Blessings for your day.

11/28/2013 Happy Thanksgiving!

The elders in my family have lived and left a legacy of an Attitude of Gratitude. They gracefully navigated pain and hardships with the ever-ready response, “I can’t complain.” Not only did they not complain, they looked for the silver lining, or sometimes focused on the sun shining above the clouds, even when it was not visible. I have a beautiful, amazing, inspirational aunt, who at 103 years of age, has an ever-ready smile, love shining from her face and a living faith. I am so blessed to have faithful, loving examples to guide my path.

I have come to realize the gift of a life of joy and gratitude by the example they set. I intend my journey to honor that legacy by sharing my Attitude of Gratitude and letting my Light shine.

Happily give thanks today and every day!

7/23/2013 Meditation Musings

I believe we each have spiritual paths to navigate through our life journey. I have struggled with my share of doubts and questions, witnessed miracles, experienced Divine love and grace, and received assistance from Angels. I am happy to share what currently makes sense to me while acknowledging there is much I do not know or understand. It is not my place to judge. I believe we experience life through our individual lenses. That which causes us to ask questions and to search is also part of our spiritual journey.

Regardless of your religious or spiritual practice, or choice to not have such practice; most people will agree there is a “Source” of the Universe. I believe this is the Source from whom all blessings flow. As created beings, we each carry a spark of the Divine within our DNA. Scientifically, light has been discovered in the core of our cells. With this information, it makes sense to me that as beings of Light, we need time to connect and recharge with our Source. Without that connection and recharging, our Light dims as a result of the mud and muck we navigate through that sticks to us, or that we choose to carry, in this physical experience.

Meditation and Prayer are opportunities to connect to our Source and clear the sludge. Through my practice, I have discovered Prayer is a way to petition for ourselves, for others, to give thanks, praise, and so on. We drive the conversation. Meditation is that quiet time to be open to receive. As Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Meditation is a time of connection to charge and clear, to allow our Light to shine brightly.

Many times has it been said, “I have tried to meditate, but just can’t quiet my mind. The thoughts continue to be distracting.” Yes, I spent years saying this, too! I believe, in our busy, connection-challenged lives (What?!?! In this technological age of instant information and connection, we still have communication challenges?), it is difficult to find time or schedule time for meditation, especially when we don’t feel that time has been productive. It seems easy to throw up our hands and declare, “I have tried, but I just can’t do it.” Mediation is a practice. Meditation takes practice.

There are very few ordinary, every-day people who find meditation easy. We often think of monks, deeply religious leaders and Deepak Chopra as successful meditators, and unless we are willing to devote our lives to this practice, it can be easy to just NOT find time, or NOT schedule this time.

We all have the same 24-hour days. Our days are already over-scheduled with our convenience-enhanced lives. How to find time for this practice? Consistently? If we don’t notice an immediate difference or positive benefit, why make that time a priority? Using an out-dated phrase, I have to say, “I resemble that remark!” Even though I love how I feel when regularly practicing meditation on a scheduled basis, it is surprisingly easy to allow the noise of life to take over. We know we benefit from healthy diet, regular exercise, hydration, and meditation. Why do we resist these healthful, balancing practices? Even when we experience the benefits, we continue to struggle to incorporate these as regular positive life practices. Seems I have more questions than answers.

Ideally, meditation before breakfast and again before your evening meal will assist your balanced life. If you have a family or prepare meals for others, these times can create additional anxiety. So, take a little time to evaluate your daily schedule and find a few moments that make sense in your day. For example, before your morning shower, during break-time or lunch at work, while the little ones are napping; be creative… Ask for help, Divine guidance if necessary. To create a schedule, it is helpful to choose the same times of the day, each day. Keep trying, you WILL benefit from your meditation time.

There are many different meditation methods as well as variations of each method. Explore. Practice. Find that Source connection. You will discover time well spent.