Happy 4th of July!

Being a Jersey Girl, the beach has always been important to me so when I saw this photo on FaceBook, I copied and pasted it here.  I wish I knew who the photographer was so I could give proper credit, but I don’t.  So thank you whomever you are!

We are in strange times here, aren’t we?  The laws (rules) keep changing so I’m never sure where we stand.  I guess that’s what the pandemic has started.  It’s made a lot uncertain in the world.  It’s brought fear, escalated emotions and a wide political divide.  But I’m not here to talk about that because that’s not what my blog is about as you know.

Instead, I want to go back in history and remember how our country was founded and the unity that breaking off from England to establish the USA resulted in a firm foundation.  I wish that unity again for all of us.  I wish we could see eachother as the same, yet different.  To be united as human citizens of our country and to celebrate what each person has to offer.  Because we all have goodness to offer and talents to share.

I’m reminded of hearing how we all bleed the same color and when we die, we all turn to the same dust.  What if we could remember that?  That yes, our skin may be different shades, our backgrounds and childhoods may vary, our socio-economic levels may not be the same, but…what is the same?  We are all humans on this planet who need the same things – food, shelter, clothing, air, water and love.

Love is what brings us together.  Love heals.  Love unites.  Love is a universal human emotion that grows when shared.  We can exponentially expand love without lessening it.  Love is essential.

I wish you love today and always.  Keep shining your heart lights dear friends!

Shine On!

xo

Where Do You Find Yourself?

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.” ~ e.e. cummings

I’m a gal who loves the beach and the sea, having grown up with its beauty nearby.  In fact, I would say that I could never be too far away from the ocean with its magnificence as it is so calming to my soul.  It is the sea, in all her moods, that beckons to my soul so this quote above by e.e. cummings rings so clearly to me.

Do you find the sea a place of tranquility for your soul?  Or do the mountains beckon to you?  Perhaps the plains in all their glory call to you?  Or is it the city lights which spark your beautiful soul?  Or does simply being outside, surrounded by nature help you to connect with yourself and your inner power?  Or are you blessed to be able to connect whenever and wherever you wish?

Whatever place it is that you find yourself, my wish for you today is that you go there (even if it is only in your mind) and spend a few precious moments with yourself.  Fortify your soul with the food of a loving embrace for all that you are ~ for you are special.  Your soul shines and I know that because I can see you twinkling from here!

I would love to hear where you find yourself.  Please share!

Shine On!

xo

A Magical Morning

I experienced a magical morning which I have to share with you.  Above is a photo of the sky this morning, full of sunshine with a blessing of blue (and an angelic orb in the top right corner?).  The sun is actually behind the sand photo (please notice that I made the photo into a sun shape) and the leis and Jersey Girl plaque are gifts.

I don’t know where to begin except I guess at the beginning, but my words may fall all over the page as I try to keep up with the whirring in my brain.  What could have me so excited, you may ask?  Well, two blogging souls met this morning at the beach for the first time and bonded.  Two complete strangers walked in the sunshine, excitedly blending hearts quickly and easily with much trust, presence and Blessitudes.  I am grateful to be one of them.  Just check out Lorrie’s post about our meeting ~ I love how we intertwine our friendship and our morning so easily Shine On Meets Blessitude ~ WOW!

Do you believe in magic?  Have you ever experienced the instantaneous bonding with a person quickly, easily and dare I say, magically?  As Lorrie and I walked the boardwalk this morning, having met in person for the first time (it is a first for each of us to meet another blogger in person), we bonded.  Granted, we have been following each other’s blogs for awhile, so we had a special friendship already blossoming, but this morning, it was as if magically we connected angelically.

As we were walking, excitedly chatting away like old friends, we came upon the 2 leis in the photo, right next to each other, in our path.  As I bent to pick them up, I handed the blue one to Lorrie.  We smilingly accepted the Divine gift with much enthusiasm.  We didn’t even question why they would be there for us or why nobody else had picked them up already.  We just knew they were for us.  After all, a lei is a welcome celebration of affection of one person’s affection to another.  How wonderful that the Universe knew we would find them to be so special!

Have you ever had the opportunity to meet another blogger in person?  Have you bonded with other bloggers and wished to meet?  Our amazing virtual community of bloggers is such a blessing to me in my life.  I am forever grateful to each and every one of you for connecting with me.  I hope that you experience the instant bonding when you get to meet others with whom you’ve enjoyed an affectionate connection through blogging.  It is truly magical.

Shine On!

xo

 

P.S.  I’ve written about magic before in case you’re interested…Do You Believe in Magic?

 

 

Saturday Salutations

Shine On!

Saturday Salutations to you!  I hope that no matter the weather and no matter what’s going on in your life right now, you take the opportunity to shine today.  Just look up and smile.  You are here!  You are alive!  You are blessed!  Be grateful for every little gift in your life!  I am grateful for each and every one of you!

What you give out, you receive…so shine today with all your might!  Smile, be happy, enjoy this moment ~ now!  You attract what you emit into the universe, so…

Shine On!

xo

 

P.S. My post today was delayed because I’ve been playing with Canva.  I found out about Canva from my dear friend Laurie Rohner over at Between the Weeds.   Please make sure you take a moment to click on her website as she is very talented!

Every Soul is Beautiful

Every Soul is Beautiful

I am inspired by the sea as you may know from my posts.  The beach is my oasis where my thoughts are free to fly, where I feel most at home and at peace.  I took the above photo on a contemplative day not long ago.  I’ve realized that I  don’t need to see your beautiful angelic souls in my life in order to know you are here with me.  I simply know that you exist and therefore, I trust that you are here connecting with me throughout my day.

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude to you for being faithful to your path and divinity.

You are…

beautiful,

purposeful,

angelic.

Shine On!

xo

 

 

First Day of Summer

Lifeguard stand is down.  Beach is closed.  Two years since your heart stopped beating Dad on your favorite day of the year, Summer.  Thinking of you and all that’s transpired between us.  Life goes on, but you live in my heart.  When my toes meet the sand, I will think of you.  I got my love of the beach because you made it a big part of our lives.  It is where I feel most at peace.  I send up a quiet prayer.  Rest in Peace Dad.

Shine On!

xo

The Present Moment…

“When we enter a state of mindful attention, the present moment, the now, eases open.

And when it does, life pours in.”

—  Anne Glusker

May you frolic in your life’s present.  May you increase your stillness as you breathe this moment of peace filled tranquility into your body, mind and soul.  May you find comfort in knowing that you are loved.  Feel the world hug you with delicious delight!  Smile, hold joy in your heart.  Relish this feeling of expansion, of emptiness which fills with song, laughter and tears of gratitude for you are worthy, you are blessed, you are loved, right now, just the way you are. and you know it.  You feel it tingle throughout your body with light-filled joy!

Universe/God/Source delights in your presence here on Earth.  We care.  Your life is meaningful.  Your kindness, your prosperity and your willingness to connect with others allows the flow of blessings to expand throughout the lands.  Feel the gratitude in being you.  Be filled with hope and knowing that you create this beautiful moment of light within you and with it, you continue to shine your soul self light as a beacon of love to everyone with whom you come into contact today!

Shine On!

xo

 

Where in Nature Do You Find Your Peace?

 I am soothed here.

I’m a Jersey Girl, although not the Snooki kind, but the real-life gal who grew up going to the beach everyday she could, who finds the sound of the ocean soothing and who goes in search of the sand between her toes, the sun in the sky glistening on the water and the waves crashing gently to shore in order to soothe her soul.  That’s me.  A drive to the beach will suffice when the weather’s too cold to dip my toes into the ocean, but I must smell the briny scent of the ocean’s perfume in order to completely find my peace within.

Do you have a special peaceful place in nature that you call your own? 

Are you a beach person like me?  Or do the mountains beckon to your soul?

Do the lakes have your heart?  Or does the chilly snow hold you? 

Does crunching in fallen, gem-colored leaves soften your sadness? 

Or does the howling wind blow away your troubles? 

Do raindrops wash away your tears?  Does the acrid desert drain your worries? 

Does the sunshine call your name?

Or do moonbeams beckon your feet to dance?

Do twinkling stars ignite your passion?

Or do clouds feather your dreams?

Please share with me ~ I’d love to hear where you find you peace!

Shine On!

xo

Where is your

Like Grains of Sand

My Life is Like the Beach

Bazillions of grains of sand on the beach is like my life ~ trillions of moments that pass through my life, some like stones and others like the waves washing over the beach.  Connecting the dots, the moments, the memories, and the people that like the sea, ebb and flow in my life is what I like to do ~ to reminisce and to make new memories, new connections, new friendships.  I guess that’s why I like to blog.  Just this morning, a blogger wrote about ‘walkabout’ and I was reminded that she is from Australia, which reminded me of Crocodile Dundee, which in turn connected me to the memory of living in Spain and traveling through Europe with a friend…we met many Aussies and ended up traveling with 2 for a few days.  In fact, when I returned to the States, one of them came to visit me and I took him to see New York City!  We had such a lovely time, but we fell asleep on the train going back to NJ and ended up stuck at a train station at 2am with no taxis to bring us home.  I called a friend who lived nearby and he came to pick us up.  What a memorable night.  We laughed about it as Tim (the Aussie) and I had fought over who was allowed to fall asleep on the train ride and we both ended up sleeping!  Now how’s that for a crazy string of connections?

So do you see what I mean?  One happenstance word brought on such a string of connections to my memory bank and ended up making me smile this morning!  Has this ever happened to you?  Surely the Daily Prompt today may bring out a string of connections as well since that’s today’s post.  It’s like there only needs to be that spark of recognition in order for the memory to ignite in our brains and take off like a rocket!  Sometimes the rocket brings us to outer space where it’s all stars and moonbeams and sometimes it can lead us down into the path of darkness and (yikes) ugly memories.  Such is life I guess.

I try for the most part, to concentrate on the good in my life.  Sure, there’s been bad.  I won’t deny it.  But there’s also been such good in my life that it outweighs the heavy, sad baggage that I’ve carried for years.  Do you feel that way too?  Wouldn’t you rather be lighthearted and happy and grounded than be weighted down by the negativity that can immerse you in its depths of darkness?  Wouldn’t you rather comb the beach for the colorful shells of happy memories than to drag a bag of brokenness behind you, allowing it to weigh you down?

In my life, I’ve chosen to comb the beach without weight  Sure, I know what I’ve endured and many of my readers know a bit of my story too.  Heck we all have stories!  But it’s what we do with those experiences, that knowledge that is the important part.

We are all like grains of sand on the beach living and breathing close by, connecting when the sea of sadness scoops us up in its wave, only to be later deposited back on the beach.  We can keep rolling with the waves or we can be stuck under the water, drowning in our own sadness.  It’s your choice.  It’s up to you.  Me, I’m up on shore, waiting for that wave to ride and then come back to my proper place…by your side.

Honestly, I just let my fingers talk today so I haven’t a clue what this post is really about so please forgive me.  I hope it speaks to whom it’s supposed to today.. thanks for understanding.  Big hugs to you!

Shine On!

xo

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Daily Prompt: Connect the Dots

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/daily-prompt-connection-2/

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us a CONNECTION.

_________

Head to BlogHer’s NaBloMoPo Central for more prompts, inspiration, and motivation to help you post every day — in November and beyond!