<p class="style14" style=" margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">It´s funny how fate works sometimes.</span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">I have just learned that a good friend has ovarian cancer, with the prognosis being very grim.</span><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;"> </span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">She's 47, and her life's passion is art. She never made any money at it though it was her lifetime vocation. She loves to paint and seems happiest immersed in her craft and experimenting with various art forms. I think it´s the pure joy she gets from creating a piece of work that makes her one of the luckiest people alive because every day she lives her passion. Her paintings aren´t of flowers or beach scenes, but are much darker in mood and very avant-garde. They weren´t very commercial - but are thought-provoking artistic expressions. </span> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;"> </span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">She has also inspired others in their creative endeavors be teaching college art classes for many years.</span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">A determined artist, she has displayed her work in some small gallery showings in the Midwest. Me, always being the career counselor I am, I really urged her to go after her ultimate dream -- a New York City gallery showing. So, with some additional prodding, she did indeed pound the pavements, slides in hand, until she found a nice SOHO gallery owner who said YES after many other rejections. She got that dream showing and I was very happy for her. I was even able to be there that night a special treat since I live in Seattle, 3,000 miles away.</span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">Celebrating other people´s successes matters a great deal to me. It didn't matter to her that no one bought her paintings that evening, only that she had lived out this long-held</span> <span style=" font-family: arial;">dream. <em>Her art was on exhibit in</em></span> <em><span style=" font-family: arial;">New York City and she relished that glory. I think it was one of the happiest days of her life. I felt lucky to have shared in the recognition of her talent.</span></em></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">I guess in the midst of my personal sadness in learning of her medical problems, I also come full circle to my main mission in life - helping people to go after their dreams, land great jobs, and work at a career they love.</span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">This Thanksgiving it would be typical for me to tell everyone, "You only have one life to live, so LIVE it to the fullest and ENJOY it." Instead, I´ll share exactly what I am grateful for in my own life: </span></p>
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<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Jack</span><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">,</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">my only child, whose sweet disposition and enthusiastic smiles brighten my life each day.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Steve</span></strong><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">, my husband of 25 years, whom I admire so much for daily using his talents to help others.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">My Mom</span></em></strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial;">,</span></em> <span style=" font-family: arial;">for</span> <span style=" color: black;">being my mom, and she is a great one.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Dad</span></em></strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">,</span></em> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">for always inspiring me.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">My brothers</span></em></strong><span style=" font-family: arial;">,</span> <span style=" color: black;">for being good ones.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">My ability</span></em> <em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">to help others</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">improve their life and career in such an important way. </span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Living a passionate career</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">that I was born to do and simply love.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Making a difference</span></em></strong><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">, even though it´s small. I live my mission of trying to make the world a better place.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">For friends and interesting colleagues</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">who add extra fun into my life.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Photography</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- my much-loved hobby that allows us to tell stories and stop time for one tiny moment.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Cookies!</span></em></strong></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Writing ability</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- to create a book to inspire people to SOAR to new heights and rejoice in just being a great individual.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Oceans</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- the roar and beauty of crashing ocean waves.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Summer days</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- when the sky is sunny bright, and the days are long.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Freedom</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial;">- the kind you feel accelerating across the water in a speedboat.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Rock & Roll Songwriters</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- Playing their music, the louder the better, is one life´s great joys.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Movies</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- that are entertaining or moving.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Holidays</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- I love any reason to celebrate!</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Christmas ornaments</span></em></strong><span style=" font-family: arial; color: yellow;"> </span> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">- those delightful gems that cover my three large Christmas trees that I can´t seem to stop myself from buying.</span></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Bargains</span></em></strong> <span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">that I get off of eBay.</span></p>
<p style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">My mother´s spaghetti and meatballs</span></em></strong></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Childish laughter from Jack and his little friends</span></em></strong></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Fireworks</span></em></strong></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Popcorn</span></em></strong></p>
<p class="style14" style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">Chocolate</span></em></strong></p>
<p style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style=" font-family: arial; color: black;">And last, but not least,</span> <strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">the ability to</span></em></strong> <strong><em><span style=" font-family: arial; color: maroon;">be a supporter of dreams and a catalyst to help other people make their dreams come true! </span></em></strong></p>
<p style=" margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><em><span style=" font-size: 16px; font-family: arial;"> ©</span></em></strong> <strong><em><span style=" font-size: 11px;">Copyright 2005 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.</span></em></strong><span style=" font-size: 11px;"> </span></p>
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