Another Chance

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Copyright © 2021 by AnneMarie
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, including photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior
written permission of the publisher, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain
other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For formal permission requests, write to the publisher at
Oscar Crawford Media

2442 East Harmony Avenue
Mesa, Arizona 85204

[email protected]
+1 480-228 - 4654

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Publisher's Foreword
Another Chance, the second work of Annemarie,
launches the evolving voice of an intensely reflective
soul sorting out the experience of what it means to be
woman in all contexts. Her truth informs, inspires, and
engages others to enhance their understandings of the
human aspiration to seek out new ways to live and love
and experience the best life has to offer. Her life near the
sea has afforded profound clarity to see things as they
really. Sharing these raw and courageous revelations is
a level of self - disclosure that can help heal the world.
From the land where diverse people unite, authentic
expression reveals the heart of a relationship builder.
Her primary tool is the power of love for God, for self,
for others, and for nature. May all that read this book
experience touching where you feel.

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Preface

I want to live, I want to love, and the best
way for me to say it best is on a piece of blank
paper. When I write, I can shake off everything. As I
write, my sorrows disappear. My courage is reborn I am
in my own world where I can create as much as I want.
I write because I must. It is not a choice or a pastime. It
is a driving passion and an unyielding calling. There,
my thoughts lift me into creativity that is not hampered
by other people’s opinion.
Writing has become such a process of discovery for me
that I cannot stop. I cannot put down my pen. I
experience the need to be alone. To write takes control
over me. This is the world that is my own. I have the
need to say something. My soul has a story to tell. My
tears were words that were waiting to be written.

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Table of Contents

I write about things 11 - 12
Some things don’t stand 15
Life is not always easy 17
Life is filled with highs 19

Time has a way 21
Resist the temptation 23

The gift of life 25
Pay Attention 27
Do not make 29
Life is complicated 31
If you hang on 33
I have fallen 35
These past couple of months 37
The blessings of today 39
I took a moment 41
Life runs its course 43

I am 45
There are days 47
I travel to the confines 50 - 51
Do not lie to each other 53
The future depends 55
Always have tomorrow 55
You can only hold 57

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Life has turned me upside down 59 - 60
I discovered the joy 63 - 64
Sometimes our lives 67

You always make me smile 69
I find myself trying 69
When a seedling 71
I want to honor love 73

Love is a beautiful thing 73
These past few months 75

Bitterness is a thief 77
You have awakened my soul 77

It is interesting to witness 79
Every day of our life 81
When we think about 83
I dare you 83
This is how I see it 85
I am fearless 87
You are unique 89

When making life decisions 89
Sometimes it just takes 91
It is incredible 93
Life is full 95

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I write about things that have happened to
me and the sum of everything I've experienced. To me,
thoughts are beautiful sentences with deep meaning that
can serve as motivation and act as morale-boosting that
can provide wisdom in life when needed. I started
writing thoughts to escape my reality. That's where I
learned that it is sometimes good to push yourself out of
your comfort zone. You must break the chains that kept
you from being you. After my marriage of 30 years
ended, I felt defeated and so scared of the world. It took
me a long time to love myself just the way I am. For the
first time in my life, I chose myself above anything else.
I am following my soul's voice and no longer allowing
self-doubt to dictate how to lead my life. I am learning
and evolving, growing each day and getting stronger
than I used to be. I stopped consuming my time with
daily worries and cut all the negative people out of my
life. I now know my potential and I know my
worthiness. I also know that tears are a sign of strength
and that no matter how difficult and how painful

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everything is, that I will still manage to stand up
straight. I have learned that scars that can’t be seen are
the scars that wounded our hearts the most. It may be
healed but the mark of the pain will always stay. I have
learned that life is full of beauty and it is to be lived to
the fullest. I have learned that there is a divine light
within each one of us.
My final thought to you is; Be You and follow your
dreams for you are who you are.

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S ome things don't stand the test of time. Like
love. Yeah, nothing stays the same. But then, my second
chance came. That is what life is all about. Now, my
smile is genuine. You probably could tell. The wind
carried away all my hurts and the sun gifted to me a
second chance. I did not wait nor hesitate. I took that
leap of faith and found my wings appeared just when I
needed them.

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L
ife is not always easy. There are times that

you need to look deep within yourself to push past the
adversity and to believe in yourself and get through
those difficult times. We overcome them with persistence
and grit. Oh yes, life is tough and so unpredictable at
times. No matter how well planned your life is, at some
point, disruptions will come. Always remember, that too
shall pass!! Your dreams are still calling you. Keep going
for those dreams. Even when the going gets tough, never,
never, ever give up.

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L ife is filled with highs and lows that will
test your resilience. If excellence and success were easily
achieved, everyone would be excellent achievers. Life
has taught me that great opportunities arrive with the
accompanying companions of challenges, difficulties,
and hardships. Do not let them distract you. Keep your
eye on the prize. Keep pushing to overcome the things
that get in your way. Find the will within to keep on
climbing and pushing forward.

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T ime has a way of passing so fast. It feels like
just yesterday that I was still young. Yet, in a way, it
feels like a lifetime ago. I wonder where have all the
years gone by. I have lived them all. I still get flashbacks
of how it was then and also flash forwards of all my
hopes and dreams. And now, I enter a new season of my
life. I am in the winter of my life. I am so amazed! How
did I get here so quickly? Yes, I have regrets. I am sorry
about things that I wish I had not done. I am sorry
about the things I did not do that I should have done.
Many things I did that I was happy about. It is all part
of a lifetime. There are no promises that you will see all
the seasons of your life, so live your life forward and not
in the past because tomorrow may never dawn! It is not
what you have gathered in your life that matters, but
that feeling condition called LOVE in us and with us.
That is what truly matters.

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R esist the temptation to linger in the drifting

sands of your past mistakes. When you master that you
will see how your weaknesses turn into your biggest
strengths. There is always hope for the future. Just keep
moving forward and do not look back.

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T he gift of life lies in the present moment. By
becoming conscious of the present, you will start to
realize the power of the present which you can use to
mold your life for the future. Do not waste your time
and energy thinking of what you did or did not do in
the past. That will deter you from taking the right action
in the present. So let go of the past and bring your focus
into the now, your now.

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P ay attention to the cracks in your life.
What you ignore today may come and drown you
tomorrow.

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D o not make your philosophy in life, "Away

from the eye, away from the heart". No matter how
broken you may be, you can always turn to God. He
will not break down a broken reed. Remember once the

vessel cracks the light can come through.

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L ife is complicated, no matter who you are.
Your life will be full of ups and downs. The goal is to
minimize the downs and to live a quality and contented
life. Do not ever lose the joy in the hope for your happily
ever after.

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I f you hang on to negative things for too
long, you will end up hurting yourself. It will make you
sick. Yes, it takes strength to let go but take that big leap
forward without hesitation, without once looking back.
Release that attachment. Renew yourself. Do not be
afraid of change. That might just be your biggest best
blessing ever.

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I have fallen countless times during my life.
One thing I have learned is that life is not perfect. We all
have problems and sometimes it feels that these bad
situations come to a dime a dozen. Even now the global
pandemic of Covid-19 makes us feel so discouraged. The
future looks dark, but this does not define us. We define
ourselves by the way we deal with these challenges. We
have the necessary skills to turn things around. It all
starts with a simple, "Yes I can"!!!!! No matter how vast
the darkness looks ahead, how much it renders us blind,
even the tiniest of hope proves to be strong enough to
restore our vision and our sense of direction. As long as
you are alive, there is always that ember of fire within us
that refuses to die. It shines and it burns. We are
reminded that there is always a way out of the darkness.

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T hese past couple of months taught me a
great deal about forgiveness. Only when you relax your
grip on the past can you grasp your future. I decided to
forgive. That is something I now do daily and
sometimes even hourly. The point that I am trying to
make is that you must forgive those that hurt you, each
time that it comes up. I made this my goal in my heart
to keep forgiving until I am free from those chains. I was
so bitter for a long, long time and never realized how
bitterness stole so much from me. It took me on the
wrong paths and made me make wrong decisions just
because I allowed that hurt to control me. My hurtful
memories will no longer keep me captive. To forgive is
not easy but if you can master it, you take back your
power, and reclaim your life. I am on that road.........

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T he blessings of today come from last year's
pain. Last year's pain belongs to last year. My new life
now has a new voice. I am now focusing on that which
is optimistic and encouraging. I have a new life with a
lot of promise along the way.

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I took a moment to ponder about all that I
was walking away from, taking stock of what I am
leaving behind before I finally closed that door. Lessons
learned...... Now...A fresh start and all the wonderful
possibilities new beginnings bring.

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L ife runs its course. Each one of us is on
our path. Gone are the days where I could not breathe
and wished for amnesia to kick in. I realize now that
nothing worth having is easy, but now I can enjoy the
work involved in getting the life I was desperately seek-
ing.

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I am neither trapped in my dreams, nor my
head. I let go of the silence that was tearing me apart.
Time for healing. Surrendering to who I am. No more
days.....walking on ice. No more days......too scared to
breathe. A new rhythm has taken its place. I found the
one that fits my heart so perfectly.....

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T here are days that nothing goes as

planned. You fail and fall and get discouraged. But that

is part of life. Do not be content with failure. Just get up

and try again. Sometimes the last key to the ring is the

one that unlocks the door.

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I travel to the confines of my inner self.
Learning more and more about myself with the
passing of each day. Who is the creator of my
thoughts? The distance between now and tomorrow
may seem only short but in my thoughts, I am on a
steep downhill trek, heading toward a breakdown. I
am recounting every aspect of my life. I am
contemplating what ifs and why nots. Will this
never end? I just want to close my eyes, and for once,
go straight to sleep. I do not want to worry and feel
anxious anymore. I do not want to feel. I just want
to know that everything is going to be alright.
Hearing all these voices telling me it is going to be
alright if I can just have faith and believe that. Why
am I still holding back so much pain? Forgiveness
has been my friend on this journey, but fear is
reminding me to hold on to all of the familiar
memories. Letting go is not that simple. However, I
know that for me to transcend safely to the other side,
I must seek freedom from all that is holding me back.
It may be easier said than done.

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