We Are...

I am convinced that being here in this particular moment in history has meaning. That I am meant to Be and you are meant to Be. We are not by accident, our intended purpose is beyond our understanding and yet the idea of a grander scheme is implied by the basic reality of our existence. We often get so caught up in the daily drama of our individual lives; lost in our struggles, joys, and sorrows. We have such a magnified view of our own personal experiences that we often forget to pan out and recognize that we are all a part of the larger picture and that we affect one another in profound ways.

We are, each and every one of us, instrumental to humanity’s evolution upon this planet. Even if you are unaware of how you are impacting the bigger picture, your every thought and emotion is contributing to the overall collective consciousness. Do not underestimate the power of your thoughts, and never doubt your capacity to affect others with your words and actions. The more time we spend in higher realms of emotion, such as gratitude, love, and compassion, the faster we as a species will transcend the dredges of fear based society.  The more we are able to embrace life as our own, and to take responsibility for all of our brothers and sisters upon this planet, the faster the momentum will gather like a snowball effect. Cooperation can supersede competition. It only takes a certain percentage of the population to recognize and the scales will tip. In fact the tipping process is well underway. The unlimited potential of a cooperative race of human beings, working toward the same goal of sustainable living and reverence for life IS attainable. It is not (as we have been misled to believe) impossible. We are a race with infinite potential, able to perform phenomenal feats thought to be unimaginable. I refuse to believe that we are incapable of creating a society in which we put the best interest of all above the success of the few.

 We do not have to suffer. Suffering is meant to awaken us. Haven’t we spent enough time lost in this nightmare? We can use the atrocities of our current world to transmute our intentions and redirect our energies.  A global transformation led by a mass collection of internal transformations. Little by little we can effect change, every day in little ways. Showing everyone respect and empathy… Giving with a joyful heart, knowing that giving is the greatest form of reward. Loving even the darkness so that the light of love will infiltrate the darkest corners and bring us out of this dark age and into the light of conscious living. To say that we are capable is an understatement. We have been deluded to believe that we are powerless creatures, susceptible to the whims of tyranny, greed and aggression. The transcendental power of awareness coupled with love is infinitely greater than any of these. We are greater than our strongest fears. We can rise above our darkest tendencies. You and me… We have the power to change the world. We have the chance to heal the world. We have the capacity to love the world, to leave for future generations a new legacy. We are here at this moment for a reason. We can choose what to make of it.

-Love

Live to Love

Love increases in an unexpected manner. It is an anomaly of sorts. It does not follow laws of physicality. Unlike material possessions, the more love you give away, the more love you acquire.

How does this phenomenon work exactly? I don’t presume to know, but I can attest to the truth of the notion. Giving love in every situation whenever possible (it’s always possible… just not always easy) is the surest way to ensure that you will receive the love that we as creatures of intimate mechanics inevitably require.

We need affection, attention, consideration, compassion, cooperation, and kindness. In short… WE. NEED. LOVE. There is no faster way to deteriorate human potential than to deny our fundamental need for communion, connection, love. Our most basic instincts communicate our overt need for loving interaction.

Cultivation of heartfelt connections, recognizing our shared human needs and loving others as an extension of ourselves or our families is instrumental in our evolution from a fear held society to a culture designed to bring out the best of human nature. A new way of being that leads to experiences filled with joy and wisdom, reverence and support for all of life as the fully integrated organism it is. A love led life. A life of intention where we know there is a greater purpose to our presence upon this beautiful orb in this infinitely magnificent universe.  Our purpose is clear. We are to love and be loved. Of this I am certain.

-Love

Realizing Our Potential...

One cannot go blindly about a life of mundane autonomy once they have but glimpsed even the slightest hint of the greater purpose. We on this planet are on the cusp of a spiritual awakening that will set the stage for a future of inconceivable experience.

Currently we live in a reality in which our systems of effectual change are all but impotent in the face of the social and economic tyranny which holds the powers that be in their place of affluent control. This stronghold comes not only at the cost of millions of innocent lives, but also the price of our very existence. Our habitat, our home, the very planet without which humanity cannot survive, is under attack. The endless growth of profit based business is a cancer to our one irreplaceable life source. Our every sustenance is polluted with the waste of industry. Our air is permeated with toxic chemicals and radiation. Our water is riddled with poisons, garbage and sludge. Our food is laced with pesticides and herbicides, we are committing ecological suicide and we don’t even realize the magnitude to which this problem has overtaken our world. The Earth, our mother, provider and nurturer is crying for mercy. And yet the ruse goes on. The Hollywood movie producers continue to entertain us, the advertising industry continues to manipulate us, corporate greed keeps raping much of the planet's people of their right to peace, equality, and basic civil liberties; all in the name of capitalism.

By distraction and distortion we are coerced into believing that we are vain, vengeful, fearful, hateful, insufficient creatures. In need of some thing in order to be complete. This is a terrible misdirection, intended only to increase our feelings of discord and distrust. The idea that this could be a natural occurrence or even more, an accidental happenstance seems ludicrous in the face of the facts as they stand. Big $ uses every tactic to ensure that we the people do not become aware of the ridiculous imbalance that prevails upon this planet by feeding the idea that we are competitors instead of partners, by planting and strengthening the concepts of separation and differences. We are consumers of a grave misappropriation of information, buyers and sellers of a deceitful fabrication. Those of us who have the freedom to recognize and refuse this unconscionable level of manipulation have a duty to spread our understanding far and wide.

There is an unarguably insidious agenda driving the human race, and we are speeding precariously near the edge of no return. People need to recognize on a mass scale that life is not meant to be battled, or wasted on the pursuit of material comforts. Our true purpose as spirits embodied is to experience ourselves in all of our mortal wonder. To realize our potential for love, joy, appreciation and compassion. To know above all else that we are one, a family of humans who through connectivity and community can heal not only the wounds of our dysfunctional past (present), but also the planet upon which we so depend. This horrific era of illusionary separation is in its death throes. Now is the time for us to come together. We face a new world brimming with possibility, freed from oppression and disillusionment. We are bound together by our innate desire to rise above the nightmarish realities which currently prevail and to create a new paradigm in which we can flourish. A society based not on ruthless racketeering, but rather on a shared reverence for the beauty and wonder of life... A planet that is not stripped of precious resources, but is cultivated and cared for... A mass recognition of humananity's unlimited potential for kindness, cooperation and creativity...

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality"
 -John Lennon.

-Love.

Ask Yourself Why...

Why?

Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated by profit seeking fear mongering?

Why do we continue to buy into some fictitious idea of happiness?

Why do we always seek bigger, better, newer?

Why do we preoccupy our minds with endless distractions?

Why do we waste so much time, money, and energy striving to fit some constructed idea of physical perfection?

Why do we still believe that “things” can fill our longing?

Why are we never satisfied?

Why do we waste resources in monstrous proportions, while others suffer needlessly?

Why do we turn a blind eye to the destruction and mutilation of our planet?

Why are we not mortified on a global scale by the imbalance of power and misappropriation of resources?

Why do we allow corruption and greed to dictate our realities?

Why do we turn away from people in need?

Why do we talk of peace, love, and compassion while contributing to fear, hate, and self-service?

Why do we sensationalize suffering and downplay the true power of kindness?

Why do we disregard true wealth in the form of heartfelt connection?


Why do we fail to recognize the fact that we are part of a living organism... and that what we do to Earth and others, so too do we do to ourselves?

Why haven’t we yet moved beyond this ego based, need driven society?

Why do we accept that “this is just how it is”; when we KNOW that it is integrally WRONG?

Why do we refuse to believe that change starts with the individual?

Why is enough NEVER enough???

-Love.

Exercising Love...

So let’s try something… If you would be so kind as to humor me here, I think this could be quite powerful.

Okay, sit quietly for a moment and think of someone you love unconditionally. Feel the serenity and joy of that deep, heartfelt connection. It may be a parent, grandparent, a child, a sibling… Your best friend, spouse or lover…Maybe it’s all of the above. Now really bask in that glorious feeling. Allow it to wash over you completely. Let yourself be overcome by the warmth and bliss that fills your heart when you think of loved ones. Feel the security of knowing that your love is eternal; that not even death can destroy the power of love. Feel the innate compassion that comes naturally when we think of people whose happiness affects us. Feel the depth of desire to care for, nurture, and cultivate that love. Know that feeling connected to others and caring for them as we do ourselves, as extensions of ourselves, is exactly what we are meant to do. Our purpose is to know love, to give love, to be Love.

Now, if you have sat with this for a while and are feeling full of warm, gushy feelings of love and joy, take a moment to think about the fact that EVERY SINGLE person on this planet who is alive today or has ever lived, was somebody’s child. Somebody’s mother, sister, best friend, brother, father, aunt, uncle, confidante…  Somebody’s LOVE. We are a family of people who all need love. It is the most integral part of our being. Love the people of the world today like they are yours to care for, because truthfully they are.

-Love

It Is What It Is (as it is meant to be)...

There seems to be a recurring theme circulating in and around my consciousness. It has been sought out, and has also appeared unbidden and unexpectedly over the course of the past month or so.

The idea is that true happiness comes from acknowledging that reality is as it is. Any time we feel compelled to alter reality in any way to create happiness we are arguing with what is and in turn creating turmoil.

Now, I am far from implementing this knowledge in any tangible way. The concept still befuddles me… However, I am allowing the implications to seep into my being and make real the idea that all things are perfect exactly as they are in this moment, and I can KNOW that because that is the experience I am having. Things are as such, and so that is how they are meant to be. Or at the very least this is how I am meant to perceive them at this time. Perhaps I will choose to alter things with my actions or lack thereof. Or, perhaps buried within the seemingly senseless struggle and strife of everyday life I will find the answer to all of life’s questions and realize that happiness is not lost nor found… But is in fact a state of mind, an understanding, or recognition of a profound truth which bequests my unconditional acceptance.

I am (we are) being provided exactly what we need right now in order to  instigate whatever growth our souls seek within this lifetime. The challenges we face provide the opportunity to practice this truth. This can be hard to accept, and sometimes (often during times of strife) it can feel impossible to allow what is to be just that, what it is. We get caught up in the idea that if we could alter something we could certainly feel better than we do in said circumstance. The fact that I am wrapping my head around is that the discomfort, the feelings we want to evade, avoid, run from, extinguish, those ARE the very essence of which our experience is made up of. It is when we see all things as the gifts that they are that we are freed from the eternal suffering of discontent. Free to BE as we truly are, limitless, extraordinary creatures of creativity, constructing our realities precisely as they are meant to be.

As I mentioned I am only beginning to put this into coherent thought patterns and so I apologize if this seems disjointed or vague. I only know that I am experiencing an abundance of information coming at me from many different vantage points at once and the message seems to be one of unified opinion… Everything is as it should be. ALWAYS.

Hmmm… so let this resonate with you if you will. Allow it to sit in your heart and on your mind and together we’ll discover where this comprehension can lead us.

-Love

Dance of the Storm

The wind led the trees in a maniacal dance

Bending and swaying,

Dipping to the sound of the distant thunder

The heavy air having hung stagnant all day

Began to lift on the cusp of the storm

Before the first drop fell

The scent of rain permeated the atmosphere

Lightning flashed and the darkness lifted for an instant

The trees carried on their lunatic dance

In the harsh light of nature’s strobe

While the beat of thunder cracked loudly

Reverberating, echoing through the evening

The proverbial drum roll

Flashing and crashing

The cloud curtain opened

And the raindrops flitted out like ballerinas on stage

Then faster and faster

A heart beating wildly,

Out of control

Silver sheets cascaded over the earth

The strobe lightning struck

And the thunder roared louder

The water poured down in torrential streams

The earth bore the storm like so many before

Receiving, and engorging as much as could be contained

Allowing the rest to pour in great, racing gushes

Down through the valley into the rushing river

Until at long last it slowed

The wind began to die down

And the clouds drifted slowly apart

The sun in its glory trickled through the darkness

A glimpse here, a sparkle there

Then the light of heaven glistened like gold

In the drops and the damage

Left in the wake of the raging storm

The blue, blue sky epitomizing clarity

Promising renewal and hope  

And resetting the stage

For the next act to follow

Germinating

I thought I would write tonight, but alas I cannot muster the effort to speak eloquently or even remotely intelligently. I feel tired and drained and less than inspired. And so that means I won’t. I won’t suffer us all to sit through a forced bunch of b.s. that may or may not have a logical and/or valid point.

Instead I will continue waiting (not so) patiently for my inner muse to return and my thoughts to find their voice. Somehow I am regrouping. Like a planted seed I will sprout again… Grow, blossom, nourish, wilt, shed, spread seed, die and be reborn through the process of cultivation.

For now, I rest in the depth of my heart’s dank rich soil; feeling myself breaking open slowly, as the warmth of love’s light incubates and the cool, clear water of awareness trickles down to reach me. Watch carefully, for any day now a tender green shoot of wisdom will burst forth and reach out to touch the world.

-Love

Today I will...

Today…

 I will allow the ceaseless grace of the divine to carry me.

I will rest upon the winds of fate.

I will have faith.

I will not resist reality.

I will trust.

I will embrace my imperfections.

I will face fear.

I will encourage.

I will smile because my heart is glad.

I will be grateful.

I will forgive.

I will share.

I will see the perfection in all things.

I will believe.

I will greet the day with open arms.

I will be compassionate.

I will connect with others.

I will love unconditionally.

I will be myself.

I will be proud of my efforts.

I will laugh.

I will dance.

I will cry joyful tears.

I will remember what truly matters.

I will remind you.

We Are...

We are. We are witnesses as well as active players in this phenomenal experience we call human drama. We are creators, directors and interactive participants in the ever unfolding story of life.

We see and feel the ordinary where it meets the extraordinary, relishing in the excitement, the angst, the joy and sorrow. It is no coincidence that we mimic and idolize life on stage and big screens, immersing our consciousness into its lure of enchantment.

Life compels, enthralls, engages, enrages, impassions, amazes, astounds, addicts, afflicts, affects, conflicts, challenges, fulfills, disappoints, contradicts, usurps, undoes, elates, destroys, creates, and defines us. We are torn inside out by the depth of life’s sorrows and elated beyond the boundaries of heaven's gates by the rapturous joy life contains.

All things, good and bad, all things are encompassed in this enigma, this unfathomable experience that we are right now a part of. We are each of us instrumental to the occurrence of this moment. Our awareness is what gives this moment and every moment across the vast expanse of eternity meaning.

Our power over this is but a breath away. We are the purveyors of destiny. We, who know the simplest yet profoundest truth of all.  We are. It is by this comprehension that we reconnect with the part of ourselves that is infinite. Here as human beings we are given an opportunity to recognize our own existence and to fully interact with the wonder and woe that abounds. We are alive. We are here. We are given a gift, a divine bestowment upon our hearts. The knowledge and ability to feel the full range of humanity’s capacity. To not only see it, or hear of it, but to feel it in all of its earth shattering glory. We suffer the depths of despair and we celebrate the heights of ecstasy, because we are.

-Love

The Glory of Spring

The sun streams across the fields and valleys, sparkling upon the river that ever flows. Its radiant light casts shadows everywhere. They dance and flicker through the trees.

The sky an endless blue is broken by the wisps of clouds. Trees like lace frame the vast expanse. Winter branches reach their knobby fingers toward the infinite azure. The crooked, knotted limbs intertwine against the pristine backdrop to create a feeling of overwhelming awe.

My eyes flit from sight to sight and light upon the wondrous beauty of a golden day.

The air is touched with the dewy fresh, damp green scent of spring. The soil is warming in the beaming sun’s rays, awakening and incubating the plants whose long winter sleep is at long last past. Crocus’ peak their tender heads up from their earthen womb heralding the dawn a new season.

The moss on the trees is vibrant green upon grey and brown and red. The forest floor, a patchwork quilt  of browns and reds and burnt oranges. Last fall’s foliage blankets the ground and permeates the air with a dank and musty odor bringing to mind peaceful tranquility,  a promise of security and continuity in the ever predicatable cycle of life, death, life.

Houses and barns sit welcoming in the warmth of the afternoon. Baking in the sun and emanating comfort from the very boards that comprise them. Their paint worn by the weather, their roofs show signs of wear and tear. Their porches beckon to be sat upon, their yards and gardens cry out to be played in, tended.

People are out everywhere. In their yards and in the towns, they soak up the rejuvenating, redemption of yet another season of life commencing. The promise of abundance and renewal pervades the mood and tantalizes the senses. Spring has sprung to life like a baby born. And I weep sweet soft tears of eternal gratitude, so blessed am I (are we) to experience the glory of life's perpetual grace.

My Time...

Tonight I steal the moments I need to sit quietly by myself. In a softly lit room, I sit in the glow of the computer screen. Knowing that if I take the time to write, I will find something. Something that is hidden somewhere within me that is longing, no insisting to come out. Like a child in winter, cooped up behind closed doors and windows finally getting outside to run and burst and play! When I start these posts I never quite know where they will take me, and yet I start out without a map or a destination and let the thoughts carry me where they will.

I am thinking about time today. How elusive it is really. How we buy it and sell it and earn it and burn it, all the while never really holding it at all. Time is a conceptualization. How we perceive it determines so much of our lives. If we fear time and its confines, we become like proverbial “white rabbits” always late, always running to and fro and never really getting anywhere at all. If we go to the opposite extreme and disregard time, we become nonfunctional, unable to perform within society’s margins.

I struggle with time all the time (pun intended I guess!). Feeling pressured to make the most of my time, to best utilize every second so that I can eventually relax. Later. When everything is finally all done. When the house is clean and the children are played with and stimulated and thoroughly entertained, fed, primped, taught and nurtured… When my chore list is wiped clean and my craft list is at least commenced. When I have exercised, read, watched some quality programming, spent time with friends, loved ones and my husband … When I have baked and cleaned up and enjoyed the fruits of my labors. When I have written something amazing that speaks for my soul and tells the world who I am and what I want to say… Then I can sit back and relax. Then I can really feel the beauty of my life.

The irony is not lost me I assure you. And while I recognize that the time I spend doing all those wonderful things IS THE BEAUTY of my life, still I sometimes forget. I forget to be in the moment, whether that moment consists of gratifying experiences or tedious ones. I would do well to remember that this moment, right now really IS all I will ever have. Does that mean I should blow off the dishes in order to listen to Pandora and write a thought provoking blog? Or miss dinner on one of my few nights off in order to go to yoga and satisfy my own selfish need for space? Does that mean I should shut myself in my bedroom, read, take a walk, a drive, a shower in order to reclaim my time? Does it mean I should laugh and play and romp about with my children even though we all have multiple things that could (should?) get done? Does it mean I schedule dates with my friends and insist that we make time to connect? Does it mean that I give my husband my undivided attention and listen to him tell me what he’s been thinking about today?

Yes. Irrevocably, the answer to all these questions is YES. Time is a fickle friend. But I need to reconnect with her on a new and more adjusted level. I am tired of chasing my tail and feeling like I always come up short. I will write when I can. Play when I wish. Work when I must. Cook when I will. Live while I’m living and recognize the profundity of each day’s moments. I will celebrate time in all of its infinite glory and make the most of it while it’s mine to make. I will sing, laugh, dance, share, learn, hope, cry, give, and LOVE my moments away! The time that has been bestowed upon me will not be wasted. My life is my legacy, my history my story and I intend to live it fully, with presence and gratitude every second of every day. Except when I don’t. When I forget and find myself caught in the web of “have tos” and “must dos” I will come back and remember that at least for tonight I found it. That place where I know that everything I do is lucrative and creative, and unequivocally mine. That I needn’t fight for my time. It’s mine and it always has been. And so, being mine, it is my great pleasure to share it with you.

-Love.

Making friends...

Moving away from “home”, not once but twice in my life, taught me so much about who I am. It showed me that to be “me” away from all the preconceived notions and opinions about who I had always been, I had to decide for myself just who that person is. When not surrounded by those who had formed solid impressions of my role in their reality, I was faced with the challenge of creating my own existence, my own reality.

The funny thing about it is for all of the security and comfort that comes from being “home”, there was also always a stigma attached to who I was in relation to my environment. Who I was in school, who I was in that small town microcosmic universe. What mother was I? What friend? What person??? There are an infinite number of childhood insecurities that accompany us into adulthood. Being tossed out of my comfort zone and forced to face those insecurities head on was/is one of the most extraordinarily cathartic experiences I have had to date.

Meeting new people, making new friends, finding common ground in uncommon situations taught  me to see the commonalities we all share as human beings. It helped me to recognize that EVERYONE feels inadequate sometimes. Everyone feels pressure to live up to some imaginary idea of normal. We all question our thoughts, our choices, our beliefs and our desires… Is it alright that I am this way or that way???  Does it matter if I “fit in” with this group or that group? Should I pretend to be something I’m not in order to feel acceptance?

I began to really ponder what matters most to me. What makes me happy and what I can do without. What I found is a sense of “soul” integrity. A wealth of internal knowledge about just who I truly am, and more important, who I am not. I moved back to “small town USA” with a newfound confidence in my capacity to relate to others from that place within myself where I connect with them. That place in which I realize that we are not so different after all and that all the external preoccupations are simple distractions from the truth. That behind all the status symbols and fashion trends, behind the money debauchery, and class distinctions, we are all the same. We all want the same thing. To love and be loved.

Making new friends has become almost like a benign and joyful addiction of mine. Connecting with others at a deep and meaningful level, letting people see me as fallible and alright with that, is like a badge of honor. I feel like I have figured out a great mystery. I have discovered a wealth of compassionate reciprocation. And truth be told my interactions on the whole are 99% of the time rewarding and pleasant. Seeing the world as an endless opportunity to build heartfelt relations is exhilarating and feels truly rewarding and purposeful. I am a friend. I am your friend!

-Love.

Wrestling

For some reason this week has been a struggle for me. I have had a lot of time off, (which should give me a sense of satisfaction) and yet I have felt all week long like my time is too short and I am always pressed! Responsibilities loom, darkening my mood and creating friction during what should be (could be?) peaceful “at home time”. Even baking didn’t help! And baking ALWAYS helps! (Though the pumpkin bread did turn out delicious! If I do say so myself! J)

I just want…                                             

A (relatively) clean house with no food or spills or dirt lying around... (BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

To feel motivated instead of resentful…

To be organized…

Quality down time that feels restorative…

Space to develop my private thoughts and resolve my unrest…

Time to write, to walk, to do yoga and connect with friends…

To give and receive much needed understanding

To help others…

To feel joyful and appreciative…

To be present in the time that I have…

To break down this mental wall that holds me back from loving life in this moment AS IT IS…

To stop needing things to be/feel different in order to find serenity…

To feel proud of myself and recognize my efforts…

PATIENCE!!!

To be lighthearted, and exuberant…

To love life!

I write this wondering if I should share. It’s not inspiring or uplifting. It’s just plain true. I struggle. I fret. I get bogged down in the day to day and I have to work at keeping my thoughts positive. I get tired, and crabby (read: Bitchy) and frustrated! I am human, and oh, how I wrestle with that! Some days I feel like life just pins me to the mat and won’t let me up for air. I trip over my own efforts to “get over it”, and I get peeved at myself for letting it get to me!

So there. Now you know. I’m having a day. (week?) And I may “get over it” tomorrow, or even later this afternoon. But for now, I am feeling pissy and am trying hard to remember just how beautiful my life truly is and how incredibly blessed I am today.

-Love

Bittersweet Passage of Time...

If I could muster the energy to write something worthwhile tonight, I’d have to tell you all just how awe struck I find myself at random times with the exquisite beauty of life. I am literally moved to tears just driving along, or nonchalantly watching a family interact at the park.
It’s as if for some reason I am acutely aware of the fleeting splendor of life on Earth. A deep, soulful comprehension of impermanence has awakened within my heart.

Tonight I held my children, each in turn. I sang them bedtime songs (even the 12 year old)… I kissed their heads and held their hands, I breathed their sweet essence deep into my being. And I choked up at how quickly time passes. How if you so much as blink, years have passed and left you feeling, for lack of a better word, stunned.  I think back to just two short years ago, to a time when I was still juggling a toddler and a preschooler… I was so in the moment, every second of every day was a hands on exercise in presence, and yet somehow those moments escaped me and have drifted off into the elusive place known as past. Those times were hard, and I struggled, but I also felt so alive! I had a clearly defined purpose! To make it through the day! J

My baby is now a preschooler, my oldest a soon to be middle school student. I am flabbergasted by the sheer force of time and how it trudges on through all of life’s trials and tribulations. “This too shall pass” has helped me through many a long, tear soaked night, but its meaning has taken on a new connotation. There is a bitter sweetness to the concept now. The knowledge that “this too SHALL pass” and that we are forever marching forward with no way to slow or stall the inevitable passing of time is both inspiring and hauntingly pointed.

I am compelled more than ever to BE HERE NOW. To feel completely submerged in my present experience; moved not to waste my time and energy projecting fear or concern into the future; relinquishing remorseful thinking, not wasting my precious resources clinging to the past.  I feel challenged by my comprehension to up the ante so to speak… To re-up my efforts and become ever more attentive… more present… more appreciative… and more aware of myself and my moments as they are happening.

Time is devious. Cherish your moments. Joy is contagious. Offer your joyful exuberance to the universe and reap infinite joy in return! Forgiveness is healing. Forgive yourself and others with a compassionate heart. Grace is redeeming. Be graceful in your thoughts and actions. Gratitude is transformational. Be grateful for all things. Love is limitless. Give and receive love unconditionally. Life is precious. Live fully and with true reverence!

-Love.

A Love Letter...

Dear Friend,

You are an amazing individual. Your presence is irreplaceable. You have unique talents and gifts to offer the world. You are a special, beautiful, significant component in an ever-unfolding puzzle. Your contribution to the pattern is essential. No thread in the tapestry is meaningless. Your life is not trivial or small. It is interconnected to all of life in the universe. You are an example of life manifesting itself. Your consciousness is a tool for acknowledging your worthiness and unlimited potential.

Your experience is personal, but you are NOT alone. We are all together on this crazy, exhilarating, fear inducing, joy conjuring, awe inspiring, often perplexing, always extraordinary trip called life. We all start out without a map and only a few near and dear ones to steer us toward our destiny. But ultimately we have all the answers already. Deep within us in that place that drives our decision-making, and informs us of “right and wrong”.  We all have the capacity to BE great. You are made up of the necessary “materials” to “create”...  A better world… A truer vision… A kinder species… You have much love to give and to receive.

Open your heart and free your mind from the oppression of fear. You needn’t fear life. Live life with a joyful spirit. It is all temporary and the trials and tribulations that make you doubt and fear are fleeting. Trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be and use that trust to connect you with your deepest sense of serenity. Allow it to propel you through your life with confidence and ease.

You are one of a kind. You bring something irrefutably precious, exceptional, and instrumental to this lifetime. You are here because you were called to be here at this very moment. There are no mistakes only opportunities. You are important. You matter. You have a purpose. Trust your instincts. Follow your heart. Believe in yourself. Be the person you hope to be and inspire others to recognize their own potential through your example.

I am honored to share my “Earth walk” with you. You bring an infinite amount of joy into this world by the sheer grace of simply being who you are. Knowing your spirit and mine have chosen this moment to exist simultaneously in this place at this point in history is profoundly meaningful to me.
You are special and your irrevocable magnificence enhances this world. You are loved.

-Love.

Processing...

 I have been considering a couple of things lately… Maybe my insights will help someone else who struggles with similar concerns… Or it may just help to know that others struggle too, in their own ways.

One thing I am trying to do is recognize when I am making decisions based on guilt as opposed to need or desire. This is proving to be incredibly challenging for me as it seems I cannot always differentiate between guilt and desire.  Now, one would think that would be an easy distinction, but for me (as it turns out) there is a bit of a blurred line. So much of who I am, who I choose to be, revolves around making others happy. I want that. I feel good when I can make other people feel good too. This creates an obscurity in recognizing what I do for the sheer purpose of bringing myself and others happiness and what I do out of some perceived obligation.

The next thing I am beginning to recognize is my further need to work on caring for myself. (This coincides perfectly with the guilt topic.) By taking care of myself, I do not only mean eating right and exercising. I mean recognizing my own needs, being compassionate toward myself, forgiving myself for imperfections, assisting myself through adversity with supportive thinking, and stopping the constant barrage of critical thoughts that seem to inevitably accompany hardship of any kind; be it a hard day, a difficult interaction, a simple misunderstanding or something more serious. I am now becoming more aware of my thoughts and taking more responsibility for my own happiness. This is not a new concept for me. I have been working on this for years. I did some major self-examining ten years ago and came out of a crisis with a newfound set of skills and understanding. I now recognize a deeper level of needs I have been neglecting.

A dear friend, someone whose insight I revere immensely, asked me the other day how is it that I can have such a great understanding of love and compassion, yet not offer that to the most important person of all, myself. I didn’t know what to say to her. My first thought was to laugh at the ridiculousness of the thought. Of course I love myself. I felt irritated and defensive at the idea of needing to “love” myself. That gave me pause to think. Maybe I am not caring for me as well as I could be. I have never been a very patient person, least of all with myself. I became very self sufficient and independent around the age of 12 and I think on some level I may be stuck in that adolescent mentality where  I don’t offer myself a whole lot of understanding and consideration. So… I am working on it today. I want to be happy; I want to make others happy. Life is a learning experience, and I am sharing mine with you!

Love yourselves today!

10 Things You May Not Know About Me...

So, I totally stole this concept from a friend. (Thanks Theresa!) Seemed like a fun game to play, though most people who know me know most of this stuff anyway. It was really hard to come up with 10 things people may not know about me! Like my husband said, “Yeah babe, you’re kinda an open book.” Yep, I guess I am… Here it is anyway!

1.       I am a terrible liar.

2.       I quit smoking 10 years ago.

3.       I lived in a tent when I was little.

4.       I cry when I am angry.

5.       I am a little bit psychic.

6.       I have suffered with debilitating anxiety.

7.       I write poetry.

8.       I HATE commercials.

9.       I want to foster children.

10.   I can’t do push ups.

:-)

Valuing our resources...

I am drawn to the idea of change. A global alteration, which would acknowledge the value of women and elevate their contributions to a level of reverence in which they are honored and cherished for all that they do and all that they are.

Living in a world that does not honor women is a travesty. Just knowing that somewhere right now a mother suffers unnecessarily, while caring for and worrying about her family, breaks my heart into a million jagged pieces. They slice and pierce my sense of well being, a constant reminder of an insufferable reality.

As a mother of daughters, I am fortunate to have been born in a country, at a time when women had fought for and won equal rights. Yet I am fearful and ashamed to have my daughters learn of the unthinkable horrors that are unjustly barraged upon women the world over. The atrocities of humanity’s shortcomings never fail to astonish and incite me.

The very idea of a world in which people are treated fairly and equally, where a child in Asia or Africa is every bit as much a person and as important to the web of life as a child in the U.S. (your child, or mine) is utopian under our current thought paradigm! It is inconceivable and must become widely accepted if we are ever to rise above this oppressive mentality.

There is a pressing need within my heart to express this concern. I long to impart to everyone how very, very, critical this issue is to our planetary evolvement.  We cannot call ourselves civilized creatures while allowing the imbalance of power and greed to infect and destroy so many. Particularly women, need to be protected and cherished, they need opportunities to use their capacity for love and compassion that are readily available within their hearts, to participate in and affect real change in the world.

I could start going into the financial injustice, the global misuse of funds, which encourages a world of fear and war instead of a world of love and peace… I could sit here all day and discuss how as a species we must decide to put “life” before “profit”… Perhaps I’ll save that subject for another day! J

-Love