The heart of a child

A trip to the zoo

 

*****

 

No matter how old I get, I'm still a kid at heart.
Going to the zoo in South Carolina was fun.
We should never lose our zest for life...
a playful wonder child that we all have within us.

I remember the things I loved as a little girl...
 like the taste and smell of homemade taffy,
sitting by the crackling fireplace and feeling a safe warmth from it,
the sound of leaves rustling in the wind as winter approached,
digging in my grandpa's garden,
my sister and I sharing a bag of candy on the curbside.

I still have a little girl in me...
 who loves taffy, fireplaces, leaves, gardens, spending time with my sister...

*****

After today, I will only be posting my blog once a week. As much as I love writing daily, my shoulder hurts when I'm on the computer...so I'm taking a break.

 When I started blogging just a little over a year ago, I had no idea how much joy it would bring me. You are the reason for that. Thanks for your support.

So for now, I'll being posting only on Fridays, starting this week. 

FYI- on the right-hand side under blog archive, it lists all the topics I've written about this past year.
If you are being challenged with an issue, this reference may be helpful to you on days that
I'm not writing. God bless!

****

 

 "I am at ease with change"



A grateful heart

 

 

I had a wonderful time in South Carolina. The weather was perfect, the leaves
were turning colors. I couldn't have asked for anything more. But the highlight of
my trip was the time I spent with my sister, Penny. I think you can see from my
 pics the essence of who she is...full of life, giving, loving, kind. Thank you sis and
 Mike, for a beautiful week of heart-warming memories.

 

*****

 

 Nature is the art of God.

~ Thomas Browne

*****

"My heart is full"



Your dreams

Hidden dreams

Are your dreams hiding in the shadows…

trembling with goose bumps of fear…

fear of failure…

fear of success…

fear of commitment?

Does your little self say “I can’t do it”?

Well...guess what powerful girl?

There is nothing you can't do...

So take my hand - come out of the dark…

open your strong arms wide..…

and shout with me to the Universe…

“I CAN DO IT”

 

****

 

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.

-John Barrymore

******

"I believe in myself"

Using your intuition

 

 

 

Do you believe everything your mind tells you? In other words, are you aware of the thousands of thoughts that run through your head every day that are mostly garbage...a continuous chatter of negative stories about yourself and about others? That is the ego tricking you into thinking you are better or less than someone else. It may tell you that you are alone, that no one loves you, that no one understands, that people are out to get you, blaaablaaablaa...

 

Don't give it power! Don't buy into the sad or scary stories. If you do, you will end up feeling crappy.  

 

 There are useful things we can do with our minds like balancing a checkbook, doing a crossword puzzle....but learn to rely more on what your intuition tells you. There is so much wisdom in you, but you won't find it in your thoughts. Learn the difference between your ego and your intuition. It will make a huge difference in how you feel.
 

*****

 

 

 “Part of me suspects that I'm a loser,
and the other part of me thinks I'm God Almighty.” 
 
― John Lennon

*****

" I will listen to my intuition"
 

A warm heart

a serene moment - taking time for reflection

When you look upon another human being...

 and feel great love toward them,

 

or when you contemplate beauty in nature...

 and something in you responds deeply to it,

 

close your eyes for a moment...

 and feel the essence of that love...

 

Eckhart Tolle

 

 

*****

 

 the beginning of a new day - taken in my backyard

*****

“Identification with your mind creates an opaque screen of concepts,

labels, images, words, judgments, and definitions that blocks all true relationship.

It comes between you and yourself, between you and your fellow man and woman,

 between you and nature, …”

 

Eckhart Tolle

 

 

"I am open to life"



In the moment

 

We depend on nature not only for our physical survival.

 

We also need nature to show us the way home,

 

 the way out of the prison of our own minds.

 

We got lost in doing, thinking, remembering, anticipating -

 

lost in a maze of complexity and a world of problems...

 

We have forgotten how to be -

 

 to be still, to be ourselves, to be where life is:

 

here and now.

 

Eckhart Tolle 

 

*****

 

I love taking nature photos. When I am photographing, I forget about everything else. That's why I am fortunate to get good pics even though I use an inexpensive camera. By giving it my full attention, something magical happens...

 

*****

 

 admiring the sky on my evening walk...

 

****

 

 

"Whatever I do, I will give it my full attention"

 

Sharing with others

 

I've mentioned before that only a small number of our thoughts are actually valuable. Most of

our thoughts are not. The committee in our head (the ego) chatters continuously; judging,
criticizing, making up stories, playing negative tapes... Sometimes it can be hard to decipher
healthy thoughts from unhealthy ones.

 

I can't stress enough how valuable it is to have someone to process your thoughts and feelings
with. Left to your own devices, you may continue to make the same mistakes over and over.
Getting a fresh perspective can be very enlightening.

 

Many of us (myself included) were raised to keep our feelings to ourselves. Years ago, that's how things were done. But today, the kindest things we can do for ourselves is to be open and share
 with others. Not only does it feels good to be supported, but you will find new solutions to
 problems that may have been baffling you...

 

******

 

 

 

"I can trust my friends.

These people force me to examine...

encourage me to grow."

-Cher

 

****

 

 

"I share myself with others"



Expanding our world

 

 

As my heart expands...

 

so does my understanding.

 

It is not my place to judge others.

 

 I am here to learn lessons...

 

about love and compassion.

 

My contribution to the world...

 

is to be kind, patient, and understanding.

 

****

 

 

Love is patient and kind,
Love is not jealous, conceited, proud or boastful,
it is not arrogant, selfish, irritable or rude.
Love does not keep a record of wrongs.
Love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth,
Love never gives up, and its faith, hope and patience never fail.
Love is eternal.

~ 1-Corinthians 13:4 ~ 

 ****

 

 

 "I will keep my heart soft"

 

Wise and fearless

 

 some older photos...love nature stuff

 

Allow fear and excitement to join hands.

 

Do things that scare you.

 

Seize the opportunity to experience something new.

 

Watch the interplay between faith and fear.

 

Faith is a powerful muscle.

 

 But you must use it often to strengthen it.

 

*****

 

ladybug, ladybug...how special you are

 

As your faith is strengthened

you will find that there is no longer the need

to have a sense of control,

that things will flow as they will,

and that you will flow with them,

to your great delight... 

 

~Emmanuel



 ****

 

 

"Life is an adventure"

 

Trusting the process

 

Don't be disheartened if you're not where you'd like to be...

 if you've been working on self-improvement...

but feel like you're not getting anywhere...

know that being patient is part of the process.

You can't grow faster than you already are...

 but it doesn't mean that you not moving forward.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other...
have faith that all your hard efforts will pay off.

****

 

 

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves;
otherwise we harden."
  
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

"I trust the process"



Addictive love

 

a pretty blossom from a citrus bush

the fruit from the citrus bush- in the lemon family

 

ad·dic·tion: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something

that is psychologically or physically habit-forming

 

   There are many things people can be addicted to...

things like TV, food, spending, gambling, drugs, alcohol...

 

Another addiction can be relationships...

choosing unhealthy people to love...

seeking approval from people who can't love back...

putting up with harmful or unacceptable behaviors.

 

Investing too much of ourselves in our children's lives,
especially when they become adults...

 can also be addictive.

Don't mistake enmeshment for "love".

 

Love is a unconditional feeling...

 that is neither restrictive or painful.

Addiction/strong attachments hurt.

 

If there is something or someone in your life that is causing you pain,

you may want to ask yourself "what am I trying to get from them"...
 or what am I afraid of losing"?

Is there a wounded part of you seeking love but you don't love yourself?
Do you have a deep seeded fear of being alone?

It is only through loving ourselves...
and trusting that we'll survive with or without someone...
 that we are truly free.

We don't want to be dependent on others to fill our needs.

If there is an empty hole in your soul ...
it can only be healed through finding love and compassion for yourself.

When you are healed, you will be free...

 and so will those you've love.
 

*****

 

 

Perfect love casts out fear.
If fear exists, then there is not perfect love...

~ A Course in Miracles ~

 

"I am free"



Saying "no"

 

 

Does your life feel really heavy? Have you lost the happy skip in your heart?

Are you over-committed...weighed down with responsibilities...stooped over 

with the heavy weight of doing? What are you getting out of this? Do you

feel stuck? Well, you aren't. But you're the only one who can turn this around.

The first word you have to learn is "no". Is it hard to tell others no? If so, why

 is that? Afraid of hurting someone else? Do you have a strong impulse to be liked? 

Or is the busyness a way to disconnect from some inner pain you're trying to ignore?
Until you can get honest with yourself about your motives, nothing will change.

 

 Know that there is an wonderful exciting world out there waiting to be discovered.
Don't settle for living in a box. Free yourself... Let go of your need to be needed. The

 price you pay is too high. You have a choice, so choose wisely the life you want.

 

*****

 

 

 Our dependency makes slaves out of us,
especially if this dependency is a dependency of our self-esteem.
 If you need encouragement, praise, pats on the back from everybody,
 then you make everybody your judge.

Frits Perls

****

"I am free to enjoy life's blessings"