The Painter

The Painter By Cody Johnson

She talks about the future like she's flippin' through a magazine

Finds the beauty in the thrown away and broken things
Gets excited about all my crazy dreams

Got every sunset that she's ever seen memorized
Saves in a way for a rainy day or stormy night
The sky's brighter lookin' at it through her eyes

I don't remember
Life before she came into the picture
Brought the beauty I was missin' with her
Showed me colors I ain't ever seen
She took chances
With every wall I built, she saw a canvas
I thank God every day for how He made her
My life was black and white but she's the painter

She reminds me that it ain't too late to start again
Fine is good but you need some blue every now and then
How'd I live so long without her reckless touch?

I don't remember
Life before she came into the picture
Brought the beauty I was missin' with her
Showed me colors I ain't ever seen
She took chances
With every wall I built, she saw a canvas
I thank God every day for how He made her
My life was black and white but she's the painter

I don't remember
Life before she came into the picture
Brought the beauty I was missin' with her
Showed me colors I ain't ever seen
She took chances
With every wall I built, she saw a canvas
I thank God every day for how He made her
My life was black and white but she's the painter
She's the painter.

Today I am grateful for beautiful songs that tell the world what I feel in my heart about my painter. I love you Jenna! 

Once Again

Not every person in your life is meant to be there. Not everything happens for a reason. Not everything that happens to you is supposed to be a teaching moment. Not every moment of the day is you supposed to be strong. Life and life events are hard, emotional and life altering. You do not have to be strong every single time life brings you something difficult. 

But....

The sun will shine again; the birds will continue to sing, and you will continue... Maybe stronger or just changed because of it.... We don't always have a choice in what life brings to us, but we do have a choice on how we allow it to form and change us. Your heart will break many times, this is just life, but never allow it to keep your soul from shining. Hard? You better believe it is, many times people have asked me how the hell have you gone through what you have and still be the way you are. Smiling, giving, kind, and loving (their words) 

My answer is what other choice do I have? I want to be this way because I want to be a better person than the circumstances or experiences in my life. I don't want to be the lessons that life teaches me every day I want to be the lesson I want taught in the world. That just because life is cruel and hard, doesn't mean you have to be. 

Your soul and the way you are is YOUR choice, no one or nothing can change that, UNLESS you allow it to.

Originally written May 27, 2017 before Austin's passing, Amanda's passing, and so many other loved ones , the school shooting and Hurricane Harvey. How naive I was to think that the worse had already happened.

Today I am grateful for this reminder I pray I will be able to find that person inside once again. I miss me. While I am writing this the song Disappear By Aja Volkman comes on, thank you for the reminder

Home

I have listened to this song a million times today. I just love it.

Your Home

Today I am grateful for young girls who follow their dreams and for mothers that help make it happen.

The Last

Today is the last day The late late show with James Corden will air, hopefully one day he will come back or have another talk shows. I know this must seem like a really strange post for My Garden of Gratitude. This show brought me so much joy, laughter and enjoyment for eight years. I loved the carpool karaoke and the time for the news. This last episode was so touching.  He seems to be such a genuine and caring man. I am so happy that he is going home to be with his family, at the end of the day family is all we really have in life. Those special people you love and who love you back.

                 Last Late Late Show 

Today I am grateful for the laughs and smiles you provided during some of the most difficult times of my life. Wishing you nothing but the best.

Music Fills The Soul

My daughter shared the cutest picture of Dipper, she is helping my daughter with her studies.

She actually fell asleep listening to Beyond This Moment

Today I am so grateful for this beautiful little girl that brought light to such a dark time in our lives.

Do You Hear Crickets

My granddaughter just sent me a video she made about her clinical studies. I laughed so hard, dang that kid is creative and so amazing. One day I think she will be so important that everyone will know her name. She has overcome so much tragedy and heartache in her short life than most people do in five lightimes. Her sense of humor reminds me of my mom. My mother would have adored her.

Today I am so grateful to be witnessing this amazing child find herself.

A Song For My Dad

I love watching American Idol. I love watching people's dreams come true, or at least the opportunity to make them come true. I get teary eyed if I am being honest with you.

This episode was too close to home for me. 

The contestant Oliver was the very last person for the 2023 season.

He was amazing. It was very emotional for me, Oliver shares that his father had a stroke.

So did my father in 1984. It was devastating and left my father unable to speak, walk and paralyzed on his right side of his body. It really hit me in the heart hard. My dad was a fighter and with my sisters dedication and determination my dad was able to learn to speak, walk and even drive his beloved truck.

Today I am grateful for my sister and the sacrifices she made for our father. 

Change The World, please take a moment and witness love at its best.

Oliver was awesome but when he was singing to his father it was indescribable and beautiful. 

My AS Life

It was six years ago today, that I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. It was the day I met the wonderful crew of ThisASLife, Dan and Mac Reynolds. I was there to be interviewed by Dan about my AS Life. I will be forever grateful for this amazing gift that was given to me. I want to thank you all so much for your support and encouragement over the years. Without all of you this day would not have been possible. 

Today I am not only grateful for this chance of a lifetime, but more importantly for the blessing of lifelong friends. I am grateful for everyone who believed in me. I grateful that I was blessed enough to do this with my daughter. I am grateful to have been a part of something so incredible that made everything I had dealt with concerning AS mean something, something important.

My Interview with Dan Reynolds For This AS Live Life!

I Need To Call This A New Beginning

Today I spent an hour putting all the post from My Garden of Gratitude in draft. I felt my heart had been put in a blender  hit button... blades destroy..... button stop...    Repeat. 

The emotions were hell. But to be honest I thought man that woman was so naive! She had no idea what hell the next few years would bring.

Every day I lost a little bit of myself and the will to live with it. The feelings of not wanting to live would stay with me every single day for years to come. Sometime last month. Something shifted inside me, and I slowly began wanting to feel like Cookie again. Who am I kidding, I just wanted to FEEL again. 

I came across this song yesterday and I have a small personal connection with these amazing people.

She has experienced so many wonderful and not so wonderful life lessons  and the passion and courage this small young girl has. It is beautiful to watch, so inspiring.

I listened to it over and over.

Sometime while listening to it, her words hit me deep in my soul like an arrow. Perfectly named.

Thank you, Arrow, and Lennon, for this beautiful song, your words... I want to bring on a new year... I want to scream at these wasted feelings, it's time to start out a whole new A game, I need to call this a new beginning... 

I've decided I would make my original blog My Garden of Gratitude public again. I will add the beautiful memories one at a time and work on a new beginning.  Feeling gratitude for wonderful moments is easy, but I am learning to be grateful for the memories that almost destroyed me as well.

Bring On A Happy New Year!

Yes I know it is March, but 

it's never too late

to have a new beginning 

Today I am so grateful for courageous young girls and for mothers who love them enough to let them fly....

Touched Beyond Words

I love watching American Idol. I love watching people have the courage to pursue their dreams.

But most of all I love watching dreams come true. 

I am strongly connected to this year’s season for personal reasons and especially because of the following people.

If you have a chance, please check out Trey’s personal story….  

Topic: School Shooting

If you have a chance, please check out Preston’s personal story….

Topic: Suicide and Mental Health

If you have a chance, please check out Elijah’s personal story…

Topic: Physical Trauma

Today I am grateful for these amazing people who had the courage to share their truth with us.

I Want To Sing About Dancing

A Song About Dancing

By Gia James 

I came across this video tonight and have watched it over and over. It touches my heart in so many ways, as a little girl who used to sing in front of the mirror, as a mom who watched her daughter do concerts in my living room and as a grandmother who listened to her grandchildren as they sang in the car during our travels. Watching this makes it a little easier remembering Austin singing to me the last day we spent together.

The happiness and joy on this little girl's face is pure magic. Her voice is amazing! I love being able to watch their dreams come true, filling their hearts with nothing but happiness.

I agree with you Gia

I think it's amazing too!

Today I am grateful for little girls who want to sing about dancing and grownups who allow them to fulfill their dreams.

Coffee And Music

I decided I would share my morning coffee music list with you all, I have another one that I play during the day. I rarely turn the television on during the day, music helps me so much and I thought maybe someone might need to hear these songs also.

Need A Favor / Jelly Roll (the one I found yesterday)

Flowers Miley Cyrus

Hold On to Me Lauren Daigle

Disappear Aja Volkman

Today Is Your Day Shania Twain

Save Me Jelly Roll

Almost Home Craig Morgan Jelly Roll

Rock and Hard Place Bailey Zimmerman

Today I am so grateful for the gift of hearing and the blessing of music that touches a place in your soul.

Needed To Hear

I have a music playlist that I listen to every single morning. It is songs that speak to me. Every morning I make my cup of coffee and sit quietly listening to the words of each song. Then during the day, I will just click on a song on you tube and let it randomly pick songs for me and today it picked one that I have never heard before. After listening to it I decided to add it to my playlist. So, I thought I would share it with all of you today. 

I resonated with it because of life events I find myself struggling with the beliefs and faith I learned growing up. I am hoping this song will help me manage to find a peace within, one can hope. I found two others songs from this artist that I added to this list. I needed to hear these songs so much today.

Need A Favor Jelly Roll

Today I am grateful for those who are brave enough to put into words what we need to hear, thank you Jelly Roll.

I Need A Favor

I have a music list on Youtube that I listen to every morning when I sit down at my computer. Sometimes I will get adventurous and just click on a song and let it randomly pick out songs, and sometimes I find treasures that will hit a place deep inside my heart. Today is one of those days.

I came across “Need A Favor” by Jelly Roll. I wanted to share it with you.

Today I am grateful that a young man is doing his best to share his truth with all of us.

If

 

Today I am grateful that I didn't.

Save Me

I came across this song today, and I just had to share it.

Save Me by Jelly Roll and Laney Wilson, it is so beautiful.

Today I am grateful for those who have music in their soul and the courage to share it with all of us.

How Beautiful

 

I came across this video today, and have watched it over and over. I can not get over these amazing young women realizing the importance of this moment and stepping up to teach the world about compassion and kindness.

Today I am grateful to know there are still amazing young people who are able to stand up and teach us all about love.

Everyone Loves Family Feud

 

Everyone loves Family Feud including Peter. It cracks me up how he will sit there and watch it. He is such a sweet baby. 

Today I am grateful for a puppy who loves to watch Family Feud with me.

You Are So Much More

I decided to watch America’s Got Talent today, I always tape it but many times I forget to go back and watch them. I am so glad that I watched it tonight, there was a young lady on there that is battling cancer and her message touched me in a way I can not explain. Her message of courage and hope was just beautiful.

Today I am so grateful for this beautiful spirit so willing to share her beautiful messages with us. Thank you for reminding me that I can't wait.... 

But most of all you are right we are so much more than what happens to us.... I just fell instantly in love with her. I pray she beats her cancer and goes on to continue sharing her beautiful soul with us, because we need her so much.

                          

I Get To Tell The World I Met A Hero

It will take years to be able to share what this really meant to me....

Today my interview with Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons was released.

He suffers, battles, survives, and thrives with Ankylosing Spondylitis, the same disease I do.

We have stepped out of the shadows of normal society to Shine A Light on AS (Michael Smith)

SAA proudly presents the newest episode of #LivingwithSpondylitis featuring Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds and AS advocate Cookie-Cheryl Hopper, whose online presence and activism has helped and inspired many individuals with AS.

This AS Life Live! puts a face to AS with Cookie Hopper
Dan Reynolds meets Cookie Hopper - AS advocate and grandmother – to discuss the importance of connections in living with AS.

While sitting at this table waiting...
All I could remember was when my life was so dark, suicide was my only hope.

All I could think about was the life I would have missed, My AS Life....

For the full interview please click here.

To Keep up with THIS AS LIFE click here.


It may not be the life you wanted or dreamed you had... but you have the choice to make it YOUR life. You owe to yourself, to fight for a life of quality... You never know what dream will come true!

Today I am grateful for this amazing opportunity given to me by this courageous man.