Once Upon a Blog: Then and Now - Softcover

Hallmark, Shelley L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1504399498 ISBN 13: 9781504399494

Verlag: BalboaPress, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

Writing has been author Shelley L. Hallmarks form of therapy for self-healing, personal growth, and understanding. It has helped her through many of her challenges and has inspired her appreciation for all of lifes lessonsgood and bad. In Once Upon a Blog, she presents nearly six years of blog posts beginning in January of 2011 just after the publishing of her first book, Finding the Balance. The entries detail Hallmarks personal struggles and accomplishments as the single mom of a special needs child. She shares some general life lessons and inspiration in the hopes of providing encouragement for those who also may be struggling. She touches on topics such as healing within in order to move forward, embracing all the lessons one gets in life, trying to find balance in times of challenges or chaos, and its never too late to take action. This collection shares Hallmarks writing journey through blogging and offers snippets of advice on loving and living based on her lifes experiences.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Shelley L. Hallmark was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in the suburb of Port Coquitlam. This is her second book.

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Once Upon a Blog

Then and Now

By Shelley L. Hallmark

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2018 Shelley L. Hallmark
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-9949-4

Contents

Preface, xi, 
Chapter 1: The Beginning of Blogging, 1, 
Chapter 2: 2012 (January–June), 15, 
Chapter 3: 2012 (July–December), 51, 
Chapter 4: 2013 (January–June), 96, 
Chapter 5: 2013 (July–December), 136, 
Chapter 6: 2014 (January–June), 178, 
Chapter 7: 2014 (July–December), 225, 
Chapter 8: 2015 (January–June), 259, 
Chapter 9: 2015 (July–December), 287, 
Chapter 10: 2016 (January–December), 308, 
Chapter 11: 2017 (January), 320, 
Chapter 12: Then and Now, 324, 

CHAPTER 1

The Beginning of Blogging

WHEN MY FIRST BOOK,FINDING the Balance, was published in 2011, I was introduced to blogging, and it ignited in me a desire and thirst for growth that to this day I continue to reach for. There is no end to learning or growth; evolvement is an eternal, sometimes challenging, but finally wonderful process, one that I look forward to continuing every day. Truly connecting with people on a soul level is probably one of the most beautiful experiences in life.

My first efforts at blogging were assisted by the publicity group involved with my first book's publication. They provided me with post titles for the first week of November 2011 and taught me how to create and showcase my finished work. Then it was time to go on my own and continue to create and discover new ideas.

It has been quite a learning experience, and what I found each week was that while I put pressure on myself to come up with a topic to write about, once I was able to, the writing flowed easily. I also discovered that just observing others in their daily lives provided me with a vast selection of topics. There is so much we can learn from others. While we are all unique individuals, the human and sometimes very emotional experience connects us in ways we may not always be aware of.

I think a lot of us can feel in some experiences that we are all alone. In some ways this is true, but not for the reason you may believe. We are alone in the way that the experience builds our individuality, as in "you are the only one who rises after you fall." Others can encourage you, but only you can choose to get back up.

I do hope that you enjoy my collection of blog posts. It was put together with a lot of love and devotion to inspire the belief in others that there is nothing you cannot do or change. If I want to encourage, inspire, and grow positive change, I must "be the change I wish to see in the world."

Slowly discovering and understanding the wisdom and insight within those who have inspired me has helped me to find my passion and purpose. I have found myself completely immersed in the desire to cultivate a world in which our souls connect more authentically; where people feel safe, loved, validated, and heard; and where kindness, empathy, respect, humility, and grace are not just definitions but meanings of life that we aspire to embody. I can think of no greater purpose in life.

First Blog Post

October 19, 2011

Who's the Adult Here?

I may be the parent of a special-needs child, but without her I might never have known or fulfilled my true potential. She has taught me so much about myself and has helped shape me into the person I am today. I am truly blessed to have her in my life and especially blessed to be her mother. When it comes to our children, we all want to help guide them, but with special-needs children, I believe they guide us.

My daughter guides me in little ways, like showing me that she will be ready to try or do something in a way that's better for her, in her own time. I think we all get caught up in the timelines of what's expected and try to apply these to our special-needs children; however, they have their own timelines, and they will remind us that we need to slow down and appreciate the journey. The phrase "everything in due time" captures that perfectly.

The most significant lessons I have learned because of my daughter are patience and tolerance. I can honestly say I had very little of either before she came into my life. I have learned to have a greater appreciation for the bigger picture. It's the little things that become the most significant as we progress through life.

I started to write for a couple of reasons. First, I needed to have a career that was better suited to the lifestyle needed when you have a special-needs child. These children require a significant amount of hands-on care, and it's best for them progress-wise if that care is provided by one of their pillars (parents are our biggest supports and strengths, so I refer to parents as pillars). Our children have the most success with progressing through life when their pillars are very present in the process. Second, I have always loved writing and have always written in a journal. Writing helps to alleviate the everyday things that happen in our lives. The phrase "getting things off your chest" describes exactly what writing does for me, and I wanted to encourage others to try that outlet and know they always had options through my book. I wanted to make a difference in this world, and what better way to do it than on a more global scale? Books reach many different people at various times in their lives.

I found that not only did my writing provide me with a stronger sense of inner peace but also a greater appreciation for my journey. This inner peace has given me an even stronger connection with my daughter, and the two of us have come to a form of contentment together.

October 26, 2011

Get It, Girl!

Just because you are a single mom doesn't mean you can't have everything you dream of. I use the law of attraction (LOA) in many areas of my life, and so far it has never let me down. Our thoughts are very powerful, and we can bring to our lives and the lives of our children everything that we need and desire.

I have always used a form of the LOA. There are a few different variations in definition, but the basis of it is visualizing and believing and remaining in a "state of being." I have always been very good at visualizing what I desire, and being able to visualize makes it that much easier to believe in it. Seeing is believing, and believing is seeing.

One example I can give you to illustrate the beautiful outcome that can be experienced from the LOA is my daughter. She was born three and a half months premature and weighed only one pound seven ounces. The doctors kept giving me the usual deadlines: the first twelve hours are critical, the next twenty-four hours are critical, and so on. I could see in my mind so clearly that she was going to make it and come home with me. She blew every doctor's warning out of the water; they were stunned but kept saying that my positive attitude would be very good for her. Of course it would. I knew that, and I would just smile to myself and say to them again, "She's coming home with me." They didn't realize that I had the ultimate secret in my pocket: the LOA.

I used the same concept in getting the job I wanted, getting the car I wanted, and writing my first book. I'm not done; more of my work will follow. You can have anything you want as long as you believe in yourself and your dreams.

You can find motivation in other single moms who may be on a different path, because we all have one thing in common: we...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: BalboaPress
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1504399498
• ISBN 13: 9781504399494
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 342
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar