Christmas Will Never Be The Same Again

I realized today that Christmas will never be the same again after our new addition. Our house and all of its Christmas decorations are not in the same places anymore. As you can see above, the furry Christmas tree skirt continues to be askew because Buster loves to snuggle on it. So he does and I’m ok with it.

My sons and I are sitting and relaxing in the family room together while the puppy is in what we refer to as his corral (playpen) nearby. He’s relaxing after having gone outside for yet another romp in the grass, picking up sticks and leaves and carrying them around before we have to open his mouth to make sure he doesn’t choke. It’s like having a baby again, except this one eats things off the ground! LOL

This has been a long year, hasn’t it? Filled with many challenges, but on this day, I am feeling grateful that we are all still here, still healthy and happy. I hope that you are all doing well too. I was late designing the Christmas cards this year, so they are more like New Year’s cards, if in fact they arrive before the new year begins. A little nudge had me hesitant to choose a family photo for the card because I kept feeling as if a puppy were in our future, he’d arrive in time for his Christmas card debut. I am grateful to report that he did!

A golden retriever was not the breed we originally planned to get; as a black Labrador, like the one I had growing up, was our intent. Well, at first it was a husky which my older son had been begging to get for years, but even though I adore huskies too, I have heard they need a lot of exercise and we are not in the position for that at this time. So when we saw this little puppy locked eyes with us, touching our souls and letting us know that he was our new baby, there were no questions. I believe that we connect with our animals and bond through the love. They come to us when we are open and able to embrace what is meant to be.

I will tell you that occasionally I wonder what I was thinking as puppy training is a challenge at the moment. So if you have any tips and tricks, I’m listening and ready to learn!

Shine On!

xo

Merry Christmas To All

My dear friends, it has been a dog’s age since I’ve written and I apologize for the delay. I haven’t been on for quite awhile so I’ve been missing all that’s been happening in your lives. I hope that you are doing well and that all are healthy and happy in your families. Please let me know how you’re doing!

In the meantime, I’ll give you an update in case you’re interested. Our dearest American Bobtail cat Tiffy passed away this summer. She had been an integral part of our family and a beloved fur therapy kitty. Honestly, we were all quite devastated when she began to decline in health, but it was age-related. Tigger, our rescue cat, stayed the course with us, snuggling when we were teary and making us laugh when needed.

We started talking about getting a puppy as my one son has wanted one since he was little. But it had to be the right one for us and even though he begged for a husky puppy, I wasn’t convinced that we would be able to handle that type of high energy. I always believe that animals come to us (and we to them) with the right timing. So I’d like to introduce Buster, our golden retriever puppy who is 11 weeks old. We got him right before Christmas so that everyone would be home to bond with him and to let him acclimate to our home in the best way possible.

Buster

If you had asked me in September if I were getting a Christmas puppy, I would have giggled, but here I am. Life always gives us opportunities to increase our joyful quotient and ours was in the form of a Golden Retriever puppy. So without further ado, welcome to our family Buster!

Shine On!

xo

Wishing You Love And Joy

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Blessed Christmas filled with so much love and joy!

I pray you enjoy a day that reminds you of all of the blessings we have to be grateful for surrounded by loving memories of those who cannot be with us today. I am reminded in the still of the morning with my sweet children asleep in their beds that these are the small blessings, the amazing moments that are to be cherished.

So hold your loved ones closely. Life is precious. Be the love and joy you wish to feel in this world. As always, keep shining your heartlights! You are loved!!

Shine On!

xo

Happy Winter Solstice 2020!

Photo credit from here

The shortest day of the year aligns with the longest night on December 21st 2020. The Winter Solstice this year (if you aren’t already aware) features the first visible “double planet” in 800 years which are Jupiter and Saturn. This conjunction is also being referred to as the “Christmas Star.”

What a lovely blessing for this year that has been fraught with turmoil, disappointment, fear and sadness. We are nearing the end of 2020 with many of us heavy-hearted, tired and worn out. But innately, also with hope, love and a yearning for peace. I find the Christmas Star to be a necessary and appreciated highlight right now. Don’t you?

Are you planning on taking a walk outside to see if you can view this extraordinary gift today? Due to our time zones, perhaps some of you will not be able to see it or perhaps you already have (by the time you read this)! Either way, I’d love to hear about your experience and see your photos if you take any!

My hugs are plentiful for all of you. May you find peace in The Presents of Presence and be thankful for the amazing gifts this world presents when we need them most. I hope you are all doing well. Keep shining your heartlights!

Shine On!

xo

The Christmas Spirit Is In Action

I adore the Christmas Spirit which comes during the holiday season!  It warms my heart when people are nicer, more thoughtful and loving.  I appreciate the extra kindness that arrives when generosity of spirit reigns.  How I wish we would continue the spirit of Christmas throughout the year!

Being kind doesn’t require anything spectacular.  It is simply being aware of those around us and being thoughtful of how others may be feeling.  There are many lonely souls who are quietly experiencing Christmas alone.  Neighbors, friends and even those who are in old age homes.  It doesn’t take much to reach out in a friendly manner to let them know that they are being thought of at Christmas.

A small card can make a difference, especially to those who have Alzheimer’s.  Even though they may not fully be aware that Christmas is upon us, to receive a card makes all the difference in the world.  I know that from experience.

Yesterday I brought cards to the Alzheimer’s home where my loved one resides.  As I am a frequent visitor, I bought a pack of Christmas cards and made one out for each of them.  It was a simple heartfelt gesture on my part, but the result made my heartlight grow tremendously.

As each lady received her card, she smiled.  While they recognize me, they do not remember my name, but they know I belong to my loved one who is one of their friends.  I had brought extra in case I had inadvertently forgotten someone and I was glad I did.  I ended up making a few extra cards right there when I realized I was to deliver a card to a lady who was seated with two others whom I really didn’t know and I wasn’t sure if they were aware.  But sure enough, they were.

Quickly, I went back and wrote the cards for the other two ladies and then delivered them.  I smiled and as I handed the newly written card to one woman in particular, her chin wobbled.  “I hope you didn’t think I’d forgotten you!  Here’s your Christmas card!  Merry Christmas!” I cheerily said to her.  She smiled at me and I walked back to my loved one’s table.

A few minutes later, this particular lady appeared, having summoned one of the workers to bring her to “that lady who gave her the card.”  As she sat in her wheelchair she was teary and said, “Thank you.  This was the nicest card ever.  It means a lot that you thought of me.”  That moment of a small action on my part touched her and it meant the world to me.  I reached out to hug her and I got teary too.

While some may think that just because those with Alzheimer’s don’t remember a lot, it doesn’t mean that a kind gesture doesn’t touch their hearts.  While I am not naive enough to think that those cards may not make it back to their rooms to sit on their dressers, it’s that moment that counts.  That moment of Christmas spirit, connection and as a result of a small action, ties two hearts in harmony.

So if you’re contemplating sending a small batch of cookies to an elderly neighbor or sending a card to someone, my advice is to do it.  There’s nothing like the magic of Christmas to make this world a better place.

Shine your heartlights my friends.  Together our lights ignite the sparkle that grows the Christmas and Hanukah spirit!

Shine On!

xo

Rabbit Rabbit December First!

Well my dear friends, it’s December First which means it’s time to say Rabbit Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit!  Did you remember?  Well, if you didn’t, you can say it now!

The holiday season is here and with it comes all of the traditions that we’ve built up over the years.  Do you have holiday traditions at your home too?  What are they?

For us, it’s always been that we go to ‘our place’ to choose a live cut Christmas tree and then we bring it home, water it, let it acclimate to our home temperature and then decorate it the next day.  But we’ve changed it up this year.  Yes, I bought my first artificial tree for Christmas.  Me!  Whose tradition was a cut tree because I love the smell of balsam!  Me – who’s never thought artificial trees looked real enough.

But guess what?  I decided to go with the flow and I’m so happy I have!  Change is good!

Do you have an artificial tree or a real one?  I’ll admit it’s a new experience for my children as we all loved the live cut tree, but this new one is a great substitute.  It was really easy to set up and it’s full!  I bought some of those balsam scentsicles so that the tree smells real even though we know it’s not.  It’s pre-set with lights and even though I’ve always been a white light girl only, I’m enjoying the twinkling colored lights as well.

Sometimes I think we get bogged down with the limiting thought that the holidays have to be a certain way because “it’s tradition.”  Sometimes people have difficulty with not getting their way when it comes to holiday traditions.  But life is ever expanding and changing.  Traditions are lovely, but they’re not set in stone.  Life is fluid.  We have to go with the flow and change with the new situations as they arrive.  I know it’s not easy to expand our thinking especially when we strongly feel that we’ve always done it this way, so that’s the way it has to be.  But it really doesn’t.  Besides, traditions can be stifling over time and changing it up can add a breath of fresh air!  You never know, you may even enjoy the change like we have with the colored lights and an artificial tree!

As I sit here relaxing with the colored lights on, I’m smiling.  As it gets darker outside, I will push the new tree light remote and change the lights to white because I like them in the dark.  I always feel like white light is healing when it shines into the darkness.

Happy December First to you!  Whatever you’re doing, keep shining your heartlights!  Go with the flow and expand your thinking.  You may find unexpected happiness when you allow new traditions to emerge from the old ways!

Shine On!

xo

Happy Thanksgiving!

May our lives be full of both thanks and giving!

Good morning to you!  If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today, please allow me to wish you many blessings on this day along with my gratitude for our friendship and the connections we have made.  Happy Friendsgiving to you!

It’s a quiet morning here.  My children are still sleeping in their beds and as usual, I’m sitting here sipping coffee, thinking about life and counting my blessings.  Especially as I grow older, I find myself appreciating The Presents of Presence more and taking the much needed time to remember and to be grateful for all that I have endured to make this moment in time more precious.

Life continues to change with every passing year.  We lose friends and family along the way as we grow older.  Situations change.  People change.  Life can seem more complicated.  But the simplicity of gratitude which is what Thanksgiving represents makes the now, this present moment, all the more real, for we never know what can change in our lives at a moment’s notice.

So, take this day and remember to:

Speak from your heart and say I love you more often.

Appreciate those with whom you have a lasting connection.

Be thankful for all blessings – big and small.

Shine your heartlights.

Connect with kindness.

Be grateful for all of the kindness you’ve received.

Make sweet memories, for they are your legacy.

Enjoy this day that you’ve been given.

Shine On!

xo

A New Year Rabbit Rabbit Welcome 2019

Welcome 2019 and let’s start this fine new year with our Rabbit Rabbit!

I want to thank you all for your kindness in the past and I look forward to making memories with all of you in 2019!  May you embrace the year ahead and write your twelve new chapters any way you wish!

Keep shining your heartlights to light up our world with love!  I believe in you!  We are all connected!  I wish you a year filled with abundant blessings!

Shine On!

xo

Christmas Is About Presence, Not Presents

As we get older, our Christmas list becomes less about store bought gifts and more about those priceless feelings of togetherness.  I’ve found it’s the simplicity of spending quality time with family and friends that means more to me than anything else.  As the title above reads, it’s about PRESENCE and not PRESENTS.

Being present during the holidays helps to encourage and grow feelings of joy, peace and good cheer.  It’s sharing time and connecting with people.  It’s the simple joys of goodwill that we foster when we get out of the commercialism of Christmas and into the basic feeling of love to all.

Enjoy the simplicity of Christmas presence this year.  Open your hearts with gratitude for this moment in time.  Be thankful for each and every blessing and share your heartlights with all whom you encounter.  Life is good, even when it’s difficult and a loving presence is all we truly have.

Much love and Christmas Blessings to All!

Shine On!

xo

Dad’s Christmas Legacy To Me

My Dad loved Christmas and his love for the holidays colored my childhood and has stayed with me.  He would put up the Christmas tree complete with twinkling white lights and play Christmas music throughout the holiday season and beyond.  Many times the artificial tree would stay up past little Christmas (January 6th) simply because it brought him peace and joy.

Our childhood home was full of nostalgia – precious ornaments from his childhood that he’d inherited from his parents.  Our stockings were hung by the fireplace of his childhood home where we also grew up, filled with many of his family heirlooms.  The manger we had was his parents’ and the old train which circled the tree was his childhood treasure.

I remember him sitting quietly in the living room with the only lights on being those on the tree and Christmas music playing on the stereo.  In that serenity he would relax into a calm that was enticing and I find myself often during the Christmas season doing exactly the same.  There’s something about Christmas that brings gratitude to the surface, brings magic to the air and healing to those who seek peace.

I remember his father’s favorite song was Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas which as a child, I learned to play on the piano.  My Dad would pass by as I was practicing sometimes and request it and of course, I would play it for him.  While I didn’t understand why he wanted me to play his father’s favorite carol and not his own, as an adult and a parent and missing my deceased Dad, I understand.

Christmas can be full of hustle and bustle and sometimes fraught with family plans that keep us busier than we’d like.  My remedy is simply to carve out some special quiet time to feed your soul with the goodness of love.  Hold your loved ones close.  Remember those who have passed.  Be grateful for all that you have.  Enjoy the magic of little ones and Santa, but remember the blessings that His birth has given to us.  Lift your voice to sing those carols and hymns.  Find your childhood nostalgia and feel the blessings.  Look around at those whom you encounter and smile.  Share the kindness in your heart.  Embrace those that may not have family nearby.  Open your homes and hearts.  Love finds a way to heal us all when we allow it.  Angels are everywhere – just keep looking!

May you find peace, healing, joy and hope during the Christmas season this year.  May you take the needed time to relax and to sit quietly watching the twinkling lights with a heart full of the magic of this special season.  May you find comfort in nostalgia and strolling down memory lane.  May you find the stars shine brighter for you in the night sky, twinkling their messages of love to you and yours.

May you keep your heartlights shining for all to see!

Shine On!

xo