Two Hearts

I watched a movie on Netflix called Two Hearts. Have you seen it? While I don’t want to give away the story, nor the plot in case you’re interested, instead I’ll give you my takeaway from it. Because I cried while watching the movie because it hit home a few times.

“Life is short,” is a line we’ve heard time and again, but until we’re in that position of loss or grieving, we sometimes forget that nobody knows how long any of us have here on Earth. In an instant, circumstances can change dramatically and we are left without warning. Having lost many loved ones, I understand this, as you probably do as well. It isn’t easy when someone we love passes away, nor when we are battling an illness that makes life uncertain.

Regrets for words left unsaid or for those harshly delivered makes healing harder for those left behind. Focusing on the smaller annoyances and not seeing the bigger picture also play into guilt later on. Seeing the good in people and voicing your loving support is important – to the giver and to the receiver. Unfortunately, this may be a lesson learned a little too late for some people.

So here’s my gentle reminder – remember to reach out to those whom you love and cherish. Show your loving support so that you know that they know how you feel. Be mindful of how much of a difference you can make by your loving presence in someone’s life. We are all connected here. Plant seeds of kindness and watch them grow. Understanding and love are like Miracle Grow to people as they bloom when the supply of support, love and patience are delivered daily like sunlight.

Shine On!

xo

The Present

Today’s Daily Prompt of PRESENT was a no-brainer for me to write about because hello! it’s the name of my blog!  The Presents of Presence.

It’s been a HUGE PRESENT to write to you, to make connections with you and to get to know all of you!  I love our friendships and I feel grateful and honored to know you all!

Because if we look around, precious moments are presents and they are everywhere.  But they can be fleeting when we are not paying attention.  You know what I mean?  When you turn around and wonder, what in the world did I do yesterday?  Or how did this past week fly by?

We have a limited time on this earth dear friends.  Connections can be fleeting or lifelong.  Either way, we must take each and every special opportunity to savor them.

May you have a blessed day and continue to shine your heartlights!

Shine On!

xo

Defending Your Life

Do you ever wonder what happens when you die?  I was watching a movie called Defending Your Life the other night when I began thinking about just that!  It’s an Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep movie which came out in 1991.  Maybe the trailer below will ring a bell in you?

In the movie, after death, there’s a stay in Judgment City whereby you defend your actions on Earth in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence.  Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) is on trial for being afraid.

And that’s the thought that jolted me out of my limited thinking.

Fear.  Being afraid.  Worrying about what others think.  Not taking chances when we could have – which might have led to growth.  Holding back.  Not taking opportunities which were given to us.  Tormenting ourselves over woulda, coulda, shoulda times when other choices, like the road less traveled, were presented.

We’ve all heard the adages in different ways:  We only have one life.  Life is short.  100% of the chances not taken, are missed.

I am sure you could add to that list exponentially, but those are just a few of the ones I’ve heard in my lifetime.  And yet, it’s not complacency that holds us back from living our lives to their fullest potential.  It’s fear.

So today, perhaps as you go about your day, look for those miraculous opportunities which present themselves quietly.  When given options, maybe you’ll decide to take a calculated chance to do something different.  Go after your dreams and press out of your self-limited comfort zones, a baby step at a time.  Live your life with enthusiasm and openness.  Free yourself from the confines of your fears.  Open the gate to living an authentically, beautiful life which is yours by Divine Right.

Be YOU, in all your splendid beauty.

Shine On!

xo

 

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”

~ Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

It can be daunting to feel that freedom, to relax into it and to own it.  Many people feel it’s only for the young in age, but I believe it’s for the young at heart and available to us all.  Sure, we need to keep in mind those who depend on us, but to know that we can choose is what we seem to forget.

And that’s when we get lost.

Somewhere around middle age, in between jobs, spouses, children and responsibilities, we seem to lose that spark we owned when we were younger and had more freedom.  Lost in the shuffle of droning routine, we lose connections with ourselves and others.  We trod on the path expected, head down, shuffling along and finding ourselves miserable.

It happens to the best of us.  We sleepwalk through our lives until something pulls the rug right out from under us and we’re stopped in our tracks.  It’s then that we pick our heads up to see where we are and we look around at our lives from all aspects.  Sometimes we don’t know where we are, how we got here and realize that this is not what we wanted or what we expected.

And then we choose to change.

It’s good to re-evaluate where we are from time to time.  To see if our relationships, our jobs, our health and our responsibilities are indeed what we choose to have in our lives.  And if it’s not working, then we change direction in the kindest way possible.  For as Dr. Seuss says, “And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”

Take some quiet time this weekend for yourself.  Look around at your life and inspect where you are.  See if you are connecting with the people in your life and with yourself.  If you aren’t, then do something about it!  Hold a hand, give a hug, be thoughtful in how you treat yourself and others.  It only takes a moment of clarity to change the way you are looking at your life.  Don’t throw it all away.  Life is short.  Communicate.  Connect.  Choose kindness.  It’s possible.

Shine On!

xo

Parental Love

  “We never know the love of a parent until we become parents ourselves.”
19th Century Minister, Henry Ward Beecher

School has begun here now for a few weeks and everyone is starting to settle in to the new routines of getting up early, having homework and we are happily back into sports.  I always look forward to September as for me, it’s a new beginning.  There’s nothing like crisp fall days that invigorate mind, body and soul.  At least for me ~ how do you feel about the seasons?  Do you have a favorite?  Could it be Fall?

I am happy to say that both of my parents were alive when I had children and as mine have grown, I have been able to appreciate many aspects of my parents that I had not been able to understand while I was growing up.  Perhaps it is a blessing to learn this while I am still a parent and I still have one living.

Parenting isn’t an easy job, but it is a fulfilling one and one that encompasses our entire lives.  I am a Mom first and foremost and it has been the happiest ‘job’ I’ve ever known.  Sure, it is not a 9-5pm job (but then most are not anyway), but it has given me such great joy and wonder and gratitude to parent my children.  What blessings they are in my life!  They bring such love, enthusiasm and learning to me and I hope and pray they feel the same way.

I loved the quote above, so as always, I had to share it with you.  I hope that as you go about your day today, you are inspired to find  gratitude and love when you think about your own parents and your own children (if you have any).  Life is not always easy, but we have the choice to look at the good and raise our faces to the sunshine.  Hug your children and your parents when you can.  Life is short and we only have this precious day to enjoy!

May you have the most beautiful day today and always.

Shine On!

xo

Would You Push The Red Button?

Would You Push The Red Button?

A little Monday reminder to keep stretching out of that comfort zone that you put yourself in ~ thanks Denise for the great post! 

It’s my pleasure to reblog!

Enjoy!  Viva Inner Hotshot University!

Shine On!

xo