A happy life

Lack doesn't exist for those who live 

in a state of gratitude...

It's a wonderful world

No matter what the day brought,

she only saw rainbows...

LOVE

Unconditional love is a practice of acceptance... 

Letting go of stories...

Empty yourself of plans.

Let God lead the way.

Empty yourself of self.

Self is a story we’ve created 

about who we are.

Stepping forward

Courage refuses to be become passive 

in the face of challenge...

A pink life

Feeling creative...

The color of her world was soft...

LIFE

Life is about love, connection, gratitude, 

growth, change, acceptance...

An authentic life

If we have the good fortune to discover the things 

that speak to our soul, we then, must find the courage to 

create a life that represents what we love...

Heart wide open

When we let life tug on our heartstrings,

it becomes a strand of precious little moments... 

Honoring ourselves

Meet Winston. He is seven months old..

The last six weeks I've struggled with making the decision whether to keep the little Siamese kitten I had adopted. I knew that I wasn't happy, but I felt guilty... so I continued to try to make it work until I could no longer ignore the inner disturbance... 

It was time to surrender ... I had given it my best...

So I let go...

And in letting go, I promised myself that if I were to spend the next 15+ years with a kitty, it would be a match for both of us. Before the day was over, I got an email from a girl looking to re-home her cat. When I saw the photo him (Winston), I wept tears of joy. In being honest with myself about my own needs and letting go, the door opened for a new beginning... 

The gift of peace

What I have learned recently about myself is that I not only love the quiet, but I need lots of it... The experience of living with a kitten the past few weeks has had some joyful moments... but the everyday care of a young kitten doesn't match what I desire most...

I'm grateful for this lesson that shown me where I am at today. I'm grateful that I've learned to listen and honor my own feelings. I'm grateful that I give myself choices today. I won't swallow my feelings or force something to fit that doesn't. And best of all, I don't feel guilty or have any regrets. There were no mistakes made, only lessons to learn...

The lesson continues...

One of the gifts that working on my codependency issues has given me is a good intuition and the ability to be honest with myself about what I know to be true... I feel so grateful that I won't let myself be trapped by guilt anymore. If something doesn't feel right, I have to examine it and make changes if I need to... 

"Sweet Pea" was a hard test because my heart was in there. But I know that she will have a better life in a home with more activity than mine... 

Next lesson - her brother "Lil Boy Blu" has come to live with us... To be continued...

Life lessons - Sweet Pea

Because my emotional needs were ignored as a child, I spent a great deal of my adult life continuing to ignore myself. My primary focus was making others happy, tending to their feelings, and often putting on my superwoman cape to rescue someone... All of which gave me a feeling of being needed... and being needed gave me a sense of value/worthiness. 

It has taken a long time and a lot of work on myself to reach a place where rescuing or feeling like it's my job to make others happy, doesn't feel right anymore. I have loosened the chain of codependency...

However, the lessons continue to come...

Many of you know that I adopted an adorable little kitty named Sweet Pea. We immediately bonded and were off to a good start. But after a week or so, she became very clingy and a bit demanding... Because there are no other pets or children to play with in the house, I became the focus of her world. Becoming the focus of someone's world is an arena that I have worked hard to step away from... so some of the initial joy I felt with Sweet Pea began to diminish. It didn't help that she brought biting and scratching into our relationship. 

Though I have tried to ignore my own truth, yesterday I had an honest moment with myself. The truth is that Sweet Pea needs a home with more interaction... So with a heavy heart, I returned her to her original owner. I miss her already, but the changes I've worked hard to make in my life have brought me to a place where I value freedom and peace above all else... I appreciate everything that Sweet Pea came to teach me about myself, and fully trust that Sweet Pea's needs will be met in her new home... 

Seeing the gifts

When we let go of judgement and fixed ideas,

we begin to experience everything as good/God...

Soaring above our obstacles

The more we spread our wings,

the higher we soar...

Living authentically

If we have the good fortune to discover the things 

that speak to our soul, we then must have the courage 

to create a life that represents who we are and what we love.

And in no way should it match anyone else's life or beliefs...

Creative healing

Do something fun every day...

Bask in the gift of your precious life… 

Don't ever lose your child-like sense of wonder...

Dreams come true

It is in your power to create a life 

that is peaceful, meaningful, joyful....

A purposeful life

Living without passion and purpose is death to our spirit. 

Desire it so deeply that you won’t hesitate when you come 

to a fork in the road where you must choose between 

your old life or a new one. Though you may not know 

what adventures lie ahead, risk everything to find out.

For it is only in choosing what matters to your soul 

that you will know how it feels to be truly alive.

Gentle strength

Standing up for ourselves doesn't require holding a sword...

Trusting life

When we step back and observe life 

rather than try to manage it, 

we will see how wise the universe is...

With new eyes...

Perception is everything...

If we don't like what we see,

perhaps we need a new lens...

Being expressive

Pushing away pain doesn't make it go away.

We need to give it an outlet so that it can be released...

Living in reality

Much of our suffering is caused by our thoughts. Thoughts aren't neccessarily reality. Thoughts can stem from fear. When we clear our mind of thoughts, truth will shine through. We may not always like truth either, but in accepting "what is", we have peace...

Finding joy

We put our energy into chasing happiness when it is already in our nature 

to be content, grateful, peaceful… We are forced to chase external happiness 

when the joy within us is buried under our wounds…

Heart wide open

An awakened heart sees everything 

as an expression of love...

Finding your way...

Let the pull of your desire

sweep you out to sea...