mondaymorningwithmona

My 4th of July

Several thoughts come to my mind when I think of the 4th. It is America’s Independence Day. Americans typically celebrate it with friends, family, and fireworks. It is most American’s favorite holiday. For me, it is a reminder of the last day that I saw my little brother, Jorge. As all of my friends, enjoyContinue reading “My 4th of July”

Volunteerism, Recognition, Swag

The first time that I remember volunteering and making a real impact was in college. I decided to lead an effort to create a safe space for kids to have Halloween, so I met the director at the local Boys & Girls Club, and we worked together to have Trick-or-Treating at their center. I wentContinue reading “Volunteerism, Recognition, Swag”

Running vs Training

Yes, there is a difference. I have been a runner most of my adult life. I have been an endurance runner for about eighteen years. I have run in thirty-eight marathons, and I have intentionally trained for about a third of them. Running…oh the joy of running. I have built relationships, have explored new areas,Continue reading “Running vs Training”

My Escape Day

I recently made a post on Facebook that ended up being a MUCH bigger personal challenge than I had expected. I decided to share racial related podcasts every day for five days. I typically listen to a lot of podcasts so this seemed like a simple enough project. Day One was a Brene Brown podcast.Continue reading “My Escape Day”

I See Color

I had written a feel-good blog about volunteerism. It was edited, and it even had some pictures to go with it. It was ready to be shared, but last minute, I decided to archive it, and to write about something more pressing on my mind…COLOR. When we were in our mid-20’s, my husband and IContinue reading “I See Color”

Accountability & Consistency

I titled my blog Monday Morning with Mona to hold myself accountable. If I say I am going “publish” the blog post on Monday mornings, I needed a way to make myself do it week after week – even on week’s that I didn’t have much to say. I usually write early in the week,Continue reading “Accountability & Consistency”

Corona Virus Made Me Old

Actually, it didn’t make me old or even older. I started to age the day I was born. It is part of the cycle of life. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am not making light of this terrible pandemic. People are sick. People are dying. People are dying alone. People areContinue reading “Corona Virus Made Me Old”

My 3 G’s

God, Gratitude, and Giving After deciding that fresh air would be more positive than the scroll-hole that I like to call social media, I launched my kayak and got on the water. We bought the kayak years ago, when my guy was about to deploy so that I could get on the water; I neverContinue reading “My 3 G’s”

Questions

Do they really matter??? Do you ever wonder about the quality of the questions you are asking yourself and where those questions are leading you? My tendency is not a Questioner. I am an Obligor.* However, I have begun to realize that as I ask myself better questions, I get better results. I don’t meanContinue reading “Questions”

Birthdays & Happiness

Do they really go together? I just had a birthday. We are also in the middle of a pandemic. As selfish as it was for me to expect to have a “good” birthday, I still wanted to bring in this next year of LIFE with gratitude and happiness. As much as I know how blessedContinue reading “Birthdays & Happiness”