It’s Been Ten Years!

I got a notification that ten years ago today I registered for this blog.  It is amazing to me that I started this journey so long ago.  So, Happy 10 Year Anniversary to my blog and to all of my followers!  I am very grateful for all of the blogging friendships I have made and for all of the amazing people I have met through blogging.

So, thank you for being you!

Much has happened over the last ten years in my life as I am sure it has in yours as well.  Many changes, much growth and new opportunities for which I am grateful.  The fact that I am still here 18 years after being diagnosed with breast cancer is a blessing to me.  I don’t take my life for granted and I have found appreciation for every precious moment that I am here for my loved ones and friends.

I appreciate The Presents of Presence in my life and the myriad of precious connections I have made because of those gifts.  Through each change, I have found peace even when I weathered tough storms.  I have always felt the angels looking out for me and my faith has steadied me through many trying ordeals.  While life school isn’t easy, the lessons we learn and how we grow from the experiences make it all worth it.

So today, I’m extending my appreciation for all that The Presents of Presence has given to me and for all of you who have connected with me over the years.  We have been through much together and have weathered many storms, thankfully.  You have taught me, inspired me, shined your heartlights into my life and I pray that you have felt my heartlight shining into yours with positivity, inspiration and love.

May you all continue to stay healthy through this Covid-19 virus.  May you shine your heartlights for all to see and continue to connect virtually with each other while this storm passes as well.  Because it will pass and our lives will be changed.  But perhaps we will find the gifts to be appreciated in the changes as I have.

God Bless.

Shine On!

xo

What Will You Leave Us This Time?

Click Here for Oh Very Young (with lyrics)

Above is a YouTube video with the lyrics to the song by Cat Stevens, Oh Very Young, which is a beautiful reminder for so many of us.  Have you ever thought of what you leave behind when you say goodbye to this life?  How will you be remembered?  Will you take the love and connections with you that you’ve made on this planet?  Will your memory remain with those who stay?  What will those who stay remember about you?

I pray that your memory of me will be of love, kindness, compassion, connections, caring and grace.  I wish the same for you with your loved ones and for all with whom you connect.  You are such a special person, here for a Divine Purpose to love, to hold and to make a difference in a beautiful way.  I was reminded of this today, so I will, in turn, remind you. ♥

Shine On!

xo

 

What To Do When You Fear The Truth

Recently I had a startling experience with an uninvited guest in my home with whom, unbeknownst to me, I was sharing my discarded vittles.  Yup, you guessed it ~ I had a mouse in my house!

I screamed and continued howling in fear as the mouse and I met unexpectedly one evening.  We both stared at each other, frozen in fear from my continued screeching until he finally got hold of his senses and scurried back into hiding.  The tears and fear erupted in me, like a volcano spewing and I began to shake, still staring at the place we had met.  It took quite awhile for me to calm down as the fear leapt into my brain and I worried where he’d gone, how he’d gotten in and if he had a family of squatters now residing in my home.  And, to top it all off, why in the world weren’t my two diva cats patrolling the house?  Weren’t cats supposed to chase mice?

This whole episode led me to facing the truth with a heartful of anxiety every morning for days when I would be fear finding out the truth ~ were there more mice?  Had they returned to my home?  Were they indeed making a nest here or were they just passing through?

It seems to me, until the truth of any situation is thrust into our faces, that we fear the truth.  We fear knowing something that changes our lives.  We turn a blind eye to happenstance evidence, preferring to not make waves in what we deem the tranquility and peace in our lives.  But as I’ve learned, we can’t put off the inevitable.  It happens in the blink of an eye and many times at the most inconvenient of times and yet, with Divine Timing.

So the next time you are fearing the truth in any situation, know in your heart that facing your fears like the cat and mouse above, only makes things easier.  For once you know the truth, you can deal with the situation.  You can ask for advice, you can connect with others and you can eventually move on after you’ve processed the fear of change.  This bodes well for almost any life situation that you fear.

Take a giggle from my mouse adventure today and know that no matter what truth you are facing, you have a friend in me.

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

Friendship Comes in All Colors

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. -Douglas Pagels

Sometimes just a diagnosis of an illness, breast cancer or not, can be isolating.  Think about it.  Any type of bad news can have this same affect on us ~ the death of a family member, friend, loved one, the diagnosis of our own disease or illness or that of a loved one ~ the death of a marriage, a friendship, a relationship ~ a change in a loved one (domestic violence, drugs, jail) ~ any heart stopping trauma usually is isolating to us at the time.  It’s up to us to see how much we let it affect us and what we do with those feelings.

It’s hard to reach out when you’re in that whirlwind of change.  The trauma many times cuts to our inner core, shakes up what we had thought we had control over and then leaves us as if we’d been thrown into a washing machine on high spin ~ only to be so dizzy by the news that we can only sit in the corner and watch the world go around.  It seems too hard to get up to move sometimes after this happens.  It’s simply mind-numbing no matter the situation.

And that’s where friendships begin and end.

It’s where the hand of friendship reaches out and doesn’t judge, but simply holds in it much love and comfort.  You don’t have to understand what’s going on with a friend in order to be a friend.  You just have to know when to listen, when to hug and when to hold hands.  It’s that simple and much appreciated!  For what you give out, you get back a hundred fold!  There’s no greater return on investment than true friendship!

So whether you need a friend or you can be a friend or both ~ today’s the day to be inspired ~ today’s your day to smile at someone else!  Wouldn’t it be nice to cast a bit of sunshine out to someone else today?  I know you can do it!  We are all here together to help each other to Shine On!  So get out your sparkle and let’s go!

I’m sending BIG HUGS, Happy Smiles and I’m holding my hand out to you!

Grasp my hand and let’s SOAR!

Shine On!

xo