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Posts tagged ‘Family’

May 10

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Seeds

“The seed never sees the flowers.” – Zen Proverb

Today we celebrate not only Mothers but all that they foster, grow and model for the world. Unconditional love, endurance, faith, peace, resilience, joy, laughter, forgiveness, compassion, hope, grace, friendship and family – all the traits and ties that bind and remind us that we are not alone on this journey. They show us that the impossible is possible.

My family ran the Race for the Cure this morning in honor of my cousin Julie who has been recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. We ran for her but also for ourselves. When you can’t do anything to change the situation, you doing anything that shows support and love that words can’t come close to describing.

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” – Dalai Lama

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” – Dalai Lama

As you enter each day, remember that you don’t know what others are going through and they don’t know what burdens weigh on you. Always act on the assumption that you can and should scatter and plant seeds of light, laughter and love. If you forget and need to be reminded how to do this, ask a Mom.

Apr 27

To the Side

“Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

Our narrow perspective limits our view of what’s possible, but not what’s actually possible when we go beyond a glance. Look to the right, to the left to take in the whole picture. Go wider and deeper. Slow down and peel back the layers of each day and of those searching souls next to you. When speeding down the track with our eyes only on the horizon, on tomorrow, we miss people who need us and who we need to complete our actual journey.

Look to the side, up, down and all around. Staying on the track to a full and meaningful life demands that we remain steeped in the details of now. Seeming detours and delays lead us to the horizon that calls us. The illusion is scarcity in the present, abundance in the future. We are in deep abundance right now, waiting on the side to be found.

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

Mar 25

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Signs and Wonders

“A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.” – William Hazlitt

I walked into the living room this morning and Lily was sitting in the recliner with a “what’s up” look. She lightened the moment and I just started laughing. The only way to start the day. Every day Lily and Molly bring a new attitude with a focus on fun, present and living right in the moment of joy.

“Stop a minute, right where you are. Relax your shoulders, shake your head and spine like a dog shaking off cold water. Tell that imperious voice in your head to be still.” – Barbara Kingsolver

“Stop a minute, right where you are. Relax your shoulders, shake your head and spine like a dog shaking off cold water. Tell that imperious voice in your head to be still.” – Barbara Kingsolver

There are signs and wonders all around us if we tune in and listen. A jolt back into what’s real and true, well beyond  all of the dissent and distractions.

Last Saturday when I was walking in a daze through the grocery store in my running clothes and my hair pulled back, a deaf woman stopped me. I thought she would ask for help to find something. She looked me in the eyes and mouthed while her hand circled her face, “you are beautiful” and walked away.

To say the least, I was taken back. I certainly didn’t feel beautiful. This blessed encounter has stayed with me deeply since that moment, a reminder to release our inner beauty and draw it out in others.

Sometimes we are the receiver of signs and wonders and sometimes we are called to be the signs and wonders to others. Our higher power (I prefer God), our true self walks right into our day and makes it so very much more than ordinary.

A word, look, smile – change a day, change a life.

Mar 21

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By the Collar

“The smallest gesture can mean so much to those who may need a little lift in their lives.” – Gordon B. Hinckley

On our daily walk or run when we are about four houses away from home, Lily turns to Molly with that look in her eye and grabs onto Molly’s collar and leads almost carries her home. Molly gets a bit irritated but goes along with it.

That’s what friends and family do. They come along our side and pick us up by the collar to carry us home. And that’s what we also need to do at times for ourselves. Get out of the funk, pick ourselves up and move on with new eyes and a grateful heart.

Sometimes it’s the accumulation of the daily grind and others are life changing events like divorce or cancer. Life is a mix of transitions, endings, beginnings and through it all growth and transformation if we are open and allow it.

When we get stuck too long in why me, we need to be grabbed by the collar and moved to what’s next carried gently and confidently by faith, family and friends. And, when we are moved out of our own rut, we can be a blessing to others and do some lifting as well. We are not on this journey alone and it’s not about me but rather we. Grab someone by the collar today.

Feb 15

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Threshold

“Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Each day, a new door to go through, a step into the unknown, an unfamiliar path. Look no longer, hesitant on the edge of the threshold. Cross over and move through. What’s waiting can wait no longer.

For time does not wait, nor must we. Embrace each day and those that are put in our path for it is meant to be. Whether we know the reason or not, enjoy each moment for we will not pass this way again. The journey is meant to change us, ground us, find us, transform us to who we are. Discover the miracle of being alive, and live well.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell

Jan 15

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Comforters

“God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.” ― John Henry Jowett

When we focus on what we can give rather that what we can get, it is then we receive more than we can ever imagine. The race distracts us from the journey and seeing those who are a long side of us, trying to make their way just as we are. Sometimes weary, sometimes worn. And we have the opportunity, the gift to walk along side, to be kind, to be present, to forget ourselves.

As we go through our own struggles that others may not know, there is comfort in that we are not alone. And when our backdrop shifts from burdens to blossoms, we can understand the meaning of that comfort and to offer it freely and generously to our fellow travelers.

Dec 21

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MERRY Christmas

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” – Calvin Coolidge

The preparations and rushing around that lead up to Christmas makes this special and reflective time often feel like “Hurry Christmas.” There are no gifts that you can give that are more important than your full attention and presence with family and friends. So slow down, be present and make sure that “merry” is in the forefront and center of your Christmas. And remember to carry the true spirit of Christmas in your heart every day.

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.” – Dale Evans

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” – Dale Evans

Dec 17

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Healing

“Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of being and non-being, creator and creature, mind and spirit. That kind of insight is crucial for transformation and healing.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Last night, I found a new show on PBS called “Sacred Journeys,” a six part series about pilgrimages people take around the world. This particular story was about wounded warriors, our veterans, going to Lourdes, France to be “cured.” Over 5 million people go to Lourdes each year for healing, a sacred place since 1858 when a young fourteen year old girl Bernadette Sourbiroux had 18 visions of the Blessed Virgin, referred to as apparitions.

Many soldiers journeyed to this sacred place without limbs, blind, suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the deep wounds of war. Through the many interviews, they made the distinction between being cured and healed. At the end of the hour, their hopes of a cure were transformed into the gift of healing, accepting, peace.

We often focus on the cure, the instant fix, the reset, when what we really need in life and in our relationships is to be healed. That is to accept our circumstances, no matter what they may be, with a peace and grace beyond understanding. For when we search for healing instead of the cure, we find the lasting cure is healing and it transforms and transcends the crosses that we all bear.

And when we find healing within, we can begin to fill the void of that often hollow and distant platitude of “peace on earth”. For when we foster peace within our hearts, souls and our homes, we will bring the world one step closer to peace, justice and love. And we need not go to Lourdes to find it.

May this season bring you healing and in turn real peace on earth.

Dec 14

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Linger

“Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they are given, but they can linger with us over the years.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

Stay just a little longer and linger, long enough to be present, to engage intently with others, to be kind, to listen, to understand, to be patient, to witness life while in it and feel the depth of being and gratitude.

Amidst the busy work that often defines our days, we will honor time and remember our days with fondness when we scatter lingering throughout. As ice melts drip by drip, linger a bit longer making your mark.

“I am like a drop of water on a rock. After drip, drip, dripping in the same place, I begin to leave a mark, and I leave my mark in many people's hearts.” – Rigoberta Menchu

“I am like a drop of water on a rock. After drip, drip, dripping in the same place, I begin to leave a mark, and I leave my mark in many people’s hearts.” – Rigoberta Menchu

Dec 7

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Good Cheer

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” – Leonardo da Vinci

A long unrushed walk in the woods, slowing to explore tracks, discover hidden treasures and gaze up to soak in the blue sky. Time spent together, just together is all that is asked for by friends and family, especially the four-legged ones.

Lily can always muster up a wide smile and bright eyes. And when she does I can’t help but return a wide smile in return.  And when I smiled and said “hi” to the older gentlemen walking slowly on the path, he lifted his head and smiled as well. Instead of merely passing by, we acknowledged each other’s presence.

Attitude and outlook are contagious, but some we don’t want to catch. So we need to be on guard without being guarded or hesitant to be the one with the smile in a room full of frowns. Get your smile on and go out and change the world in a good way. Be of good cheer.

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