One afternoon we were heading to the beach, and I can’t even remember what had me feeling a bit anxious and irritable…but something did.  I remember John saying, “Don’t let it steal your JOY!” {I am often sharing this phrase with others! 🙂  And, I’ve often told myself I mustn’t waste my energy on even allowing such frustration to take up my moments.  I must let it go.}  And, well, as you can see now, I don’t even remember what it was about.  Good reminder, huh…to not let things get the best of us..don’t let them steal our joy.  Things often seem so much bigger  and more frustrating in the moment, and when we have a little time to step back and look at the big picture…well, usually the view can be see in a whole new light.

So on this day as we arrived at the beach and began to walk down the boardwalk, I smiled at a lady we had seen before and made a comment to her cute doggy.  I kept walking and heard someone call my name.  It was the lady…she said, “Ann-Margaret, is that you…you have the blog?”  I replied, “Ah, yes.”  🙂  She told me she and her husband enjoyed my blog, and he piped up and jokingly said, “Yes, we stalk your blog!”.  She then mentioned how we had chatted one day about the sandcastle her husband had built…it was so pretty, and I instantly remembered that yes,  they were the ones I was talking to that day.  I have often admired her husband’s cute vintage jeep and even snapped pics of it.  I think it just screams FUN!!  🙂  As we introduced ourselves she told me how much she enjoyed my posts…that they were so uplifting.  That just makes my heart smile more than you can imagine!  If you’ve followed me here long you know I so hope to share a bit of sunshine, hope, and positivity through my blog and artwork.  For someone to tell me this, for someone to recognize me from my blog as I’m about to walk on the beach…well, these are huge blessings to me, and I am so very grateful for this sweet friend taking time to say “hello”.  Do you see what an impact she and her husband had on my day…and, of course, their cute doggy!

As we walked away to begin our walk, John looked over and smiled at me and said, “Now, see…what do I always tell you…if that wasn’t a big nudge from God I don’t know what is!  You were just stressing over something that doesn’t really matter, something that does not deserve your energy being devoted to it, and then, that lady recognized you from your blog…and, it seems to be something she and her husband enjoy.  This is what I keep telling you…continue to share your gifts…they matter…they are what you need to be focusing on and devoting your energies to.”  And, he is so right.  So, to Jennifer and her hubby…thank you for making my day, thank you for adding a big {HUGE} dose of SUNSHINE to my afternoon, for taking time to say something that matters so much to my heart, and for reminding me that sharing my heart through my art and words really does matter.  🙂

I meant to share this amazing beach artwork way back and just got busy with all of our traveling and such and failed to do so.  This beautiful creation by her husband caught my eye one afternoon, and I couldn’t help but stop and tell them how awesome it was!  I had such fun chatting with them that day and am so happy to have run into them again.

I’ll keep telling you this, sweet  friends…it is the little things that can mean so very much…that truly matter.  Something so simple as a “hello” and a bit of conversation can be just the light someone needs to brighten up their day.  Share your gifts, share your heart, be kind, SMILE when you meet someone…and, remember that these connections are what create beautiful, unforgettable moments in life.  I can assure you Jennifer’s words from that day will forever have a place in my heart…and,they will serve as a sweet reminder for me to keep sharing pieces of it!
And, have mercy…let’s realize that some things are just not worth our energy…they are not worth us stressing over them and getting all worked up.  We’ve got LIFE to LIVE, and if we’re too busy focused on the “junk”…well, we may just miss out on a whole lot of the good stuff!

Hope your day is filled with a dose of SUNSHINE and SMILES!  And, remember…YOU do make a difference!  🙂

Hugs!!

Copyright 2015 Ann-Margaret, Artist~Writer~Photographer/Ann-Margaret’s Visions
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