Rainy Days and Mondays…

My heartfelt gratitude to all of you who stopped by my blog to send hugs yesterday.  I truly appreciated all of the kindness and love that you showered over me.  Like the rain which has been falling, your loving gestures wrapped me in a blanket of love and gratitude for our connections.  Near and far, you helped me immensely by caring ~ and isn’t that what life is all about?  Sharing, caring and loving connections?

I think sometimes we feel alone and get into our heads that we have to forge ahead, doing it ourselves.  When we get overwhelmed with life’s experiences, we huddle in our aloneness and the story that we have to shoulder it all by ourselves.  Perhaps we view asking for help as weakness, when in fact, I believe, it shows strength.  There is strength in vulnerability.  There is strength in kindness.  There is strength in knowing that you need a hug (virtual or otherwise) now and again.

Sometimes people misunderstand a loving heart and see it as a weakness.  They view caring as being vulnerable and not being strong.  But in fact, I believe, that in being a loving heart and caring, connecting and reaching out to others with our whole selves is a strength for it is not always easy to be the one who prefers peace, love and understanding in their life.

Some find it’s easier to rant, rave and bulldoze to get your own way instead of taking the time to be with life situations with a loving heart.  Loving hearts may get broken easier, but the payoff is priceless and precious to know you love from your heart.  Superficial love is easier to manage because you can walk away.  Real love is doing the work to stay connected even when it’s hard.  I’m not saying that there aren’t times which warrant walking away because I believe there are.  Nor do I blame those that do, for it is every individual’s right to choose their life path.  Sometimes we need to walk away to clear our heads and see from the observer’s point of view and then we can make the right decision for ourselves.

Bottom line, I am thankful for all of the hugs sent my way and as promised, I send double the loving hugs back to you and out into the world.  I hope you understand that I just needed a hug, a connection, a bit of kindness and your response was so generously loving that I actually felt your love-filled umbrella on a rainy day (hence the photo today).  You made a difference.  ♥

Snuggled down on another dreary day, my strength increases again thanks to you.  My smile widens, my heart feels fuller and peace fills in the empty spaces.  It’s just that there are times when we all simply need a hug…

My heartfelt hugs to all of you, always.

Shine On!

xo

 

 

Hugs for You!

When you are hugging a child, always be the last one to let go.    You never know how long they need it. ~Author Unknown

I love the above quote because I think it applies to everyone.  When you’re the hug giver, you need to be aware of the hugee and how much, how long of a hug they need.  I am a big hugger.  I am a very affectionate person by nature.  So when I need a hug like Woodstock, I need to hug you until I let go, which, may be awhile.  Somehow there’s something special about a hug to me.  I can re-find my strength in a hug.  I can center myself when I feel hugged.  I can go on after I’ve been hugged.

Hugs are so powerful.

Have you hugged yourself today?

Shine On!

xo

 

Hugs for you!

Hugs are quite useful.

They provide stretching exercise to short people & bending exercise to tall people.

My blogging buddy Ray posted this morning  here  and as always, he inspired me.  I have tried repeatedly to imbed the video which Ray posted, but to no avail.  Please, if you have a moment, click on Ray’s link above, say hello to an amazing fellow and watch the video.  You’ll find it when you click on  Can You Imagine? on his blog post.

We are all here in this journey called life ~ we make connections with others through empathy and sympathy.  We can connect through our words, our actions, our inactions ~ even a simple meeting of the eyes can speak volumes.

We all have difficulties in our lives, some of us have hidden scars and some of our scars are outwardly displayed.  There are few who are unaffected by trials and tribulations in life.  It’s what we do with our experiences, how we reach out to help each other by connecting, that we make the life experience more fulfilling ~ deeper, richer and more meaningful.

So day as you go out about your day, perhaps you can take a step out of your comfort zone to simply smile at a stranger, to hold the door for someone, to thank someone who does it for you.  Many times we are too busy in our heads to really see those around us.  By reaching out to help, we help ourselves as well.

Please watch the video and let me know what you think…it’s quick, but powerful!

Big hugs to all of you from me!

Shine On!

xo

Happily Ever After

Be Happy Forever and Ever

Today I invite you to please celebrate with me my 300th post which I had begun writing last night ~ but when the Universe via the Daily Post served up the topic,

“And they lived happily ever after.” Think about this line for a few minutes. Are you living happily ever after? If not, what will it take for you to get there?

I was left with no other choice but to oblige as I can’t think of a more apropos way to celebrate 300 posts!  I started this blog long ago, back in 2010, but I didn’t pursue it.  Then in 2011, I began to blog again with welcome-to-the-presents-of-presence  and what began as a lark, has grown into a happy hobby which I hope will continue to evolve, to grow and to emerge into a book.  I want to thank you all for connecting with me via your amazing posts along the way which have broadened my horizons and your heartfelt comments which have warmed my heart!  I am so very grateful for every person who stops by my blog! xoxo

Now back to the daily prompt! 🙂

Shockingly for as much as I write about being happy here, I don’t believe in happily ever after in the traditional sense!  I know it sounds strange because I write about happiness much of the time.  However, I believe that happiness is a quotient of what you do in your daily life and it is the benefit that you reap daily every moment of every day that makes a happily ever after, but I don’t prescribe to the idea of living happily ever after because you did x once ~ x can be marrying the perfect spouse, winning the lottery, working at your dream job etc.

Does that make sense?  So to me, there’s no special path that I have to take in order to be happy.

I can just BE HAPPY BY CHOICE!

In fact, I am happy now!  And you can be too!

Need a few ways to find a smile?

1. Look up at the sky and admire the beauty that’s there for you to enjoy!

Blue skies, clouds, rainbows, sunshine, raindrops, snowflakes, the moon, the stars ~ all of it!

2.  Admire nature ~ the green of the grass, the foliage in the trees, the beauty in the flowers.

3.  Look in the mirror and smile at yourself!  You are so special!  You are loved.

4.  Hug yourself!  Hug someone else!  Hug your furry pet!

5.  Count your blessings ~ list 5 good things about your day!

Can’t think of 5?  How about 2 ~ then as the day goes along, you can add to the list!

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the fact that you woke up today!

6.  Laugh!

7.  Read a blog that’s uplifting!

8.  Write a heartfelt comment to someone!

9.  Turn up the volume and listen to your favorite dance tunes!

10.  Call a friend and chat!

11.  And here’s my smile ~ my gift to you!

I could go on and on, but what matters most is that you realize that…

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE!

YOU HOLD THE POWER of

HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

SHINE ON!

xo

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/daily-prompt-happy-ending/

Christmas All Year Long…

Christmas is a little bit of home that we hold in our hearts

Have you noticed that a few blogs have snow gently falling?  How cool is that?  Thanks WordPress as the virtual snow just raised my spirits up a notch!  My heartfelt thanks to my blogger friend David at http://davidkanigan.com/  for kindly letting me in on the way to make it snow!  FYI:  You should stop by and see him as well ~ he’s a master of cool stuff!

I love snow, don’t you?  Watching it gently fall outside while I”m cozy and nestled warmly inside?  Ahh…it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas…and it feels so good!  Now if the Jersey weather would just be less tropical, I’d be happy!  I know, I know, there’s time for cold ~ I agree…but a nip in the air would make it feel more like Christmas!

Lucky for me, I found this card last night when I was working and when I found this one, I knew that I had to use it for my inspiration.  You see, for me, it brings up the possibility that if we were to keep that little bit of home in our hearts all year long, we could make the Christmas Spirit last all year long…how wonderful would that be?  Can you imagine it?  Wouldn’t you like it?  A bit of holiday spirit everyday?!

Imagine a Baker’s Dozen of Warm, Gooey Ways Our Lives Would Change

When We Keep the Christmas Spirit in Our Hearts for 12 Months

1.  We feel the love and generosity in the air all year long.

2.  Everyone stays on their best behavior so that Santa and his Elves don’t put them on the Naughty List!

3.  More people are singing and smiling everyday!

4.  The Season of Giving and of World Peace is an everyday occurrence.

5.  Gratefulness is a daily sentiment ~ instead of tipping only at Christmas!

6.  Happy memories with family and friends occur more often!

7.  Reminiscing about those who have passed keeps their memories alive.

8.  A lightness in heart keeps people huggable.

9.  We sit down and enjoy our meals ~ with our families and friends!

10.  We send cards filled with loving words and pictures of our families and connect more often!

11.  I Believe is a sentiment heard more often than not!

12.  We enjoy the twinkling of lights and take time to contemplate their beauty.

13.  We embrace The Presents of Presence each and everyday!

Join me…let’s keep the Holiday Spirit glowing!

Keep Twinkling and Shine On!

xo

In my search for a good  follow up to yesterday’s post, I checked out the newest cards to find one as my inspiration.  You may not know that most of the images that I feature in my blog are actual cards from my business which I use to springboard my blog post ~ hopefully bringing to you, a bit of inspiration.  If the picture/card is not from the card catalog, then it’s one that I made in about 5 minutes from my own photo and the templates/elements of the free system.  If you want to try it for yourself, you can click below…

http://www.rememberchristmas.com/deanery

A Thanksgiving Feast of Super Sweet Bloggers!

I figured with the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, a bit of gratitude during Thanksgiving week would be appropriate ~ and give you a chance to expand your blogging reader instead of your waistlines!  🙂  So…first of all, my sincere and sweet thanks to Holly Michael at award-party(her blog is called Holly Michael’s Writing Straight ~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life’s Crooked Lines by Author & Freelance Writer Holly Michael).  Holly’s inspirational blog along with her amazing photos of faraway places that she’s visited in her blessed lifetime will keep you coming back post after post!  Thank you again Holly for all!  I feel so grateful! xo

Now for the super sweet and gooey:

Rules for this award include:  Thank the super sweet blogger who made the nomination, Nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers (below) and answer five questions:

1. Cookie or cake?  Cookie – good, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies (no nuts, raisins ok)
2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Both
3. What is your favorite sweet treat? Too many to name! 🙂
4. When do you crave sweet things the most? Equally all the time, except when I’m sleeping. LOL
5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? Bon Bon

And for the sweetness award, I nominate these super-sweet blogs:

1.  serenityspell.com

Christina’s got the amazing wildlife in Florida front and center!  She makes this big ol’ world seem manageable with her photogenic views of Florida and its inhabitants.  Sprinkle in a big of inspiration and you’ve got FeyGirl’s number.  Not to be missed!

2.  waitingforthekarmatruck.com

Mimi’s got it going on at the Karma Truck!  Stop by and see her…share a cup of coffee on her porch as she’s always got something fun over there on her blog!

3.  antodesimone.wordpress.com

Antonio’s poems in English and Italian will delight you as well as his photographs!  Perhaps you’ll be inspired to learn Italian?!

4.  brainsnorts.wordpress.com

Rich’s blog is full of fun ~ stories to be read, cartoons to write captions for, news to understand…there’s so much to enjoy!  Make sure you stop by to check him out!  You won’t be disappointed!

5.  paperkeeper.wordpress.com

Bonnie’s blog always has something special for you as does her Etsy business.  She’s a lovely lady who may keep her heart in her pocket, but captures all of ours.

6. jumpingonclouds.com

Jump on clouds and ride along the journey of a woman who speaks so openly and lovingly about her recovery from PTSD and her Mom’s recent brain cancer diagnosis.

7.  livingsuccess3d.wordpress.com

Judit is an amazing  coach who will give you tools, strategies and tactics to help you with successfully transforming not only your own personal and professional world, but the world around us ~ you can count on inspirational stories, straight talk and no mumbo jumbo…what a special find!

8.  letlifeinpractices.com

Kristin’s blog is a plethora of information, inspiration and tips for your life!  Get ready to find how to Let Life…and soar!

9.  hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com

Esperanza will hug you in her special way…enjoy her special brand of Hope & Hugs!  You know you’ll get hope because that’s what Esperanza means!

10.  thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com

Patty helps those in the military connect ~ in addition, she shares heartwarming stories that will always bring a smile to your face!

Please check out these super sweet bloggers…you will be happy that you did!  They are awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving week!   I”m grateful to ALL of You for your amazing posts!

Keep on Blogging!

xo