There is such great healing in the simple act of giving thanks.

When we begin to develop the habit to be aware of all that we can be grateful for the obstacles and challenges begin to appear meaningless in respect to the scope of the bounty of Life that we have before us.

Each one of us was given the same gift – 86,400 seconds in the day… how many of those seconds do you use to say “thank you”? Use a few of those seconds to reflect with a sense of appreciation on meaningful experiences you had during the day. You will be surprised at how many things we can find that are pleasing to us if we just take a moment to think about them.

As for myself, I am always grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Who would have known that my trip to New Jersey was about inspiring people to action?

The whole while I thought I was going there to bring the goodwill message of the work of The Helpful Hands Foundation and to promote our foreclosure assistance program… and it turned out more than that.

You know, in life we have a plan yet God has a bigger plan.

While on our trip to New Jersey we decided to visit George’s cousin Lubos and his wife Dana. A brief side story here, Dana is from Czech Republic and has been in America for about 5 or 6 years. She is very sweet and has an endearing accent. Together they have a beautiful little daughter. Currently Dana is going to school to become a nurse. What I found fascinating is that Dana lights up when you talk about agriculture and farming, growing vegetables and of course … her cookies.

They were both very hospitable and Dana is a fantastic cook. During one of our girl conversations Dana told me about her cookies that she does every year, and how she wanted to make a batch for our luncheon.

I knowing how delicious Czech cookies are… immediately asked: “What?! You just GIVE them away? — People WOULD BUY them!”. She says… ‘oh, I never thought about selling my cookies, I don’t know what people will think.” …. I said, ” It matters not what people think, it is all about you and what you think.. and one thing you know… your cookies ARE great”.

Well… to make a long story short, I gave her consultation on marketing and website presence…. and she put it to the test IMMEDIATELY. (You can visit and order her cookies right from her website at: Dana’s Cookies). She rented a booth at a local event… baked up her quickly becoming famous batch of European cookies AND WITHIN MINUTES SOLD ALL OF THEM!

Now.. she is booked for the holidays at various places! I am VERY proud of Dana, she embraced her gifts and now is sharing it with the world. When we embrace our gifts and talents and share it with others, we in turn become BLESSED.

We received a batch of her European Artisan Treats which we will share at The Helpful Hands Foundation Gratitude Luncheon this weekend; her simple packaging foretold of the delicious treat inside. Beautiful presentation and each cookie was deliciously perfect!

Sometimes in life all we need is someone to believe in us, someone to say it’s okay to LIVE, it’s okay to CREATE, it’s okay TO BE YOU! If you are one of those people that find it hard to listen to your inner guide.. then you need to walk out your door and put yourself out there so you can hear the message as it comes through other peoples voice.

Do a self analysis and discover what your unique gift is, perhaps you love being around people, you may be a great trainer, a great presenter, a great sales person, a great carpenter, a great assistant, a great teacher, a great coach, a great leader. Once you discover it, go share it with the world — Yes, it’s time to LIVE OUT LOUD!

Daisy Says: Embrace your fears and believe in your talents.

I look forward to the day we bring a milk cow to the farmstead.

I would call her ‘Betsy’!

My grandfather was an incredible farmer, he not only had a sustainable farm but also took cattle raising to heart. He had cows for both milking and meat content.

So, whether it runs deep in my veins or it’s just the notion that one can’t have a farm without a cow grazing on the pasture. There is much work to be done, as we still need to secure the perimeter and clear the field of weeds.

Our new farmer friend Jose from Deland, Florida was so accommodating with information. He took us on his 80 acre farm, showed us the different holding corals for the cows. Showed us the bails of hay he had stored in the barn – he said they weighed about 300 lbs each. Mostly for feeding during the cold season when the grass tends to slow its growth.

He told us that cows eat with their bottom teeth and the importance of clearing the field of weeds…as the weeds will get in their tongue and cause infection. He said cows tend to eat most about anything.

I was full of questions, because it’s my first time caring for a cow.. needless to say a pregnant cow. So I asked …where do they have the baby calf.. would I need to prepare a special area for her? Jose said that they’ll just pick a corner of the field and pretty much nature takes care of nature; What I found interesting was when he mentioned the placenta, so I said… what should I do with it? He said, not to worry the cow eats it.

>> Cow eating Placenta CLICK HERE

Daisy Says: The cow, a gentle creature.