Giving Thanks

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving holiday here in America.  It is the day that we gather together with family and friends to share a meal and give thanks for all of the blessings we have.

It is my favorite holiday for many reasons - because it is not a gift giving holiday the focus is totally on the family being together.  I also love cooking the meal, it is one of my greatest simple pleasures - nurturing the body and the soul. But the best part of all is that the entire day is devoted to giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hurtful but Helpful

It can be very difficult to realize it at the time but I am grateful to those people who hurt me. Their unkind words and behavior creates a powerful desire in me to move on and seek out something new. It always pushes me out of my comfort zone and allows me to focus more clearly on where I would rather be.

Just like a frog that will jump out of a boiling pot of water but will stay if the heat only increases gradually.

I don’t ever want to be complacent – so someone hurting me really helps me remember that there is true joy and satisfaction waiting for me!

Days of Discontent

It isn’t often that I feel this way anymore. It used to be a chronic condition that I gratefully outgrew or more accurately learned to grow out of! When it happens it sweeps over me like a tidal wave – smashing everything in its wake. Even the little things that would normally bring a smile now get crushed under the heavy black cloud.

The intensity makes me want to disappear – leave everything and set off on a grand adventure. That is exactly what I did 6 years ago when without hesitation I packed one suitcase and moved to Europe for the best summer vacation I’ve ever had.

I suppose that is what I am craving right now – an escape. A total and complete departure from the soul crushing monotony that is the American life! There are joys in that life to be sure but today would not be the day that I am feeling it.

My dislike for this emotion is so immense that I know I will be forced to make some change in order to restore my normal joyful and positive outlook. But right now I am stuck in the frustration of the discontent and I need to just be kind to myself and try not to run away and join the circus!!

Soul Whispers

I love those moments when everything is so still that I can hear that tiny little voice that comes from within.   Sometimes it is so soft I can barely make it out and other times I get so caught up in the noise of life that it gets drowned out.

Now, I am learning to listen - really listen and when I do, I can hear my soul whispering to me....

Surprise and Delight

It never ceases to amaze me, how just when I'm not looking something pops up to surprise and delight me.  I love the unexpected joy and excitement that it brings.  Today was one of those moments when someone mentioned a little library they use to hang out at as a child - turned out to be the exact same library I used to hide away in when I was a girl.  What a lovely and delightful surprise to relive that memory!

New Life

There is a very special moment in time - that unbelievable miracle when a new life comes into this world.  As I held my precious new grand-daughter for the very first time I felt the joy and wonder of another new life. 

There is no end

There is no end to this experience we know as life - it is only a matter of the physical or non-physical that changes. From spirit we come into this existence to learn and grow and it is back to spirit when we are complete.  And so it begins again, there is no end....

20 Years

My mother passed away 20 years ago today....

During the first few years I didn't know how I would cope and could not imagine a single day without her. Now, after all of this time I can't believe how quickly 2 decades could disappear.

Mom - I love you and miss you with all of my heart!

Always, your loving daughter.

What do I look for?

When I look at the world around me what do I see - am I focused on the best or the worst of the situation?

It seems that the bad news gets so much attention it is hard to avoid but if I concentrate on what is good then it seems to shift and suddenly I am noticing so many pleasant things. Someone being polite in traffic or a nice woman striking up a conversation while waiting at the pharmacy.

I want to experience the best in every situation and it all starts with me and what I look for ...

Food for the body and spirit

Today I was reminded again just how very fortunate I am for the beautiful, blessed life I have.

I had just dropped off my grandson after a great visit and was thinking how fantastic it is that I have such a wonderful family. I pulled into a shop to pick up something for dinner when a woman approached me - she was crying and very upset. She said she did not want money but asked if I could buy something for her and her children to eat. Food - all she wanted was food for her family.

I know she didn't believe me when I told her I understood and have been there but to give her dinner and some cash was the very least I could do.

I am so very grateful to the beautiful woman who reminded me that we all need food for the body and the spirit..

Irish Mist

This morning there is a fresh Irish mist in the air... A little unusual for Colorado so it was a nice surprise. It reminds me of the time I spent on that lovely green isle and all of the people and places I miss so much.

What do I want in my pie

I really liked the analogy from "Ask it is Given" where they talk about making a pie. You look at all the ingredients in your kitchen and then decide what you want to use. You are not intimidated by the wide variety of choices because you know nothing will end up in your pie that you don't put there.

It is the same with life - of all the possibilities in all of the world you get to decide what you want to include in your experience. You don't have to deny or push against anything - you simply don't bring it into your life. You only select those things that make you happy and bring you joy.

There is no right or wrong - we all get to decide what we want in our pie!

Valentine's Day

I love my life - I love my life!

Today I really need to remember that. I'm afraid that recently I have lost sight of what is really important to me.

Today on Valentine's Day I promise to love myself and not let anything come between me and my bliss.

No Place Like Home

It has been a very interesting year so far. I desperately needed some time to collect my thoughts and release the stress that was building. A little holiday on a warm and peaceful island sounded perfect.

What I realized is that I did not want to be that far away from my family and that what I was looking for was right here all the time.

You know you are where you need to be when you would rather be driving in a snowstorm than laying on the beach in Hawaii - there really is no place like home!

Endless Possibilities

What glorious promise there is at the birth of each new year. All the potential of those thoughts and things yet undiscovered.

Every year at this time I find myself enchanted with what is yet to come and all of the endless possibilities that await....