A Friend Growing Wiser

Special Lady...Happy Birthday!

This world holds many different emotions but one emotion that surprises us on boundless occasions is the love of friends....especially when they consider themselves to be sisters. Miles may separate us every day but no matter what happens in my day....you are one of the first ones I think about sharing with. My days will never not have you in them. God knew what he was doing when he put us together all those years ago! He blessed me with a beautiful person to help me stay on the right path of life and to gently remind me when I start to stray of what direction is best for me. You, my friend have one of the kindest and most beautiful souls that I have ever saw or had the honor of loving. I am grateful with ever bone in my body for ever knowing even your name. Thank you for all the late night talks and the endless crying but yet exciting teenage years! We have had so much fun and have taught each other many times about smiles and laughter! I may not physically be there for your birthday but I am always and forever there with you emotionally and spiritually. You are in my prayers every minute of every day and I pray for many more years of crying, smiling, talking and laughing. All those moments, EVERY ONE OF THEM...has made us STRONGER and  WISER!  Thank you for sharing your life with this sister! Happy birthday beautiful lady....a little early...LYLASA!

Friends for Life 2009

My Wish for All

by Kim Barbee-Tucker on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 12:21am ·

Christmas is here again and this year it brings with it a sense of wanting to review my life over the last few years. As I get older my focus on life has started to change some. When I was younger (in my 20’s) I thought a lot about me and what joy and benefits I got out of this world. A little bit later (in my 30’s) I began to view life as what changes can one voice make. Am I doing everything that I possibly can to make a positive influence on those around me? Now as I am older I guess I have come to the point in my life…in my midlife crisis..LOL..That I just want to know that I leave a good influence on what will remain when I am gone. Have I told those that I love how much they mean to me? Most of all, have I showed them that I care? These comments and thoughts come natural with me being a Social Worker! I use to think that I could save the world. Now I just want to reach as many lives and touch as many people as I can by leaving an impression with them that someone cares whether they live or die. Someone cares about their presence in this world and that there are people who are good. The world we live in can be very cold and cruel and take so much from us. Each of us can be strong with the belief that we are not alone and no matter what….this life is worth fighting for! The effort to struggle, the fight to exist and ENJOY our lives is important. We need to look for what gives us some inner peace and fill our life with what calms us and helps us to stay strong. Its takes a strong person to stand up for what is right and be there for those people in our lives that count on us. Be that strong person! None of us are perfect and we make many mistakes over our lifetime but the end result of how we handled those mistakes is what builds our character, makes us strong and forms who we are. There have been many ups and downs this past year. New births and loved ones lost but there are many imprints on our lives from these events, many memories to be treasured and shared. Footprints on us that continue to shape our hearts and our character. None of us know what comes tomorrow but we do know what we hold right now in our hands…what life’s we can touch and have a positive influence on, for some a moment of our time is a lovingly blessing.
My Christmas wish for all of us this year…..Is to treat others with the best intentions from the most beautiful part of your heart and character…give to someone else a part of yourself to inspire and make their lives a little better….even if its only a small gesture that’s felt for a short period of time. You would be surprised how much a smile can mean to someone. Do something to make a difference. If you happen to be the one receiving the blessing then pay it forward and bless another. Challenge yourself to start a chain reaction and leave a legacy of good will behind you. Let your heart be felt by others as well as observed by what you do. Stand up and be the better person. Make your voice not only be heard but be passed around the community to encourage others to make a stand for what’s right! Let people talk and tell your story, perhaps they will make a difference to and let it be heard around the world. We all need HOPE and STRENGTH and what a WAY TO START GIVING BY EXAMPLE! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! ……..MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL AND MAY YOU HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN 2013! ………….KIM

Beauty Even in the midst of hardest times

A Friendly Face

I am thankful for a friendly face. There have been a few mornings over the last few years that I stop by the Iuka General Store on my way to work. The ladies and some gents are always nice in there but there has been one particular young lady that greets me with a smile and a chuckle while we discuss breakfast pizza or sausage and egg biscuit......LOL! Well it may not seem like a lot to some but I

appreciate her attitude and her sense of humor about making my morning as special as she can. I don't recall her name but names aren't my strong point, People and their gestures are. She makes the stop all worth it even if I was to not buy a single thing.....Well that doesn't usually happen though! She is always willing to fix something up for me. If you get a chance stop by and try her breakfast pizza! Its one of the best! Tell her you heard how wonderful she was and you needed the pep talk! She tells me she doesnt get enough people for breakfast....stop and say hi! You wont regret it! Thanks again for the friendly face! You make my day wonderful from the start!

An Essence of Being

I am thankful for the ability to love and to be able to remember that love. Life has so many ups and downs and losses in between. To remember the things that you love, The people that you love and to cherish those memories are the essence of what carries us through our lifetime. A touch of a hand, a sound of a voice or even just the wisdom of what they have shared with us or taught us from what we saw in our loved ones....To love someone with all that makes us who we are is too create a being that no one can interfere with. The world cannot touch what we build in our hearts and our minds with another person...they can only sway our decisions but they can never feel that inner peace that we have from once loving another. So the ability to love....is ....one of many gifts that God gives us but one of the most important ones he gives us for survival!

Voices Speaking as One

To feel wanted and needed, complete as a whole is important when you work in Social Work. You easily become tainted by what we see and what we do. There really are no easy answers when it comes to working with other peoples lifes but life is bareable when the people you work with become not only your collegues but your friends. You all know boundaries and dont exactly hang out but at the same time

you know that if you are in trouble or have a tough question then they have your back! I am lucky and thankful that my crew is a team that has learned to cry together, to be angry together and to laugh together. I not only have good coworkers that I am proud to have in my corner but I have a good boss that cares about her employees. She directs us but she also respects us and teaches to remember to respect each other. No one and no one place is perfect but I am thankful for the laughter that I share with co workers. I look forward to seeing them and experiencing the day as it unfolds. Sometimes our days are revealed to us as unbelievable but together as a team we stand strong. For that strength......I am going to forever be greatful to my team of friends and those who lead us and band together with us! Personalities working together make us strong in number and they increase the volume of the voices for those we serve! I am very thankful on this day 6 to have so many voices speaking as one!

Dea and the Spoon Theory

My mom always told me to say what I am feeling. To express to others while they are with me how much they mean to me. Once they are gone they cant hear or read what I may say and.......if I pass before them then they may never know how impo

rtant they were to my life....so....on this fifth day of thanks giving I need to say that I am the oldest of about 32 grandkids and though each one of my cousins hold a very important place in my heart with many unique and blessing memories of their own....there are two who have taught me about strength and courage and they inspire me to be a better person every day....Dea and Kyle are a brother and sister team that remind me to appreciate my daily life. The struggles they face on a daily basis I cant even begin to imagine. Cystic Fibrosis is what controls their bodies but their hearts are so full of love and laughter and faith that they struggle on despite the challenges that they face just to get through each new day! I have never saw such giving and caring as what I have witnessed Dea to give towards others! She loves when she sometimes barely has the strength to get through the day. Any time I have asked her about her....I always see her courage first and foremost. She doesnt allow her CF to take over. She knows that someone is always watching. Kyle inspires me with his faith in God and the fact that he has told me there is not enough time in this world to waste it being spent on bad thoughts, past wrongs and whatever someone else is doing that they should not be doing. No one is perfect and everyone learns from mistakes but these two....have taught me to think before I speak and to remember that each new day is a gift not a given.....Dea once shared with me a story called the Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino. The story explains what it is like to have something wrong with you that no body else can see. For many if you dont look sick...then they think that you aren't! For those that have Cystic Fibrosis every breath is a trial and a blessing! IN THEIR HONOR PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS STORY "THE SPOON THEORY" http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ AND DONATE TO YOUR NEAREST CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION! ...I LOVE YOU DEA AND KYLE! THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME BACK AND ALLOWING ME TO SHARE IN ALL THAT YOU DO! I AM SO THANKFUL FOR EVERY DAY YOU TWO ARE IN MY LIFE! THE WAY YOU EMBRACE LIFE IS WHAT TEACHES ME THAT EACH NEW DAY......IS A MIRACLE ALL IN ITSELF! :)

The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino | But You Dont Look Sick? support for those with i

www.butyoudontlooksick.com

Please take the time to read Christine Miserandino's personal story and analogy of

Thank you and Pay it Forward

Hey Everybody, I got a challenge over November and December for each of you with a story behind it. This morning I was going thru the drive thru at McDonalds in Salem and to my awe....the BLACK ALTIMA in front of me had paid for my food. When I asked the lady at the window if she was sure....she just smiled and said its paid for. I don't know who the person was but thanks to their generosity i am

asking my friends, family and acquaintances to help me pay a forward. I challenge you all to do something nice for someone else. Big or little it doesn't matter. ITS THE GESTURE OF CARING ABOUT ANOTHER! YOU NEVER KNOW HOW YOUR GENEROSITY WILL EFFECT THOSE AROUND YOU! LETS START A CHAIN REACTION IN SALEM AND AROUND THE AREA! IF YOU FEEL THE CHALLENGE....START IT IN YOUR AREA! TELL MY STORY, TELL OTHERS STORIES! If you can pay it forward secretively then that makes it all the better but if you cant.....its a pay it forward still! Call it a Christmas gift if you will! Many of us are hurting right now, emotionally, financially and some physically. Make your pay it forward count and come back and tell us about it! Dont say to who or exactly where. Just talk about the gestures you made. THANK YOU TO THE PERSON IN THE BLACK ALTIMA! I ACTUALLY CRIED TEARS OF HAPPINESS OVER WHAT YOU DID! NOW, LETS ALL GET OUT THERE AND DO SOMETHING! BRING US BACK A STORY! SOMEBODY, NEAR OR FAR ARE IN NEED OF YOUR PAY IT FORWARD! GIVE A LITTLE AND GOD BLESS! ...............I CANT WAIT TO HEAR SOME STORIES!