The Time Has Come

2008 is hours away from being at a close. This has been a very large year for many people. Some of us have experienced some very tragic times and some of us have skipped through yet another year without tragedy.

I would like to take this brief moment and say thank you to all of you. You have blessed my life in more ways than any of you can imagine. Through your blessings there has been much heart felt love and gratitude, along with this has come some very special lessons learned.

In reflecting over 2008, there are some special people that have made a tremendous impact on my life and I would like to take this time and thank you personally.

Alvada, I am so thankful for you coming into my life and the moments we have shared. Thank you for helping move toward my life long goal and helping me make it a reality. You and your family have blessed my family and I enormously. Congratulations on your new addition to the family.

Lisa, there are not enough words to explain the gratitude I have for you and your glowing personality. I am so thankful for our friendship and I look forward to many more years. May 2009 be full of love and prosperity for you and my it be a year for more of your beautiful paintings.

Marcia, you are such a special person to me. Your drive is contagious and I thank you for sharing it with all that will listen. You are truly an inspiration.

Etienne, today is your birthday and I hope your day was full of love and happiness. Thank you so much for your friendship and compassion for helping people be safe on line.

Mike, I hope 2009 is full of nothing but the best for you, Robin, and your family. Just by your willingness to share, I have learned so much.

Paul, "Roses on the Windshield" is so beautiful. I wish your family, most importantly, both you and Brenda a very special love filled 2009. I look forward to working with you in the months to come.

Harry, I have faith that you will obtain your goal of helping 1 million people. You have touched the lives of so many already. Thank you so much for your help with Jesse's Blanket of Love.

Jesse's Blanket, a special thank you to Anna and Johnathan Maxwell for the remarkable courage that you have. You have had a tough year and we have all shared in that. 2009 is going to be a very special year for you!

Chef Clive Berkman, "Creating Empty Bottle Moments", is truly a book that every family should own. You have blessed all that have read it and I feel very honored to have reviewed your book. 2009 is going to be a big year for you with your book going public in March. I look forward to "Creating Empty Bottle Moments Revisited".

Last but not least, a very special I Love You to my family, thank you so much for your love and support. I love you all, have a Happy New Year!

Touching lives one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....
Ria

Jesse's Blanket of Love

ICE

I C E- IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

It is not very often I share emails, however, with New Year's right around the corner and many people getting ready for their festive social gatherings, I felt this information was valuable and was very thankful that my friend Pam from Atlanta, Georgia, thought of me when she forwarded it to me.

I would like to take this time and thank the un-named Paramedic who thought of this and cared enough to start to spread the word. Hopefully, we can all do our part in making his/her dream come true.

"We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends".

"If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence; that is how 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign came to be."

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell (mobile) phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose e. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE.'

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!
Please help spread this information by sharing this blog with your friends and family. This is a small task that we all can do to help Emergency Workers do their job.

It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.

I am one of the world's worst about the thought process of, "that won't happen to me." I think we have all been there. The truth is however, "it could be me". Forget the concept of what your mother always told you about having clean underwear on, or in today's world, make sure you have some on. Let's make sure that we make just one simple change in our mobile phone address books, you just never know.

I am so passionate about this that if you email me at Ria's Collectables with the number of people (not names), that you share this blog with, than you will receive a 20% discount on your next purchase. Our way of saying thank you for helping spread the word. For more information regarding this project, please visit our Specials Page for more information

Have a safe and wonderful New Year's.

Ria

Help! I've Been Tagged

I have a very dear friend who is the "Organising Queen", I mean she is serious about it. As a matter of fact, I wish I knew how she did it. More importantly, I wish I was as talented as she is and it has given me the incentive to strive harder for 2009.

In August, there was a group of us who took a month long challenge to De-clutter every day for 30 days. At the end of those 30 days, I was amazed at how relieved I started feeling. We all know how that is, things pile up, we get overwhelmed, and life then becomes total chaos.

It appears that those of us who work full time and operate our own business after 5 and juggle a family, seem to know just how fast everything can become cluttered, overwhelming, and quite frankly, TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL.

Marcia hosts a Friday De-clutter Challenge every week, unfortunately, she tagged me when I was not looking. Therefore, I am over a week late to accepting her challenge but I gladly do.

On a personal note, Marcia, although I have been busy and not keeping up with my weekly reading of the blog, I am proud to share that I have de-cluttered the following over the last several weeks. You see, I have gone back and reviewed all of my material from your ECourses and I am very glad that I took your Course, it is more than worth it's weight in gold to me.

Now for the drum roll........

3,251 emails - DELETED
Computer is now being backed up once a week to a separate drive - OH YEAH
Pictures are being ORGANIZED so that I can find them and I have started to take them to get them printed.
I have un-subscribed to MANY newsletters some successfully, others may have to be reported.
Plus, I have made room for 3 additional household members.

So, my dear friend, I am late to the game but I am working away very hard at all of it thanks to you and all of the support and encouragement you give me.

Now, I get to tag 3 people.....or should I tag more????

So, I am going to tag some people who are very dear to me and have also challenged me in ways that I am grateful for.

Etienne A. Gibbs
Lisa Ann Bonfiglio
Mike Malachefski
Paul Flood
Chef Clive Berkman

May everyone have a wonder Christmas and a great start to the new year!

Touching lives, one minute, one day, one flame at a time.....

Ria