The Good We Do

The good we do never dies.

It lives on forever – in other people,

in other places and in other times.

~ Matthew Kelly

I happened to see this quote the other day and felt like it was a great reminder especially on a Sunday morning.  Because goodness causes a ripple effect and we never quite know how far the ripple will reach.  Hopefully it will reach beyond the grave and we shall be remembered for our kindness and love.

That is the legacy I choose to live, having learned from those who have shown their goodness to me over and over.  It is not in the money that we make or spend, but in the time we spend, the memories we make and those priceless precious moments of truth, of goodness and of caring that last a lifetime in the hearts and minds of those with whom we come into contact.

There doesn’t need to be grandiose offerings, but instead small goodnesses add up to be more powerful in the end.  The daily love, caring, listening, and kindnesses far outweigh the every once in awhile big show.

It is in the simple love that we thrive, we grow and we blossom.

Shine On!

xo

Happy Thanksgiving!

May our lives be full of both thanks and giving!

Good morning to you!  If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today, please allow me to wish you many blessings on this day along with my gratitude for our friendship and the connections we have made.  Happy Friendsgiving to you!

It’s a quiet morning here.  My children are still sleeping in their beds and as usual, I’m sitting here sipping coffee, thinking about life and counting my blessings.  Especially as I grow older, I find myself appreciating The Presents of Presence more and taking the much needed time to remember and to be grateful for all that I have endured to make this moment in time more precious.

Life continues to change with every passing year.  We lose friends and family along the way as we grow older.  Situations change.  People change.  Life can seem more complicated.  But the simplicity of gratitude which is what Thanksgiving represents makes the now, this present moment, all the more real, for we never know what can change in our lives at a moment’s notice.

So, take this day and remember to:

Speak from your heart and say I love you more often.

Appreciate those with whom you have a lasting connection.

Be thankful for all blessings – big and small.

Shine your heartlights.

Connect with kindness.

Be grateful for all of the kindness you’ve received.

Make sweet memories, for they are your legacy.

Enjoy this day that you’ve been given.

Shine On!

xo

It Takes Courage to Be A Caregiver

To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart,

and sing it to them when they have forgotten.*

The movie Still Alice haunts me to my core and yet every time I watch it, I glean more insight and my heart breaks open a bit more.  And still, I continue to watch it when I am alone.  Why, you may ask?  Why would you make yourself sad intentionally?  Isn’t it hard enough to experience your family enduring the road that Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia have put us on?  And the answer is yes.

But, I search for answers.  I find power within when I allow myself to feel each character’s pain.  It may sound funny to you, but I can relate to Alice, to her husband, to her daughters, all in different times in my life, and at times, simultaneously.  My compassion for the characters and for my family members increases every time I watch the movie.

I am compassionate and I love deeply.  This is who I am.  I need to understand how to best serve my family and how to best serve myself.  I have an ache in my core which carries my courage to push me to accept the unacceptable and to hold that precious gift of time, of making memories that may never stay and of holding the hands and hearts with those who at some point, may never remember who I am nor who they are.  It’s like I hold a flickering candle which I desperately protect in my soul.  I hold my candle in the darkness, like a beacon, hoping for that twinge of awareness, even if it is only for a moment.  I will feel like I did my best.  For I can’t give up on them or on myself.

I grieve in the quiet moments of solitude for them and for myself.  I call daily, visit monthly and spend hours making sure all their needs are met.  I do it with love and compassion and courage for it’s hard.  But it’s necessary and I make myself do those things that are necessary even when I want to turn away from the truth.

I learned long ago from cancer, that our lives are constantly changing and that we need to find a new normal with each and every experience.  We either choose to grow with the experience or we choose to stagnate.  We can turn our backs on the experience or we can move out of our comfort zones to find the courage to accept what we deem unacceptable and take baby steps towards a new normal.

I choose courage.  To look at my life with gratitude.  To be grateful for the opportunity to help my family.  To be kinder to myself, more patient and more present.  To sing the song in my heart and to have the courage to shine my heartlight even in the darkest night.  Come join me…take my hand and let’s sing and…

Shine On!

xo

*Photo credit:  FB Alzheimer’s Awareness