We Are All Family

“Each time a person passes by you and you say ‘hello’, imagine that person turning into a candle. The more positivity, love and light you reflect, the more light is mirrored your way. Sharing beautiful hellos is the quickest way to earn spiritual brownie points. You should start seeing hellos as small declarations of faith. Every time you say hello to a stranger, your heart acknowledges over and over again that we are all family.”

― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

About a year ago, I moved away from neighbors with whom I’d bonded for almost twenty years.  We were a tight neighborhood, all of us ready to lend a helping hand and to enjoy each other’s company.  It was a sad moment for me when we left our safety net of neighbors, but luckily, we have all stayed in touch.

Last night, my sweet neighbors surprised me with peonies from their yard.  I adore peonies and their sweet fragrance.  Every year my neighbors shared their field of peonies with us all.  So I can’t even begin to tell you how much it meant to me that they remembered me and made the effort to drive across town to deliver them in a beautiful vase!  Their generous and kind gesture made my heart smile so much!  It reminded me that no matter what the circumstances, we are all family when we choose to be.

The connections we make, the smiles we share and the kindness that continues makes me so grateful for all of the heartlights who make up my family.  We are all so blessed.

Shine On!

xo

Puzzled

I’m often puzzled by people who are too busy or are unable to connect with others.  I understand being caught up in the rat race of life with work, responsibilities, paying bills, family, etc., but there’s something precious in reaching out to others to connect that to me feels as necessary as breathing air.  I can’t be the only one who feels this way, can I?

While I have much compassion for those who live guardedly because to feel and to be vulnerable is sometimes hard, it makes me sad when I hear that that’s how some people feel most of the time.  To speak in one’s own truth and to feel openly takes courage.  Obviously, there’s some trepidation and balance needed in order to do it safely, but the precious give and take between people is priceless.  I look around at some people who are so concerned with how things look that they miss the importance of what could be if they were to be honest with themselves and others instead of hiding behind the mask they’ve chosen to show the world at large.  There’s that soft underbelly of emotional connection that they hide deep within themselves for fear of being hurt by someone or something.

I’ve been hurt in my life.  Betrayed by those whom I trusted.  I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but by enduring those situations, they taught me more about people and life than I ever could have learned otherwise.  If truth be known, I am grateful for the experiences, even though they were so hard.  Because by enduring heartbreak, I learned forgiveness, compassion, empathy, and how to love others and myself more deeply.  Life lessons that couldn’t otherwise be learned except by experience.

We are here to experience life in its fullest form so to hide away doesn’t expose us to the amazing experiences that can be had by being present in our lives.  It’s like living in a cave and never seeing the light of day nor the moon at night.  We stifle ourselves when we hide behind the mask and live with the dull roar of fear which limits us.  When we blossom and open to the light, we shine our heartlights knowing there’s a danger of having them dimmed, but we can still see the meaning in the experience as we grow.  We blossom.  We deepen the life experience.  By sharing our stories, we bond with one another.  We flourish.  We help one another through the trials and tribulations of life.  We experience life from a deeper part of our souls when we are open to living to our fullest.

There is much evil in the world, I know.  I’m not such a fool to not realize that there are dangers lurking and I’m careful.  But I’m not going to let evil make me afraid of living nor sharing my heartlight with you for fear of what could happen.

For many of you, I know you think similarly for I read your blogs and your comments and there’s a team mentality here.  We reach out to connect, we enjoy each other’s virtual company and we bond.  We hold hands, we support each other and we shine our heartlights unabashedly.

Keep up the great work dear friends!  Let’s make a movement together to show others how we can live to our fullest extent.  Let’s help them when life situations break us down in order to let more light in to heal us.  None of us are alone if that’s what we choose.

Be the piece of the puzzle that joins us and not divides us.

Shine On!

xo

 

Pink Poetry

I am the pink rose, scorned, tired.

I bloomed in youth

Perfumed the air with my fire

burst in proud glory

s  p  a  r  k  l  i  n  g

shining my soul unabashedly.

But the sun scorched my soul

clouds refused me rain.

w i t h e r i n g

I remain pink, soft, fragrant

in my soul where I reside.

Shine On!

xo

 

 

 

Fill the world with love

Fill the world with love ~ The Presents of Presence

You may not see these hearts in the sky when you look up because many times, to the naked eye, we cannot see the invisible shroud of love which is available to us each and every day.  I enhanced the photo above so that you could see them and hopefully feel that gift of love which surrounds you.  Breathe in the beauty and light which is yours by Divine right.  Embrace the blessings which envelop the skies, glistening like stars.

You matter.  You are blessed.  You are loved.  You are love.

Shine On!

xo