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Tag: #Gratitude

Something About May…..

Published by Autumn Brooke on May 4, 2017

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”  

(William Shakespeare)

 I think that Shakespeare understood a better part of himself then most of us…… wise enough to realize that we may finally understand our inner beings but aware that the future is never fully known.  I am just now learning to embrace this fact in my life.  If you follow my personal page on Facebook then you may have seen that I am focusing on renewing the better part of myself.   Started out simple – back to those early morning Gym workouts, watching what I eat and drink, being that Summer is just around the corner.  However, I then had to take a deeper introspective look into the other areas of my life and realized that I am Happy with the Me that I Am today.  Of course, no one is perfect and there is always room for improvement, but what was it that I really wanted to change……?    I know that there is still so much more that I need and want to do which means … Focus, Clarity, Productivity!

There is just something about May; One of my favorite months, the rebirth of the earth as we bring in Spring.  Like that old nursery rhyme…. “April Showers Bring May Flowers” I want to shower my life with colorful flowers and the best way that I know to do that is to dedicate myself to the month of May.  It is vitally important to me that I am an example of accomplishing the seemingly impossible to my boys and within that I strive to #BeInspiredtoInspire and what better way to do that then to see the beauty within myself and all areas of my life.  I believe in the #LawofAttraction so I will continue to focus on all that is good and pure in the world.  

It is not about yesterday or tomorrow but today….. the time is now and you are in control of all that you desire.  New Month. New Beginning. New Mindset.  New Focus. New Start.  New Intentions. New Results.  May we all represent this month with a show of our personal growth as we spring into action!  Happy May Day!

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Manifest Your Dreams Into Reality

Published by Autumn Brooke on February 16, 2017

 

Is this Fact or Fiction….  That is the Question?  I post a lot about Inspiration and Motivation, as I do believe that We Reap what We Sow.  I also think that it is important to keep positive influences in your life to maintain a healthy attitude, this means all that you encounter on a daily basis from people, to music, and movies.  Outside attractions affect how we speak and how we think so it is important to me to do my best to hold myself accountable as a positive role model for my children by how I behave.  A few days ago I was reviewing a Travel Blog and it said to put up a picture of your dream destination to visit or live.  Intrigued as I had just finished fantasizing about taking a Costco Vacation after flipping through their travel brochure, I read further in the blog……. it was recommended to not just post up a picture to admire, but to actually close your eyes and imagine yourself there, to take a step further and look up the cost of tickets and choose a date on the calendar that you would travel.  I was no longer interested in continuing in my reading of this travel blog, because I did not like the idea of making plans that I could never keep.  At least not at this stage of my life.  I moved on with my day, but did keep the Costco Travel Picture.  Then today I (accidentally) found myself listening to a Pod Cast that ended up being a Motivational Speaker that said “Close Your Eyes and Manifest Your Dreams Into Reality” and I am pretty sure I may have rolled my eyes, instead of closing them.  Who did they think that I was…..  Dorthy from the Wizard of OZ?   I was beginning to think that I just needed to find a pair of sparkling red magic shoes and I could click my heels three times and go wherever my heart desired.

I spent my afternoon struggling with this concept.  I felt like I was not accomplishing my daily pursuit of achieving my dreams.  I was lacking in my abilities to be a product of my thoughts, I was failing to Believe in my Dream.  I had to re-evaluate.  But wait….  what was I going to re-evaluate?  I knew exactly what I was doing, and where I was going.  I had made a goal, that was a journey, but as long as I kept moving forward and didn’t let anything hold me back then I was going to accomplish my goal.  I am so close now, I can almost taste it.  My goal for my life, may or may not allow my dream vacation but that will just mean that I need to set a new goal and I am okay with that fact.  I do believe in manifestation, and that you first have to have the willingness and desire if you wish to change your life, but I also believe that all people are different.   I am not a person that needs a physical dream board, and I am so analytical that I am overly practical, which is why I rolled my eyes at closing my eyes or making up a ‘fake vacation package.’  However, these tactics work great for other people and that is great.  This great realization brought up another concept that I needed to evaluate, that of changing your dream or goal because of life circumstance.  As we grow and adapt to new responsibilities sometimes our dreams change or take longer for us to achieve, but that doesn’t stop the Dream or the Belief.  The important thing to remember is to Believe in Yourself, Believe in the Impossible.

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Puddle Play

Published by Autumn Brooke on February 9, 2017

“Life is like a puddle~ you can stand on the edge and watch the reflection of what is…. Or you can jump in and create a wave.”  (Kristine Peterson)

I read this quote and instantly fell in love.  It resonated throughout my whole being as I realized that this was the reason that just last week, I stopped everything and took myself outside with the boys.  There was finally a break in the rain that had left an ocean of puddles.  The boys asked if they could jump in them and I said, “of course”!  An earlier blog mentions how I often allow, encourage, my children to find that childhood joy only found by playing in the puddles.  It was just after 4:30pm on Friday, I poured a glass of wine and sat in the front watching the smiles and listening to their laughter.  The street, busier than usual, as neighbors were driving home from work, grinning and waving as they saw the boys.  I remember wondering how many of them remembered the days they too had played in the rain.

That thought led me to question why we stop seeing the puddle as an opportunity but as an obstacle.  I had recently become this person.  This past week had been more trying then most, filled with a multitude of spirit breaking trials.  (Why there was No Wednesday Blog last week)  Our oven blew a coil and I had to wait a week for a replacement.  Then a valve broke that shut the water off for 48 hours.  Living without was more difficult than I could have ever imagined.  It was one thing after another for so many days that I was ready to blow my own fuse.  Then the benefit of social media let me read a post.  Gratefully not a political rant, but one of blessing, as a Facebook friend was grateful that they had made it home safe to kiss their children after barely avoiding a most likely fatal accident.  I took pause, thinking how my difficult week was not even near the tragedy that others may have faced.

It is important to always remember to count your blessings and be grateful that if there is a puddle as an obstacle on your path, keep moving forward.  If the puddle is too big to step around then use that opportunity to leap in and make a wave.

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Butterfly Beauty

Published by Autumn Brooke on January 12, 2017

Butterfly Beauty….. Delicate Strength….. These are the words that surround this post.  What isn’t there to love about a butterfly?  They flutter with an almost majestic presence yet are silent in nature.  It is their unassuming existence that actually catches your attention before one sees the glorious coloring of their wings.  Even those without bright color have a depth of shading that is beautiful in its own right.  Yet, upon further investigation these wings may appear nearly translucent by the sun, showing the intricate details of their delicate exoskeleton.  It is the realization that these creatures have an undeniable strength within themselves that makes them so undeniably breathtaking.

Upon even further study, it is not only that a butterfly can fly up to 3,000 miles to reach their destination with little rest, or that their life spans are short, only serving as a mating process to release more butterflies to the earth but their journey in this process that fascinates me.  They live in a series of 4 life cycles, gaining strength throughout each phase.  From a human perspective it should be noted that these life phases are all completed alone, total isolation after emerging from their egg.

Locked in a chrysalis, surrounded by total darkness, a butterfly must use their wings to set themselves free by breaking the barrier that held them within a self-made prison.  Their wings are crumpled and wet once emerged but the struggle served to strengthen their wings, preparing them for flight.  At times a witness may have observed the struggle of the butterfly.  The desperation apparent as the butterfly worked its way through, but had they stepped up to help the butterfly, they would have only weakened its wings.

So… in reflection of the strength in the delicate beauty that encompasses a butterfly we learn that their power comes from the fight that they are forced to face alone on their personal life journey.  They encounter more in their life then most of us can even imagine but they overcome in a feat of pure courage, to grace the world with their beauty and strength.  I leave you with the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson; “Believe in yourself, our strength grows out of our weakness.”

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Dedication, Consistency, Restoration

Published by Autumn Brooke on January 5, 2017

Happy 2017!  I have never been a fan of New Year’s Resolutions, choosing instead to constantly push myself towards the positive which ultimately means changes occur within my life all year long.  One of those, I am dedicating to the New Year and that is stated within the above picture.  I am committing myself to posting a new blog each and every Wednesday.  This may not seem like much of a challenge to many of you, but I posted in July of 2015, titled Worst Blogger Ever, because I recognized that consistently writing on the blog is difficult for me.  It is not that I don’t write, or have anything to say, it is simply taking the time to make it worthy for my readers.  I struggle with knowing that the content that I put out is intriguing enough to be shared.  

I made a personal choice this Holiday Season as I sat down and evaluated what changes I need to make within my personal and business life so that I truly can #BeInspiredToInspire.  I realized that I was finding myself in a rut.  I have been focused on the novel, turn screenplay, Brides Aweigh and in order not to distract myself from this unbelievable opportunity, I’ve stepped back from a lot of my free writing and I believe that this has unfortunately separated me from my blog.  However, that is not good for me, nor my followers.  It disconnects me not only from my readers but also from myself.  

Writing for me is my way of finding ME Time in the midst of being a Full Time Single Mother of 4 Beautifully Busy Boys.  I have adult conversations by sharing my blog with the world even if it is only for a few minutes a day and I owe it to myself to stay Dedicated and Consistent in order to Restore myself to remaining AutumnBrookeOnline.  I was inspired to start up this blog on the continued request of my mother.  She told me repeatedly that my life was full of enough fodder to maintain a blog and it wasn’t about the content as long as I was writing.  So, with that being said and by sharing this post, I am dedicating myself to all of you and me too.  I will trust that you will hold me accountable by checking in every Wednesday to see if I have indeed succeeded in Sharing My Words; Heart, Mind, & Soul with all of you.  Here is the First for this Weds of our New Year…….

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Carousel of Life

Published by Autumn Brooke on October 15, 2016

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Lately I have seen a lot of memes across various social media platforms that depict an individual tripping and falling, or sliding gainfully downhill reaching wildly at side lying branches to stop their fall or at least slow their descent.  These images come with the caption of “My Life” or “My Day” or even “How my Month is going.”  We see these on our friends posts and tend to Like, Comment, Share as we have been automated to do.  Today, I saw one and laughed, as I too, chose to re-share it in a private message thinking how much it related to the chaos of my life and knew my friend would understand the humor in the meme.  Then, I couldn’t get the image out of my head and the more I thought on it, the more I realized that I didn’t think it was funny and certainly wasn’t true.  I have blogged before about how crazy and chaotic my life can be and there are days, weeks, months that seem like I just may not be able to keep it altogether.  Like everyone else in the world we all have times that we slip and fall, sometimes far and fast and on those times we shouldn’t laugh, but be there to help our friends in need.  Maybe by simply asking “What can I do to make your day better?”  Our lives should not resemble a slippery slope but that of the carousel .  Everyday is full of ups and downs as the circle of life takes us round and round but we continue and if we stay focused we can make sure that we enjoy the ride.  The music, the lights, the laughter of those with which we share the adventure, these are the memories that we need to remember.  Stay True to Yourself, Be Kind to Others, and Never Give Up.

 

 

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Maiden Voyage of Queen Mary; 80th Anniversary

Published by Autumn Brooke on May 30, 2016

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Pictured Above is Autumn Brooke & Gabriel Alvarez (writer and illustrator of the History Comes Alive Series and Brides Aweigh), at the Media Event for the 80th Anniversary of the Maiden Voyage for the RMS Queen Mary!

Privileged to meet many distinguished guests.  Those included in the photo collage above would be Commodore Everette Hoard, June Allen (war bride), and her grandson Chris Boots.  Next is the extremely charming Ralph Rushton (bell boy, 1948).  My in depth conversation with Randolph Churchill, Great Grandson of Sir Winston Churchill follows.  Following is the PR director and his son, with the ever so beautiful war bride, waiting gracefully for her daughter.  Two serving Bell Boys for the opening of the gallery opening, of Sir Winston Churchill’s paintings took time to pose, and ‘The Polka Dot Shoes’ (Deservedly worth a mention).

Thank You to Everyone that sacrificed a few moments of their time,

I am truly grateful & honored.

The past four days was a year in the making for myself and business partner/best friend.  At the beginning of 2015, I made a decision to write a historical literary fiction novel that highlighted the Queen Mary’s service in WWII but specifically in relation to the War Brides and their incredible journey.  I was hopeful to share their story in such a way that held commercial appeal so that I could reach a broad and varied audience.  I have been fortunate to have some screen writer’s interest so I hope that I achieved my goal.   History has always been a love of mine, but once I had children it became a true passion.  I began to realize that the past, our history, fades over time and although some may be recorded within the history books, it often becomes lost.  I decided that I needed to teach my boys as much as I could about past events that created or changed our World.  When it is possible to interact with that history, the experience is that much deeper, bringing the history to life.

Almost exactly one year ago today, I was honored to meet a part of living history!  When researching my novel, I reached out to the Queen Mary and was given many resources, but the best was being put in contact with a War Bride, by the name of June Allen.  We shared many conversations but after a few months I was able to meet with her personally aboard the ship.  The more I read, learning about the War Brides and GI’s traveling when she was in-service as the Grey Ghost, the easier it was to imagine how they may have walked the corridors, but awe inspiring to know I was literally sitting with June where she had sat 70 years before.  What a responsibility I was undertaking by not just trying to Keep History Alive, but in the realization I was sharing living history.  Writing their thoughts as they relived what they felt seeing rooms where they had slept as they crossed international waters. 

This week my illustrator, Gabriel and I were presented with an opportunity to attend several Media Only events aboard the Queen Mary to celebrate her Maiden Voyage 80 years ago.  There were many honored guests in attendance, more words to preserve so that we may keep the Memories Alive.  I was star struck, blessed, and thankful creating a feeling of euphoria that glowed over the few days of celebration.  I am sure that I often appeared nervous and scattered to most and if not, I am proud of my composure.  How could one not feel anxious when standing in front of Randolph Churchill as he talked about his great-grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill’s paintings?  Or having the opportunity to dance with Ralph Rushton, a bell boy to 1st Class Waiter serving in 1948. 

It was an incredible week and we will never forget it.  I treasure the memories that were shared with me I we created new memories aboard the extraordinary Queen Mary for future generations.

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Let your voice be heard….

Published by Autumn Brooke on March 2, 2016

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I definitely identify with this quote.  I believe it is typically the source of my “writers block.”  I can be on a roll and writing to my hearts desire when I take a break and the doubt sets in.  The “No one wants to read this” is certainly one that hits me on a daily basis, it is quickly followed by the “What makes you think that you are good enough to be a writer.”  It takes some serious soul searching and strict pep talk to get me back on task.  One of the reasons I actually have this Blog is so that I am forced to share my writing with the world.  I have to fight through my denial and understand that I won’t please everyone, and certainly can’t expect that all will be a fan or even enjoy my writing.  I have been fortunate that I have not ran in to too many critiques or negative criticism, but my blog is in no way inundated with hundreds of followers.  As my tagline reads, I write words from my heart, mind, and soul – for me this essentially means that what you read is what I am feeling at the moment.  This is not always personally related.  More often, then not it is simply because I read about a topic or know someone else that may be able to benefit from my words and I hope to reach more then one.  I understand that my blog posts are not written for the masses but for those that support me personally or the few that do enjoy my writing, or even my point of view.

I have a goal, and that goal is to be formally published.  I long to write that ‘Great American Novel’ but because I live in the “real world,” I will settle for a publisher, agent, and to have people read my book.   I stand firm in the belief that even the unlikely is possible.  I will always believe that those that follow their dreams are braver than most.  So, how do I relate a writing post to those few that bother to read my blog, I think that we all have that inner voice.  That doubtful inner voice that makes us doubt ourselves forcing us to give up on our dreams.  Don’t let that happen to you!  You can do whatever you set your mind to do, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  We all have a story to tell, I will support you as you  tell yours, whatever it may be.  Everyone has a purpose and only you know what your purpose is in this world.

#standstrong, #livelikeyoumeanit, #beinspiredtoinspire, #letyourvoicebeheard

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The Novel – Brides Aweigh

Published by Autumn Brooke on January 28, 2016
Mockup BridesAweigh
Mock Up Cover

 

I have shared with a few of you and made mention of the novel that I have been diligently working on for the past year.  I am in the end stages as I do some rewrites and editing, but I have fallen in love with a Mock Up Cover that was made for me by my business partner, Gabriel Alvarez, and wanted to share it publicly.  I know that it is a good possibility that the cover will be changed and it is extremely possible that I may not find a publisher for this work of love, but none the less I will have completed my first novel and that will serve to remind me that “I can do it.”  This book has weighed heavily on my heart and mind as I was determined to share the historic facts of this heroing tale.  There is so much to be learned on events from our past and the history behind the feats of the Queen Mary, the gallantry of the soldiers, the patriotism of the Red Cross, and the determination of the WWII War Brides.  There was a story that continued to plague my thoughts until I put pen to paper and let the characters speak for themselves.  The story is fictional but based on events that I have thoroughly researched.  I have spent hours reading and note taking to make sure that my historical facts were accurate.  It is important to me that although not written as a documentary, my readers are still given the authentic details of the time and place.  I will continue in my dedication to hopefully see this novel printed and share the journey with all of you.  

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Rainy Days

Published by Autumn Brooke on November 2, 2015

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I woke up to the sound of rain and snuggled further under my covers, reminiscing about the simple pleasure of lazy, rainy, days.  Enjoying the cooler weather, the sound of rain hitting the window panes, curled up with a warm drink, cozy blanket, and a great book or movie.  However that was not to be on my agenda for the day because the boys did not have school and were already beginning to make sounds of boredom and hunger.  Breakfast solved the hunger pains and created a false sense of quiet, that I quickly took advantage of as I made my way to the patio with a cup of coffee to enjoy the much needed rain in the Central Valley.  The tracking device installed in every mother alerting her offspring that she is currently enjoying alone time brought the children outdoors, but I did not mind the interruption of peace as I saw the awe in their face as I granted permission for them to play in the rain.  The youngest ran to tell his older brothers to come jump in the puddles, which they did with such abandonment and delight, I was envious.  Reminded me of days past and the joy in the simple life.  They did not need TV or video games to be occupied, they played for an hour with one another, using their imagination to make up games.  The six year old even mentioned how the rain was good for California because we were in a drought, and how he had missed the rain, serving to restore my faith that he is being well educated.  A few minutes later, however, he came to tell me how the homeless were all able to get free showers today if they had some soap.  All are inside now but still playing well with each other, as I contemplate what soup or stew I should make on this rare rainy day, and thanking God for reminding me that some days we all just need to Dance in the Rain with the innocence of a child.  And just to keep it ‘Real,’ I currently  hear the discussion of what video game should be played happening in the playroom, which means an argument will soon ensue as one or two don’t get their way, and the tattle tales begin with that old faithful call of “Mom….. they won’t let me Play……”

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