Pure Joy!

If only it hadn't taken me this long to figure out that the very simple things in life bring me the most joy, like the picture above.  I can't help but smile when I see my grand kids at play.  They haven't yet been burdened with the "things" of life.  They have no worry about what tomorrow will bring.  They really do live in the moment. Ok so they can also throw a tantrum when things don't go their way, but at least they forget about it 10 minutes later...no grudges or revisiting the past again once recovery has been made.  I can't help but wonder how much more peaceful my life would have been had I done the following:

1) Don't spend any time mulling over what someone else says, thinks or does, just move on and let it go. 
2) If someone else disagrees with you, recognize it doesn't mean something is wrong with you
3) Your house will just get dusty again so rather than dust, go outside and play
4) Be silly more and serious less
5) Listen to old people, they are wiser than you realize
6) Be patient with yourself and others - we will never rise to the level of perfection we think we should
7) No matter how much you accumulate, things will never be enough to bring happiness
8) Loving yourself and others should be at the top of the to-do list
9) People can try to affect your attitude, but in the end you are responsible for your reaction
10) Not everyone wants advice, sometimes they just need to tell someone what's bothering them
11) Winning every argument does not make you smarter
12) Embrace the scars of life - they tell you just how far you've come
13) Recognize your life is like a portrait.  There are some pretty colors, some abstract, some dark, some bold but together they make up the picture of who you are today.

Ashley from lilblueboo has been my latest inspiration.  She says it best when she says "choose joy" .  That sums it up best http://www.lilblueboo.com.

Blessings!

It is a milestone in life when you realize the things most important to you are are not things at all.



This Journey

Sometimes we fail to understand the reasons for our hardships and the lessons we learned in the school of hard knocks.  We wonder why certain things happened to us and why we had to endure some of the pain we encountered on our journey.  The fact is that every single thing that has happened to us, both good and bad, to this point has allowed us to prepare for this moment in our lives.  Without these lessons, hardships, joys and sorrows we could not have been prepared to embrace what is happening at this very moment.  It is what gives us grace, wisdom, endurance, resilience.  These experiences have taught us how to love ourselves as much as we have learned to love others and let them love us.  We have learned that failures are only stepping stones to the next level and so we no longer fear failures.  We know that it matters less what others wish for us to be and instead we go after what we want because we know through our experiences what works for us and what doesn’t.  We had to experience life’s important lessons to understand and move ahead with the great plan for our lives, with confidence, joy and a sense of who we really are. 

Change the world one thought at a time

I love browsing through stores with things tucked here and there...the unexpected.  It is pure delight to find a treasure hidden among the troves of the everyday. There is giddy excitement in discovering a new idea or seeing a quote that moves my heart and soul.  So.... I figure why not put out my own inspirational messages with the hope that someone may find comfort, motivation, release, whatever... It is my attempt to reach out to the world and share myself and do what I can to make the world a better place from my little place here in Ham Lake.

Today's thought....

If it seems your life takes a crooked path, it just means your journey is that much more interesting

Quiet Time

The holiday rush is through, a New Year has begun.  Like many others I am thinking about my hopes and dreams for this new year.  I don't mean lose the usual 10 pounds and eat healthier.  I am talking about living with more purpose and joy.  And the purpose I am thinking of is really nothing more than noticing things, taking chances, being grateful, moving forward, letting go of old tapes and files and former lives, learning to value things less and people more.  I want to use my time more productively.  I don't mean pack more into my days or fill my days with meaningless or distracting tasks.  I want to approach my days with an openness,  allowing myself time and permission to learn and experience new things.  This isn't easy for someone used to creating and checking off lists of tasks, grading myself based on how many things were checked off the list. It isn't easy for me to sit down and simply start to do something without the slightest clue of where it might lead.  It is also hard to let go of something that doesn't fit or feel right.  I'm always much more inclined to stick with it and make it work.  I want to give myself permission to fail at things and not feel badly about it.  If anything I should fail if I take the chances I would like to.  Again, it is is easier for me to take less risk and succeed than to go all out with a riskier proposition. I want to return to the girl who was never afraid of risk and instead took it on knowing failure might be the result.  Somewhere along the way I lost a little of that.

And Joy; it has become my favorite emotion.  Joy lights up my soul, opens my heart and allows my life to flow through me to those around me. Joy is contagious.  One of the gifts from the past year is the continued discovery that my joy comes from such simple things; things which might go unnoticed if I wasn't paying attention. Like the unplanned dance that took place with my beautiful daughter and grandchildren at the end of Christmas day or the gigglefest with my granddaughter and grandson; or the joy of staring into the sparkling and mischievous eyes of my grandson.  There was the quiet joy I felt as I spent the evening preparing and eating a feast with my husband, good friends and relatives as we celebrated New Year's eve.  There should be a way to discover joy in something everyday.  That is my goal...to seek and experience things which bring me joy.

I want to continue my switch from "mission mode" to "journey mode".  There is a new recognition of the finite time I have left.  Not just in terms of years, because of course no one knows for sure when life as we know it here will end.  No the finite time I speak of is more in terms of growing in spirit and wisdom. I don't want to waste another moment worrying about meaningless things.  It pains me when I consider the time I've wasted concerned about what this or that person thought of me, whether I was good enough at whatever I was doing be it mothering, working, being a friend, daughter.  The truth is I will be great at some things, good at others and there will be things I am not well suited for, just like every other person I know.  There is a peace that comes from letting go of the need for perfection.  In journey mode my goal will be to have genuine conversations, to listen to what people say, not so much with the need to fix problems or relate my own experience, but to simply be present and listen.  There is peace in that as well; knowing my job isn't to fix everyone or compete.   

There will be other goals too I am sure that pop up as I travel through 2012.  For now, these seem like a good place to begin.  I am grateful this day for the love of those around me, for quiet times, for freedom, for the opportunity to explore and learn new things.  I am grateful to God for his plans for me, for the blessings, patience and compassion he continues to shower me with despite my shortcomings. I am admittedly a work in progress.

Here is to a great New Year.

The Great Debut!

I sold my first piece of jewelry at my debut in the city and courthouse I began my law career 22 years ago but this time at a craft fair rather than a courtroom.  It could have been non-eventful...my first sale.  But my life is filled with eventful..  It could have been just anyone and I might not have been there to witness it had it been earlier or later by only an hour.  Heather was my first customer's name and as I shyly told her about the jewelry I make and why it was accompanied by an inspirational writing, she became overjoyed.  She shared with me that she was going through a divorce, a rough patch and the "I am Resilient" piece spoke to her.  As we read the words I had written, she seemed genuinely delighted in the message and said the words were exactly what she needed to hear.  She showered me with compliments on the jewelry and writing as she put the piece on.  She left wearing it after we exchanged hugs. She left me with the words "God Bless You.  It was a moment I will never forget because in that moment I felt the touch of God's hand in the whole encounter.  I think I was as emotional as Heather.  My dearest friend and cohort in the craft fair and I did our "happy dance", not because I sold a piece necessarily, but that my first piece had such an impact on someone.  It was all I hoped for and I could not have scripted it as good as God did.  I think at that moment I felt confident that I was heading in the right direction. I was beginning to wonder whether these pieces and my writing would be met with skepticism or embraced.  But, I just can't help but think who doesn't spiritual guidance or encouragment these days?  Who doesn't need to be reminded of what is important in a world where we are distracted by so much?  All of my usual crazy doubts were quieted at least for the moment.  How is it that just when I need it, I am graced with a gift like this again and again and a gentle reminder that God has his hand on me always, waiting for me to notice. Amazing.

This piece was inspired by the gift I inherited from my mother.  Things may not always go as planned.  Sometimes life is hard, but no matter what it is important to get back up when knocked down, dust off, handle the situation with grace and dignity and move on, humbled and healed.  It is the essence of resiliency.

People with something to say

It has been a morning full of hearing from people.  A cousin I haven't spoke with in awhile, a dear friend, my husband, writings from a friend I barred my soul with nearly a year ago now during a workshop.  It is an odd assortment of people to be sure.  I can't help but wonder what I am supposed to take away from it.  Each conversation brought something rich and revealing and there was a thread throughout them all that brought me great comfort.  People are seeking to find the richness in their own lives, just like I am.  How fortunate to find that so many are no longer just accepting that the life they have is the only one available.  How wonderful that people are asking important questions about life and admitting they don't know the answer.  It makes me feel connected to something much bigger and it gives me hope.  Underlying the sometimes misguided assumptions about life, there are people still out there searching for a greater truth, seeking a way to make even a small difference and recognizing that happiness does not come from a big paycheck or fancy title.  It comes from things much more tangible like the love of family and friends, the joy of experiencing the simple things like sitting and watching the sunset or laying in a hammock and thinking about the wonderful things in our life.  It feels like there is a resurgence of people recognizing we have complicated our lives behind reason and there is now a burning desire to focus on living versus just surviving.  One of my favorite sayings is "we must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."  There is peace in that thought and it has allowed me to give in and give up all of my notions about what I SHOULD be and give me the chance to be what I was destined to be.  Still not sure what it is, but I am walking and waiting in faith that it will come to be.