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Lemons, lemon trees, sour, sweet, growth…
I am a big one for signs and symbols. I look for the deeper meaning in all things.   I call them God-Incidents.
Last winter I wanted a lemon tree….for no other reason other than I saw one online and thought it was pretty. So I researched and found out that it was not the “season” to buy the trees in my area. I was determined and called all the shops in my city. I found ONE…yes one lone tree at a ganden center that is near and dear to my heart. It seemed fitting that they were the only one to have the plant. I later found a few others at another garden center I love and got 2 more. I tended my trees, watching them flower and begin to grow fruit. It takes 9 months for a lemon to grow from flower to fruit, a fact that was not lost on me.
I finally decided to look up the symbolism of the lemon tree and what I found was astonishing.
The lemon tree is a symbol of cleansing, freshness, healing, happiness, love, light, optimism, well-being and positive surroundings. It is used to attract good luck and clear the air of negativity. Giving the gift of this fruit is a sign of our ability to make things easy for one another in life. It sends a message that we are a source of comfort to those who are willing and ready to make the right changes in life. Many people add lemon to water or tea because it helps clean out toxins from the body.

The lemon tree bears a great deal of fruit year round. Having a lemon tree is seen as a sign of abundance.  This is also considered as a sign that everything is going to work out well for you and your life will be filled with joy and happiness. This tree is a sign that you are going to have more than enough, however, you need to learn to share the abundance,  helping those who do not have as much as you do.
The lemon tree is believed to have the ability to assist in accepting some of the various changes that are about to take place in our lives as it adapts to change well.   This tree is an evergreen plant and it has green leaves throughout its life, that is, it does not shed its leaves throughout its life. They can also live for about 100 years if cared for well. This tree has the ability to show people more about the reality of life and how you can be a source of growth, longevity and light in people’s life. 
Lemons, while sour at first, can be turned into many wonderful, sweet tasting treats with a little care and effort. It is all about how they are prepared.
Lemons….I thought I just wanted the plant because it was pretty and would bear fruit if I was lucky. Now that I look at the deeper meaning? I see that it was no coincidence that I wanted….no…needed this plant in my home.
My first crop of lemons was ready for harvest this week and they taste amazing! Funny they chose a day of a snowstorm ….a cold grey windy say to drop off and bring some sunshine into my life.
Find your sunshine today. Add some lemon to your water. Everything is going to work out ok…..
Peace.
#tutulady
#forwardisapace

Prophecy – To speak something into existence. 
My son has taught me a great deal about this and does it so well. I used to say he was just lucky or gifted but it is so much more than that. He is really gifted and does have a lot of lucky things happen to him but bottom line…..he speaks things into existence. He says things so many times and with such conviction….as if they will or have happened.
I am a true sceptic but decided to try it. A few years back, and at his urging, I wrote my goals and dreams down in a notebook. I really left it at that and did not give it a second thought.
Yesterday, as I was clearing out my bookshelf, I found that notebook. Before I tossed it, I opened it to look inside. What I found shook me to my core…
I only wrote on one single page of the book. I wrote a simple list. I wrote some big dreams and goals.

Goal/Dreams 1/28/18
 – Run Chicago and TRAIN
 – Write a book
 – Find my passion

What was I thinking 2 years ago?!  So here is where I am right now….
Run Chicago and TRAIN – I did start a training program for my 10th Chicago marathon that year. I was so bound and determined to run one last time and make it an even 10. That did not happen. My hip got pissed off and stayed angry. No amount to PT or acts of kindness could quell that anger. That hip remains angry to this day….the anger has diminished some but it is still there waiting….for each time I over do it.
Write a book – I may not have written a whole book but I am well on my way. I wrote a chapter of a book along with some other super amazing badass women. At first I did not feel worthy to be in the book but over time, I have learned that each one of us has a story that needs to be shared and not one of those stories is better or worse than any other. Each story has value. Each story lands with someone. Each story empowers not only the author but the reader. I am an author!
Find my passion – My passion. Find my passion. What is my passion? I really am not sure yet. I am getting closer by the day to finding it but I am still not there yet. I feel that I have not only found a path but also found some amazing guides to move me forward, closer to that goal. I am getting there….
Can you imagine if I had put those goals and dreams where I could see them daily? I mean did talk about them but not with conviction. Imagine if I had spoken about them as my own son does? Words have such power!
Have I written my goals for 2020 yet? No. I am still trying to distill my big dreams and goals into something I can vocalize….or write concisely. It is a process. If you look at the date on those from 2018, it was not until the 28th of January that I had them figured out. I feel like we are all pressured to have it all thought out by the stroke of the New Year. Well…..I call bullshit!  Write your goals and dreams when ever and where ever you want. Just write them down. Talk about them with others. Speak them into existence to yourself and to others. Your words are so powerful.
Let’s all make 2020 the year of self fulfilling prophecies in the best way possible!
Peace
#tutulady
#forwardisapace

Why did you spill the coffee?
“Well because someone bumped into me, of course!”
Wrong!
You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.
Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.
*Whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out.*
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you, whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled.
*So we have to ask ourselves… “what’s in my cup?”
When life gets tough, what spills over?
Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?
Or anger, bitterness, harsh words, overreactions and nastiness?
You choose!
In 2020, let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others. ☮️❤️☮️
Peace
#tutulady
#forwardisapace

Tomorrow is the start of a new year and a new decade. It’s that time of year when everyone starts with the new year/new me BS, the resolutions and the promises to change in the new year. The “new year smells like…” Seriously? Who is going to say the new year smells like shit? No one!  And, Honestly, who can “smell” a year?
Why do we see/smell January 1 as the start of changing ourselves? Why do we feel the need to make these grand resolutions?
How many of us have actually kept our resolutions? Let’s ask all those people that flood the gyms in January. I know it rarely happens  that we keep those resolutions because I was one of those people.
New year/New me? Why? I doubt that any of us are so awful that we need to completely overhaul ourselves to create something new.  I am all about self improvement and making the world a better place. So why not do it daily?  Why not just wake up each day and vow to be better, kinder, stronger  and more authentic than you were the day before?
This is why I have a hard time picking a “word of the year” and do not believe in resolutions. I think it is far more beneficial to set an intention for the year.  Wayne Dyer said, “Our intention creates our reality.” How many times have you heard “What you think, you become,” or “Thoughts become reality”? Our thoughts have so much power so why not focus that power in a positive direction?
Once you set an intention, you may find your “word” if that is your jam. You may find deeper focus once you set your intention. That intention may permeate all areas of your life and help you reach your goals.
How the hell do I do set an intention, you ask….well here are some things to ask yourself:
*What matters to you?
*What do you want to build/create/grow in your life?
*What do you want to let go of?
*Who/what do you want to forgive in your life?
*What makes you proud?
*What fears do you want to let go of?
*What are you grateful for?

Open mind and heart
Peace