GRATITUDE....SPILLING OVER!!

Dear Readers,

By now, you might have realized in my blog posts that I have begun the 100-day Gratitude Challenge.

Well, tonight my heart is SPILLING OVER...with joy! and MASSIVE, MASSIVE GRATITUDE! Yet another thing to add to the ever-growing list of things has happened today, yet another GIFT to be thankful and proud of.

Tears flood my eyes right now. A treasured friend whom I haven't seen in quite a while just messaged me today and said she's taking me to a VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT! By none other than celebrated Canadian Country crooner, Johnny Reid!!!!

Lydia...you've made this woman completely and utterly blown away by your kindness. I never saw this coming. Never expected such a beautiful surprise! This is exactly what I've needed. Thank you, from my heart. It's unbelievable.

Working hard for the past two years at a full time, demanding job and still writing my novels, I've immersed myself in "busyness" I think after Trent passed in 2016, as a survival mechanism. We do what we must, to keep trudging on, blazing the trail, moving forward...etc. If there are friends out there whom I've neglected, please blame my head and not my heart. This loss took a MONSTROUS chunk of my heart and my sanity. The long road back to joy, comfort and serenity has been tiring, but I feel a whole lot better now. Nothing prepared me for losing my soulmate, the One I planned forever with. Nothing will fill the gap of Trent's death, and no one can replace him, this much is true. Yet, I'm finding there are ways to REBUILD the life that was broken down and smashed to pieces. Daily, I've taken stock of everything and every little moment that has brought me beauty....as I rebuilt my life from the ground up. Maybe I'm not where I WANT TO BE just yet...but I am surely on my way.

Bouncing back from a major loss takes its toll. I don't think those around me (loved ones and friends) had any idea how crucial and important Trent was to me in the brief 10 months we shared on this earth. Some might have expected me to "just move on" and find a replacement. "Well, it was long distance anyways, and those things never work out." Some of the justifications people stated to me. I think they meant well, and yet didn't really have a clue what the loss encompassed for me.

Three years and three months later, a lot has changed for me. Nothing looks the same for me, nothing at all. Let's see...family home of 35 years was sold off to developer and torn down (another major loss), I was forced to move away from my safe, comfortable and quaint hometown (loss!)...new job arrived too. New faces, new memories to make, new experiences. You know the thing about SUDDEN CHANGE that irks me? It's just so....SUDDEN. For me, that's never been an easy thing. I'm a Taurus...a "fixed" sign. Steadfast, stick in the mud sometimes, and SOLID.  The kind you can depend on. I'm also traditional and wanting to stay in my comfort zone. But then again, no major transformation came from being stuck in the same place for 40-plus years, now has it?

The butterfly had to get her wings. She had to fly, to grace the sky with her pretty wingspan and chart the course by herself and to see new landscapes.

Okay, okay....I shifted gears and went into my gloomy loss story. This blog post is meant to be POSITIVE, uplifting, JOYFUL...

So here goes...

Lydia Jackson, I love you. You're a dynamic woman who has always inspired me to be the best that I can be. I'm not even sure if you realize just how you inspire WOMEN everywhere, but I'm letting you know that this woman has always admired your courage, strength, resilience and creativity. The way you love your family, the method in which you "keep it all together" so gracefully, in spite of life's trials... well, let me tell you, it's a magnificent thing.

Thank you Lydia for being part of my soul tribe. Tonight's gift from you is cherished, and I will treasure it for all time. The hermit in me needs to get out once in a while and experience REAL LIFE, beyond the walls of this cave that holds countless stories and sagas in a writer's brain.

Again, I'm BLESSED with Gratitude. Just in awe, really.

Those who are reading this, I hope you also make your own 100-day Gratitude Challenge and document all the unforeseen gifts all along the way that you acquire. God Bless.

Always cheering for you,

RR xo

GRATEFUL FOR YOU!!! The Courage of a Lion and the Heart of a Saint

This one here is just a simple post of gratitude to show appreciation for a special person in my life who INSPIRES me SO MUCH, that I want to shout it from the rooftops!!

Yeah yeah...I've thanked this person before quite a few times on the blog in the last year. But what harm is there in doing "just one more" post? (hehehe)

To that Leo man whom I revere so much:
Your friendship and connection is a BLESSING from the heavens that I hold close to my heart on a daily basis.

I love how you show up AUTHENTIC and wear your heart on your shirt...showing me that you are UNAFRAID to go after your big dreams. In turn, your COURAGE bolsters my own spirit and jump-starts my heart into divine action. It makes ME want to chase those lofty goals too!!

I hope you know, that the moment I was aware of your presence on this planet, I KNEW right then and there, we had a soul connection from a past lifetime, perhaps more than a FEW lifetimes.

I just want to thank you for having the courage of a lion and the heart of a saint. For caring the way you do about people, humanity and the whole collective.

I want to honor you...the deepest parts of you that you hide away and shelter from the world. I SEE YOU --I mean REALLY SEE YOU-- behind the big barricade that you have put around your heart. Don't keep that wall up for very long. Please let someone in at some point, because I feel you're going to miss out on the GREATEST CONNECTION OF YOUR LIFE.

I love the way you exude HEART & SOUL when you show up. Keep bringing that PASSION to the forefront.

I am aware of how much you've gone through...the way you lost your little girl. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I wish I could reach up to heaven and bring her back down here for you. She loves you beyond measure and is now your Guardian Angel in the afterlife. What a blessing, to have her take care of you, guiding you along life's trials and triumphs.

I'll close this letter by saying "I love you, kindred spirit" and please don't ever change.

Sincerely,
Your friend and ally,

RR xo

The Spark That Lights Up Someone Else's Life -- KEANE !!!

Today is Sunday. The day of rest...when all the "rest" of the stuff gets done around Casa Rochelle. Grocery run, laundry, house chores...you get the picture.

It's also the day of the week when I do DEEP reflection on past years and on the people who have made an imprint on my heart and have truly AWAKENED my spirit.

I want to thank "KEANE" aka Kelly Mitchell,  the man who walked into my life on March 2, 2009. It's almost a decade since we first met. This person deserves ACCOLADES and AWARDS to praise him for what he's done in my life. If you asked him, he'd probably say "oh, you did it all on your own, Rochelle. You had the power all along." Which isn't far from the complete truth. Yes, indeed, I have my own power and I'm fully capable of doing great things. Yet I feel in some major way, if he had not come along, where would my writing career be? I spent a long, grueling drought of 13 years without a single complete novel. THAT was exasperating!!!

But Kelly has always been my Northern Star. I love this man. Deeply. Before you go there and say "oh here comes another gushing, sappy romance," no...actually. It's more than a romantic feeling. I have felt SHAKEN and MOVED on a deeper level. The EVOLUTION of Rochelle has transpired due in part to Mister Mitchell appearing in my life, and also the SPARK that created my exciting novel "PASSION."

My heart abounds with ever-flowing GRATITUDE for him. Never a day has gone by where his words of encouragement have not impacted me. When a loss happened in my life, I'd phone him up and he'd listen to me whole-heartedly (even give up his lunch hour) and support me. I've always felt HEARD, SEEN, and VALIDATED by him. His presence has created a SAFE HAVEN for me to unload the contents of my heart, while being supported and understood. It's magic, how he does that. I never knew a man could hold space for me in that way (except for my Trent) but now I've been lucky enough to know TWO men who have accommodated me this way, and I'm truly thankful.

When I had victorious or good news to share, it was Kelly whom I wanted to share the news with. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it. He seemed to really CARE about the huge things in my life that probably seemed trivial to others... but he took the time to validate these things. He did it with passion and enthusiasm. I've always marveled how he had the capacity to make me feel special. I love his warmth and charisma. He stands out for me as a HERO. One I hold close to my heart. The one who came to save the day...just in the nick of time. Somehow, those dark days, painful losses, and devastating moments seem to pale over time...the ache has eased a lot...because he took the time to show me in his wonderful way "Rochelle, you matter."

On this sunny, mild January day...I'm here to salute you. Kelly, never stop being my support, because I will always need you.

Your friend faithfully

RR xo

BRAND NEW KEYS!!!

Dear Readers,

I can't contain my joy!!! My brand new holiday novel has just dropped and it's beautiful!!!

Even better, I am offering it for FREE on Kindle from Dec 10th to 14th!!!! Get your copy now!!!

Please, kindly leave a REVIEW for me on Amazon and Goodreads. Let's get this book to Number One!!!! Thanks for all your wonderful support.

Special Thanks and Dedication to Mr. Derek Giberson, my inspiration behind the hero, Mr Derek Keys.

Happy Holidays and much love,

Rochelle xoxo