Tag: gratitude

The Connection of Everything

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I came out of a soft meditation re-entering this world with complete openness and vulnerability. I opened my eyes to the candles in front, engulfed by the darkness of early morning. It’s a sacred time. My favorite time of the day.

I moved my hand towards my chest patting the soft thump of movement.

Deep breaths.

Deep awareness.

I returned to what I know.

I hear the world at 3am. It’s quite different than any other time. It’s magical. The sounds from earth are therapeutic and of higher vibration. In that silence you can feel the connection of everything. You and I are not separate. There is no distinction of distance. There is only unity and connection.

The rain was thumping on the glass door. I opened up the blinds, and even though it was pitch black, I could see the silhouettes of the water.

I returned to my presence.

I bow my head in gratitude. A new day has arrived. I will do my best to help. I don’t know how it will show up. I don’t know who I will serve with love and kindness. My only job is to just show up.

I’m here. Sending healing to all the areas that are fractured or hurting. I’m here to help shift the conscious mayhem of social fear. I’m here to help love you even if you don’t feel lovable. You are magnificent. I will keep reminding you.

I’m just here… With you… Together in love!

Millie

Loving Simple Things

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There are so many events in my life… single moments that scream “pay attention right now!” These stretches of time give, take, and release into the universe the joy of being me. I love them as they alone stand in shifting my awareness from too much to the NOW. It’s these things that capture the person I am and what I cherish in my life:

I love when my children call me for no reason whatsoever but to say “hello, Mom, and I love you.”

I love laughing till I cry, not in a corny way but in a way that an intellectual conversation suddenly dives into silliness and whatever was said before the outbreak is forgotten.

I love random texts full of hellos and gratitude in the sweetest way possible with just a word or a picture.

I love how tears escape unexpectedly with a sound of a one-sentence story with no expectation of filling the air with more.

I love sending cards, delicately placing each word with a tiny piece of my heart to fly into the hands of another.

I love smells that remind me of something far and gone but linger for a few seconds in a corner of my mind.

I love old songs that transport me into a place and time of embrace.

I love unexpected hugs in a middle of a talk when it has nothing to do with touching and the skin of another amps and vibrates from the shock of grabbing onto it.

I love chasing sunrises and sunsets when the colors remind me of God’s masterpiece.

I love the perfect cup of cafe con leche and bringing it back to bed as I snuggle for just a little longer with my thoughts and prayers.

These are non sequential moments that open me up, gather the spiritual side of me, and then drop me into another place that I cannot verbalize. They touch and burn and linger for a while allowing for the complete gratitude of Divinity. And like that, I love the way some folks can hold a glance without saying much and hand a smile that contagiously plants itself on my face.

I love feeling the earth on my bare feet when the soil is moist and cold while reminding me to ground my scattered soul. I love seeing the light in others that speaks louder than anything they can share with me, or seeing their angels and ancestors watching over them. I love sitting with anticipation each morning and waiting for light to break through the darkness while I say my prayers, light my candles and wish for goodness in the day. I also love how when someone is sleeping they can murmur a part of their dreams while inviting me into their dreamland.

And, one of my favorite things is the smell of truth and authenticity when someone has no agenda except being in my presence just because they feel loved and appreciated. These things happen without my knowing. They just bring me back to the present as a gift from the Heavens.

May you find joy in your favorite things while attracting more of them!

Oh… and I love YOU~

Millie

November Full Moon

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I wrote today. A lot. We had a snow day and the kids gathered around me playing, watching TV, while I ferociously got words out into pages of my journal. I don’t know how I could possibly have so much to say. But I did. Each line flowed into the next. Every so often I would put the journal down to feed them and stains of food would find way into pages. Signs of motherhood I guess.

And I wrote some more, on this full moon, creating and manifesting. I’ve asked with full intentions from my desires. I wrote until they took naps. Then I meditated. I lit my candles, burned my sage, and said my prayers.

There is magic getting dreams out in the open. There is mysticism that seems to align quicker when words or pictures are present.

Tonight take some time to manifest. This moon is powerful and directing us to find truth. It’s almost the end of a year. It’s been one of the hardest and most challenging for me in about a decade. It’s taught me more about myself than any other time. I’ve falling in love with so much that I never knew I wanted, and I’ve let go of so many other things that had me hostage.

Today I took a lot of time to cater to those things: the good and bad. It was a beautiful way to spend the day.

Sending love to all.

The Sacredness of Presence

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I was able to watch the sun come up today driving kiddos to school. It was later than usual. And those aha moments began to gather. I breathed deeply at the traffic lights. I inhaled the sun peeking. I exhaled to the awareness of presence. I teared up at the beauty all around me in these mountains and I recited my prayers of gratitude.

Who you are today is a compilation of every past experience. And, you are nothing of what you will be tomorrow. That’s the beautiful mysticism of understanding the evolution of the soul.

You are the universe embodied in a human vehicle. You are a zillion cells and infinite years old. Things change every second. I urge you to pay attention.

I’ve been wealthy. I’ve been poor. I’ve been a follower. I’ve been a teacher. I’ve been an avid student. I been a mother. I’ve been a wife and a lover. I’ve been angry and happy and lost and found. I’ve been broken and pasted back together mending in my private times. None of those labels will define my tomorrow because I am ever changing…but they have defined the soul I’ve become at this moment. Every single challenge and experience has molded me. It’s never the end. We are semicolons pausing and quickly beginning a new phase. Every single day.

Just as the sun rising and the night returning…You get to restart and reinvent yourself over and over. It’s a divine privilege. It’s your human right.

So don’t let the stress of tomorrow overshadow the sacredness of presence now. You will never be this young again. You will continue to grow in spirit and the moment you become aware of your power life will begin to shift.

I love you. Be present. Make it a point to stop, have a conscious breath, and taste your life for what it is. Whether it’s good or bad it is your life. And you can change it whenever your accept that this is not a prison life sentence. It is truly a magical experience of endless proportions.

~m.a.p.

Shifting to Gratitude

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Several years ago I wore a rubber band around my wrist. Every time I had a complaint I would snap it (or negative self talk). Needless to say that on that first day my wrist was swollen and I had to use the other one the next day. By the end of three days I became mindful of my thoughts. By the end of the week I turned complaints into opportunities to learn and evolve. It’s about time I redo this again. I have been stuck on that long ass line for too long.

We forget to feel gratitude for the teachers who trigger us. For the events that break us and force us to grow spiritually. For the incredible obstacles that mold us. We forget because we have been programmed since very young to see things from a victim mode. We are talk to sit (or stand) and moan and groan in order to be heard.

So today, as snow is about to hit us, I will be mindful of staying in a positive light. Snapping back to gratitude. I want the short line!

Gratitude

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My husband and I are blessed with a child who doesn’t sleep. Nights like this last one, when we get maybe two hours, I am grateful for the sleepless moments. This little girl teaches us patience, understanding, how to dilute anger in a constructive manner, how not stop liking someone you love with all your heart….and so much more. She’s Yoda in the nighttime world.

It happens less and less these days! However, when she has one of these nights I remind myself (and my hubby) how blessed we are for them.

Let’s face it…without a sleepless night you cannot relish and appreciate a great night of sleep. It’s an opportunity to go through a pack of sage, creating dreams (including a separate house with a nanny), and truly utilizing my psychology degree to its fullest. It is 10 + hours of using the imagination to the best of your abilities. It’s a championship for parents. What a blessing it is to endure such precious lessons.

So when things don’t go as you plan shift your perspective because there is always something good in every struggle. It makes you a badass. It might make you exhausted but it will make you appreciate other moments fully!

Have a blessed day. I am grateful for a delicious morning and so happy to be going to work. Like really!!!

Redesigning Your Life

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I look outside on this beautiful cool November day at the many naked trees. Leaves are falling fast. The forest is starting to look bare behind our house. In the process of it getting there I see how simple things make my life worthwhile. It is those sweet fundamental moments of being present while staring at nature that I feel grounded.

I’ve been working on redesigning my life this year. Every day!

In that state of creating I enter a place of divinity. Call it meditation, prayer, contemplation or a visit from a muse. These are the moments that make me come to the realization I am content and filled with gratitude for all that I have.

It is gratitude that creates magic.

Things such as love, family, work, resting, writing, sharing and living through this journey become my perfect reality. It is never easy to follow a dream that others cannot understand. But, if you are honest with yourself and those folks see how well you manage under the many obstacles they, too, will see the light of joy it brings in you.

You are better because of living authentically. I always say a line that makes people laugh, “I know my truth!” And, this is my truth. I am blessed I am not alone on this journey. I thank each one of you for being my beacons of light every day. Have a wonderful day! Tap into your imagination and create all that you desire!

Your Choice

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I went in a local restaurant to pick up my lunch. As I was getting my change the sweet waitress/cashier said, “I hope you have a great day!”

I winked and said, “It is always a great day…every single day that I wake!”

The grumpy older man at the end of the bar looked at me as I turned and injected, “Not always. It’s not a great day every day…” He mumbled something under his breath.

I stopped. Looked at him in his deep-seated eyes, “That’s a choice you get to make every day. There are many things in life you have little say in, but making your day special is a conscious choice. It’s all about gratitude.”

Left him with his mouth hanging. He made one last comment, “You must be one of this hippies.”

We get a gift each day. We get many. The choice is ours, even in the midst of chaos and loss and everything else…we have a choice in how we show up in this journey. We get to decide how we perceive our stories. We are able to shift awareness. Of course, not all days are magical. Some are stinky shit. But you can choose to wallow on the crap, obsess over it, or pick a better light to see the world.

The choice is yours, darling. How you see things says a lot about you and what you attract. Mucho love works for me! Just sayin’!

Shelter for Strangers with Stories

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Every single time I meet someone it becomes an opportunity to open shelter for amazing stories: the dreamers, worriers, artists, parents, children, healers, damaged, scarred, mischievous, adventurous, therapists, creators, believers, artists, doubters, skeptics, searchers, lovers, haters, naturalists, teachers, optimists, poets, spirits…on and on.

We classify ourselves with labels. Who we are has little to do with what we are and what we do. And when you ask someone about themselves they will have categories. We relate to the titles because that’s the way we have been programmed to perceive our status in society.

We’ve been used to judge what we don’t understand or what we fear. That’s how we normally take in the “strange and weird” things that aren’t in accordance with our state of reference. Especially people!

So, I am always deeply surprised at the stories of those who are willing to share their truth. The superficiality skims off, sliding to the sides and the light in their eyes shines brighter than any star.

These are the ones who interest me beyond mysticism. I am always in awed at those souls who do not see their light but make no excuses for who they are. They are certain of their journey. I love them! They teach me something about what I don’t see in myself. The reflectors illuminate the way. I step back and think, “How can I be more like this? How can I find my purpose and truth with certainty?”

If most people knew what was around them, the beings they carry with them: the guides, teachers, and souls who have passed on, they would release so many fears. We are always taken care of and watched over. The paradigms of our belief systems have conditioned us to live in boxes. We have been taught to follow the masses and not ask questions. Many hide behind religions, political views, and narrow-minded prejudices.

I am so thankful for those moments when I meet truth via a new soul.

I forget how laughter, creating, and sharing allow our spirits to soar. This beautiful forum of posting and engaging has helped us find many who understand. Let’s face it…life is freaking hard. Thank you! Thank you for such a beautiful reminder of what is truly important in life: the simplicity of being present among another and interchanging experiences. May you find that one thing that lights your spirit on fire today, tomorrow…forever.

Epiphany

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I have an epiphany every single time I enter a facility to visit an elderly person. I hear stories that no one cares to hear. I hear regrets within their lack of clarity. I hear the silence in between words. I see the distance in what was and what is now in their lives. I make up stories in my head, adding to the ones they can share in a few words through whispers. I hear the struggle waiting for death to arrive and the fear that comes with it as well. There is gratitude in walking into a place and then returning to my life. How can I complain when I have health, love and joy? Who am I to even shed a tear over the pettiness of a hard day? Do yourself a favor, adjust your perspective and gratitude by visiting a homeless shelter, taking flowers to an assistant living facility, or visiting hospice. Sit with a stranger and learn something new. Nothing like a true reality check to make you aware. Your life is richer because of those folks who teach you the meaning of what you are and have. Be love. Be light. Be everything but unsatisfied. We are here on borrowed time, making our way through this journey. We aren’t alone. We are holding each other up…even strangers that pass for two minutes. We receive everything we give…so make it count, darlings. Make it count for all those who truly need your love and light.