Pucker Power

I have never been a huge fan of citrus fruit unless of course you squeeze the juice out of it and add some sugar.  MMMMM, Lemonade and limeade.  But, I am a huge fan of this stamp set  I'm pretty sure it is all about the sentiments and how they reinforce the life lessons I've had to learn the hard way.  

There it is sitting on the side of your glass of water, adding a pop of color to the table and that little bit of extra to your dining experience.  You take it off the side of your glass, maybe squeeze a little bit of the juice into your water to add a hint of flavor and lay the lemon to the side.  The next thing you know, the small one at your table has picked it up to take a bite.  SURPRISE!!! It does not add sweetness to their dining experience.

We've probably all heard the saying, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade."  That is super advice and basically means when you're handed something sour or unpleasant, turn it into something good and sweet.  I love that this stamp set provides other options for sayings, "Squeeze it for all it's worth"  or "chuck them right back."  When life hands you lemons, you don't only have the option to turn your circumstances into something sweet, palatable, and pleasant.  You can choose to refuse to accept what you were handed (you don't always have to take a bite of that sour lemon).  You can also squeeze every ounce out of that piece of fruit and learn every lesson you possibly can.  My favorite option is to do all three-squeeze it for all it's worth, then chuck it back before tasting more of the sour than you have to, and finally make lemonade with the juice you have squeezed out of the lemon.  What is the best way you've found to handle the sour fruit life hands you?

My favorite lesson this stamp set expresses is that "Life is Short," and you can either, "squeeze it for all it's worth" or "live it with zest" or both. One of my biggest lessons learned during adulthood is that life is short.  We are not promised tomorrow and you never know what might be your last day or even last minute.  

In the past 15 years I've had two life altering experiences that could have ended in my death.  Almost 15 years ago, I was in a car accident that could have resulted in my death and that of my unborn son.  It did not for either of us, but it did introduce us into the world of disability and managing life with my wheelchair  Then, 10 years later, I received my cancer diagnosis.  

There have been a lot of lessons learned, but I would say one of the biggest is learning life is short.  I have learned some important lessons through my experiences the last 15 years:

• Be thankful for each day of life you are given
• Look for blessings and reasons to be thankful every day
• Experience life to the fullest you can
• Love those in your life
• Be kind
• Don't always plan for someday "Someday I'll do ______" or "later, after_____"
• Seize the moment and celebrate today
• Give yourself and those around you grace when things don't go exactly as planned

There are lots more life lessons I've learned and continue learning every day.  What is your biggest lesson learned from the sentiments in this stamp set? 

Make sure you head over to FMS380 and GDP181 to see the inspiration cards by the design teams and other creative entries.

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