Roseann, Age 70
To All 70Candles Friends,
This coming Sunday, March 18, we will be hosting our second
70Candles Meeting at my home in New Jersey. We are definitely filled with about 15 women coming, and we are so looking forward to a most special Sunday afternoon.
I got to thinking today that it might be a nice idea to invite all of you to join us via this website-this wonderful Home Base we share…
At this next meeting, we thought a great (and positive and enlightening) topic would be for us to talk about our Gifts…Gifts we were born with, Gifts we nourished, created, shared with loved one, strangers, the world…Gifts that perhaps we never gave ourselves credit for or that others may not have appreciated- but they were and are our Treasures, and more than likely, also our Legacy…
If you like, we can start a thread here- where we can all humbly and exaltedly share our Gifts with one another. All kinds of Gifts- Internal Gifts, like the gifts of integrity, commitment, love, listening, insight etc.- and External Gifts, like the gift of ice skating or cooking or scuba diving or writing poetry or music…We can share Physical, Mental, Emotional and/or Spiritual Gifts…We all have so many, seen and unseen…Perhaps it is time to truly reveal them and delight in them together!
By the time we are near or into or passing our 70th year, it is time to give ourselves pause and think of all the wonderful things that have made us who we are…to think about all the wonderful things we have done to make the world a better place than when we came here…It is time to be thankful for our Gifts too- and not take them for granted nor, let them stay hidden under the proverbial bushel…It is time to let our Gifts shine and be shared….And after all is said and done, to maybe truly realize we ARE the Gift we give each day to ourselves and all we love….
So, here is the open invitation to share one another with one another! I will keep in touch and let you know what our gathering unfolds…In the meantime, all of you will be part of it, as we all focus on the Gifts of our Lifetime…
I remember long ago, when my daughter Jessica was about 7 years old and she was valiantly making her way, hand over hand, on the monkey bars at the afterschool playground. Body struggling and swinging in mid air- one bar to the next…And when she finished, she jumped down and threw her arms up in the air and clapped and shouted, “Yea for me!!!!” A moment imprinted in me forever.
I think that by the time we are 70- we may not be able to do monkey bars, but we sure can shout, “Yea for me!!!”
So, welcome aboard this thread…Please celebrate yourself and all your Gifts…It truly is time…
Sincerely,
Roseann
Just a quick follow-up to our second 70 Candles Meeting…Again, a wonderful Sunday afternoon shared by 11 women… (One woman was on vacation in Ca. and she called to be with us for a while, as she didn’t want to miss it!) We began by choosing an Angel Card Word and re introduced ourselves by sharing why that word was a good one for us today…We again shared a meaningful poem and a song to center and meditate briefly upon. (This time, we used Abba’s “I Have a Dream”). We looked at our Bucket List envelopes and added or deleted to them, and then had a most wonderful sharing time about “Our Gifts.” Each woman there was able to speak about the gifts they either recognized from childhood or gifts that they consciously wanted to develop. Gifts of writing, of humor,of teaching young children, of helping others to provide a structure to their lives; the gift of being optimistic and grateful always, the gift of insight into people, the gift of adventure and love of travel, of being comfortable and loving working with disabled youth and so on. It was a great way to get to know and celebrate one another, as well as one’s self.
After setting the date for our next meeting in late April, we also decided to set aside a date to meet at a favorite nearby restaurant for dinner on April 20- just to share a relaxed and social get together…
For myself and my friend Linda, we are finding this experience of guiding the 70 Candles group so rewarding. It keeps reinforcing those insightful, poetic words of Maya Angelou, “We are more alike than unalike, my friend…”
Blessings to All- so good to share with you,
Sincerely,
Roseann
I will turn 70 on April 11. I have been blessed with many gifts given to me by GOD. Spiritual, people skills, knitting,sewing, cooking, listening etc. I was only really aware after I retired in July. I was only able to say “yea for me” after I shared my gifts with everyone including strangers. I am a bubbly person by nature. When I have a cross to bear I cross it with Grace from GOD.
3 years ago I was sleep walking (have not done this since age 8) I fell down 13 steep stairs, broke part of my lower face and broke and smashed both arms and wrist. I had to have 15 surgeries and procedures. The ER doctors could not believe I did not break my neck. I returned to work in 12 weeks, another miracle. When you have to go thru whatever is facing you, you become a stronger person and a example for your family and others. Another gift.
Every morning I spend time with God, read HIS word and meditate on my blessing. I also ask GOD to make me aware of how I can make a difference in the world and to help others. I would like to think of myself as a “joyologist”. We all are able to pass it on even if it is just a smile or a hello.
Jeanne
It is so clear, Jeanne, that your Faith and Trust in God has been your Source of Strength…Thank you for introducing me to the word “Joyologist,” a new word for me… I goggled it and learned a lot! Someone who brings joy to others…and to oneself! -“a joyologist is someone whose job it is to support and encourage your physical and mental health so that you truly live and love your life.” Another definition I read, ” Joyology is the science of creating and administering joy to the world.” So thank you for this gift of a new word that describes so beautifully what we are here to do- to make a difference in the world, bring joy, love, happiness and service…and bringing Joy to our own lives in the process…
So sorry about your accident years ago…From your words, it sounds like you find the Miracles in all things, big and small…Your faith and positivity are truly inspiring.
Thank you for sharing your most special Gifts with us!
Blessings of Joy to you Always,
Roseann
One of my gifts is that I can interact with people where they are. In social work we call this being strength based, meaning interacting with people in a way that emphasizes their right to self-determination and recognizes their strengths with respect. Some may call it seeing the good in people. This gift has benefited me in my interactions with people throughout my life as my job.
Judy
Dear Judy,
Thank you for sharing your Gifts today! Yes, we all need and want to be seen and known and loved for our strengths and for the Good we hold within us. We are all mirrors for one another- Such a gift when one is with another who validates them, connects with them, “groks” them…Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul, we feel known, respected, cared for, seen, valued…I am sure you mirror back to others all the Good they are seeking within themselves…So many people do not yet know their own Beauty and Worth- they listen to and believe the words of shame, blame, abuse etc. that others may give to them. Thanks for Being a Mirror of Truth and Strength to the many I am sure you have helped in your life and in your work.
Thank you for sharing your precious Gifts…
Blessings of Love and Peace Always,
Roseann