Friday, December 24, 2010

This Christmas...

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

With all the talk of Thass sliding, workouts, food, sweat, Tracy, muscle work, cardio, inches lost, confidence gained...

I find myself in that magical hour, of that magical time of year when everything slows down and what's really important comes into focus.

So tonight I wanted to send a special message- not about all the funny things we usually talk about (we will get back to all that -AND IN A BIG WAY - with the New Year coming soon) but tonight my special message is for each of you...my new friends ...my old friends...

I received a Christmas card this year - and it had within it a message I loved.
A message I read over and over.
A message I want to share with all of you....

It was from my friend Caroline Oden Wylie.
She and I haven't seen each other in years - we were best friends in middle school and  high school - and I look forward to getting a card from her every year so I can watch - if only annually - her beautiful four children grow up to be little people, little people that look a lot like her and her brothers, if you ask me!!!!

So, thank you Caroline for the card - this year and every year. You're card really sums up what I wanted to say this year - so before this post is done - I will quote it in full!

Ya know -just because we don't see some of our friends often, it doesn't mean that we don't think of them and value all the years, or months, or even the days we were in each others lives.

I miss friends that I do not get to see much anymore - but I always hold them in my heart.

I think the same can be said for some of my new friends - lots of you!
Most of you I have never met -and yet you've been so supportive and reached out to me and cheered me on... I value the friendship!

From all over the world, from right in my back yard...friends, family... and friends that become family,
this is the time of year to take a moment to thank them all for the role they have played in our lives - tell them if you can...send a prayer to them if you can't. Either way they will hear you.

We are all a product of the people in our lives.

And I for one - am all the better for it!

Here's what Caroline's card said...
I just loved it!


"This Christmas...  we would like to put up a tree in our hearts; and instead of hanging ornaments we would like to place the names of all our friends.
Close friends and not so close friends.
The old friends, the new friends.
Those that we see every day and the ones that we rarely see.
The ones that we always remember and the ones that we sometimes forget.
The ones that are always there and the ones that seldom are.
The friends of difficult times and the friends of happy times.
Friends who, without meaning to, we have hurt, or without meaning to have hurt us.
Those that we know well and those we only know by name.
Those that owe us little and those that owe us so much.
Our humble friends and our important friends.
The names of all those that have passed through our lives no matter how fleetingly.
A tree with very deep roots and very long and strong branches so that their names may never be plucked from out hearts... so that new names from all over may join the existing ones.
A tree with a very pleasant shade so that our friendship may take a moment of rest from the battles of life.
May your special moments of Christmas brighten every day of the New Year."


From my heart to yours, I wish you all a healthy, happy holiday filled with love and laughter.

I am thankful to call you my friend.

Merry Christmas!
xoxoLa

7 comments:

  1. Thank you,Laura!!! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!and I am thankful for all motivation and inspiration and laughter.God bless you and your loveones .xoxo

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  2. Merry Christmas to you and yours. You have helped motivated me and made me laugh and work harder. I am thankful for you! My best always,
    Shannon

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  3. Merry Christmas, Laura! What a beautiful post! Thank you for all of your motivation! Here's wishing you a happy healthy holiday!
    Bobbie

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  4. Thanks Laura. I hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

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  5. Merry Christmas to you Laura, that was lovely.

    Donna

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  6. i loved this card too! Love to you and yours La La...xx wim

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  7. A very beautiful message!

    I hope you had a wonderful christmas and a happy new year aswell! May 2011 bring what we all hope for!

    Lots of love from Sweden!

    /Caroline

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