She felt good about herself

          She had the poignant gift of self-esteem.       

She used her confidence

to bring assurance

to others.

*****

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

― Maya Angelou

*****

Choose what matters.



Heart lessons

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance...  I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

*****

I can feel the suffering of millions and yet,

 if look up to the heavens...

Anne Frank

*****

See every situation with a peaceful heart for peace is truly a treasure.

She spoke with graceful honesty

 

new stuff...

She gave up

 

trying to please others

 

to become more truthful.

 

Her integrity earned her the trust

 

of those who knew her.

****

“I do not trust people who don't love themselves
and yet tell me, 'I love you.'
There is an African saying which is:
Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”
― Maya Angelou

*****

Speak words of your heart rather than words to please others.



Living in harmony

 

The Woman with the Flower

 

I wouldn't coax the plant if I were you.
Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging.
And wait until it's dry before you water it.
The leaf's inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.
Much growth is stunted by too much prodding,
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.

Naomi Long Madget

****

 

"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe."

—Marcus Aurelius 

 

 

There is a natural order to all things. Avoid interfering otherwise you will forfeit your peace.

She learned the art of meditation

She felt overwhelmed

because her life was too busy.

She slowed down

to live more mindfully

and flourished

in the quiet.

*****

"Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. ” 

― Maya Angelou

 

Avoid extreme feelings. Otherwise, you will lose your balance.

Listening to nature

I have been noticing the sound of the birds.

Their songs used to be the background noise,

but now it's the first thing I hear in the morning.

At 5:00 am, I heard the crow say "good morning".

 

****

 

 

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

 

Khalil Gibran

 

*****

 

Ask for guidance daily. Don't be led by ego.

There's a song in her heart

She was hurt by a childhood

 

layered with abuse and neglect.

 

She lovingly gathered up

 

the scattered pieces of her brokenness

 

and gave them to God for repair.

 

She was able to leave her past behind

 

by making peace with it.

****

“I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on the water.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert  

 *****

Empty your mind of judgment. See the good in all things.



Claiming more freedom

 

There is freedom in becoming desireless. Being desireless means we let go of all our attachments...our attachment to people, things, and circumstances. It also includes our attachment to getting our way. When we give up trying force life and let it unfold naturally, we are truly free.

One of the things I know I am still attached to is food. Both my partner and I are not extravagant people but when it comes to food, we splurge.

Over a year ago, I got sick for several months and had to give up just about everything I loved; eating in restaurants, coffee, chocolate, sugar, pizza, spaghetti...It was hard at first, but I discovered that I did okay without them. Today I still have an attachment to food but it doesn't have the strong hold it used to because I know now I can let go.  

 

******

 

 

The bug knows intuitively how to live and what it's purpose is. It doesn't get up every day obsessing about this or that, complaining, worrying, feeling resentful because it doesn't get what it wants. Until we let go of our old conditioned thinking, we will be a prisoner to our desires. And by giving in to desire, there will never be enough of anything.

 

*****

 

A special message to you from the Universe-

keep life simple. Chaos is merely a smoke screen for those who are afraid to look deeper at themselves.

Being an explorer

 New photos taken at the women's garden club in Sarasota

 

*****

Be adventurous!

Try new things!

Adopt a new belief, 

explore foods you’ve never tasted before,

make a new friend. 

Get out of your comfort zone. 

Expand your world.

****

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” 

― Anais Nin

******

 

A special message to you from the Universe-

Claim your right to freedom by being your authentic self.

She was true to herself

She broke free of codependency.

 

She was more helpful to others

 

when she put

 

her own needs first.

****

 

                      

I didn't have to scramble up and down the ladder from despair to euphoria anymore, trying to convince myself that life was either painful and terrible or joyous and wonderful. The simple truth was that life was both. 

― Melody Beattie

 

****

 



 

A special message to you from the Universe-

When you're on the right course, nothing can block your good.



Making new memories

 

Yesterday I had a gathering at my house with some amazing ladies. It was a way of expressing my gratitude to the women who have shared this bittersweet road of recovery with me. It was a beautiful, heart-felt celebration and a wonderful reminder of how blessed I truly am by those who share my life.

 

*****

 

 

Friends are the pillars on your porch.

Sometimes they hold you up,

sometimes they lean on you,

and sometimes it's just enough to know that they are standing by.

 

 Unknown

****

 

A special message to you from the Universe-

When you learn to trust life, you will come to know what true peace is. Relax. Breathe deeply. All is well.



She knew she could fly

 

Her wings grew strong

 

through faith

 

and perseverance.

 

Nothing could hold her back

 

from achieving her dreams.

  

****

 

“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” 

 

― Rumi

 

*****

 

 

A special message for you from the Universe-

When you're in the flow of life, you won't have to chase your desires. They will come to you.

Accepting who we are

 

It's important that we not only find our true identity,

 

but also to learn to be comfortable...

 

 with who we really are.

 

Because we will never be perfect,

 

we must accept ourselves unconditionally.

 

 And when we do,

 

we will live beyond the opinion's of others.

 

****

 

Squirrels keep me company on my evening walks...

 

*****

 

A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:

"Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time." When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, "The one I feed the most."

 

*****

 

A special message for you from the Universe-

 Open the eyes of your heart. See that there is nothing you lack. Your life is truly rich. Remember to give thanks.

A beautifully sculpted life

 

I am filled with gratitude...gratitude for my imperfect life. To wake up feeling joyful each day, is nothing short of a miracle. How did I evolve from self-hatred to love? Things changed when I started working on my interior life instead of putting all the focus on the external. Nothing outside of myself ever sustained my happiness or peace for long. I had a choice to either surrender to change or continue to be held hostage by the past.

 

*****

 

I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."

 

~Dawna Markova

****

A special message for you from the Universe-
Build a strong foundation within yourself so when a storm blows your way, your confidence will bring you peacefully through it.

She felt a connection

She awakened to a deep sense

 

of belonging.

 

The world felt like home.

 

She became more mindful

 

how she cared for it.

 

*****

 

 

 

“Promise Yourself"

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind...

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them...

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future...

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others...

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds...

― Christian D. Larson

 

*****

 

 

Message from the Universe - Take risks. Don't choose the easy way; choose the right way. Remember that life is meant to be adventurous. We won't succeed by playing it safe.