Rest and Rejuvenate

Rest and Rejuvenate

That’s what Sunday is for – a day of rest.  When was the last time you took a day to rejuvenate?  To reactivate yourself and to treat yourself with love?

We find it hard to slow down sometimes.  We push through and keep going until we’ve nothing left for ourselves.  We get mired into the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s and our minds have no time to find peace, nor our bodies to be still.

Always there is something to do, more to accomplish, responsibilities to attend to and yet, when do we take time for ourselves to simply be?  To breathe, to notice the beauty in the air around us, to take in the majesty of nature’s wonder?

Please today, even if it is only for a few precious moments, gift yourself that time.  Stand outside with your feet firmly planted on the earth, look up to the sky and be grateful for this moment in time.  Meditate for a few precious moments with gratitude in your heart.

If you can’t stand outside, then be still and go within yourself.  Find a quiet spot for a few moments and close your eyes.  Imagine you are in the midst of a beautiful rainbow of love.  Hold your heart tenderly as you gaze around in awe of the beauty you see in your mind’s eye.  Give thanks for your solemn place in this world.

Especially on Sundays, I feel the urge to rejuvenate, even if it’s only for a few stolen minutes from the business of life.  For me, it is a need which if I have to, I schedule into my day.  It is like breathing for me.  A few tender moments in which I allow my body and mind to go still.  I concentrate on my breathing and mindfully embrace the moments of silence.  I become aware of the body which houses my soul, my heart and my mind.  I encourage all of the parts of me to unite in peaceful communion with God.  Sometimes I pray.  Sometimes I just talk to God and to myself.  But always, I silently give thanks for this day, for this life, for the potential to inspire others and to be of service.  I ask for forgiveness.  I ask for help with my Divine Purpose.  I acknowledge the good that comes to me and I reframe the bad into lessons that grow my soul stronger.

How do you rest and rejuvenate?

Shine On!

xo

How To Sprinkle Priceless Moments Throughout Your Day

The Daily Post inspired me today to write, so here it goes!

I have a gift called The Presents of Presence.  You may know it and me by now, but if you don’t, here I am.  I love to sprinkle priceless moments throughout the day.  You know what I mean, don’t you?  Those quiet moments when you smile at a stranger and they smile back.  Or when you make a connection with someone else through blogging or a random conversation or even one of those long soul to soul conversations we have sometimes with the ones we love?

It’s stopping to look around and catching the Praying Mantis sitting there on the patio chair when you’re outside watering the plants.  If I hadn’t been looking around, I certainly would have missed his presence.  It’s the small reminder that when we don’t take the time to notice all that’s around us, be it in nature, in friendships, in changes in the air or in the vibrations, we miss priceless moments.  It’s in being PRESENT, mindful and still at the precise moment to enjoy a gift from God and the Universe.

Synchronicity and coincidence share special space in my life.  Countless times I have noticed a priceless moment simply because it was there, waiting for me to see it.  When we are open, we allow these priceless moments to be felt and acknowledged.  When we are gung-ho rushing through life, we may miss them.

You can be the receiver of the priceless moments or the giver.  Best of all, you can be both!  Sprinkle happiness wherever you go.  Enjoy meeting new people, sharing the road of life and sparkling by being you!  You are a gift to us all!

Shine On!

xo

What Does It Mean To See A Praying Mantis?

Yesterday, I went outside to water the impatiens as they were looking a bit droopy and as I walked by the chair on the patio, I spied this praying mantis just sitting on the top of the chair!  If you know me, you know that I get messages via Mother Nature’s animals who stop by to visit me.  I’ve written about the deer, the geese, the honeybee, the katydid, the koi, the hawk, the birds, the frog, the cats and even the pests that squatted in my rental home before I moved in!  Just use the search button if you’re interested in any of the animal encounters I’ve had!

But a praying mantis is a first for me in many years.  So of course, I had to look up the spiritual totem meaning because it’s unusual to just see one sitting on the patio chair mid-afternoon.  What I found fascinating is how his/her head turned and watched me as I walked by.  We interacted and simply watched each other with the same stillness and curiosity.  I took the following photos, trying not to scare him/her and to remember this moment.

 

Praying Mantis – The Presents of Presence

Praying Mantis looking at me directly! The Presents of Presence

 

This is where I found some interesting information!

The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we’ve flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we’ve created.

Here’s more information!

Praying Mantis Symbolism:  To answer the call from deep within through:

Stillness:  In this way, the stillness of the Praying Mantis spirit animal is equal to the human act of receiving based on self esteem and self love.

Intention:  When you come across the Praying Mantis, it means that you are being blessed with the power to increase your intention many times over.  Intention is increased through focus.

Attainment:  Attainment is one of the significant attributes of Praying Mantis symbolism.  The most successful people in the world use this Praying Mantis power of attainment.

Fulfillment and Satisfaction:  It is in this self learning (of mindfulness and becoming aware) that the Praying Mantis signifies the “calling,” that can only be discovered from inner contemplation.

I only gave snippets from the websites, but if you’re interested, please feel free to click on the websites above as they have more information!

Have you ever had an encounter with a Praying Mantis?

Shine On!

xo

Do You Believe in Karma?

I awoke this morning with the song, Karma Chameleon by Boy George in my head this morning.  I admit I found it interesting since I haven’t heard that song nor thought of it in years.  But it brought up the question of Karma to me in a most peculiar way, so I am reaching out to you, dear friends, to see what you have to say about Karma.

As I understand it, having read a bit this morning,

Karma describes how our actions evolve into experience. 

Each action is then a seed,

which grows into our experience of the world,

and either starts a new growth process,

or perhaps reinforces an old one.

Which to me, is interpreted as every moment needs to be mindful!  How about you?  Does the above resonate with your definition and understanding of Karma?  Please share as I am most interested in learning from you!

I also read on Buddhanet:

Perplexed by the seemingly inexplicable, apparent disparity that existed among humanity, a young truth-seeker approached the Buddha and questioned him regarding this intricate problem of inequality:

“What is the cause, what is the reason, O Lord,” questioned he, “that we find amongst mankind the short-lived and long-lived, the healthy and the diseased, the ugly and beautiful, those lacking influence and the powerful, the poor and the rich, the low-born and the high-born, and the ignorant and the wise?”

The Buddha’s reply was:

“All living beings have actions (Karma) as their own, their inheritance, their congenital cause, their kinsman, their refuge. It is Karma that differentiates beings into low and high states.”

He then explained the cause of such differences in accordance with the law of cause and effect.

I have heard people allude to others’ actions which they found distasteful, with the phrase, ‘karma will get them’ and I never knew what to say to that sentence.  I have heard the word over the years, but I have never truly understood the definition.

Please help me today ~ share what you know, what you believe, define it if you will.  If you have written about Karma, please share a link below in the comments.  I truly want to hear from you!

Shine On!

xo

And in case you now have the song in your head…Enjoy!

I Want To Be A Cowgirl

“I want to be a cowboy, but only long enough to barge into a saloon and bellow ‘Where’s the yellow belly that stole my happy trail?’” — Jared Kintz

Today I am reblogging what my dear friend Mimi over at Waiting for the Karma Truck wrote this morning as her words resonated with me so much.  The simple truth is what struck me, as well as the divine goal of riding off into the sunset happily on my horse (because I have always wanted to properly learn how to ride!) is the truth of her words.  The above pic (which isn’t Mimi nor me) gave me the giggles so I figured I’d include it.  What’s not to giggle about when it’s Tuesday and a snowstorm’s a’coming ~ the sky is full of golds and pinks this morning ~ may your happy trail be long and lovely!

Now here’s Mimi!  Drumroll please…

I Want To Be A Cowgirl

Shine On!

xo