Welcome Change… Welcome Life September 6, 2008

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”  ~ Mohandas Ghandi

This is a quote I live by… I carry it with me wherever I go.  Literally.  I have Passalong Cards with this quote that I carry in my purse and to share with others.

I had a conversation about change and life recently.   I enjoy exploring outwardly and inwardly and acknowledge that while change can be scarey at times, it is a necessary part of growth and life.  I know that everything I create in my world will help me to learn, grow and move towards greater soul expression and expansion in this lifetime.  The person I was conversing with wasn’t quite on the same page.   Safety, security, and following cultural patterns that society sets is hard for many to venture beyond. 

Walking the tight rope in the treetops

 

And yet where I see myself heading is beyond those patterns.   Crossing that line in the sand, daring to stretch the circumference of my comfort zone to envelop new and rewarding challenges.   Welcoming change — inviting it,  actually – as I move into an exciting time where the lessons may be hard, yet ultimately fulfilling my purpose.   

 

Life may be a tight rope walk at times, moving around obstacles and overcoming challenges but my Faith holds me in safety.  Gentle hands ready to catch me when I stumble.  Leap and the net will appear, I remind myself.   You have to do the hard stuff to enjoy and appreciate the fun stuff.  Walk the tightrope, feel the fear, and before you know it you’re going with the flow… ziplining 1000 feet at 50 km/hour yelling “woo-hoo!!”

 

As I surfed the internet (what a wonderful connector that technology is), I came across a beautiful video that I feel captures the essence of how we should feel about change in the human experience.  We can count on change to always be there.  Just as we count on the sun to rise tomorrow.

Two statements especially made an impression on me, although there are many in the short video:

* Change is part of a creative life.

* Direction is so much more important than speed.

 

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.” ~ Richard Bach

Lessons from Mother Nature July 11, 2008

It’s interesting to me how much emphasis Canadians place on the weather.

We’ve been through a long winter and — hooray — summer sunshine is here, yet it’s apparent how quickly some of us forget what it is we have to be grateful for in the present moment.   Now I hear complaints of how hot it is.    Just the other day, I observed a group of golfers standing at a driving range discussing how “bad” the weather has been and that the rain was supposed to continue.  Here was the sun was shining over their heads that very moment and they chose to focus their attention on what had already happened (living in the past) or what was potentially going to happen (worried for the future).  I challenge you (and myself) to live IN THE MOMENT.

Weather is life… it brings what it’s going to bring and you just have to roll with it.   Recently I viewed a screening of a film Aftermath: Population Zero (or Life after Humans) which aired on National Geographic Channel in the US and History Channel in Canada.  This screening was at a local library and the director/producer of this incredible film was on hand for questions.  What would our planet be like if there were no humans here to maintain and fix everything we have built?  How would the world get along without us?  While you might think it would be all doom and gloom, the movie was surprisingly uplifting in sharing the regenerative powers of Mother Nature.

Weather and Mother Nature are OUT OF OUR CONTROL.  Now there’s a novel concept… relinquishing control.    I believe we have a word that pairs quite nicely with that:  Faith.   When we relinquish control, live in the moment, have Faith and give thanks for it all… great things are possible.

Here’s a photo and a quote for you to ponder as you meditate with the summer sun on your shoulders.  )

Winter Storm

QUOTE from another recommended documentary titled In the Shadow of the Moon:

“I haven’t complained about the weather one day since my 1969 mission to the moon.  I’m glad we have weather.  We live on an oasis.”  ~ Alan Bean, Apollo 12 Astronaut

Celebrate with Gratitude June 18, 2008

Bonjour mes amis!

Je suis retourner… from a wonderful week in Paris, France and am happy to share a page of my favourite photos.  You will note I am in front of the REAL Eiffel Tower in this post!  And to the right of that, a photo of myself reading a copy of a magazine celebrating the life of the late French designer Yves Saint-Laurent who passed over just prior to my visit to France. 

The message I wish to share with you today is how important it is to take the time to set goals and dreams for your life and that you achieve these through your thoughts, feelings and ACTION.  I wrote earlier this month about my vision board, scrapbook and creation box.  However, it is important to note that some action is required on your part.  The Universal Laws will bring opportunities to you but it is up to YOU to make the decision (this is your first action step) and go forward in faith.    As James Ray teaches, we must go 3 for 3… when your thoughts, feelings and actions are all in alignment the universe will open up and you will step into your full power.

The completion of this dream of visiting Paris has me contemplating all of the opportunities that the universe has presented to me in the past 2 years since I became aware of how the universal laws and principles work.  While in Paris I consciously offered up my thanks each and every day for the wonderment of how I came to be there.  It became clearer with each day there that this was the RIGHT time for me to be in France.  So as your dreams come true, remember to celebrate with gratitude. 

I would also like to encourage you to enjoy the JOURNEY.  Perhaps you are not where you want to be today; perhaps you are facing challenges that seem overwhelming.  Find the lessons where you are today.  Forge ahead in Faith and Gratitude for what you already have in your life.  And know that your true destination never really arrives… we will constantly have new desires, dreams and goals.  Such is life and this is the way that we grow and evolve.  Now that Paris is checked off my list, I look to the rest of my “bucket list” with anticipation and faith that what is meant to be will be.

Paris ne s’est pas fait en un jour.  (Paris wasn’t built in a day.) – French proverb

QUOTE FOR YOUR SCRAPBOOK: 

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.”  ~ John Muir

Letting Go May 25, 2008

Years ago there was a movie called PeeWee’s Big Adventure.  At 23, when I decided to venture to a new city where I had no job, friends or particular reason to be, my friends who called me BV christened my road trip “BV’s Big Adventure.”  That’s a title in my scrapbook.  But it’s not just a fun title that brings a smile to my face.  There’s so much more in those 3 words, a whole story summed up in one short title.

It speaks to me of a time when I went forth in search of a dream and independence.  It was new and scarey yet exciting to make the decision to go.  I forever look back on it as a period in my life that shaped my character.  It was a “defining moment” for me.

My Dad didn’t agree.  He was angry:  why would his youngest daughter leave all her family to move to a city she new nothing about, that wasn’t exactly around the corner, with no job or obvious means of getting one (considering I had no connections there) and where she had no friends or relatives.  I recall being told I could never move back home if I left and that to forget even thinking of having his blessing to go.

So despite the sadness of leaving my Dad and my family this way, I set out in my blue Pontiac Acadian filled with my clothes, a couple friends hitching a ride to their new life, and some good tunes.  

You see, I knew that my Dad’s words were a mask for his deep sadness in having to let go.  I knew his heart was aching and he thought his “threats” might have a chance in keeping me home.

But in life we all have moments where we need to let go.  (My friend Peter talks about letting go in a different manner in his blog.)  At this time in my life, this was my Dad’s moment to let go, and my moment too.

You see, by leaving, I was letting go of security, my comfort zone, and the possibility of losing unconditional love and support from my family (more perceived than real).

When you let go, you open up to new possibilities.  When I let go, I opened up to:  adventure, courage, confidence, and faith… in life, God and myself.

So as I drove out of the city limits and took a last look in my rear-view mirror at the home of my birth, I allowed myself to let go of the past and move towards a future of exciting new possibilities, people and adventures.

Are you at a time in your life where you need to let go of something?  Great new things await you… when you let go, they will come to you.  

QUOTE FOR YOUR SCRAPBOOK:  “One good wish changes nothing. One good decision changes everything.”

FOR YOUR SCRAPBOOK:  Reflect upon a time in your life that was a defining moment.   When were you faced with a tough decision, but once you made it you knew it was the right one to make?   Journal your thoughts about that time, how grateful you are to have had that experience, how grateful you are to have the freedom to choose.  And because we all think in pictures, I encourage you to see if you can find a photo of that time in your life.  Put it in your scrapbook, or frame it where you’ll see it each day.  It’s like a visual affirmation for you.

OPEN YOUR HEART:  Let go of whatever is holding you back right now from living fully and authentically.  Whatever is not working in your life right now, you have a choice.  It might not be an easy one.  But I guarantee you the sun will rise tomorrow.

Gratitude brought me to this place May 10, 2008

Gratitude shapes who I am and is my daily life practice.  My glass is always half full, most times it is overflowing.  This is my choice.  In the pages of my Gratitude scrapbook, the images and stories hold many lessons for which I am grateful (like these lessons from my mom pictured here).  

TIP: Make a list of your family members and highlight one or two lessons you’ve learned from them in life.  CHALLENGE: Focus on the positives from those lessons (hint: there is always a positive) and give thanks for them – the lessons and your family.  These lessons shape who you are.  OPEN YOUR HEART: share your thanks with your benefactor(s). 

As a kid, I remember having a healthy attitude towards life.  In this lifetime, I chose to be born into a home filled with Love – 9 kids, not as much money, but a wealth of Love.  I distinctly recall the excitement I felt waking up each day and wondering what and who Life would bring into my realm.  Imagine having that feeling every morning?  

 

The responsibilities brought with each passing year as an adult dulled that excitement at times.  Sometimes it was lost altogether.  I’ve had my trials and tribulations – loves lost and dreams faded – just as you, my dear reader.  Yet there always remained this thread of Hope (or was it Faith?) pulling me forward from times of despair because I know in my Soul that I (we all) have a Divine purpose.  Each day that passes is another day of discovering the treasure that is Me.  Each day brings new lessons for you and I. 

 

Let us allow ourselves a few minutes at the end of our busy day to close our eyes and reflect back on the many blessings bestowed upon us.   Yes, it can be difficult (or perhaps even futile to try) to find what can possibly be good in a day of grief or tragedy.  What if it is only to give thanks for the experience of that which is lost? 

May you awaken to the abundance of blessings bestowed upon you as you move through your day.  Namaste

(thank you for your kind comments, I am grateful to all who share in this wonderful adventure of Life)