A New Beginning

I have decided that I am going to use this space as a way for me to try and focus on the things I am grateful for, the goals I have and my hopes that everyone can benefit from my perspective. I will start each writing with a quote and then I will reach into the meanings of the quote, at least as it pertains to my life and see if maybe I can start a different train of thought for those who may be needing a little light shone into their darkness.

Today's quote: "Remember that today you can not only make a difference in your own life but in the life of others. Stay positive and true to yourself, you never know when you're making a memory" Unknown Author


This quote speaks to me about the little things in life. Those moments when we think no one is watching or listening to us, the little spans of time when we see someone who could use a hand, a hug or even just a smile. Sometimes, the smallest of gestures can make the biggest impact on someone's life and in those moments of giving, we receive gifts that nurture our own souls and enrich our own lives. It can take but a moment to change someone forever, to change ourselves forever and I think that we should all take those moments and let them enhance the people we already are. There is never a downside to becoming a better, healthier, more well adjusted and giving person. There is only an upside. When we choose to  want to love and care for people, to give back what we have been given and to share in our happiness, there is a greater sense of fulfillment and completeness that steals over us and gives us peace. It is a win/win situation. Love brings about love, happiness brings about happiness and peace brings about peace. this is the way of the universe as like is attracted to like. I hope everyone reading this can take this quote for the day and use it to find that sweet balance in their own lives. May you all be blessed and enriched today. 


Namaste

Balancing The Scales

Today has me thinking a lot about the balance of life and death. I am expecting my first grandson in January (December 22 if I have my way!!) and I am also facing the death of a loved one at the same time. It is funny how the scales seem to even out sometimes. One life given, another taken. I have noticed this often in my life. Death following birth, birth on the heels of grief to remind us all of how precious our time here really is and to soothe our aching souls some small measure. Life and death are all about balance it seems. The dark and the light. How is it we manage to smile at a funeral and cry at a birth for those who have passed on and cannot be here to experience these blessed events. Once again, the balance remains. I remember when I was pregnant with my first child and I had what I consider a delayed grief reaction and cried until I could cry no more. I was so overly emotional that my grandmother, whom, at that point in time had been gone for 5 years, was not going to be there to see me be a mother, to hold my baby in her arms and look down into her face with the pride and joy only a grandmother can show. I also remember when I delivered that child, hearing my grandmother's voice, telling me how beautiful she was and how proud I had made her. Maybe it was caused by exhaustion, maybe the medications they gave me, maybe it was just an emotional overload..but no matter the source what I heard comforted me, soothed my very soul. Now I am seeing the scales righting themselves once again in my life and it gives me peace to know that for every pain there is a balm. I will be heartbroken when I am finally faced with the loss that is to come but I will find solace in my grandson, in my belief that this life here is but one piece of an eternal whole and that those we miss and love are really just a thought, a heartbeat away from us. Blessed Be everyone.

Under The Weather

Today has been all about health. I took my daughter to see the doctor, against her wishes I might add (she was actually upset that I was making her miss school!!!) and then when I returned home, my 2 year old great-niece was here waiting for me to watch her and she seems to have come down with something. It had me thinking about the different ways people act or express themselves when not feeling quite up to par. I know that for myself, I switch between being grumpy when I am hurting to being a tad bit babyish when I am just feeling under the weather..lol. My husband tends to send himself to bed when he is ill, and stays there until he is feeling better, but when he is hurting or in pain he rarely says a word! All my girls act very differently when they are ill but they all tend to be very vocal when they are hurting, expecting Doctor Mom to cure all their ails. When sick, my oldest gets incredibly whinny, acting more like a 2 year old than a woman who is about to be a mother within the next few weeks! My middle child tends to get very irritable and this sense of entitlement seems to envelop her. My youngest, although a little whinny and a little cranky, tends to go to bed and sleep until she has overcome the majority of what she is suffering from. From my husband to my great-niece though, the one constant remains and that is they all look to me for comfort and care. I don't mind playing this role for them as long as I am not feeling under the weather myself. Then, sad to say, I usually end up getting a lot more ill because I have this really bad tendency to not take a sick day myself unless I can barely function..lol. My sister lovingly refers to it as my Martyr personality..lol. I hope that with flu season fast approaching that everyone takes whatever measures they can to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and happy. Llet's face it, being sick is never any fun, no matter if you are 2 or 102. 

Changes

Sometimes the urge to change something about ourselves or our situation overcomes us and is so intense that all that truly matters in those maniacal moments is that we do something,anything different than we normally would have in order to perhaps change our perceptions about ourselves, our surroundings or our circumstances. These changes can be positive or negative, depending on what they are and why you have come to the conclusion that something has to give. Some people make changes to their personal style by changing their hair or buying new clothes,some people get a new car or decide to change residence. Some of us change our careers or our friends and relationships in life; realizing that we can no longer remain stagnant in our current relationships if we are to grow. There are so many different ways that people make the subtle and not so subtle adjustments that allow us to have new starts, new beginnings, new visions of our futures and what we would like, in those moments, to be apart of them. A negative change can result in heartache, loss, grief while the positive ones can help us to focus on our futures, enjoy what we have been given and entertain our lives in a manner which pleases us and those around us. Changes are an important part of the human experience and those who are afraid of change can find themselves being left behind while others around them grow and embrace what their lives have become because of it. My wish for everyone today is that they embrace the changes that will add to their lives and learn from the ones they have made that were maybe not the best choices to be made. This, is my hope.

Thank You Is Not Enough

I did not get to write yesterday as I was hosting a baby shower for my daughter who is expecting her first child, a little boy, that I fondly call Nesa to his mother's dismay! It kept me very busy with all the food that was to be prepared, the decorations that had to be put up to make the atmosphere festive and the presents that needed to be wrapped, but in the end, after all the stressing out about it being absolutely perfect for her, it was better than I could have hoped for. I owe so much to those who helped to make it what it was from the hubby who let me spend all his money on it, to those who helped with cleaning, prepping, decorating, cooking and especially all the guests who came to make it so perfect for her. There are no words to express my gratitude. What should be said or done to show people in a situation like this, just how much you appreciate them? Typically people would send out thank you cards, and we more than likely will do the same, but it never seems to be enough of a gesture. The feeling  is so much bigger and it has always felt so...minimal..to just send out a stack of cards. I hope the people who come through my door to help celebrate all these special occasions with us can feel how important their presence is to us by the foods I have prepared and the thought and planning that has gone into the event. I hope they all know how much I value them by these simple but heartfelt gestures of hospitality. Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves and you can tell immediately what their feelings are. I am not like that. Instead, I show people how much they mean to me by the foods I feed them and the effort I put towards making the experience a positive and memorable one for them. I just hope they know that their existence in my life is priceless.

Gratitude

Today I have been thinking a lot about gratitude. I have had some pleasantly unexpected things happen over the last couple days and the feeling of utter appreciation and gratitude I am experiencing has filled my day with such bliss...I can't even describe it. I have had unexpected gifts given to me by loved ones, both materialistically speaking and more importantly, emotionally speaking. I have had those within my circle show me  that I am appreciated, thought of, cared for and understood. I have been given support, courage and strength in a time of struggle for me and there are no amount of words in the world that could adequately describe how much that truly means to me. I have been given tokens of appreciation and affection, telling me that all I do for those around me does not go unnoticed and that they are grateful for what I do for them. I have had kind words, loving touches and comforting embraces that have helped me to steel myself against the urge to beat myself up over what I deem are my own flaws and insecurities. I know I don't realize it nearly often enough and I know I don't express how much these little things truly mean to me very well, but I want everyone who reads this to know how eternally grateful I am for this moment of clarity and to all who have helped me to be able to see it so well for the magick that it is. Thank you. I appreciate you. You honor me.

To Give Ourselves A Gift

As my last post stated, I am Wiccan, which means that today is my New Year. Most people make resolutions on this day but I think, personally, that one should not need a special occasion to change their lives for the positive. I am of the school of thought that if I have to mark it on a calendar for some future event, then I can't really want to change it that badly. Maybe I am just not really ready to make those changes. If one has to procrastinate it, then one is still afraid of it on some level. Perhaps it is fear of failure that makes us want to put it off, fear of the person you will become or the sacrifices you may need to make or those you may need  to leave behind. Whatever the reason, I just think if one wants to change, they can..in that very moment. So today, instead of saying that I will strive to meet some goal and give myself the next 365 days to accomplish it,  I am going to give myself the gifts that I have been denying myself in some way or another up to this point.  Today, I vow to gift myself with more understanding, more patience, more time and more self love. I will gift myself with more knowledge, all the blessings bestowed on me by family and friends, acceptance, joy and abundance. Today I will allow myself to be at peace with my world, to not worry about whether or not everything is going to be the way I think it should be and  to show my appreciation to those around me for the countless things they bring to my life. Today I will honor myself, and in doing so I honor every teacher and mentor I have ever had, no matter what the lesson they taught. Today, I gift myself with life and not just mere existence. All of this and yet so much more, I will give to myself  on this Pagan New Year because let's face it, if we don't give ourselves these things, no one else is going to either. I hope any who read this today will also gift themselves with the things that will enhance their lives and make them even more precious and special than they already are. If everyone was able to do this, I truly believe the world would be a much more understanding and harmonious place. Happy New Year to all my fellow Pagan's out there. May you all be blessed brightly this coming year!! For all the Christian's out there who may be reading this, I have not forgotten about you... Happy All Saints Day! For all those who fall in between or on the outsides of these definitions, I wish you all a beautiful day full of possibilities.