This is my 4th and final entry for the 2024 Thanksgiving Challenge hosted by the illustrious Debe Maxwell, CRS.
"My cup runneth over." Psalm 23:5
St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish is where my parents were married, and I was baptized. This is where I received my High School diploma, and in front of the altar exchanged my marriage vows. The serenity of faith blanketed me since I was an infant, later growing up into a woman having children, gave my soul happiness. For these and many other reasons, I am thankful and blessed.
Happiness can be multiplied throughout our lives. To achieve goals and learn life lessons, there are challenges and adversities. Spanning the spectrum of my existence I learned about faith, family, truth, integrity, loyalty, responsibilities, friendship, but most of all, I discovered love is the greatest gift of all. I remain grateful for my humble beginnings.
In school I learned Latin and one year of Spanish. I served as President for the Mission Club, played on the Freshman and Sophomore Volleyball Team, had four years of typing and Shorthand, did lots of library research, and was one of several journalists for the High School newsletter. As a studious honor student, l I was engaged in a deep apperception including curiosity. I am thankful I had opportunities to broaden my mind and belong to a parish where I was able to grow and learn to think.
Education is what I take seriously. No matter what schools I attend, or how many classes I take, or how many years I sign up for classes, each one is the same. It is like going to the well to draw water, always thirsting for knowledge. Sincerely, I love school and can't get enough education. I am thankful for excellent teachers and instructors.
The joy of being a mother began a few days before Christmas when I labored for 13 1/2 hours to deliver a beautiful baby girl. My gift was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. Later, I was blessed with a beautiful son. Although he was premature, he was born just after Valentines Day. The touch, smell, sight, and feelings of holding a child and giving birth, in my opinion, are the greatest gifts and reasons to be thankful.
Living and earning an income is a necessity and meeting new people are exciting. I will never stop learning. However, financially 2024 was the hardest year ever, since becoming a REALTOR®. Where I go from here, is not determined. Between school and ActiveRain, I find constant joy. I am thankful I am not a quitter and so grateful for Kerrie La Guardia who I reached out to after meeting vendors at a REALTOR® Conference. Kerrie provided guidance and I signed up. She was the reason why I drove to Houston that year to attend RainCamp. Kerrie was the first person I met at the registration/check in table. I was so grateful to her and all the first-time colleagues and Leaders I met at RainCamp. When I began blogging and receiving comments, I felt like I belonged to something GREAT! Having a sense of belonging has always been important to me. For now, I am hopeful and thankful.
Giving thanks for ActiveRain is worth its weight in gold.
Over the years, I've learned the ebbs and flows of followers and departure of unfollowers, close and not so close friends, and deceased ones too, and of course there is success and failure. My constant mantra is, "Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change, and to change the things I can." In life there are many opportunities to join different types of groups, but the longest one I've been involved in is ActiveRain. I learned a lot from each of you. Being a REALTOR® improved my technology and building relationships. Helping others and receiving support helps me to feel a good sense of belonging. Until I decide, what's next, I give thanks.
I am especially thankful for my family, the clients I served, repeat clients, and my Flower Mound and AR community. On ActiveRain, I am most grateful for those behind the scenes. You know, the invisible support from ActiveRain Member Support. I can't see them. I can't say I know them. But I am thankful. This is my final entry for the 2024 Thanksgiving Challenge. Here are some of the people from my family, community, former clients, workshops I attended, and others on AR that I am very grateful for coming into my life:
Julian, active Vet/Buyer. Graduating from Flower Mound Citizens Police Academy.
Meeting up with CRS Rainers in Texas. Spending quality time with Sharon Parisi.
Many closings with the Hanson's. Meeting up with Kat Palmiotti in Montana.
Many closings with Melissa & Jeff, attending their wedding, being introduced to their first-born son and their adopted daughter.
Spending quality time with Vernice "Flygirl" Armour, decorated naval aviator, Camp Pendleton's 2001 Female Athlete of the Year and Strongest Warrior Winner, and Author of "Zero to Breakthrough."
Meeting local people. Serving newlyweds buying new construction; later selling/ buying with a Nebraska CRS Referral; and meeting their first child.
Meeting Rebekah Gregory, Boston Marathon Bomber Survivor after losing a leg on April 15, 2013, while invited to give a speech in Flower Mound, Texas.
Spending quality time with my granddaughter. Getting worldly news about my daughter's achievements and visiting with my son and his family.
Meeting Debe Maxwell, CRS and Lisa Von Domek in Grapevine, Texas.
A night out with friends and authors from Kalispell, MT, attending RainCamp in Houston, meeting men at the Barber Shop in McKinney, Texas, and meeting a fine young man representing Old Republic Protection at a TX REALTOR® Conference.
Hiking with my daughter & son-in-law in the Swiss Alps. Having fun with my son and daughter-in-law with never ending laughter, visiting my godchild and her fiancé in WI, being able to know I was part of a book club and visiting Granbury, TX with Sally (now deceased) and friend Carina who is in my present book club in Flower Mound from Belgium.
Feeling like a family friend of clients with children.
Meet-up in San Antonio, TX. Meet-up in Addison, TX.
RainCamp Badge. Lisa with Jerry Newman. Paula, Jerry, and myself in San Antonio.
Meeting new writers at Writer's Retreat in Tennessee. Meet-up in Dallas.
Meet up with Greg Nino Celebration of International Women's Day.
Having fun with little troopers who had a father or mother serving in the Military. Something I enjoyed a lot was welcoming our Troops at DFW International Airport after 9/11. I served on the ALC at KW and coordinated agents from the office to come with me to welcome our troops home once a month for years. I met the soldier in the bottom right of the collage years later. She is a remarkable soldier, a published author and public speaker. Serving Veterans gives me the greatest joy.
I will ALWAYS give thanks to our Military and Soldiers who serve. They ARE America's BEST!
RIP Jerry Feager
ActiveRain has been quite a journey. I remember a post I wrote in 2014 November Closes With Special Thanks to AR Friends. The sentiments today are still the same as those I wrote years ago.
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