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Not everyone may celebrate the Christmas and New Year's Holidays although it was my sincere wish for all of you to gain insight, some inspiration and whole lot of Holiday Acceptance through this contest and all of the entries.  As the New Year of 2009 approaches we will bring prosperity and happiness to others and ourselves because WE  create our joy and happiness. 

Acceptance. Understanding acceptance starts with awareness, identifying the need through our gut feeling that it's time to move on from a situation or circumstance that is negative or uncomfortable.  Often times it becomes "The Art of Letting Go" from things we have no control over.   

For just that moment in time you graced us with such transparency in your writing and shared your stories of acceptance with us. You achieved that state of mind of Acceptance and you are truly admired. Thank you so much for giving back to our community and I guaranty we are all taking many learning lessons with us.

The judges really worked hard and took their time to read all the entries, evaluate them and shed a few tears along the way while going through the judging process and they all agree that EVERYONE was a winner!

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Notes from the Judges.....

Kathy McGraw from Banning, California said, "I  want to personally thank Sally, Ann, Tami, and Kristin(in no particular order) for Setting up and/or Judging one of the hardest contests I've been involved with to date.  Not only because of the excellent entries, but also because of the AR Problems that kept messing up with the entries. I also want to thank everyone that entered and shared their stories with us......as Ann said in our book everyone is a Winner :)  Happy Holidays to everyone.

Ann Cummings from Portsmouth, New Hampshire said, "I have to say that of all the contests I've judged, and it's been a few over the time I've been involved at AR, this one was by far the toughest one to judge.  There are so many heartwarming stories, such personal stories, and more than a few tears shed as I read so many of these.  I would like to have been able to pick more and to have them all be number 1.  This was very difficult to choose winners from and I feel so honored to read such touching and personal stories.  My deep thanks to all who entered and shared what they did in their posts for this contest"......Ann I Am SO VERY Thankful........ 

Kristin Moran from  San Antonio, Texas  said, "The entries for the PAWS Holiday contest was extremely hard.  I was laughing, crying and smiling all at different times.  All the posts were very touching and I enjoyed reading them, relating to them and learning about other ActiveRainerʼs.  Thanks for letting me be a part of this contest.  

Tami Vroma from Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan said, "This contest was hard to judge but I have learned so much. "It is amazing to me how much alike so many of us are!"  I was honored to be part of the contest and the judging".

MY NOTE:  

Kathy McGraw wrote Monday Morning Gifts: What do Seagulls and Eagles have to do with you? The light bulb went off for our annual Holiday Contest for the Positive Attitude for the Weary Soul  Group.  She stated, "So many times we aren't satisfied with who we are or what we have.  We want more, or better.  I guess it's not all our fault, we are taught to want more, but when is it enough?  Accepting who we are and what we have are the first steps to understanding.  And understanding brings acceptance." Thanks for the inspiration your hard work to support MANY of the contests we've had. Sally

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It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the Judges choices for the winners:

• FIRST PLACE - 3,000 points!  Holiday Acceptance--365 Days a Year   by Debe Maxwell   
• SECOND PLACE- 1,500 points! Holiday Acceptance - Finding Strength Through Connections  by Nannette Saunders
• THIRD PLACE -1,000 points!  Holiday Acceptance - A Gift You Give Yourself   by Elizabeth Nieves

Honorable Mentions - 500 points! 

1. Holiday Acceptance of Self ........... HO, HO, HO  by George Souto ,
2. Holiday Acceptance - Some Gifts I Give Myself And Pass On To You  by Paddy Pizappi,
3. The missing gift of holiday acceptance, or so I thought at the time.  By Richard Weisser,
4. You can't read a book by its cover..."Holiday Acceptance"  by Debrah Brooks,
5. Holiday Acceptance: A light from within by Elizabeth Ramsey-Cooper -Golden                                                                                                                                                                                       

The remaining entries receive 200 points:

1. holiday acceptance: What do you find unacceptable----my Holiday Acceptance.  Charles Buell          
2. holiday acceptance: The Gift Of Holiday Acceptance...Christmas 2008...!!! -Fran  Gaspari
3. holiday acceptance: Old Fashion Values Helps To Bring Me To Holiday Acceptance! - Elaine VonCannon  
4. Holiday Acceptance... And Beyond  Joslyn Panka
5. The Holiday Acceptance  Dinah Lee Griffey
6. Holiday Acceptance - It's time to serve again!  Michelle Bowman
7. HOLIDAY ACCEPTANCE- ITS THE STUFF WE ARE MADE OF AND A LIFE LIVED   Martha Brown
8. Holiday Acceptance- Sadness and joy for the season.  Ellie McIntire
9. Holiday Acceptance Is Found in Waving Hands and Frost-bitten Smiles  Jo-Anne Smith
10. Holiday Acceptance not just for Christmas anymore! Cheryl Willis
11. The Gift Holiday Acceptance - "That Boy"   Cristal Drake
12. Holiday Acceptance: Face the Fear. Don't Fear to Fail   Rebecca Levinson
13. Holiday Acceptance  Russ Ravary
14. Holiday- Acceptance ~ a Life of a Daisy!   Charlene Hammontree
15. Holiday Acceptance: Love is all you need   Susan Neal
16. *Holiday Acceptance* - Positive Attitude   Jennifer Lee
17. Holiday Acceptance  Jean Groesbeck
18. A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE - Holiday Acceptance   Gail Gladstone
19. Holiday Acceptance - Silencing my inner Grinch   Anita Crum 
20.  Sally Cheeseman's Contest: Holiday Acceptance   Barbara-Jo & Bill 
21. Holiday Acceptance- Thinking Globally!   Midori Miller
22. The Gift of Holiday Acceptance-Purrfect Love   Terry Osburn
23. HOLIDAY ACCEPTANCE--I USED TO SAY "BAH HUM BUG" BUT NOT THIS YEAR!  Diane Bell
24. Questions, Answers and Holiday Acceptance   Margaret Woda
25. The Incredible Momentum of Holiday Acceptance   janeAnne
26. Dreams of Gifts of Holiday Acceptance and Joy really do come true!  Linda Bourgault
27. Holiday Acceptance - Christmas Time Past and Present  Christine O'Shea
28. Holiday Acceptance--- All Year Through   Carole Provenzale
29. Holiday Acceptance - the Gift of an Ordinary Life...   Inna Hardison
30.  "http://activerain.com/blogsview/831929/Take-ACCEPTANCE-For-Improvement-of-Our-ConditionDONATE-YOURSELF-THIS-HOLIDAY"     Ann-Marie Clements
31. Holiday Acceptance: Two Teenagers Gather A Thousand Christmas Gifts  Chuck Willman
32. A "Holiday Acceptance" Story - I find homes for people AND animals!   Toula Rosebrock 
33. The Joy and Gift of Holiday Acceptance (all year long)  Tom Plant
34. The Gift Of Holiday Acceptance: I WANT What I HAVE  Leander McClain
35. HOLIDAY ACCEPTANCE - TRADITION DISCONTINUED   Rosalinda Morgan
36. Holiday Acceptance -- We are all In This Together!   Joan Whitebook
37. Holiday Acceptance~Joy in the Journey   Ginger Sala
38. Holiday Acceptance: As I get prepared for the holidays this new ornament has special meaning to me.    William Johnson
39. Holiday Acceptance - Remembering My Mother's Teaching  Rebecca Gaujot
40. Acceptance 2008... Another Lesson from Grandma  Michele Connors

     

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The POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul was founded on June 18, 2007 with the sole intent to have a place for weary souls when they needed a bit of positive reinforcement to look at their cup half full ...instead of half empty. A place to support one another in our endeavors, dreams and each other.

We continue...to be a driving force in the ActiveRain Community. 

Prosperity and Happiness to All in 2009!

WooHooo!!!!! 

In my childhood years, there was very little technology as I know it today. Hmm, I remember watching the Ed Sullivan show on a black and white television. No cable back then; just rabbit ears at best.

With young unsteady hands drawing wiggly lines to form blocks from 1-10 on the sidewalk and play hopscotch or a piece of rope help by two other little friends swinging up, around and down to play jump rope; these were the days of simple and enough.

Ah, life was grand with my little collection of Barbie dolls and with sewing needle in hand and struggling to get the thread through the little hole it was frustrating me to no end. Why couldn't I get it through the little hole?  Contemplating that there must be some kind of adult type experience to this threading a needle and I ran to mom and asked her to help me with this daunting task. PULEEZE MOM!

I really, really want to sew some new clothes for my dolls.....puleeze mom? Well, I did find out that there WAS a trick to this. You licked your thumb and forefinger and twisted the end of one piece of thread so no loose ends would defeat the purpose of getting the end of the thread through the tiny hole.

I tried. And I succeeded! I was a pro from thereon and I hand sewed little Barbie clothes that I was proud of for years to come.

Flash a few years forward:  I continued on my quest for more and more and enough just was not enough. Always looking for material things to ‘feel good' but alas! It was a temporary fix and the void was always there.

It's strange how this self esteem thing works. One looks outside of self to fill that void deep inside and no matter how much of anything one has there is still...... never enough. It's empty inside. No satisfaction and no contentment.

Years later I found the little doll case with a couple of Barbie dolls still inside....along with a few of those dresses I had sewn oh so long ago.  I was still proud of them and gave them to my daughter. She wanted new ones.

I thought, "How am I supposed to teach my children something that I don't even have?"

A new day.  A new way. I won't know if I don't try, right? Being content with self started from within. I knew that. Work on self from the inside out. I knew that. But now I had to try something new and  put that knowledge into action......and what do you know, it worked!

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The following points are what I wrote earlier this year.....When Enough is Enough.....  

For me.....enough is enough when:

• Awareness replaces denial and realization sets in....that the things outside ‘self' are not what dictates and determines my healthy sense of self.
• I replace the want of "stuff" with the need of "stuff" (making a list of wants and needs may bring more awareness)
• Be happy with what I have; Not unhappy with what I don't have (look at the cup half full instead of empty)
• I can escape ‘self' temporarily with some kind of "stuff"....BUT I can never hide from self long term.
• My life becomes unbalanced and regular every day tasks are put on the back burner.
• Other people become more important than me  (people pleasing was a biggie to turn around)
• Stuff and money become more important than family and taking care of loved ones ....or just showing off.
• Stroking my ego becomes more important than caring how I affect others. Another part of being aware
• Taking becomes more important than giving.  There always has to be some sort of balance for me so I don't go overboard in either direction. 

If you know who you are and comfortable in your own skin....then there's less of a reason to look outside self for 'stuff' to replace it.  It's like being an actor/actress on a stage. If you don't know your lines then you're lost.

Bottom line is: No matter where we go or what we do......SELF ALWAYS follows.  

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I did want more but in a different way. I wanted more for myself.  I turned my whole way of thinking around and started understanding who I was and what I needed to change in order to be comfortable.....with me. It all started with me.  Remember that saying, ‘How can I love if I do not love myself?".  

The first step toward change is awareness.

When I felt like I was shining from the inside I KNEW I was shining on the outside. Everything I used to do that did not work was turning around with this new way. And plenty of practice!

 I look at my children, my husband, my family, and friends who look back at me with a smile. I listen and hear my clients who kindly reward me with a "thank you for all you've done". My coworkers who laugh with me (not at me.....okay, so they laugh at me too lol) The elderly lady standing next to me at the grocery store who acknowledges me with a smile and nods. I stop the car to let the mother with her children cross the road and they wave and mouth a ‘thank you'. I lean over to pat my doggie's head who is looking up at me with loving and loyal eyes. And she smiles back.

I know my lines. I am not lost.

Success lies within.

I am enough. And so are you.

 Awareness, Understanding.

Acceptance.

Note: Kathy McGraw was the inspiration for this Holiday Acceptance contest and in return inspired me to write my gift of Holiday Acceptance non entry post. Just know that I am aware....and I pass this gift on ....to you.