I don't know about you but I am beginning to know who I really am!

It only took 45 years... but thank God it is happening at all.

Life is set up to keep this knowledge from us. We all need so much entertainment and occupation.

We hardly ever sit still... in silence... just to .... be.

Me included. But when I am forced to sit still in silence, boy do I get a glimpse into who I really am.

Sometimes, even if it is just at a red light in my jeep.

I can feel my spirit come to the surface and peek out into the world.

What a different feeling it is! What a different state of being.

The spirit does not seek to control anything... it just is.

It is quiet, totally at peace, and sublime.

Try it! Sit for just a few moments in silence and let your mind rest.

See who comes peeking out!

The more often we do this... the more we will get to know our true selves.

That is why many people experience this awakening in nature...

... because nature just is.... like our own spirits.

The more we come to know who we really are the more peace will flood (or slowly trinkle) into the world..

... and our own minds!

Practice Peace!

I alone have the power to change myself!

No one can do it for me!

In fact, I don' t think that people can even help you with this. You have to want it for yourself.

And this change comes from deep within you. From a place of truth... everlasting truth of ...

who you really are!

Books can attempt to help you. Teachers can attempt to help you. Pastor's can attempt to help you.

But only you can do the intense, sometimes painful, work of self discovery.

I do believe that forces of the universe drive us to this place... a place of not being able to stand where you are anymore.

These forces usually make us cry... make us angry or sad. These forces seem to work against us.

These forces can take us to places we would never walk to voluntarily.

See my point?

Cherish the value that everything brings into your life!

The "bad" stuff and the "good".

See all as a lesson... an increment... a rite of passage.

Learn to love the questions as well as the answers.

For one day soon we will not need either and will walk this earth in the garment of what we truly are!

Namaste

I don't know if you have heard about our eastern mid-atlantic states snow storms or not.

We had two huge blizzards a few weeks ago and still have about 2 feet of snow on the ground.

The birds are having a hard time finding food so we have kept our bird feeder stocked with seed around the clock!

It is wonderful to care for those around us! What a privilege we have in being able to aid a living being.

I am so thankful that I am given the opportunity to help someone almost everyday that I breath...

either by holding a door open for someone, buying someone groceries, or just smiling at everyone I meet.

I believe in my heart that it makes a difference in the world... me caring about you!

I believe in my heart that you are me and I am you... and when we help one another we are truly helping ourselves.

The other day I questioned the Universe and asked why life here is so complicated.

This is what I heard: Life here is not complicated at all... you are only here for one reason and one reason only: to care for each other.

Care for someone today... care for everyone today!

There is no greater joy!

Namaste

I can grow in grace! You can grow in grace!

What does it mean to grow in grace?

It means this... if someone is wrong... you don't have to necessarily point that out to them.

It means this... if you are wrong... you don't have to lash out at the person who is right.

It means this... if you see someone acting ungraceful you can say a little prayer for them instead of talking about them later to someone else.

Having grace means rising above ... above the pettiness of life... above needing to be right... above shaming someone else into acting the way you wish they would.

I am by no means saying that I can do this... yet.

I am saying that I know about it... so I now have the option... no, the responsibility to grow ... in ... grace!

Practice Peace

I can make moments matter.

OK, maybe not every single moment!

But I can slow down enough to realize that moments are flying out the window

and I am not living them!

When you are extremely busy it is hard to remember to make moments matter.

But you can always take a breather and seek to remember this affirmation.

You can always remind yourself that your life is being lived out whether or not you are truly living it.

Wasted moments become times of regret.

Live your life today. Find happiness and joy in the moments that matter.

Take the time to make your life memorable and worthwhile.

Realize that right now... is one of those moments that matter and live the way you want.

Not the way you happen to default to. Not the way you sleepwalk through life only doing the essentials.

Plan out some special moments and make them matter.

Namaste

My husband says I am an extreme person... and in many ways he is right.

Most of the time I am extremely happy. But I can also be extremely sad too.

Much of the time I simply do not give myself the time I need to respond with grace to bad situations.

I am very expressive and things just come pouring out of me.

But time is a good thing...

I am learning this as I get older... like to think of it as wisdom.

It occurred to me the other day that when something happens upsets me I can give myself time before I react. Time before I speak.

After all ... there is all the time in the world at our disposal... why not USE it?

I think we are conditioned in our society to do things very quickly. Things happen fast in our world... sometimes too fast.

We don't have to give in to the hurry and rush!!!!!!

We have all the time we need. Right now... here.

Give yourself time to react to life... don't shoot from the hip... take careful aim... what you say or do might hurt someone and you

know what they say about words... you can never take them back.

It is realization... self realization... a knowing and a growing... it's never too late to learn.

Take your time in response to life... loved ones... and strangers.

I believe the universe will reward you with peace!

Namaste

ps... this picture I call snowy trees. It is a photograph I took when we got 15 inches of snow in December. I applied a filter to it and tranformed it into a painting. Cool huh?

pss... I miss writing these posts everyday, and hope to return to it one day!

I think affirmations can be a really good thing! They are for the purpose of redirecting our thinking!

We can replace frantic thought with orderly, peaceful, non-chaotic thought by the sheer recognizing of our error.

I was driving down the road the other day and the thought hit me... I can take my time... even if I am in a hurry!

That sounds contradictory... but in essence it is not!

It seems we are in a hurry every time we go somewhere or do something... maybe more so for woman.

Does it have to be that way? NO!

Give yourself time... time to get where you need to go... time to relax that mental chaos... time to cut down on some of your stress.

We ultimately rule how our day goes... make yours go slower.

It may mean reminding yourself at red lights that there is enough time...

It may mean stopping what you are doing to hear what your kid is saying...

It may mean taking a few minutes during your work day to take in some nice deep breaths...

It may mean taking a slightly longer shower to give yourself a few moments to relax...

Well, there you go... think of some more things you can do to slow your life down... to take your time.

and Practice Peace!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... so that mean beauty is in you!

If there is one thing I have learned so far in my life it is this:

we will see things how we choose to see them.

Think about this for a moment...

... we determine how we see the things we see.

No one else... we do.

I got caught up in a bad memory yesterday. I rolled it over and over until....

... I realized what I was doing. I was inflicting sadness and sorrow upon myself.

When I realized this... I attempted to stop it.

It took a strong resolve to reign in my mind.

I consciously stared to focus on what was around me at that moment.

The sounds, the sights, the colors, the movement.

I was able to escape from my self- inflicted pain.

And returned once again to the Now...

It takes practice... constant practice, and an awareness.

It's in you... beauty... find it!

Namaste

Hello and Happy New Year to you!

I have some announcements to make!

This year I will be attending a community college to get a certificate for Paralegal.

I will not have time for daily posts... however, I have decided to start a digital journal of which you are seeing a page today.

When the spirit hits me I will create a journal page and then I will share it with you...

Resolutions? Yes, I searched my soul before the new year and I kept hearing this:

slow down and let go....

slow down and let go...

slow down and let go...

I don't quite know how I will slow down while picking up four college classes... but to just become present in any one moment is to slow down.

... and the letting go part?

... tons of stuff to let go.

Tons of stuff that is muddying the waters that need to go!

I will share that with you also!

This journal page is my bleeding heart for my 16 year old son who has no idea how good he has it.

The three crows represent my three teenagers.

This scissors represent things that need to be cut out of our lives... like ingratitude.

The clock hands and clock above the book pages represent time... the time we waste being ungrateful.

The blood on the book pages represents the price we pay for being ungrateful... in the spirit.

The cobweb represents our mind.... giving space to nothing that benefits our spirit or the whole.

And the sign "awareness" holds the key to being grateful and thus inviting a tidal wave of blessing into our lives!

The book is my pleading for help....

The word "you" is the only one who can change the destiny of your life...

Stay on the path ... walk straight and you will see the Light! Be grateful for all.

Happy New Year... happy awareness and consciousness to you now and forever.

Namaste

We get lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas....

but what about what is important?

I don't know about you but I constantly come into contact with the thought that things just aren't as they should be.

Yes... the dinner was nice... the gift giving sincere.

The shopping and wrapping tiring... but done with love.

Still...there is something missing!

And Guy Finley's most profound quote helped me to see what it is:

the only thing that will ever bring us lasting joy is realizing who we really are!

Our True Self!!!!!

Other things and people may make us happy here and there in our lives:

but only coming into contact with our true selves will bring us lasting joy... the kind of joy that never subsides!

Deep thoughts for the end of the year....

May you take some time this coming year to really find out who you are and why you are here.

If you do that for me ... I will do that for you!

For we are all interconnected to each other...

love to you now and forever more!

~ joyuslion