Bake Me Happy

 Historical downtown at night.

Christmas lights reflecting in windows and on rain-slicked sidewalks.

Drops falling as I stroll under a nature-print umbrella.

A gift from my kiddo. 

 Ducking into the warmly lit eatery for a baking class.

Sipping spiced chai as we wait to begin.

my first loaf of sourdough💞

A girlfriend walks in.

A surprise for us both.

A few women and an older man.

Uniting around a sizeable butcher block table,

mingling in black, flour-dusted aprons and super-sticky hands.

Story telling, laughter, and learning.

Stretching, folding and proofing our dough.

A freshly baked loaf and rolls to go.

I've been wanting to make my own sourdough.

Half to keep and half to give away.

I am making another loaf today.

be well...

xoxo

💖

" Fikabröd 

are the freshly baked goods

that accompany coffee."

"Who needs therapy

 when you've got floury hands and a warm loaf? "

"Behind every great sourdough

is a messy kitchen and a happy baker."

"What begins as flour and water

becomes nourishment through love and time."

 

 

Journal Dump

....because the times I didn't know what to do,

a new path was laid out inviting me to come forth.

 

Journal lately...

"You can find freedom from your old ways 

& rewrite the story of your life.

You hold the keys.

 If you want it badly enough to make the changes.

Find whatever it is that helps

you reset & get to freedom."

Be present. Here and now. Keep your focus on the path just ahead of you.

Wisdom's journey is to lead you on the right path.

Messages playing in your mind remind you of past mistakes & unkind ways

& judgements that drag you down.

Allow God to teach you who you really are.

Life feels wrung out & a little empty until you tune

into the deeper things, and nurture your inner life.

Change your negative beliefs about life &

take care of yourself.

Life can be smooth. Life is good.

you don't have to "awfulize" it, or yourself.

Remove yourself from being a victim of life.

Focusing on days gone by can hinder your faith.

Thankfulness is vital to your well-being.

'Smile, especially when you don't feel like it.

The physical workout of the muscles around your mouth

increases the positive enzymes in your brain chemistry.'

Swing into action.

Build your life around what you love

& nothing will ever be the same.

Keep calm. Love well.

You are meant to enjoy life.

'If you are satisfied with who you are,

you don't need to prove your worth to anyone else.'

"You are who you are when no one is watching."

Your soul becomes stronger with each change.

'Something new is awaiting to enter your life.

Let it be.'

"Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish

your opinions."

'Move toward what you want with fervor.

Step into your greatness. 

Let fear melt away as you step closer to 

the life you desire.'

be well...

xoxo

💝

"Like Fall, dazzling us with her elegance,

with the grace of wearing change,

I hope that you might reinvent yourself again

and again."

"Settle into the glorious process of discovering

that change allows magnificent things to happen

to those with malleable hearts and open minds."

Self-recognition

Sitting on the back stoop in slippers and a hoodie.

Time forgotten, as I sip my mug of (protein-powder) hot chocolate.

 Neighbor's chickens running toward me on their stubby little legs,

expecting to get a morning treat. I do not disappoint.

I return & sit down with my journal.

 When I put pen to paper scratching sentences, and quotes across the

page, I feel my body sigh.

 I've journaled since I was a girl.

Life gets reprioritized by something bigger than me,

and it has carried me through the chapters of my story. 

It's where I offload burdens, so that I can travel lighter.

A place where I willingly face correction, rage at my own ignorance,

receive Grace, and ...let go of old ways.

It's a space where time isn't a thing,

life seems to slow down & soften,

and ashes transform into beauty.

Lately it's been a place of redirection,

redemption, and restoration.

A continual healing and connection to a part

of me I have sadly forgotten.

That piece of me that's been clawing at the surface,

but stuck within the walls of protection, doubt, fear,

and insecurities. 

I share these words, as I feel a sense of leaving a version

of myself behind. 

Maybe it's midlife, maybe it's simply growth.

Either way...I think I'm on the other side of that spurt.

Shedding that skin.

Thank God.

I've experienced grief, anger, frustration, rage,

euphoria, love, grace, joy, and everything in-between.

The uncertainties of life can be scary,

yet I am finding some comfort in the not knowing.

Not having to know.

It has opened me up to the adventure of the unknown.

I  can trust in a Source larger than myself.

That Trust has not come easily.

Today, I am truly grateful for the life I have. 

Every bit of it.

That too, has taken some time.

I've worked hard this year and I am experiencing the rewards.

There's new vistas and memories that I'm making.

 I've let go of the way I "think" things need to go...(among other things)

& am relaxing into the journey.

I've opened up to more learning, because now I understand

just how much I don't know.

And with that, I have been more open to receiving, 

because I am humbled by what I have learned.

Practicing mindfulness and staying in the here and now

definitely keeps things lighter, and running  a little smoother.

It has opened me up to some pretty amazing moments,

I would have otherwise missed.

So does breathwork, meditation, prayer, and gratitude.

I believe, that what is right for us will pull at our hearts.

And if we can relax, and trust in our own process, 

we will eventually find our way.

We don't have to have it all figured out.

be well...

xoxo

💝

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull

of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."

~Rumi~

"You are who you are when no one is watching."

"You're beautiful, even on a bad hair day!"

Weekly Journal Dump

'...and if you touch any heart with what you do for the brief

moment you are here, that's enough.'

Blondie 💖

Journal lately...

Your only role is to serve with as much love as possible.

The rest is God's.

Life has a way of testing what we're made of.

"You will be astounded at the relief that comes

once you stop assuming you have all the answers."

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze

directly before you.

Proverbs 4:25 

Don't let the path of other peoples lives 

make you second guess your own.

Release the noose of public opinion.

'Steel your resolve by knowing what you believe &

why you believe it, then activate what you are going

to do about it.'

Quit playing it safe & don't play it scared.

Be strong & courageous today.

Follow the natural pull. It's trying to tell you something.

Put your energy where you want to see growth.

Eventually something will align.

Finding your path belongs only to you.

No one else knows where you're supposed to go.

Go and find out more about the activities that pull 

on your heart.

"The pain might be a sign of progress, 

and if we stick with love long enough, 

we'll find out the fruit of it is life."

"To live a life you love, you must do what you love.

And you can't choose what you love, 

you can only discover it."

'Disconnect from the ideas that limit you.

Open your mind to new possibilities.

You are capable of more than you ever imagined.'

Your grumbly-self, is a sign of a victim mind-set.

'Mindfulness helps us to let go of the story,

and shift from "bad things happen to me",

to "things are happening".'

~Think Like a Monk~

'Try to depend on the Spirit as you go through this day.'

'Faith is being sure of what we hope for &

certain of what we do not see.'

~Hebrews 11:1~

'By letting go of the "story", we are leaving behind an old world.

We no longer define ourselves by the traumatic event(s),

but instead by the love that freed us from it.'

"God approached us with arms open wide, asking nothing

in return, so we could show that same love to people around us."

Be mindful of why you're doing whatever you're doing &

how you react.

"Being mean won't fix insecurity - it highlights it."

Communicate love, patience, and understanding.

Smile. Hug. Listen.

"I'm not going to die because I failed as someone else.

I'd rather just succeed at being me."

be well...

xoxo

💝

"You cannot change the past. It is done. Leave it behind you,

rather than allowing it to anchor you in place and keep

you from moving forward.

There is hope in looking forward and freedom in 

letting go.

You deserve to have both."

"Whether our psychic pain is in the area

of relationships, health, career, or elsewhere,

love is a potent force,

the cure,

the Answer."

"Hugs heal your gut-brain connection.

Cuddles and a good chat increase oxytocin,

nurturing gut bacteria that tell

your nervous system that you are safe...

...lowering inflammation and anxiety.

This is your sign to fix your hug deficiency."

~Dr. Will Cole~