Your Edwards Elder Law Team
Happy New Year! Instead of sharing our new year’s resolutions with you, we decided that we would instead share our thoughts about what January gives us the chance to do!
Stephanie – Attorney
January is the chance to remember that life is about living and learning. Although mistakes are really just bumps on the road to growth, they have the potential sometimes to turn into potholes that bog us down. January is the chance to reset, climb out of the potholes and once again survey the horizon of the future with optimism and inspiration. Really, what doesn’t seem possible in January? Oh, yeah, January is also the chance for me to be giddy with happiness because I get to dig my boots out of the closet!
Susan – Probate Paralegal and Office Manager
January is the chance for a fresh start, to reflect on the past year and to re-focus your vision and goals for 2020.
I have heard it said that to win the year you need to win the day. This approach allows us to become more focused and affords the opportunity to celebrate daily victories and accomplishments. I have found it helpful to break down goal setting into categories and sub-categories. Examples could be personal, family, financial, spiritual and health. Statistics prove that written affirmations and goals are achieved more than non-written ones, so this step is important and worth your time. Review your goals weekly and monthly as a reminder to stay focused.
Our new year’s journey only needs to begin with one thought, one goal, one step, or one action. Opportunities are available to everyone and I hope this year brings success to our clients, family, and friends.
Amelia – Client Services Coordinator
January is the chance to teach this dog new tricks. With the arrival of our beautiful baby boy, I am finding myself having to rise to new challenges and I have had to learn to be incredibly flexible. This pliability has me correcting some bad habits and putting in their place the always distant “New Year’s” resolutions. I guess where there is chaos, there is a definite opportunity for change. I have a habit of resisting change and need to remember that when you stop resisting change the universe can open up to you.
Margi – Client Services Coordinator
January is a chance to start again…decide what’s most important to us, let go of any past regrets and set new goals (or renew our commitment to existing goals). It’s an opportunity to embark on a new journey or develop a new appreciation for the journey we are already on. January is the chance to write a new chapter in our lives. It brings to mind the words in Natasha Bedingfield’s song Unwritten…“Today is where your book begins…the rest is still unwritten.” May everyone reading this find peace, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead!
Candy – Marketing Coordinator
I call January my “RE” month because January 1 always heralds my REbirth. It signals my chance to REexamine, REassess, REsolve, REaffirm, REcharge, REconstruct, REfine, REboot, REstore, REnew, REfresh, and REenergize. In short, January is my month of REsounding REsolutions! However, if history REpeats itself (as history is wont to do), then by January 31 I will need to REalign my REasoning and REaccept the REality of REcidivism.
Spotlight on the St. Pete PAWS Collective
Did you know that the mayor of St. Petersburg has declared St. Petersburg to be a pet-friendly city and that the City of St. Petersburg is a certified pet-friendly city through the Better Cities for Pets program? The St Pete PAWS collective was formed last year to help implement the mayor’s pet-friendly city proclamation.
The mission for St. Pete PAWS is to help make St. Petersburg a place where pets are happy, healthy and welcome, to shine a light on the unconditional love animals give and to promote compassion for all our two- and four-legged neighbors.
Stephanie is thrilled to have been asked to join the St. Pete PAWS collective and is looking forward to helping to develop initiatives and programs to implement these goals! You can read more about St. Pete PAWS at stpete.org/PAWS.
Our New “Making a PAWSitive Difference” Program
For many of us, pets are cherished members of our families. Their unconditional love and support lift our spirits and soothe our souls. We adore our pets and can’t imagine our lives or our homes without them. However, sometimes circumstances beyond our control can put our ability to care for our furry family members in danger.
Because we believe that pets and families belong together, we are establishing the “Making a PAWSitive Difference” program in our office. The “Making a PAWSitive Difference” program will allow us to help support three Pinellas County charities that offer resources for families having temporary difficulty providing for their pets.
Which Charities Will the “Making a PAWSitive Difference” Program Support?
- SPCA Tampa Bay Peeble’s Food Bank: Offers free food for dogs or cats of Pinellas County families facing unexpected financial hardship.
- CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse) Pet Shelter Kennel: Provides an on-site kennel at its Pinellas County domestic violence shelter so that victims of abuse seeking shelter don’t have to leave their pets behind.
- Suncoast Hospice Pet Peace of Mind Program: Provides assistance to Pinellas County hospice patients too ill to manage their beloved pet’s needs.
How Does the “Making a PAWSitive Difference Program” Support These Charities?
Beginning February 1, 2020, we will donate $25 to one of these three charities for every new will or new trust that we draft for our clients. The client receiving the new will or new trust will be able to choose which of these three charities will receive our $25 donation.
In addition to making the $25 donation for each new will or trust we draft, we will also be placing a food donation box in our reception area to collect unopened dry or canned dog and cat food from any of our clients who may wish to support the efforts of these three charities in making a difference in the lives of families and their pets.
Your Edwards Elder Law team is excited to launch this new program!
Words of Wisdom from Our Pets
“Take the Time to Play Catch Every Day”
As we shared in the fall, our office kitty Winston passed away, so we no longer have words of wisdom from Winston to share. However, our pets at home have offered to step into Winston’s shoes and take turns sharing their words of wisdom. Our guests for this issue are Stephanie’s cats Emma and Cooper…
Have you ever heard the saying that dogs have owners and cats have staff? This saying used to run through my mind each morning when I would try to play catch with Emma and Cooper. They were eager to chase the toy, but they had no interest in bringing it back to me. Instead, they would sit down next to it and wait for me to walk over to them, pick up the toy and toss it in the opposite direction.
I used to shrug and wonder if I could borrow a dog to demonstrate how playing catch works. However, lately, I have decided that maybe I wrongly jumped to the conclusion that they are missing the point of the game. Maybe what they are really trying to do is to make sure that I also remember to exercise each day for my own health.
So now when we play catch, I also eagerly run to fetch the toy and think about how lucky I am to have pets who care about me as much as I care about them!