean up the truth.
One thing at a time.
We want it and want it now, except we first need to enjoy what we have right now.
Life gives you exactly what you need.
Because where you are is exactly where you need to be in order to get where you are going.
Never be afraid to be who you are, as long as you do it in an honest way.
It’s one thing to be you and do it with a thorn in your side, it’s another to do it in a way that encourages others.
Don’t take shit from anyone.
Those that give you shit probably don’t want to deal with their own, press on my friend.
You can change anything at any time, just be ready to deal with the consequences.
We can change anything and not all consequences are bad, many can and are good, but you won’t know any of that until you get up and do something.
As each year passes, I think to myself, how can I be better than I was before? Trying to live in my truth and live the life I want to rather than the life I think others need me to live.
The older I get and the more I experience life and speak my truth, the more I realize that I don’t have any time to waste living in a way that no longer serves me, and sometimes that means radical change, sometimes that means I can finally speak up in a way I never did before, sometimes that simply means that I live and act without fear.
I have watched far too many people, some very dear to my heart, live their lives in fear, and because of that they never went after what they desired or what they felt that life was asking them to. I have watched many make excuses as to why they made and are currently making the choices they are; but in the end, sadly, I dismay that they will not get where they are going because they simply won’t allow themselves the right to live boldly, in their own truth, because they fear what will happen to those around them and to themselves as they step into their own light.
I refuse to live that way and although I don’t know exactly where life will take me, I know where I am right now and have cultivated enough wisdom and honesty to step back and fully take advantage of the situations in front of me because although I do believe that life gives you exactly what you need, it’s your choice what you decide to do with it.
With that, I welcome the new year and hope that 2021 provides us with new hope and that we live our best lives and stay true to our true selves.
Deeply, Namaste.
by Hope Zvara | Dec 23, 2020 | Inspirational, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Yogic Living
Today marks 13 years that you’ve been gone. So much has changed and yet so much hasn’t. Yesterday I found myself thinking about the day before I knew you in person and the horrible feeling I had knowing that you were not going to stay. That sick feeling, I had that this little miracle everyone talks about, that “little blessing” that was supposed to be greeted with open arms and smiles was not going to be happening.
Each year that goes by and you are gone just a little bit longer creates a slightly larger space that worries me. I worry that I will somehow forget that feeling and it will be like it never happened which means it would be like you never happened. But as your one day on earth approaches each year I am reminded how that is just not the case. That sick feeling is easily remembered how your life was not meant to be. The sick joke that was played on your Papa and me just months into our marriage-the happiest time in our lives together was robbed along with the happy experience of our first newborn baby being brought into our lives.
You forever changed me, Faith. You forever made my life even more different than everyone else’s. And what I wouldn’t give to get you back for just five more minutes. I hope you knew it was us who were holding you that day, I hope you knew we didn’t choose this for you, and although we were in shock when we first found out you were coming, that shock was not warranting an outcome like the one that happened.
You changed me Faith, that hollowed out feeling the night I went home from the hospital, empty and alone. And those weeks after you were gone I cried so much I eventually became numb, I thought I’d never feel again. You changed me Faith, you changed me.
Since you’ve been gone we’ve brought in three amazing children into this world, and because of you I can’t imagine my life without them, but that still doesn’t take the place of missing you. Just writing those words I am choking down my tears and my vision is blurred by welling tear ducts. You changed me, Faith.
I thought surviving a life-sucking eating disorder was the worst I’d ever endure. And I have to be honest, I was wrong. Your short life was a rip-off, a cruel joke on two young soulmates who would have loved you and given you nothing short of a backyard campfire, dirty feet, self-exploration, be your own personal childhood experience. You would have loved us as parents. It was a rip-off.
Still, to this day I watch others race to have babies, act like pregnancy is crappy, and moan about getting rid of their pregnancy body to “get back to normal”, and to those people I say, “you are missing the point.” Don’t chance fate and take for granted a healthy baby, the amazing miracle of bringing a baby into this world, and the privilege you get to become a parent to then raise those children. Your Papa and I will never know the joys of having a first born baby, and to be honest, it took until having your sister Meredith to get rid of the numbness and until Ivan to actually not relive in my mind the experience of having you.
But you changed me, Faith, because of you I am now stronger than before. I was able to prove to myself and others that I could forge into recovery fully and you gave me a reason to take even better care of my body and cherish my life and every life I bring into this world.
You changed me Faith, I now connect with yet another group of people, I get them, I know what they are feeling and I can help yet another group of people.
You changed me Faith, because of you I see life differently, I see sunrises, rainbows, and butterflies differently. Harper, Meredith, and Ivan look forward to your presence when they see a butterfly circling us-they jump for joy and yell to the trees that Faith is here. You changed me Faith, you changed your entire family that we see life and creation in a way only those that have held their baby in their arms and watched that little life leave earth can know.
You changed me Faith, each year on your “life day” I am reminded that I am a strong ass woman, that you gave up your life so I could have one, a debt that I will forever on this earth be repaying. A debt that I will die trying to repay. I don’t know if I can or will ever be able to be as selfless as you, as giving as you, as humble as you.
Many days I feel like life just isn’t’ getting me, that God just isn’t hearing my prayers, my dreams, my goals. There are so many days that I feel like people still just don’t get me, that they just don’t understand. And today as I write this letter to you I have come to realize that many never will. And I will waste much of my precious time trying to get them to. I know you get me, I know that you know my heart, my dreams, that you hear my prayers.
Today I am crying for you, not because you are gone, but because you gave me life.
I know that you’re here, and just last week we saw you for the first time in the back yard. Meredith squealed with joy as you danced with her in the grass.
You changed me Faith, I’m not a mother of three, but a mother of four. And although I never got to see you take your first steps, say your first words, ride a bike or one day, drive a car, graduate, get married and maybe even have a baby one day. All those things aren’t necessary to have made you real, to prove you existed. I grew you in my belly, I was your only life line, I felt your little heart beat to its last beat.
To everyone reading this today, please know I need no sympathy. To those reading this today that have lost a child, that have watched an innocent child leave this earth-it does get better. Some wounds never heal and I think some just aren’t meant to, but you can choose to use your child’s life to bring more life to others. I choose to believe that my daughter chose this life, she chose this path and me too. Today if this message touches even just one person then that is one less person that has to be stuck in grieving longer than necessary. One less person that feels like they can’t move on.
I still remember the first time I told a family member that I am trying to “move on”. They didn’t get me or what had happened from my perspective and told me “well you don’t’ just forget about her”. I still remember yelling at her in my head, like “are you kidding me!?!!?!… How could I?” So to all those out there trying to be a support to someone experiencing loss, just be a shoulder, let them know you are there, they most likely don’t want to hear about your passing Grandma or your lost dog. They don’t want to be told it will get better, or how sorry you are. They just want to have support, they want to have a shoulder without a mouth, and when they are ready they will talk, they will reach out, and when they do you’ll be there.
We received dozens of cards those first few weeks, and of the dozens, I kept only a few, and of those were two unexpected cards from two people who briefly shared their loss of their child. I re-read those cards several times, reading those helped me feel like I wasn’t alone, reading those cards helped me feel that someone out there did understand exactly what I was going through. So to those reading this, I get it, I’ve felt the heartache, I’ve felt the unbearable emptiness, I’ve experienced the fits of rage, anger, and hostility, and I’ve felt every tear you have cried as my own. I get it and I’m here. You’re not alone. Please know this. You will survive and you will find happiness again. Just know it will be a different happiness than what you have felt before-and that is O.K.
Happy 13th life day Faith…
That’s all I have to say… Until next year… I’ll be seeing you in the sky.
xx-Mom
