April 5, 2025

This morning...

An early nature walk in the back yard.

The cold wet grass under my bare feet.

A week of rain that has kept me in. Reflecting. Slow. Still.

The feeling that I've been chasing the light at 

the end of the tunnel for so long...,

 and finally taking my first steps out of the tunnel. Can't find the word.

Delivered? Renewed? Restored? Grace?

*deep breath*

Meditating prayers of thanks, praise...and being moved to tears.

Opening my eyes to a Red winged black bird.

Believing God is in everything...and gives me little signs along the way.

Google the symbolism...

Positive change, transformation & new beginnings.

Inner strength.

Compassion & love.

Spiritual growth.

Yes. That feeling.

A call from my stepdad back home. Just checking in.

 Laughing about life.

The fly that won't leave me alone...and being totally unbothered by it.

Acceptance.

Living in the moment.

Contented.

Calm.

Grateful.

Journal notes...

"Don't waste energy wondering whether you are adequate 

for todays journey."

'Relying on God's sufficiency is your strength.'

In quietness and trust is your strength.

"Do not be conformed to this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

The world tries to squeeze you into its mold.

'God points you gently and convicts you clearly-

showing you where you need to make changes &

help you develop new attitudes.'

"...a return to inner peace. 

We're not asking for something outside us to change,

but for something inside us to change."

'The way life unfolds is good, 

even when it hurts.'

"Be astounded at the relief that comes once you

stop assuming you have all the answers."

be well...

xoxo

💖

"Lose your inhibition,

follow your intuition,

free your inner soul,

and break away from tradition."

~Black Eyed Peas, "Let's Get It Started"

 

April 4, 2024

Today ....

it's very rewarding to be able to look back with my coach,

over the days, weeks, and months of following

an anti-inflammatory lifestyle so far.

(11 weeks)

I now have solid proof that I'm in the process

 of making something good happen

for myself.

be well....

xoxo

💝

 

April 3, 2025

Old quilts and throw pillows on the kitchen floor,

the gentle rumble of thunder,

rain drops splashing in the birdbath,

the sing-off between the bluebird and the mockingbird,

as I watch the steam rise from my coffee.

The rock I picked up at Dad's camp last October on one side,

my kiddo's container plants that I fostered 

over the winter on the other.

Feeling connected.

Life is so quick and pacey.

Slowing down is healthy.

Slowing down makes me happier.

Enjoying special moments the way I want to live life,

is more fulfilling. Simple.

Journal notes...

You matter.

You deserve better.

In God you have everything.

In Him you are complete.

'Your capacity to experience Him,

increases through the removal of debris

and clutter from your heart.'

'You don't have to be perfect to experience God's love and provision.'

'You don't have to constantly worry about making mistakes.

He loves you unconditionally.

He wants you back.

He wants  you close.

unconditional:

with no limits in any way:

without restriction by condition or qualifications.

Know that you are loved.

be well....

xoxo

💝

"The little stuff is the light.

It's the things that slowly light us up from within

that romanticize our everyday lives.

That remind us there is joy everywhere if we look for it."

 

April 2, 2025

This morning...

...I grabbed every couch cushion, pillow, and blanket on my way

to the hallway.

Made a pillow fort.

Nestled in with my coffee and journal,

and waited for the tornado sirens to quit.

 Round 5.

Quiet. 

Then the mockingbird sang.

be well...

xoxo

💓

"Here's the moments when you realize

the simple things are wonderful and enough."

 

Outside

Today....

...I honored the "Dad" parts of myself, and found contentment 

cutting up, clearing away and working in the yard.

Removing the old and making way for the new.

Journal bits...

Be joyful always & hold onto the good.

"You are beautiful as you are; 

you don't have to be someone else."

Do not force a beginning. Beginnings will arrive.

Let the pace flow naturally. Move forward. Do it gently.

Do it in peace. Cherish each moment.

Seek to nurture your budding dream.

"The mind is the steering wheel that determines the direction."

Make up your mind.

"Your mind may guide you in what you do,

but the heart affirms your passion to do it."

'Every day offers you the miracle of life, 

if your open to receive it.'

be well...

xoxo

💗

"It's comfortable to be inside.

Sheltered, protected.

But there is a comfort to the outside too.

Because outside there is freedom.

Outside you can keep moving until you 

find a place of your own.

Or you can decide that outside is your

place. 

And stay there."

 

Gifts

Today...

Polly

I will be grateful for the love of pets,

and the very way they make the whole journey more beautiful.

A few journal notes lately....

If you want your love,

you'll need to go back inside to find it.

'Switching over to heart mode can only happen

when you are unconditionally kind & forgiving to yourself.

Start the moment your ready, perhaps now.'

Accept the limitations of living one day at a time.

'A life lived close to God is not complicated or cluttered.'

There is a beautiful simplicity about life.

"Doubts and reasoning clip the wings 

of abandoned flight."

Live by the truth instead of the lies.

Don't let doubt, temptation, or accusation stop your

progress in faith.

"Remember who you are. 

Your sense of who you are determines what you do.

Remember you are a spiritual being with infinite abundance."

Align with your true north.

Things like family, relationships, Jesus.

Pick your direction, understand what true north is 

and stay close.

Remember what you really want.

'Your need is the signal for God's great.

His provision is not just for the obvious lack,

but for all the emotion, energy, & woundedness

associated with it.

You don't have to pretend to be strong.

Open your heart to Him.

Watch.'

Don't lose your sense of wonder.

be well...

xoxo

💝

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying

Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer,

is to keep your soul alive."

 

Fresh Start

Waking up on a beautiful Spring morning.

Taking my cup of coffee, Bible, and journal out on a quilt placed in the grass.

Bare feet to the earth, breathing in the fresh air, Polly rolling in the dirt...

the happy chirping of the birds on the feeder.

Starting the day more softer,

sweeter...

serene.

Feels like a BIG morning hug from God.

be well...

xoxo

💝

 "Every day gives us the chance for joy.

We wake up with a fresh start and anything is possible.

This moment is the only thing that matters.

If you feel residue from yesterday,

take a moment to loosen it's hold on you.

Journal it out:

get it out of your head onto paper.

Transfer the energy.

Today deserves your full attention-

and yesterday is over."

Slow Down

'How do we leave our soul open?

It's a choice.

Our soul is who we are. 

It's where we think, it's how we feel things,

it's what we purpose to do and be.'

"If we don't choose to open ourselves...

then what happens?

Do we just go on, oblivious and unaware,

and eventually become extinct?

I only know that I don't want to find out.

I don't want to merely exist.

I want to live consciously. 

On purpose.

I want to thrive, to grow, I want to learn and create.

It's what we were made for.

Our soul is a holy gift, and our thankful response is to keep it open

to the light so that the ordinary joys, the everyday miracles,

can float in freely when they will.

Every single day.

And this is how we do it....

We slow down. Yes we can. We must.

We resist multitasking. We were never created  for that lifestyle."

We dawdle, we linger, we idle, instead of rushing past.

We take the long way home. We make all the stops along the way.

We set work and trials aside, lay down our distractions, 

and turn to our beloveds.

Find serenity in a quiet evening.

 Breathe deep.

 Allow our bodies and our mind to rest.

Journal notes:

Do not give into the demands that try to steal your attention

'It's never about all the things we know & believe;

it is what we do about what we believe.'

'You can act when it's time to act, 

you won't when it's not.

Your own heart shows you.'

'Acknowledge where you are not listening to your soul.

Create an exit plan that brings you back to

alignment with your heart,

this is where genuine truth resides.'

be well...

xoxo

💝

 

Tuesday Tip : Pause

"1f you spend 1 hour of screen time,

it decreases happiness and increases anxiety in

adults and children."

~National Institute of Health~

The more time = less happy.

Help your soul.

Stop.

Take a 1 minute pause.

Breathe.

Be still.

Let it all go.

Create space to let your soul

be human again.

Repeat throughout the day if you want,

or maybe make it a habit.

Why not try it for a week and see 

how you feel ?

be well...

xoxo

💝

 

Routine

This morning I slept in,

chatted with three of my peeps on the phone,

and then had breakfast all before I sat down to journal.

I was somewhere between giving myself a hard time

about being totally off of my routine....

and woohoo-ing myself for going with the flow of

things.

Blondie

I did finally get my morning routine in somewhere around noon.

A few journal nuggets...

'Old things are passing away. 
New things are on the horizon.'

Clinging to old ways is a form of resistance.

And my favorite...for the day
and right on cue....

"It's easy to make an idol out of routine.
Don't try to fit today in yesterdays mold."


be well....
xoxo
💖


"Move with the flow.
Don't  fight the current.
Resist nothing.
Let life carry you.
Don't try to carry it."

 

Walls

'And when the walls come down,

you will see a broken,

beautiful world around you...

inviting you to step into a daily chance

to live beyond the barriers

of who you were.'

~ All Along You Were Blooming ~

 Journal notes...

Pry your mind away from the problem, 

and focus on God.

Attune yourself to what He is already

doing.

'A true balanced sense of worth can only

be found in the eyes of the one who made us.'

"Don't uproot what God is planting in you.

Let Him grow it in His time."

Do not fear your own greatness.

Speak your truth.

'Surround yourself with people who appreciate you.

Avoid trying to win the approval of others.

Don't play small to satisfy someone who

can't stand in your light.'

be well...

xoxo

💝

Copy & paste link for "All Along You Were Blooming" at Amazon.

https://amzn.to/4bT12r4

 

Thoughts Lately

It's a simple shot of nothing very fancy.

It's also good therapy.

A smidge of what I wrote during a morning brain dump

this week.

" I love sitting in the sunlight. I want to live in the light.

Let the darkness go.

Switch from the auto-pilot where I have lived,

to God-o-pilot.

From having & knowing the map,

to actually following the map.

It feels very "Book of Eli" ish. 

(great movie)

Walk by faith, not by sight.

Follow my north star.

Trust in the unknown.

Enjoy the adventure.

Figure it out as I go."

I walked with a friend by the lake the other day.

A perfectly wonderful morning.

Then as soon as she dropped me off at home,

I barely got into the house before I started bawling.

I have no clue?

It hung over me most of the day.

It felt like grief.

Thankful my kiddo was here that evening.

I felt out of sorts for a couple of days, 

but something told me, it was a good thing.

I don't question it anymore.

It usually is.

I just had something I had to let go of.

Some journal notes this week...

'Think inside the box. Work with what you have.

Your box is never going to expand to the place

where you're thinking outside of it

until you learn to live within it.'

'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.'

"Pay mind to your own life, your own health, and wholeness.

A bleeding heart is of no help to anyone 

if it bleeds to death."

'The smallest things done consistently have the 

potential to change everything for the greater.'

'Deciding to upgrade your life is basically being super-nice 

to yourself.

Sitting around doing nothing & ignoring your health & 

happiness, and pretending you don't have the discipline 

to change is a choice.'

"Good habits are about who you decide to be,

not what you decide to do."

Get your heart and your head on board.

Be true to yourself.

'Release words that matter to someone like they

were hundreds of helium balloons.'

"Do not let your hearts be troubled & do 

not be afraid."

Face problems when they come.

Don't anticipate them.

'Before genuine love can flourish, we must finally

accept ourselves exactly as we are today.

Not tomorrow, next week, or when we get in shape,

or lose 5lbs.

Learn to reveal to the world your unique radiance,

only after you acknowledge it yourself.'

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💝

 

Chosen

Believe.

Show some grace to yourself.

Everything that needs to happen will.

You are not in control of the universe,

but you do have a choice in how you show up.

Give yourself permission to live a life that

makes you more joyful & happy.

'Let God's Love & Acceptance point you in

a new direction.'

'He's in control. He knows what to do.'

"Be patient for things to reveal themselves to you.

There is beauty in revelation."

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💖

Slow Simmer

"I want you to take some time to sit back &

allow yourself to simmer in your accomplishments for a while." 

~Coach Kelly~

As I simmer, I thought I'd add some inspiration

to the pot, and watch a couple of feel-good movies.

Tucked within those were a couple of quotes to marinate in.

'The average person lives 27,375 days. That's all we get

if we're lucky, 27,7375.

At first it didn't seem like a lot of time.

But then again, how many days do we remember anyway?

But everything can change in a day.

In an instant.

And what might be missing becomes very clear.

A full life can't be a series of forgotten days.

If you're not happy change.

Shift gears.

Take a chance.

Later is not guaranteed.

Life is not meant to be lived later.

Look for moments.

A laugh, a kiss, a dance.

Collect moments everyday.

Because in finding those moments, you will find yourself.

Live for today.

Live for now.

Let the moments of your life guide and inspire you.'

~All My Life~

'If you fill your glass with hate and fear, pour in your worries

about the past and future, 

you're probably going to be miserable.

If you fill your glass with love and caring, 

miracles can happen, wars can end,

people can be different.

That's the secret. 

We can all change.

You just have to take meanness and turn it into gold.

With that, the war is over.'

~Milton's Secret~

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💕

 

Narcissists

"One of the few mental health conditions

where the patient rarely seeks treatment,

and yet everyone else around them needs help."

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💖

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

I am heading back home today...

 feeling like one of those little glow sticks

that you snap, and then they're filled with light.

I am so thankful for this week, and who

I shared it with.

"When you wake up, it's like opening a new book.

Make your life your favorite story,

because it's a lovely story that happens

to be true.

You are the main character and you get to

decide how you would like your story to transpire.

You create your reality.

Do something today that sets the stage

for your story to unfold.

As the author of your life,

you can change scenes and make anything happen.

Don't play small."

be well & love 

xoxo

💝

 

All You Need is Love...

I'm still at my kiddo's, enjoying my fur-grands...💕

I woke up this morning with this song stuck in my head,

 a spring in my step,

and a smile on my face.

'Love almost seems a lost art'

Some journal & love quotes that showed up the last two days...

Keep my thoughts on God. Serve with love.

God's power shows up more when you're focused

on love, then "fixing" (yourself & others).

' Love & good-will destroy the enemies within one's self,

therefore, one has no enemies on the external.'

Love fully in the now.

Faith allows deep love.

"Give perfect, unselfish love, demanding nothing 

in return, do not criticize or condemn. Bless."

'Follow the path of love, and all things are added,

for God is Love,

and God is Supply;

Follow greed & selfishness, and the supply

vanishes.'

"Perfect love casteth out fear.

He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

~ 1John 4:18 ~

"With any challenge, start with God who gives you

His perspective, wisdom, power and Love 

for every person you encounter."

Love yourself.

"Love yourself and be good to yourself because if you do so

the world around you will start mirroring your behavior."

'Treat yourself with kindness and compassion & 

learn to express your gratitude for the many gifts life 

offered you up until this moment.'

'Take your focus away from those things that cause you to feel pain,

stress, anxiety, fear and unhappiness,

onto the things that make you feel happy and loved.'

"You'll receive love if you shine with love in the first place."

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💝

"To love yourself right now, just as you are,

is to give yourself heaven.

Don't wait until you die.

If you wait, you die now.

If you love, you live now."

~ Alan Cohen ~

Getting Started

The book store was amazing! 

 A small little shop filled with old used books.

I wasn't really looking for anything in particular,

so I wondered if I were to be searching for something,

who or what would I want to find?

I thought, a C.S Lewis book would be nice .

I've contemplated buying one, but was unsure

which one I'd want to read.

As soon as that thought left my head...

a big fat book sat tucked right in front of me on the shelf.

"The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics."

$15. Done.

I love synchronicity.

It was a beautiful spring-like day today.

 Me, a blanket, my grand-dog and my journal.

Outside.

All day.

I started on my goals.

I decided my  first goal is to improve my imagination.

A few journal notes from today...

Set my mind on things above, not on earthly things.

'Your failure and successes are only 1/2 of the picture.

The other 1/2 is love & it will outlast everything else.'

"God doesn't play hide & seek with our hopes and dreams."

He places beautiful desires in our heart's.

'The thoughts that arise because of your doubts will

wear you out, discourage you, cause you to act rashly

and limit you from perceiving God's perfect work on

your behalf.'

There is a champion within you. God. He won't let you down.

Position yourself to receive, not resist.

'Walk through the doors in front of you,

and if one seems closed, find a window that

is ajar to climb through.'

'There is no limit to what is possible-

that's simply the way the world was made.'

'Trust in your God idea more than other people's ideas.

Reach for the sky, and the sky will bend down to 

greet you.'

No challenge. No reward.

"Imagination, focus and courage are the fuels for the fire,

the steel that builds a house where dreams can become real."

'Your inner compass is trying to lead you on a fantastic voyage.

Each step has the potential to lead you in new directions 

or take you to a new level of accomplishment.'

'Nothing should be more important than achieving what you want.'

live well & in peace....

xoxo

💖

 

Life Lately

 

The kids are away on vacation, so I am on a little 

retreat as well.

Staying with the grand-paws.

I'm loving the Autoimmune way of life.

I'm into week 6.

I can have coffee now.

My coach split our session in two yesterday.

She will meet back with me next week.

In the meantime...

she wants me to "dream big", and set some goals on moving forward 

with my "story".

Never have I ever...

 dared to dream big...

or set goals!

I can follow someone else's plan....but create my own?

 In detail ?

By next week?

I'm thankful for her pushing me...

I think?

She offered a visual for me.

Holding a big book up to the screen,

she turned the page to somewhere in the middle.

She described the pages in the past as my life,

half of it already written.

I'm to take the lessons I've learned with me as I write the rest.

Then she started flipping page by page toward the end....

and said, " Each day that you don't make a choice, is another

page of the story left unwritten. (which made me tear up...)

 You can continue to keep writing as it is, 

or you can see it with all the potential of it being a wonderful second half, 

with the ultimate relationship being with yourself & God. 

Include your emotional health, physical health, and your environment."

"Remember to be specific."

The weather here has been gorgeous & and my "Dad's-tinker-in-the-yard-gene" has kicked in.

I have been picking up

limbs and sticks, and cleaning up the yard.

The kids haven't had the weather to get outside and work since they've moved in.

I have.

Caught up with Dad on the phone that day...he planned to do the same. 

💝

I'm heading out to explore the city's downtown area today.

I love downtowns, and

there's a quaint little bookstore the kids thought I'd like.

A few notes from my journal lately....

Examine your likes and dislikes. 

Do an audit.

A grateful heart protects against negative thinking.

We become what the people around us say we are.

You are never too old to set another goal, or to

dream a new dream.

The power to decide a new path is always in your hands.

"It's not life that bores you, 

it's the habits you choose to live with."

" If God closes someone's heart to you or denies

you access to a particular opportunity, 

it's not because you've failed

but because it is not His will."

~ Charles Stanley ~

Dare to walk the highroad.

My own understanding will weigh me down

Trust God absolutely.

I can look at life in whatever way I choose.

I can shape it into whatever I wish,

heaven or hell, it is my choice.

" Right now, you don't need to have enough faith to finish,

you just need to have enough faith to get started."

"Don't give into hopelessness or imagine there is 

nothing left for you."

~ Charles Stanley ~

'God can intervene at any moment om ways

that would absolutely astound you.'

Don't give up doing what it right.

Faithfully endure.

Confront your fears.

"When you give into fear, you're a failure."

Think your actions through before you do

something you will regret.

"There is a season to serve someone else's dream.

There is also a season to go after your own."

"Don't seek opportunity; seek God,

& opportunity will seek you."

'Don't be in such a hurry to begin the next chapter of your life

that you fail to ace the lesson the current chapter is 

trying to teach you.'

If trusting God were easy, everyone would do it.

live well & in peace....

xoxo

💞