Thanks for the Memories FaceBook!

Memories are a fickle thing.

Amelia Island January 2017... Before my world ended

They can be triggered by anything, and often the worst ones are the first that come to mind.

But, if you move those out of the way,

you just might find the golden nugget memory that makes all the difference in that series of memories.

Like this one, of a day spent in the sunshine and fresh air of Florida...

Sitting at the marina cafe' and making plans for a future there...

My trip to Europe, 3 years ago, was filled with the most amazing experiences and memories... 

Cake Time- Wasserschloss Im Glatt
12/ 2018

and also, some of the most terrifying and lonely moments of my life.

My sister and I went to Glatt.

A little village in the Black Forest, or maybe it is next to the black forest?

Why did you go there, you may ask.

And you may think, Black Forest = Cuckoo clock, right?

Wrong!

Black Forest = Cake Time!

Yes!

They do not open restaurants until , like 6pm.

( at least in the European countries I visited)

So from 1pm to 4pm they have CAKE TIME!

I guess it is like Tea Time,only you can have coffee or tea, and CAKE!

So my sister and I went to the Black Forest for Cake Time...

My sister with her 1/4 cake sized slice and tea  

For 4 Euros you got a pot of coffee and a SLAB of the cake of your choice!

And man, were they tough choices to make!

Black Forest cake (of course), Strawberry Cream cake, Carrot Cake, Chocolate torte and so many more... and we cannot forget the PIES!!!!

It was a border-line diabetics dream meal.

And it was delicious and simply lovely...

The food and the time spent with my sister making memories to last a life time.

My late husband... aka Uncle Grinch
I LOVE the Grinch... the Dr Suess one too

Random photos, memes, posts from loved one long gone...

like a voice from the past reminding you of a private joke, a happier time...

Promises made... and Promises broken....

But real LOVE that never goes away...

Instead, it echoes through the heart, bringing a smile at the memory...

A longing to turn back time and relive those moments again...

As nothing ever happens without a reason...

lessons to be learned, life experiences required to be able to continue healing and moving forward...

Bucket List:
✔Whale Watching
✔Make a new bucket list 

Those Facebook memories pop up to remind us of what we may have forgotten,

to show us how far we've come and perhaps,

even to let us know that we really are going to be ok.

So, Thanks for the memories, Facebook!

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Follow me on social media and check out my website- where all my passions come together!

Podcast: Beautifully Broken with Dawn Ranae

IG: @dawnranae_h   FB: DawnRanae  

website: Color Me Everything - Where all my passions come together

FB Group: Beautifully Broken with DawnRanae

Your Best IS Enough !

Winter Sky Sunset...
How can we not be worthy when Nature gives us such dazzling art to enjoy daily?

My blogging journey had evolved over the years...

I am the wife HeManHubby... or, I was... until he got sick and died 4 years ago.

I am BusyMom to 6 amazing children..

GoodMom, who is still doing great and working and raising FancyPants and GMan;

BratChild, who has graduated with 2 college degrees as single mom, and McCutie is thriving.

After HeMan Hubby died from cancer, I sold the house we built, the one we raised our 6 children in... and moved in with SmartGirl and ManChild. We get along pretty well.

TeenBoy has become an amazing young adult, and now lives in the Pacific Northwest , looks very Grizzly Adams-like and loves the laid back hippy-ish vibe where he and Gypsy fit right in. I guess I'll have to call him GrizzlyMan? Well, he IS nearly 27 now so...

And then there was SIX... what can I say? He, too, is grown, living his own life and doing pretty well at the ripe old age of 23. 

Yes, I am still their mom, but these days not quite the BusyMom I was...

I have endured becoming widowed, contracting Covid-19 and nearly dying, the loss of my ability to work as a nurse due to the long term health complications of something called      Long Covid, or as it is more commonly called- Long Haul Covid and I am a Long Hauler.

I am a survivor of life's challenges, disappointments, smack downs, and completely life altering and soul crushing experiences.

Am I stronger than you?

Am I more resilient than you?

Am I super human, uncaring, unfeeling...

any of the things that people have labeled me through out my life because I keep showing up for me?

No...

What I am is determined to NOT LET THE BAD THINGS WIN!!!

Is it easy... not even a little bit.

Is it worth the effort... HELL YES IT IS...

            BECAUSE I AM WORTH THE EFFORT...

            AND SO ARE YOU...

            And don't you let any one tell you otherwise!

Beautifully Broken with DawnRanae- the podcast

IG: @dawnranae_h

FB: @colormeeverything

Website: www.colormeeverything.com - where all my passions come together

Real Talk Tuesday - honesty is the best policy

 Today's episode was hard for me to do. But if I am honest, it was also easier than I thought it would be. Admitting to having doubts, feeling like you don't belong, suffer from depression and anxiety is like walking into a room full of strangers naked. Until you realize that everyone else in that room is naked too, is dealing with the very same issues you are and that they are your tribe... As a society it has become acceptable to talk about famous people's intimate lives, discuss sexual orientation, give our opinions on other's people's lives... But opening up the discussion about mental health is Taboo? 

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

 Veterans Crisis Line: 1-888-777-4443   

A Book I recommend for every one as an audio book read by the author with extra content not in the paper edition:

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson aka TheBlogess 

My goal, wish, sincere hope, is that by opening the discussion, by being honest about my struggles, others will feel encouraged to reach out to those who are struggling; that those who are feeling the things I feel, or have their own mental health issues, will be able to open the conversation with their family, friends and really get this topic into the mainstream.  

Let's talk about when you are not OK. 

Let's talk about suicide and how prevalent it is now, how it is affecting all people of all colors and education levels and how we cannot afford to lose one more person to it.  

If talking about my self doubts and feelings of being less than can make a difference for just one person...then overcoming my fear to tell the truth was worth it. 

Follow me on social media and check out my website- where all my passions come together! IG @dawnranae_h   

FB: @colormeeverthing website: www.colormeeverything.com 

FB Group: Beautifully Broken with DawnRanae

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PTb3VZrgmcWFzh0gwSioC?si=NWBwNI4wQweVyRMVGscvWg&utm_source=copy-link