Gratitude Day 17 ~ A Beacon of Hope

Appreciation is the highest form of prayer,

for it acknowledges the presence of good

wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
-Alan Cohen

My Mom shared yesterday that she was begging God to let my Dad live.  She said she was didn’t mean to beg Him, but she simply couldn’t just pray as she cannot begin to imagine her life without my Dad.  She has been through so much in the last 2 weeks ~ standing like a Beacon of Hope next to his bed all night Thursday night, comforting him when he awakened calling for her.  In her stoic way, she never lets on to him that there is anything but hope there and that he will get better.  Even when he thinks he is dying and verbalizes it, she keeps her Beacon of Hope shining brightly.  It’s all we have at this point.

Our thankful thoughts are our Beacon of Hope and we have many good reasons to be thankful.  It’s hard to think about the possibility of my Dad passing without feeling bereft even though I’ve been blessed to have him in my life for so many years.   I know from experience that there are many others who have not been blessed with parents as long as AAngel and I have and I continue to be thankful in prayer for all that has been given to us.

Truthfully, I don’t want my Dad to pass, but I don’t want him to live uncomfortably either.  But then, it’s not my choice is it?  All I can do is continue to be thankful and appreciative for every little and big thing and for every person who is in our lives.  I am consciously trusting in God/Universe that what is supposed to happen, happens and that my family and I endure with love.

Family crises’ can bring people closer or tear them apart ~ and as I gratefully write that we three women have bonded together in order to be strong Beacons of Hope and Love to a man who has been Husband, Father and PITA to us all (he’s not a Saint you know ~ and I am a bit irreverent) I know that the above quote fits perfectly today.

Because we were called to the hospital early yesterday morning, I wasn’t able to write my post for the day.  In fact, when I awoke early this morning, I wasn’t sure of what I was going to write ~ and then, there it was ~ a quote in my email from a fellow blogger ~ LadyRomp ~ and the above quote and posting took shape.  So a heartfelt thanks to Kim @ a-message-from-the-creator-3-2 for her inspiring messages and quotes.

Use your thoughts wisely, be grateful, show your appreciation to your family, friends, loved ones.

Use the Gift of Today ~ The Presents of Presence that is yours.

Be the Beacon of Hope and Gratefulness

Shine your Love Brightly Today.

xo

Gratitude Day 15 ~ Grateful for Life

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
 Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
~Mother Teresa

I love this quote from Mother Teresa and chose it this morning because I’m so grateful for my life and for the lives of my loved ones.  This journey that we’re on with my Dad is not the first one we’ve endured with him as he’s been hospitalized before this and he’s fought his way back to health.  For as much as he can be persnickety (just love that word!), the fight within him continues and enables him to elongate his life.

But it brings home that realization as well that “Life is Short” ~ a quote we’ve heard repeatedly from older generations ~ one that I know, I’ve brushed off myself when I was younger and before I knew I had breast cancer.  “Tomorrow, tomorrow…you’re only a day away” rang in my ears because when you’re young, there’s always tomorrow!  I’m not saying that we don’t have a tomorrow in our futures, but what about TODAY ~ NOW?  We have such power in the Present of Presence ~ of being here and now and enjoying this moment for what is it ~ good, bad, sad, but never indifferent…to live a life that is full of precious moments so that on our deathbeds, we are not regretting all of the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s that we may have missed.

Mother Teresa had it right ~ life is all of the above ~ so live it! 

Enjoy it!  Revel in it because it’s YOUR GIFT!

With a grateful, loving heart, flow along with your day and enjoy this gift of life.

You’ve earned it!

Happy Wednesday to You!

xo

Gratitude Day 10 ~ Daddy’s Rainbow

Yesterday was a very hard day for my family as my Dad’s situation worsened as the day went on which finally culminated in him being moved to ICU.  He wasn’t getting enough oxygen and his veins were unable to be accessed since he was so dehydrated even though he was being given an IV.  By 10:30pm at night, we were thinking the worst ~ my Mom, my sister AAngel and me.    In a panic, earlier in the day, I called my friend BAngel, sobbing uncontrollably as I told her what was going on.  It was so hard for me to stay away from his bedside but I had to for his health as well as my own.  I was unable to fathom that I might never see him again alive and was trying to comfort myself in the knowledge that the last time I had seen him, we had chatted amiably for over 2 hours which was so nice.  He had come over with my Mom to my house and it was just the 3 of us for awhile.  It hadn’t been just the 3 of us talking for a long time.

BAngel spoke to me in the most loving way possible.  As she gently explained what I needed to do and changed my way of thinking, I felt an increase in peaceful thoughts permeate my being, knowing that I had no control over the situation and that I just needed to be supportive to everyone involved ~ be the base camp for AAngel and my Mom ~ and send loving thoughts to my Dad.   When I allowed her sage wisdom to stay in my heart and mind, I was able to function, but when I allowed myself to succumb to fear and ego, I became a blubbering mess.

Last night when I laid my head upon the pillow, I spoke to God/Universe and to my Dad directly.  It was an amazing feeling as I felt as if I were speaking to him directly even though I knew he was so sedated that he wasn’t connecting with anyone at all.  But spirit to spirit, I believe we communicated.  Now you might think it strange for me to feel this way, but I know what I felt and the peace it gave me.  I went to sleep knowing that tomorrow would be a new day and hoped that I would not get a phone call during the night from the hospital nor from AAngel.

I happily report today how GRATEFUL I am that I awoke at 5am without having a sad phone call interrupting my sleep.  I’ve called the hospital already this morning to hear that he is alert, in grave condition, but there’s hope.

I took a drive yesterday afternoon to get out of the house ~ as I left the house, the skies opened up and we had thunder, lightning and a rainstorm.  Suddenly, the sun peaked out and although it was still raining, all of a sudden I saw this beautiful rainbow.  So I followed it until I could find a safe place to park and take a picture.  Growing up my Mom would call a sunny rainstorm ~ the Devil is beating his wife ~ I have no idea what that means…but we’ve always said it.

Scientifically, I know why we had the rainbow, but in my heart, I believe it was my Gift from God ~ a Gift of Faith, Love and Understanding.  So I’ve nicknamed that rainbow Daddy’s Rainbow today…and for Father’s Day it will be his card.  Prayers said, fingers crossed and giving the situation up to God/Universe.

Thanks for all of your prayers, comforting messages and thoughts.

I appreciate you all!

xo

Gratitude Day 6 ~ It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Thank you for your kindness, taking care of me when I needed it the most.

I’ll never forget it, I’ll always appreciate it, and I’m looking forward to being able to gladly return the favor.

Dear Cathy, Steve & Jeter,

I just don’t know where to begin to thank you for being YOU!  You are the BEST Neighbors ever!  Your delicious meals for our family were greatly appreciated!  You always ‘knew’ when we needed you most!  Thank you!

I also loved the jasmine plant you gave me as it reminds me of when I lived in Spain!  I love the smell of jasmine!

Thank you again for everything.  We are so blessed to know and to love you!

Lots of Love,

Misifusa & Family

Kindness is so welcome at all times.  My neighborhood is wonderful as I am surrounded by such amazing families.  We all band together and enjoy eachother’s company.  We look out for eachother and take care of our little ‘peace of Heaven.’  We have been here 14 years and we’ve had the same neighbors.  It’s like having an extended family for which I am grateful.

I believe you can find what you are looking for ~ if you seek loving people, you find them…if you seek grumpy people, you find them.  The trick is to see the good in all so that the grumpies never get a chance to flourish!

Happy Monday ~

May your week start off right ~

with loving people surrounding you with support!

xo

100 Posts ~ Gratitude Goal!

Thank You!

Today celebrates my 100th post on my blog and I want to begin by thanking all of my readers.  I started this blog to reach out to others, to inspire, to be of service and to spread the knowledge I’ve gained through my life experiences.  Using cards as my springboard, I’ve tried to bring an inspiring message to you with every post.

I’ve had a bit of time to think lately as I’ve been recuperating and I’ve come up with a goal that I am hoping you might want to participate in.  I’ve been talking a lot about gratitude these days and I’ve got a lot to be grateful for in my life…and I’ve a lot of people to be grateful for in my life.  I’ve written a ton of thank you notes recently as many people have come to the aid of my family and me by bringing dinner over, sending flowers, sending little gifts in the mail, sending prayer cards and even just sending ‘thinking of you’ cards which have brightened my every day.  Truly I am blessed.  I loved getting that unexpected card in the mail among the bills and junk mail.  My eyes lit up every time someone brought me an envelope with my name on it because to me, it was like a little piece of Heaven…you thought of me enough to pick out a card, write a heartfelt message, address, stamp and mail it to me so that I could have something special to open…how fantastic is that!

There are many books out now, like The Magic, which reiterate that we should be grateful, be cognizant of the blessings we have already and as you concentrate on those multitude of blessings that you already have, more come your way.  I agree with counting your blessings and living a life of gratitude.  I’ve kept a gratitude journal a la Oprah which has helped to keep my positivity in check…and has grown my blessings and miracles enormously.

But I’m finding that I want to do more, globally and reach out to others with that gratitude.  A smile, a polite thank you in our daily lives to those who show us kindnesses is one way to show gratitude, but what if we were to take it a step further and say it…say thank you with a card…a heartfelt message to someone to whom you are grateful?  Imagine the amazing benefits to you and to the recipient if you were to write a heartfelt message of gratitude to a friend and the priceless feelings it would give that person when they opened a special card from you saying thank you.

Maya Angelou wrote,

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

My goal is to send a heartfelt card a day to someone whom I am grateful for ~ I’m going to do it for 30 days ~ a card a day.   I will post my journey each day so that you come along with me.  I’d love for you to join me as my goal is to get 100 people to send a card a day for 30 days.  Imagine what we could do by sending out love & gratitude  everyday for 30 days to 30 different people?  Imagine the impact it would make on our little world…of course, my mind races with what if’s…what if 1000 people did it for 30 days and so on…

If you’re interested in joining me, let me know…it’ll cost about $1 a day, you can do it from you computer and you may even change your life…what if we started a movement of gratitude?  A wave of gratitude which knows no bounds…

Join me on this journey…let’s change the world, one card at a time…

Thank you for reading my blog…I am grateful to all of you!

xo

Happy Birthday…

A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

Are you wondering what this is a picture of?  Wondering why it is Truly Beautiful?  Can you tell it’s significance? 3 18?

I made this card from the picture of the arm of a young woman I met recently.  Her tattoo intrigued me and I asked her the significance of it.  She told me that it is the birthday of her Mom ~ March 18th ~ and that she had it tattooed on her arm because her Mom is so important to her in her life.

As you know I love to connect with others and when I saw her unusual tattoo, I was astounded that it was my birthday that she had across her forearm.  I found it so interesting that I asked if I could take a picture and post it on my blog.  Thanks KAngel!

I always enjoy listening to others and their stories…and their reasons for their tattoos.  I don’t have any of my own, but it doesn’t change the fact that if I see your interesting one, I won’t stop myself from asking you about it as I feel that if you’ve felt it’s important enough to tattoo on yourself, then it’s important enough and perhaps you’d like to share.

Which brings me to birthdays…I love my birthday!  Truly I do!  I think that it’s important to celebrate every year that you are here!  I enjoy quiet reflection for what’s happened the past year, making personal goals for the coming year and I give thanks for all that has happened in my life since my last birthday to bring me to this day.  Usually my goals are simple and as the year progresses, they evolve as circumstances pop up.  I re-evaluate my life and what I’d like to do with it ~ what I really want and how I can better serve and connect with my family, friends, loved ones and others.

One year gives you 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes ,and 31,536,000 seconds ~ imagine what you can accomplish with all that time on your hands?  Even minusing sleep time in a year ~ 8 hrs a night?  Still gives you 5,840 hours in which to live what you’ve been dreaming of…and what is that?  What are you dreaming of?

I am working on my goals for the coming year ~ my inner self-goals which I think are separate from the New Year’s Resolutions.  I’ve got a few I can share ~ I’d love to hold a seminar (or two!) and pursue the power point presentations that I did last year when I was dreaming of teaching what I’ve learned…I’d love to return to my beloved Spain to tap back into my fluency again…I’d love to connect with others on an even wider scale with my business and spread a skyful of sunshine with my SendOutCards ~  I have a ton of ideas, but I do not have the necessary connections…yet!

I want to inspire survivors and others who need to know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and that they’re not alone…I want to continue to passionately pursue being a better wife, mom, sister, daughter and friend.

Just to name a few…of course, there are many more, but they are private…

So when I blow out my candles on my birthday,

I will make my wishes…

and one of them will be that WE ALL make our wishes come true this year!

xo

Sleep in Peace…God is Awake.

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life,

and patience for the small ones.

And when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task,

go to sleep in Peace. God is awake.” -Victor Hugo

I woke up this morning and this card popped into my head so here it is…I love when I feel that link and just know which card I am writing about for that day.  The sentiment I wanted to pass along today was the last line of the card ~ Go to sleep in Peace. God is awake…I like that line and it suits me well.  It brings me a sense of peace when I am agitated, upset or worried.

Sometimes I believe it is difficult for us to hand it over to God/Universe as we feel we need to have control over our lives and our situations.  It’s as if we are lacking the faith and trust in the Universe to support us in our trials and tribulations.  I am not saying that I am not this way as well sometimes, but I have learned that it is a mix of DOING for myself and TRUSTING in the Universe that brings the best results in my life.

But that act of letting go is many times more difficult ~ handing over worries can be a challenge for many.  I know that some of you worry about your health, your wealth (or lack thereof), your relationships, your overall life…and you are in charge of your own life, make no mistakes about that…as I always remind you ~ YOU HAVE THE POWER!  But isn’t it nice to know that you also have the Universe/God on your side?  Wouldn’t it be nice to stop carrying that load of worry for awhile ~ even get rid of it permanently?  You know you can…You Have The Power!

So tonight, when you lay your sleepy head upon the pillow, before you fall asleep,

think grateful thoughts, count your blessings and …

Go to Sleep in Peace ~ God is awake.

Sweet Dreams!

xo

Felt By the Heart…

“The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller

Have you ever just felt at peace?  Even for a moment, just felt the peace of life, love and spirit wash over you and just be with you?  Where you’re completely happy, content and breathing in and out with a gentleness of breath?  Have you?

I have started 3 blogs this morning, none of which are this one…because I couldn’t find the message I wanted to send today.  Each one was different, but I felt it was lacking.  Then I came upon this card and I just felt that peace wash over me…I knew this was my message for today…when was the last time you listened with your heart?

When was the last time you were touched by something in your heart?  When was the last time you just took a moment to ‘be’ and breathe and look to the sky or the grass and just focus even for a moment on this moment in time?  When did you last listen with your heart to the words (or the non-words) of a friend who’s hurting?  When was the last time YOU listened to yourself with your caring heart to what you actually felt, thought and knew?

Sometimes things and people are not always as they seem…we make up stories about them and then believe what we have ‘seen’ to be true.  We carry those thoughts with us in relation to those things/people and allow for foibles because they are dear to us and because we choose to see the good in all.

I am not advocating not seeing the good in all because I think it is important…but also as important is the knowledge that we need to listen to our guts, our intuition and our heart of hearts.  I for one, know that I lately I have been ‘busy’ but not listening to my heart.  I haven’t felt that knowing that I have learned I can tap into when I am at peace.  Perhaps it’s time to flex my heart muscle again and take a 5 minute BE session more regularly…

We all get so caught up in our lives, in our shoulda, woulda, coulda’s that we don’t take even a 5 minute break from it all to just be with ourselves and the beauty that surrounds us to enjoy it.  When was the last time you actually looked up at the sky to see the beautiful sunset or sunrise or even glimpsed a cloud formation and wondered how it continues on everyday and yet you don’t see it?

On my retreat in February, I did just that…and I felt in my heart the peace, love and unity that surrounds me…and I loved it!  Isn’t it time for you to do the same for yourself?  Why not join me today and take 5 minutes to just ‘be’…quiet your mind, focus on your heart and feel the gratefulness of today surround you.

Let me know how this works for you…and I’ll let you know as well.

Peace, love and gratefulness be yours today and everyday!

xo

The Power of Many ~

It is a fact that in the right formation,

the lifting power of many wings

can achieve twice the distance of any bird flying alone.

Today I think this one says it all…and so I won’t be saying more except…

LET’S SOAR TOGETHER!
xo

Retreat ~Relax ~Release ~Renew ~Revive ~Repeat!

There are times that I need to relax, retreat and renew…I believe that we all have these moments where we just need to ‘be’ in order to regroup, refresh and be able to return to our daily lives in order to be the best we can be…

Life flies by so quickly and at times, we get sucked up into that vortex of busy-ness and have to’s and should do’s…and we miss out on the preciousness of life.

We need to just look up and notice life, the clouds, the sun, nature…to just take a moment to breathe, to inhale the freshness of the moment and to accept that we are here, be PRESENT with the PRESENTS of Life that we are blessed with in order to receive the gifts that we deserve.

Being PRESENT is so important and I am so grateful for all of the blessings, both big and small, that I enjoy.   So I am going on a retreat…to relax, release, renew, revive and repeat…and I will not be blogging while I go tech-less for a few days…and I will return with a renewed sense of romance, research, relaxation, revival, release…

I wish you a beautiful Valentine’s Day…one where you learn to love yourself and to love all those in your life.  Renew your relationships, release your frustrations, revive your romance, relax your mind, body and soul and enjoy the Presents of Presence…

We only have today…take care to enjoy it!

xo