Fill Your Cup with...an Ambitious Glow!

It is with a saddened heart that I'm focusing on what my fills my cup today, as a dear friend of mine has passed away. She was a lover of all things -- especially her family, fashion, and ice cream -- a mother, a wife, a daughter, as classy as a southern woman comes, a dreamer, and a blogger...which made her and so many other people ambitious blondes (or brunettes, red-heads, etc.)! She is who inspired me to start my own blog, so as I'm coming to terms with reality, I'm filling my cup full with the glow she brought to this world -- this one's for you, Leslie!

Leslie Sisti and I met seven years ago when we were dating brothers. I was in college, Leslie was living in Bentonville, and we formed a friendship immediately that lasted long after the brother bond ended. Life changed for us both, but we kept up with each other thanks to Facebook and never lost our passion for the little things and doing what we could to make those little things make a big difference in peoples' lives. If you've looked at my list of blogs I follow, Leslie's is the first on the list because she sure did that every day through her kind heart, wise words, and the glow she shared with the world through her blog -- A Blonde Ambition.

You can see so much of her fun personality, passion for life, and the beautiful love she had for her family and friends in every single one of her posts...and it is evident from the words being shared about her after this tragic news that her family and friends loved her right back. Two precious little girls, a husband, parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, and so many people are grieving because of losing Leslie. Please take a moment and send prayers, happy thoughts, and love to every single one of them because it is needed.

We don't always know why things happen, and this is one of those times. It can really put life in perspective though, and Leslie would want that to be what we all take away from this. Live what you love, call your family and friends to let them know how important they are to you, find core values and be true to yourself, and never stop dreaming. That is something Leslie never stopped doing -- no matter where she was or what she was facing. And knowing that her dreams have left such a wonderful legacy for so many people fills my cup with the warmest glow there is.

I've been thinking about all of the blessings Leslie brought to my life today, how many people she touched, and that she is now watching over all of us with her shining light that glowed so brightly here on Earth. Let that glow, wherever you find it, fill your cup. I know Leslie is...and hopefully she's filling her's with some ice cream, too!

You can find Leslie's obituary here.

Leslie Sisti
December 3, 1984 - July 27, 2015

This is a hard one to sign-off with my usual ending, but I know Leslie would want all of us to have a cup always filled with joy, love, and happiness!

-Anna