When I was a girl and I asked my mother what she wanted for her birthday or Christmas, her answer was always the same…”PEACE”. I never understood what the heck she was talking about until I became a mother myself.

Peace…. wouldn’t that just be something? No sibling brawls to break up, no backtalk, no begging, no reminding of chores or picking up after themselves… you know what I’m saying– the list goes on and on. Don’t get me wrong, I love motherhood…but, I have been known to say it is as horrible as it is wonderful…It’s true. I love these girls to the moon and back. I’m not capable of loving any more and I’ve never loved another as much as I love my children, but sometimes I’d like to put them on the next train to East Jiboodee. (is that a real place? not sure, but I’ve been referring to it my entire life) if the train is not available, there’s always the slow boat to China. I’d miss them, but I’d enjoy the peace….lol.

This past summer, I was on vacation with my lovely bunch and we had a bad day. Not just a bad day, this was a doozy. The girls were fighting, Mom and Dad were at odds (yes, that would be me…) and I wanted to quit.. did you ever have a day like that? I was so distraught with all of the nonsense I went to bed early and I ended up waking up really early the next day.. Mind you, I am NOT a morning person. I hopped in my car, still feeling bad and went to find my cousin/best friend who was also on vacation at the other end of town. Now, she is a morning person, so I was sure I’d be able to connect with her. I sat outside her place and texted her and waited for her to wake up…. no luck! Didn’t she know how much I needed her???? no, she was asleep! So… it was just me. I got out of my car and walked to the beach. There I was, on a beautiful beach with– myself. Hmmmm….myself.…When was the last time I took the time to connect with her??? I sat on that beach with the ocean and the emerging sun and enjoyed the beauty of the morning. I prayed a little and thought alot. Thought about how lucky I am. Thought about what needs to change. Thought about what has been lacking in my life. I had one of those “a-hah!” moments that Oprah talks about. I realized that I have to be happy with myself before I can be happy with others. My husband, my children, my friends, my family. It all starts with me! That’s where you find your peace– within…. So join me in celebrating the new me in 2015… The me that realizes what’s important in life and how to find that much sought after PEACE…