Recently in meditation, I was shown this idea… Sometimes we want to hold on to beliefs so tightly, wrapping them around us like a second skin. We believe, or rather know (because we’re not “knowing” anything else at the moment), that we cannot live without this layer. When in fact,…
My 10-year-old nephew celebrated his birthday in style earlier this month. He asked for donations to their local food bank in lieu of gifts for himself because he said, “I already have what I need and a lot of people don’t.” When it was over, they delivered 214 lbs of…
The last 2 times (just before Arizona’s “stay-at-home” order), I went to a coffee shop drive-thru, I pulled up to pay just to be told the car ahead of me paid for my coffee. So, of course, I paid for the person behind me (after making sure it wasn’t too…
My car was totaled this week, my dog had cancer surgery (giving him an enormous 10-inch incision), and I am flat broke. It sounds like the opening lines to a bad country song. I admit I was a little freaked out when my daughter called, but I felt better when…
Everyone experiences periods when the “rougher” emotions take over. It’s OK to feel and experience them, but at some point, you have to let love, joy and gratitude take back the wheel.
Gratitude is feeling joy for something. Feeling joy for something should compel you to be grateful for that which brings you joy, but it’s important to remember that joy is not only in the big things. It is also found in the smallest of things like a smile, or hug…
That’s why it’s called “the present”. Be hopeful for your gift, and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Mike Jagger sang, “You can’t always get what you want…. but you get what you need.” This is my life right now, and I’m fine with that. In the previous two years, I have lived a relatively comfortable material life from a good-paying job as a travel agent. I left…
If you were raised on candy, you wouldn’t truly understand how sweet it is unless you also tasted bitter and sour (you would also likely get diabetes and die young). Life is like candy. The difficult, bitter experiences we encounter allow us to appreciate the bits of sweetness that we also…
Do you know the directions to Happy Place? Is it easy to navigate your way there on your own, or do you require help, like a GPS? If you’re not already there, are you at least on the road? Here are some tips for your journey: Be grateful. Sometimes it…
My daughter was fired from her job today. She was in shock and crying when she called to give me the news, and as she told me what happened, I was struck by the fact that it was exactly what she wanted. I have an analogy I use when discussing the ideas of manifesting…
The sky, the clouds, the weather, the breath of the Earth hasn’t been, and will not be, EXACTLY like today. Embrace the uniqueness that is now, and be grateful for it. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” – Mother Theresa
While you’re giving gifts to others and sharing what you have during this season, you mustn’t forget one of the more important presents (for all seasons) – the gift of gratitude. Allow yourself to be grateful for all that you have in your life, truly grateful, and you will be…
I took this picture of the waterfall in Waipi’o Valley (north shore of Big Island, Hawai’i) after a 4.5 mile trek to get to it. We hiked down 45° mountains, across a wide rushing river feeding into the ocean, across a black sand beach and a 2 mile walk away…
When you stop appreciating people and things in your life, they eventually just go away. When you truly appreciate someone or something, really appreciate without desperation or fear of loss, you are more likely to keep it around longer.
Often times we forget to be grateful for what we’ve got until it’s gone, but being grateful for what we’ve got can only lead to more! The first step to keeping something (or someone) in your life is gratitude. Being truly grateful is feeling love and joy for what you…
Gratitude (without the double-t) is everything! When we feel gratitude toward a person, place or thing, we tend to nurture it. We don’t want it to “go away” from our life. When we don’t feel grateful for something, when we don’t give it the tender-loving care required for growth, it…
