Beautiful People Do Not Just Happen

For those of you who were blessed to experience August 28, 1963 in our nation’s history, I am sure you are sitting here today wondering how that could have possibly been 50 years ago. ‘I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sister and brothers. I have a dream today.’ Martin Luther King Jr. was a beautiful soul. A man of such character, passion, and enthusiasm to change the dichotomy with which our nation resided. It is sad to me that after 50 we still face division in parts of our country. I challenge all of us to think deeply about the words that were spoken 50 years ago today and focus closely on words which this nation itself was founded on ‘that all men are created equal’. I will close with a quote I saw today, which seemed quite fitting…… ‘The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen’. Martin Luther King was in fact a magnificently beautiful person.

Secret of Life

Are you ever sitting at work, in a waiting room, at the beach, or in a restaurant, and your mind wonders? This happens to me quite often and the subject matters which my brain tends to navigate towards are always very interesting. Today as I was jamming out to the Lady A station on Pandora and auditing a document, I suddenly began to think about the secret to life. This has been a topic covered in movies ‘Do you know what the secret of life is?......One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don’t mean shit’. Name that movie! It is heard in song lyrics ‘The secret to life is a good cup of coffee….’ Articles have been written, books have been published, and yet it is still a blazing topic. What does all this mean, more specifically what is that secret everyone seems to be talking about? How do people find unending happiness, where do folks find the silver lining in all of life’s ups and downs, how do people find strength to weather the most difficult of situations with so much grace and dignity….what is their secret? I pondered this for some time, and then I realized the secret to life lies within each of us individually. We all have different ‘one things’ that drive us, provide us happiness, lift us up when we are down, and give us hope……the one thing that if we stick to the rest won’t mean shit. For me I find the most happiness when I can touch hearts, lives, and leave a situation a bit better than when I arrived. You see the secret to life is different for all of us, for some it might very well be a cup of coffee, a good book, faith, a new pair of shoes, or that perfect designer purse. For someone else it might be their volunteer service, the time devoted to helping others, being a mentor, or searching for what they love. Yet for others it might be their career advancement, finding connections, the travels they take, the business deals they make. At the end of the day it really does not matter what YOUR secret is as long as you live by it and let it guide your life with its light. What is your secret?

ISFJ

Is it just me, or is anyone else excited that today is Friday. This week has been one of growth, cramming my brain full of more information than I was aware it could hold, and very little sleep. Discussions were had on core values, effective ways of communication, the importance of a credo, conflict resolution, and we took the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. As my eyes are glazing over I am able to sit and reflect on what this week has meet to me, what I was able to discover about myself and how eerily similar the events of the past few days felt like intensive therapy. As much as I would like to share everything that has been this week, I am going to take time to share what I learned about myself through the Myers-Briggs test. Some aspects I knew, some aspects were eye opening. Extroversions vs. Introversion (Your Worlds) The results of this section seemed to be surprising to many, but not to me. After the 70 question assessment it was determined that I am more of an introvert. Now this does not mean that I am a hermit and do not like to socialize and get out. In fact the results have nothing to do with how well one socializes but, rather how one gets energized. Introverts get energized by spending time alone, they find themselves exhausted when in large groups for too long. Introverted individuals (according to Myers-Briggs) are reflective, they tend to direct energy and attention inward, often times it is hard to get to know introverts, they have depth of interests, gather information before relationships, tend to think before speaking, and often reflect and then speak or act. Sensing vs. Intuition (The Perceiving Process) This was a very close score for me, only 2 points separated me from one side to the other. Yet at the end of the day I was sectioned off into Sensing. This again was not took shocking in that there are situations in which I need facts and am really detailed, yet other situations in which I go with my gut and am more spontaneous. An individual that falls into the sensing category is one that is grounded in the present, fact and detail oriented, practical, impatient with theory, take things step by step. Thinking vs. Feeling (The Judging (decision) Process) I was 100% tied in this section, which for anyone that knows me well could attest to. In different situations I would go off of reasoning and others I would go off of feeling. Also not shocking 2/3 of men fall into the think tank and 2/3 of women base decisions off of feelings. Thinkers tend to be impersonal, objective, need things to be firm and fair. Whereas Feelers are less comfortable with logic, concerned with harmony, show empathy and compassion, and think about people. Judging vs. Perceiving (Structure of the Outside World) This was a shocking result for me, but a pleasant shock. You see prior to my life changing event 1.5 years ago I was as far to the judging side as possible. I was organized, controlled, structured, 0 flexibility, anxiety if there were not deadlines and strict plans. However, although I still favor structure, deadlines, organization, and plans I am also more open, flexible, spontaneous, and adaptable. After all was said and done I found out I was a ISTJ/ISFJ. For all you doubters out there, no, that is not an alien life form, the letter combinations reflect the personality group I fall into. There are 2 here, since I had a tied section. Long story short my personality is that of a Guardian (Inspector/Protector). Displaying characteristics of dedication, tough mindedness, modesty, and a since of belonging. Caretaking, quiet and gentle, handles neediness in others, and has a strong work ethic. If you are interested in discovering your personality I would highly recommend taking this test. If you have taken it in the past then take it again. Life events and life changes may cause the results to change. With everything in life that is constantly changing, your personality can fluctuate a little as well over the years.

DaVita Academy

Last week I spent two days with these three great, whacky, loving, co-workers who happen to also be friends!

We found ourselves being new employees (we like to call employees, teammates) at the same time and had the opportunity to attend a company seminar (we like to call this seminar, Academy) together.

We had a lot of introspective thinking, looking, and uncovering.

We watched teammates dance, sing, and form conga lines.

We were put into teams for DaVita Olympics.

We found out we have a lot of teammates that can bust a move and can sing like a rock star.

We had late nights which included shenanigans and early mornings which included a lot of coffee.

We had team cheers. We learned a lot, saw a lot, cried a little, were encouraged, inspired, and had fun. And………

We graduated!!

1995

Many words have been spoken over the years on this day. Words of memories, words of loss, words of joy, words of encouragement, but most importantly words that nearly always put a smile on our faces. As the years roll by and we all grow older I often times think how different my life would have been if our little angel was here among us today. He would be turning 18 today, starting his senior year of high school, no doubt having all the girls crazy about him, playing sports or playing music but playing something. He would still have his vibrant smile and twinkling eyes that lit up every room he walked into. My life was forever changed on August 21, 1995 and although following March 30, 2002 the realization that my life would never be the same was very real I vowed to let the sparkling spirit of Bryce live on. Though we do not have an earthly life form to celebrate with us today that is no reason to stop celebrating. After all Bryce Ean Martens would want to celebrate and would want us to celebrate. He is still with us all in our hearts and I choose to celebrate the life he had, the joy he brought to so many, the blessing we all received by having him in our lives, if only for 6 years, I choose to celebrate the amazing boy he was and the amazing man he would be today.

I discovered the past few days that writer block has found me and not just found me, but set in like a Colorado winter storm. Then as I was about to toss in the towel thinking I would never see the sun again, I ran across this quote……..

The bane to my existence seems to be that of doubt. When this quote appeared in front of me I decided to do away with doubt in this here blog and try to void it from my daily life. I have found a few techniques that seem to counter doubt in my world…..prayer, friends, laughter, and a splash or 10 of alcohol. A few examples of how I overcome the dreaded ‘D’ word you ask. Ask and you shall receive……. While experiencing life……I have found that with prayer and listening to the small voice deep inside you can get through anything. I have been told more times than I can count ‘Jennifer God never gives you more than you can handle’, and my response ‘I should be able to bench press a Buick at this point with the amount of strength God must think I have’. All kidding aside, prayer has gotten to the place I am today and through a lot of ups and downs. While out on adventure…..I have found that if I scoop up a friend and take them along, it is always more fun. Life seems to be, for me, more fulfilling when I have the opportunity to share it with someone else. While training…..I have found that trying to laugh through my sweat, oh wait that liquid on my face might actually be tears of pain, regardless I laugh. I also try to remind myself that everyone who is an expert or a professional was once a beginner. While shopping……I have found that doing a few shots of tequila before trying anything on seems to make the experience more enjoyable for all parties involved Now that I think about it, everything seems to be a bit better with prayer, a good friend, a great laugh, and a splash of alcohol.

Par 3

I was honored to join a group of incredible golfers for a day of fun at Vail Golf Club over the weekend. After taking golf lessons for a year and a half prior to moving to Colorado and following that up with a few months of indoors lessons this past winter I am reluctant to admit that I have only been on a golf course a handful of times. A sport which a pro once said I was a natural at, yet a sport which provides me massive frustration was very rarely practiced by yours truly. My skills or lack thereof were put on display for Vail Valley this past Saturday. I have to admit I didn’t play every hole; after all I did need to practice my golf cart driving skills as well. Yet, I did play most of the Par 3 holes, got par on one, and a Par 5 here or there.

Mark & Kamron

1) Wow we look a lot alike! 2) Mark can’t possibly be old enough to be getting hitched can he? If so that makes me older than I like to think I am. 3) I am sure glad I went with the pink and grey dress over the white and black stripes; you know what stripes do to a figure. 4) The bags under my eyes don’t give away the secret I have only had 7 hours of sleep in 2 days?

5) Why did I not think to get a spray tan before this shindig? 6) Is it time to eat yet!!

7) Tell me again how Mark is old enough to be getting married; I remember when he was born. 8) If the day should ever come that I get married I am going to skip the whole church thing, way too much stress and tension. I want a day of fun in the sun.

9) I hope when I am in my 50s I will look half as beautiful as she. 10) I am so blessed to have the amazing family I do. 11) Mark is still in diapers, he can’t be getting married!!

They sure make a stunning couple! More pics to come...... Love you Mark!!

Love Deeply!

The older I get the more I realize just how precious life really is. As my family and I were celebrating the marriage of my baby cousin this past weekend, a friend of mine was morning the loss of her mother. I found out early this week that a childhood friend lost her mother in a tragic car accident this past weekend and it caused me pause and forced me to reflect on my own life and the people I hold close to my heart. I am sure Stacey woke up Friday August 2nd, not thinking ‘today is the last day I will be able to talk to my mother, hug her, tell her just how much I love her, watch her love on my daughter, sit back and think how blessed I am to have such a wonderful woman as MY mother. I am sure Stacey went on like most of us with the knowledge that her mother would be there at the end of the day for a regular Friday night phone call. My eyes were opened wide by Kathy’s passing, especially after spending a weekend with my own family, and sadly taking that opportunity of being surrounded by the people I love more than anything for granted. As we travel down this unpredictable road of life I pray that we remember what is most important in life. It is not how large our pay check is, it is not how high we climb on the corporate ladder, the cars we drive, the houses we live in, the clothes we wear, or the extravagant vacations we take. It is about the depth of love we share, the lives we touch, the experiences we take part in, and the memories we make along the way. Let us move forward holding tight to the ones we love, letting people know how much we care, and never losing sight of or taking for granted the things and people in life that bring us joy, comfort, and love. In loving memory of a woman that encompassed life, love, laughter, and above all family and friends you will be deeply missed Kathy Weldon.

Hellooooooo.....

Hello mom! My mother is the one person who might be sitting at the computer waiting patiently for me post something. Wait, who I am kidding even my mother has given up on me, realizing this blog would never be a robust piece of American literature. It has been a long time since I have done this thing called blogging, I didn’t disappear to the far reaches of the earth and I was not abducted by aliens, although I feel like it at times. I have been happily, comfortably, and progressively living in Denver and loving almost every minute of it. Since blogging last I have worked a couple part time jobs, landed a stellar full time job, travel back to Oklahoma more times than I can count, discovered my heart still resides there and possibly always will. I have fallen in love, gotten my heart broken, and am learning to open my heart up again. I have made some extraordinary friends who walk along side me, and at times have carried me. I have played kickball, learned how to race a dragon boat, watched my first pro football game LIVE from a suite, attended numerous pro baseball games, and went camping/hiking in the Rockies for the first time. I have watched winter turn into sring, spring turn into summer, summer into the beautiful color of fall, fall into the peacefulness of fresh snow and back again. There is not a day that passes that I do not sit in complete amazement at how far greater I am blessed than I deserve, and for that I thank God. I pray that this past year+ has given you time to grow, learn, and have experiences. To love, laugh, cry, and rejoice for each new day.