Atmospheric Change – Do You Feel It Too?

I feel like there’s an atmospheric change in the air these days.  I know there’s a full moon tonight and I was reading about the changes in astrology, energy, 5D, etc. so I’m figuring that what I’m experiencing, you may be feeling as well.  It’s like shedding the old skin and emerging with strength, love and light is finally beginning in earnest.  Letting go of what we felt we knew and embracing life out of our comfort zones.  Merging with a higher power so to speak.  Not regretting when we let go, but feeling at peace with the changes.  Holding tenderness and gratitude for memories of before and open-armed for what is here and what the future holds with delight!  Do you feel it too?

Computer-wise, mine has been acting wacky for a few days.  The internet issues, for awhile the N key wouldn’t work, then the computer suddenly changing screens!  I thought it was possessed with a virus, but then it healed itself.  Bizarre.

I’ve had lights flickering for no reason.  Strange, inexplicable noises bumping in the house and weird coincidences (some positive, some not so much) that have been happening in the last few days.  The word EERY comes to mind.  The cats have been even staring at something just above my head often.  I look around, but I see nothing.  I know that animals sense things so I’m wondering what’s going on?

Friends have reported other wacky computer issues which only lasted a little while as well.  Navigational systems that don’t work, then suddenly fixed themselves without rhyme nor reason.  Important phone calls which were missed by an accidental touch of the finger causing much strife, but then finally were remedied a few days later.

Mini lessons in patience, in allowing and in understanding have been the key to getting through the atmospheric changes as far as I can tell.  Allowing information to come when needed.  Not allowing posts to be published, comments to be made and forcing scenic routes when navigation doesn’t work, in addition to delayed important information which caused strife, but also gave a good lesson, are just some of the changes I’ve noticed.  It’s as if we are getting a new beginning where none of what we thought we knew applies.

How about you?  Any atmospheric changes in your life recently?

Shine On!

xo

Sandwich Generation

Have you ever heard of the sandwich generation?  It’s when you are a parent who takes care of your own children and your own parents at the same time.  Sandwiched in between the generations and responsible for them all at the same time.  At least, that’s my attempt at its definition.

I should know…I’ve been doing it for awhile now.

I have friends who are beginning the journey of helping their elderly parents and it’s hard.  Hard for the parents to let go and to allow their children to help them and hard for all to realize that life is imminently shorter than we plan for when we are young.  The changes that occur as our parents get older are sometimes unimaginable and hard for them and for us to fathom and navigate.  I mean, what parent ever wants to give up control to their children?  We are the parents after all. (said in the parental authoritative voice!)

But it happens.  If we’re lucky to still have our parents and our children be able to have a relationship (and if we still have a good relationship with our parents as well), please remember to feel blessed.  Because sometimes as the years go on, family difficulties interfere and our relationships deteriorate.

But in a perfect world, we may be blessed to take care of our parents as they took care of us.  This goes for anyone really in the older generations, the aunts and uncles, the older cousins, etc.

So can I give you a little advice especially now that Thanksgiving and the holiday season are arriving?

1. Do your best to include them.  Make the effort to go get them to bring them to the family get togethers if they are close enough.
2. Make them feel important.
3. Watch to see how they are doing physically, mentally and emotionally.
4. You are now the caretaker so be aware of subtle changes and if you see some, gently approach the subject.
5. Get Mom’s favorite recipes now while she remembers them.
6. Take pictures!  I can’t stress this enough!  Get photos of the family together.
7. Video tape them telling stories or singing or whatever memory you want to keep.  Someday you may wish you could hear their voices again or remember how they sang their favorite song or danced the watusi!
8. Be patient.  Getting older is not for sissies and they are doing the best they can.
9. Role model kindness because your children they will remember how you treated your family.
10. Be affectionate with them if that’s your family style.  There’s nothing better than taking that extra moment to hug a parent or family member.  They will appreciate it as will you.
11. Tell them how much you care and love them.  During Thanksgiving you can give thanks to them for all that they did for you.
12. Include them in favorite memories that showcase their love.
13. Be aware that as we get older, it gets harder to remember, to move and to hear other people.
14. Take the precious time to talk with them and to ask and to listen attentively to whatever they have to say.
15. Try not to put them in the corner and out of the way if they don’t want that because keeping them actively involved helps them immensely.
16. Be kinder as you won’t ever regret it later.
17. Take it all in stride and be patient with yourself as well.
18. Smile and know in your heart you are doing a great job.
19. Count your blessings that they are still here to spend time with you.
20. Enjoy each and every moment for life goes by in a flash!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!  I am thankful for my Mom and for those in the older generations of our family.  Having loved ones pass away in the last few years has been hard and I pray that you will keep in mind that every moment spent together is precious.

Shine On!

xo

 

Practicing Gratitude For What We Receive

Let’s be honest.  Sometimes we receive fabulous experiences and synchronicities that make us giddy with happiness and excitement.  We twirl around in glee for the wonder of it all and walk around on the proverbial Cloud 9 in joy, thanking God and the Universe and everyone else for the good news.

However, sometimes we have experiences that we don’t want and we can’t believe that God or the Universe have delivered this strife to our door.  We don’t want to be thankful or gracious about the upsetting news or situation or relationship.  We don’t want to hold our hands out with a ready heart to receive disappointment or grief or burdens.  We want to to live happy go lucky lives and be done with the horrors we’ve endured.  Do you feel that way sometimes?

Because I honestly do.

So what other choice do we have?  We have to receive the blows as they come and deal with them in the best way we can.  Getting on our knees is one plan, full of prayers.  Getting help by reaching out to others is another good idea.  Going through the process and not hiding behind blinders is probably good advice as well for we can ignore situations, but until there’s a resolution, the body, mind, and soul suffer.  And I know, sometimes there’s no resolution.  Bad things happen to good people.  We suffer at the hands of others and circumstances at times.  We can feel like we endure more than our share of illness, of disconnections and of failed relationships.  We strive to do what’s right in all situations, but we’re human and we make mistakes.  We can’t have it always perfect all the time.  It’s just not what life school is all about here on Earth.

A friend and I were talking on the phone the other day and admiring each other’s strengths.  I flippantly said, God only gives you what you can handle right?  in an effort to connect with this person who was also having a hard time these days.  Sometimes I think He thinks I’m cement!  I said.   She replied, Then I’m puddy! and because I liked puddy better, I agreed, We’re both puddy!  We laughed, enjoyed the camaraderie of the moment and when we hung up the phone, there was a kinship there that remained between us.

When we go through hard times, we learn about life, about people and about ourselves.  We expand our knowledge, our spirituality and our ability to help others who are hurting as well.  Our experiences, when we share them, become a springboard for healing others and for healing ourselves.  We inspire others by how we deal with hardship.  We admire others for how they have conquered the ugly parts of life with grace and dignity.  We grow our faith and our connections with love when we heal ourselves and others.  We find the springboard to something positive when we dig ourselves out of the hole of adversity.  Hope becomes key.  Love becomes the answer.  Patience increases and a centered soul becomes the strength in which we shine our heartlights.

Shine On!

xo

 

Nurturing Thursday

“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.”

~ Pierre Teillhard de Chardin

 I found this poem today and wanted to offer my post to Becca Givens of  On Dragonfly Wings With Buttercup Tea https://beccagivens.wordpress.com/2016/02/25/nurt-thurs-allowance/ who inspires me by her willingness to connect with others with love and light.

May your heartlight find comfort in the poem above today!

Shine On!

xo

Simon’s Cat Helps, Does Yours?

Oh goodness gracious, are you a cat owner, or better referred to as owned by a cat?  As I was trying to write this morning, the video below was very similar to my experience.  Tigger, our mischevious almost one year old kitten, decided to help me and we battled like Simon did!  Of course, I giggled more than Simon, especially after seeing that his experience was much like my own.

Cats are funny creatures, but surely mine would say the same about her humans.  I guess this is why Simon’s Cat always gives me a much needed giggle.  So, I thought I’d pass it along to you today!

Take a few moments today to bond with your loved ones, both human and otherwise.  We are all a part of this Universe and family is so important.  Be kinder than necessary.  Be more patient than you normally are.  Be more present than ever.  Now’s the time.  Fill your day, your life with love.

Shine On!

xo

Click here to watch Simon’s Cat in Cat and Mouse!

I’ll Be Me

Glen Campbell ~ I’ll Be Me

Recently I watched the I’ll Be Me documentary which chronicled Glen Campbell and his family’s last music tour during 2012 after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Having family members with the disease, it really hit home.  I found myself so moved by the documentary which tastefully showed the progression of the disease.  Tears fell from my eyes at times when I felt for him, for his wife, for his children because I understood and connected with their situation.  It wasn’t easy, but I am grateful I was alone to watch and grateful for their/his courage in making the documentary. With memory-loss, there’s a bereft feeling left for those who love you ~  for it is our memories of the vitality, the energy and the YOU that we remember that is now slowly fading right in front of us.  Sure, there are moments of clarity which we hang onto and then there are moments of confusion which frustrate you and us.  I never knew so much about the disease until it hit our home.  It rearranged dynamics and has been a test in patience.  For the person we knew for a lifetime is still the same, but the relationship changes and they change as well.  We stand by helplessly as the disease progresses.  It’s a test of learning to go with the flow, to be fluid throughout the day, always keeping in mind how to help our loved ones stay peaceful.  I think there’s a special place in Heaven for those who work in memory care. So in honor of all those affected by the disease and a huge hug for the caretakers who hope, understand and love those with memory problems, Glen’s video is below.  His haunting words make me cry every time.  But it’s a good cry, a tethered connection of understanding and a legacy to all those affected by this disease.

Shine On!

xo

Lyrics:

I’m still here, but yet I’m gone

I don’t play guitar or sing my songs

They never defined who I am

The man that loves you ’til the end

You’re the last person I will love

You’re the last face I will recall

And best of all, I’m not gonna miss you

Not gonna miss you

I’m never gonna hold you like I did

Or say I love you to the kids

You’re never gonna see it in my eyes

It’s not gonna hurt me when you cry

I’m never gonna know what you go through

All the things I say or do

All the hurt and all the pain

One thing selfishly remains

I’m not gonna miss you

I’m not gonna miss you

Songwriters RAYMOND, JULIAN / CAMPBELL, GLEN

Through the Eyes of A Caregiver

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I learned all about it, from researching, googling, reading, talking with others and experiencing the illness through my body, mind and spirit.  I know more about breast cancer and its effects on women and families than I ever wanted to know.  But it has made me who I am today and for that, I am grateful.  I learned much about myself and the inner strength that I have come to rely on in my life.

Now that I have two family members battling Alzheimer’s and Dementia, my research has begun again in earnest.  This time it’s not so much about the body, but more about the mind and as the caregiver this time and not the patient, my brain works overtime as does my patience.

The mind baffles me with its twists and turns with these diseases.  In my research, I came upon the video below which brought me to tears and humbleness.  As caregivers, we may lose our patience when asked for the umpteenth time the same question or when we are unsuccessfully trying to reassure an anxiety-ridden loved one whose brain is captured by a riddle.  But we never know what they are enduring as their brains muddle through moment to moment, grasping and disconnecting at will.  Their brains only deal with the present moment and that is their reality which changes.  Talk about truly living in the present and working on finding peace in every single moment!

Perhaps this will give you a little insight as it did me.  If you are a caregiver or love someone with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, please connect with me.  Just as it helped me when I endured breast cancer, I believe that as always our connections only make us stronger.

Shine On!

xo

Self-Love Lesson From A Buck

“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender;
it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.”
– Stephen Covey

In the rush to live our lives, we sometimes force ourselves to go, go, go and we miss out on the lessons that we can learn when we are patient with ourselves and others.  It is in truly embracing all of our qualities, both good and bad, when we invest in ourselves to empower our lives and to improve ourselves.  Taking the time needed to hold our pain and to look within our whole selves to tenderly embrace what is here right now makes all the difference.  To embrace another person’s spirit even when we are not in agreement is to ignite self-awareness in ourselves.

It has been written that ‘time heals all wounds’ and that what we criticize in another person is what we ourselves criticize in ourselves.  To become forgiving of what we dislike in another is to forgive ourselves for the same.  We are whole.  Our soul selves encompass all traits that we recognize in another person and it is what we do with those traits is what matters.  We can choose to forgive them and ourselves for what we deem faults.  We can choose to recognize examples of kindness, patience and love or we can choose to concentrate on pain, suffering and wrongdoing.  It is our choice in how we view ourselves and the world around us.

But to be patient with ourselves, grows our souls, our minds and our hearts in a way like no other.  Sure, I am equally guilty of rushing myself to ‘get over’ painful situations and to drudge on with life trying to find the mercy of kindness without giving myself time to mourn what could be and what truly is in my life.  I’ve tried to ‘get over’ situations that were or were not within my control quickly so that I could feel better.  However, I am finding that to patiently experience what is here and now is the key I forgot I possessed; the key that I didn’t realize opened my heart, mind and soul to a deeper place of understanding and self-growth.

I love this quote and thought perhaps it was meant for others as well as me today.  I was blessed to greet the morning with a visitor with whom I locked eyes for quite awhile.  A six point buck stood majestically across the street from my house and we stood 20 feet apart gazing at each other while the world stood quietly in the morning light.  It was breath-taking for me to see his powerful build and to feel his eyes lock with mine in a few moments of pure energy.  He and I connected ~ it was as if we were meant to meet.  I watched him as he slowly turned and walked away, regally in his own time, across the yard and disappeared behind the trees.  It was a beautiful moment for me.  I looked up buck totem animal and found:

‘The buck is deeply aware of the seasons and adapts to all of them.  He will teach you to keep going through the storms of winter, filled with the joy of being who you are, until the green blades of grass again poke through the melting snow.  When the world seems cold, fill yourself with his sure knowledge that spring will always come again.    He will also teach you how to renew your energy and power, just as he regrows his antlers each season.  If you feel weakened by the challenges of life, breathe in his energy and feel the velvety antlers sprouting as your power returns in full.  Then lift up your chin and show the world who you are, the beautiful and majestic buck.’  here

So please, take time each and everyday to be like the buck as in time, your power returns in full ~ lift up your chin and show the world who you are, a powerful, beautiful and majestic soul who is loved.

Shine On!

xo

P.S.  My heartfelt gratitude to BAngel for the photo.