Presence

'We so often go through life on auto-pilot,

doing only what we need to do to get through.

We run with blinders on,

often as fast as we can.

Jango

Hugo

We don't experience life as fully as we have the chance to.

Today....be where you are with such true presence,

that you catch things you might have otherwise missed.

Look closely at the beauty around you.

Savor the sights and sounds and aromas.

Connect with the people you come across.

Dig to find more than what's just on the surface.

Don't miss the magic along the way.

Open your self up the the full experience.'

Notes:

Trust where the flow is going & move with it.

You will be guided to the next chapter

at the right time.

Fear tries to shrivel your heart & shrink you down.

Hope swells your heart & makes you expand.

"The more you embrace being uncertain & not knowing,

the more comfortable you will feel in knowing

what you don't know."

"The man who believes he knows everything learns nothing.

We cannot learn anything with out first not knowing something."

Learn something new. You are capable of great things.

Discover your own truth. Stand in your own light.

Open your hands your heart and your mind to God.

Rein in negative talk.

"Simple reality: if it feels like you versus the world,

chances are it's really just you versus yourself."

'Let the past go. Move forward with the grace and wisdom

that you learned from every yesterday.'

Live in this moment, and look for all the beautiful possibility.

If life is stale, and you crave change, get out of your

comfort zone & do something different.

Create the life you want.

Listen to the longing of your soul.

Harmonize.

Think loving thoughts. Think healing thoughts.

Feel the feels. Be gentle with yourself.

Release.

Life is intended to be savored.

Abundance is a state of mind.

'Simplicity and abundance are soul mates.'

Keep moving past the humps. Do your best.

Search for the positive. Be open to discovery.

The excitement of searching is half the fun.

be well...

xoxo

💓

"I don't want to get to the end of my life,

and find that I've just lived the length of it.

I want to live the width of it as well"

                                                              

 

Change

"If you want change to occur, 

you must do something about it.

Like a caterpillar goes through the process of creating a cocoon,

you too can do the hard work to create the transformation you desire.

Success doesn't happen overnight;

a process is required.

Do something every day that serves your desired result.

Each stride will change you just a little 

and prepare you for what's next.

Eventually you will emerge,

like a caterpillar from the chrysalis,

transformed and more vibrant."

Notes...

Replace distractions with direction.

Reframe negative emotions. 

Don't become stuck in a whirlwind of disappointment.

Find the good in each situation.

Don't wrestle with Spirit.

Collaborate with it.

"Faith in love doesn't determine loves power,

but it does determine whether or not we experience it's power."

Have faith in miracles, 

or deflect them.

It's a choice.

Stop seeking to get somewhere,

and embrace that I am already somewhere.

Learn to be open to God;

because I never know what is around the corner.

No matter how much I think I know.

Failure to grow limits and confines me.

He grows my faith through the storms.

"We complicate life when we look past 

the simplicity of things."

be well...

xoxo

💖

'...Or was God telling us something

in those whispers to "be still,"

that all along,

it was necessary,

to slow down,

trust,

and heal.'

be well...

xoxo

💖

 

April 18, 2025

Today...I will sit on the porch and draw,

& breathe in the sunshine,

&  nourish and nurture,

& call my brother,

 and live in the moment.

Polly and me

My journal highlights from this week:

If I'm not the problem...there is no solution.

This is not me fixing myself...this is spiritual.

I am powerless over this.

Become more self-aware and open hearted.

Clear out some of the old habits, relationships, things...and

keep space open for more beautiful things to be added.

Clear some space. Identify the things that give me joy,

and are filled to the brim with purpose and intention.

Move those things to the center.

Allow life to surprise me.

Work at learning to have fun, as much as I learned to be miserable.

"Bad company corrupts good character."

1 Corinth. 15:33

Get clear on what I am grateful for.

Let go of lesser things.

Sow seeds of happiness.

Be consciously aware of the choices I make every moment.

The right action at the right moment,

 is the one that nourishes me & everyone else who is influenced by

that action.

Instead of bemoaning the loss of my comfort,

accept the challenge of something new.

Be intentionally available to decide what it is

that I want to be available to.

Beware of mind-numbing distractions,

and petty grievances.

Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.

Stop taking everything so personally.

Trust myself & experience life.

Appreciate what is in front of me.

See all that is going well.

Know what I want, and go for it.

Don't allow doubt & judgement & guilt to keep

me from moving into the life I desire.

Do less, accomplish more.

No need to persuade or convince.

A few of the things I'm grateful for...

... quiet days, when nothing special seems to be happening.

...open windows allowing the outside in.

... early morning yoga class with an old friend.

...12 weeks of zero sugar.

...chia seed pudding

...carob chips and coconut

...mini workouts

...muscles starting to fill in the loose jiggly bits on my arms.

...being friends with my future daughter-in-law on Duolingo.

in our attempt to learn Spanish.

...1081 days of trying to learn,

...Brandon being in town for work and staying for the night. 

...an unexpected phone call from an old friend.

...spotting my first hummingbird.

...clearing out 4 bags of "stuff".

...morning devotional/journaling/coffee, in the yard.

...my neighbor's baby chicks on one side,

Otis's morning howl on the other.

...mowing the yard.

...planting the Zinnias from last years flower heads.

Knowing they originally started at my old single-mom-home, as a seed in a pot.

 Shared with a friend that grew them in their garden back home in NY...

and then they shared them with me when I moved here.

...Dr. Will Cole

...cousins naming a turtle in their pond after me.

...my hubby.

God.

be well...

xoxo

💖

"If you don't change directions, 

you might end up where you're heading."

"You are lovable as you are. Maybe you're just in the wrong

place to shine."

"Follow your souls calling."

"It's never too late to turn things around.

You are the only obstacle."

~Dave Ramsey~

 

Charmed

This week...

An out of town stay with some old friends to catch up,

shopping for flowers at their favorite nursery,

and then lunch with the family at their grandson's favorite local cafe.

More heading out of town in another direction, to see my kiddo and his Fiancee.

Shopping at their favorite nursery for flowers, berry bushes and veggies for their garden.

Then out to an Italian restaurant to celebrate B's 30th. birthday.

The next day, (B's B-day) we hung some solar lights in the yard, visited 

the mall for a little B-day shopping, then swung by our cousins

who were celebrating their 49th Anniversary.

I watched as they all sat down to enjoy a piece of their traditional pineapple 

upside down cake.

Still watching...

....as Darla their dog managed to leap up and knock

my cousins plate, sending a good portion of her cake flying to the floor.

Then shortly after she gobbled up every crumb....

took another lunge managing to knock Brandon's plate, 

catapulting the rest of his cake to the floor (after bouncing off of his pants).

Bad dog.

More cake to make up for everyone's loss.

Lots of laughs.

Lot's of love.

Charmed by my own life.

Journal highlights from my week on the go...

Begin the day with open hands and a heart of faith.

Fear less. Love more.

Surrender to the unfolding of greater things.

Keep the heart open and teachable.

Live within the boundaries of today.

Humility is the gateway to wisdom.

'Don't settle for the dissatisfaction of what you know

rather than the openness of what you haven't tried yet.'

"Don't settle for the ordinary when

the extraordinary is right around the corner."

Trust that no matter how tough the experience is,

you will come out transformed.

"Let go. Surrender. Ease up. Sit back & simply

allow the magic to happen. It will."

be well...

xoxo

💖

"You were made for this moment.

Get back into your skin.

Dance and cherish everything,

as if you might never have the chance again."

 

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."