Tag: kindness

A Sweet Encounter

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I was meeting a friend for dinner the other evening and as I was going in, a nice elderly man was coming out. He stopped for a second, holding on to his cane. He said, “You have two things going on with you today.”

I smiled not quite grasping where he was going with that.

“Your dress and your smile.”

I smiled wider, ear to ear. He smiled and I hugged him. I could smell his memories in an instant, his hand gently touching mine. I could feel his youth pouring out of his heart. I sensed a loss and sadness that, for a moment, it all brought tears to my eyes. No real exchange followed but a gratitude for his words.
I am great at handing out compliments, but it’s not always easy for me to receive, especially from a man.
The thing is that the moment he said it, about the smile, I felt a crack in my heart. I knew I reminded him of someone. I felt his heart beat against mine when I hugged him.

It was a brief encounter. The best ones usually are because they linger without pretenses. They are real and authentic.

You never know how you touch someone. You never know how one softhearted look can help another feel seen. And words… ah, those words full of kindness and love always reach the core of our existence.
I love you. Be gentle with you and spread that love like wild fire all around you.

Millie

(image from unsplash.com)

Be Kind to You

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Be soft with your spirit. Be gentle with your essence. Rid yourself from the negative self-talk. You become everything you say that you are or that you are not. We are born every day, every minute, every second. We are here on borrowed time. Make it lovingly serene with your heart so that you can present your soul lovingly to another. This struggle is all bullshit at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter what you did or haven’t done. This moment, wasted reading this, or contemplating what hasn’t been scratched off your To-Do List is all irrelevant.


I have spent so much time of my life punishing myself for not being one way or another, for not fitting in, for not being enough. And for what? I came here to live not sabotage myself. No one can ever be harder on me than myself. I will be 54 years old this weekend. I earned every one of those gray hairs, wrinkles and life experiences. I have loved, lost, rejoiced, and grown. I have earned a massive medal of honor for surviving. You too! We all have. This second part of my life is about truly embracing me. I am softer and kinder with the totality of my life and those around me. I have finally reached a point of acceptance.


Love is all we are here to do. Hold a friend’s hand in need. Hug your lover as if it was the last time. Kiss those kids tightly. Smile at a stranger. Open doors for an elderly person. Compliment a cashier. Delete the toxic folks out of your life. If they don’t raise you then they have taught you something. It’s time to move on. Use your energy wisely. My God, just get out of your head and lovingly give to another who needs to feel that the illusion of loneliness is not drowning their existence. It matters. It all matters to that one human who is struggling with life. Stop the craziness of self-doubt and anxiety because there is no way you leave this life alive. So… live for yourself with honor, love, and compassion. You don’t own this blue planet alone. I am here. You are here. Let’s be here together in peace and harmony. We got this!

I love you dearly,

Millie

Sacred Living through the Mundane

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Faithful beginnings are led by sacred endings. Sometimes we are caught in the in-between for a bit waiting for the signs of what’s coming. It’s not an easy space to be. It’s full of unknowns and uncertainties. We forget to live in the moment, especially during these wobbly times. We keep thinking about tomorrow and next month… instead of taking in the NOW.

I urge you to make time for aloneness, for yourself, for your spirit. It is then that answers come and there is full clarity. These moments come in so many different manners throughout our days.

I love humans. I love connections. And, although, I will talk to anyone and anything, I need time alone. I can dive into a book and get lost; watch a movie and enjoy the solitude; and eat with silence as my companion. And, even with two small children I will steal moments of solitude as often as I can. To breathe and return to mindfulness and deep awareness.

I will be sharing 30 days of mindful-sacred living (even through the mundane of our daily lives) on my Sacred Journey Facebook page starting on Tuesday for the entire month of September… every morning. It’s easy to feel as if we need to retreat from our lives in order to re-energize, but it isn’t so.

Make a date with yourself often. Give your brain a break. Have mini vacations alone for moments here and there. You need restoration and recharging. We all do. But there is so much we can do without escaping our lives. The world is pretty chaotic and our spirits need to be reminded that we get to choose how we show up.

It’s a new month. New beginnings. And lovely experiences. Hope to see you over in the page.

Shine On

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Many years ago riding through Tuscany I fell in love… with the landscape… with sunflowers. It was early morning and I was mesmerized by the way the fields of flowers all saluted the sun, turning slowly to greet it. They would turn to each other as well. I thought to myself then, “I want to salute the light everyday like that! I want to be that kind of beauty!”

And, it’s a choice. I get to mindfully choose that as often as possible.

It’s a conscious shift in perception. It’s about pausing and taking in a sacred moment.

So today I rise to light and follow it with beauty. I recognize my own strength and Divinity. I search for that in others. I look into you and me… and them for it, always witnessing the soul turning towards that higher illumination of divine wisdom.

I see it and smile when I meet a stranger. I look through infinite eyes for it. The divine in me recognizes the divine in others.

Follow that light from within. Follow your intuition. Remember your power. You are exquisite. Yummilicious. Lovely. And full of sunny rays of hope, faith and love.

Shine on, darlings!

Hate Will Stop

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This hate will stop. It stops with me giving it power.

This is not about policemen being racist. Or some privilege woman moving through her own fears and backwards programming. It’s not about political parties enhancing hate. It’s about the imbalance in humanity. And yes, some groups do heighten the hate. But, ultimately it’s a humanitarian issue.

Since the beginning of time there has been a separation in how we show up in our world. There have been disastrous wars over religion and politics. There have been genocides over powerful hate for one class and another. The labels and boundaries have always been there because we put them there.

Racism, prejudice, segregation, bigotry and inconceivable hatred have always been around. But we didn’t have the ability to see it happening as quickly as we do now.

The more power we give to it the faster it spreads. We get to shun and shut it down by truly teaching through empathy.

And… it’s so hard to be sympathetic when horrific crimes are being committed. It’s hard to sleep when you see and hear the injustice in our world. It’s sickening! I guess it takes a virus to spread to take notice and I don’t mean COVID19. I mean the virus of pure evil hatred.

It’s all coming to the light. It’s happening quickly and frequently so we shift it as a collective.

We are ascending. Many are moving from this 3D frequency into higher ones. And to witness the hurt and hatred in the world feels impossible to navigate.

We are experiencing the morphing of a massive awakening. Let’s not forget what the last few months have taught us about connections. We were in a global crisis together with disregard for race, gender, age and anything else that we have created to separate us. We are still in it. Don’t think for one minute this will go away so quickly.

Our choices are to continue loving and keeping that frequency. Or, stay in fear and hate. You can’t have both.

We are seeing the end of a massive karmic event. We have allowed all this shit to happen and now we are taking stance. And many are appalled that they are seeing what they are seeing. Because… so many have been asleep.

Be gentle as they wake to the horrors. Be kind and compassionate just because you were aware beforehand. It doesn’t make you better or higher in gene pool of humanity. Let’s remove ego out of the equation.

We are actually able to change it all. The majority of the collective is becoming aware of their inner power. We get to decide how we show up.

Love trumps hate over and over. I don’t care what you believe. If your political or religious preference fools you to believe that we are okay then you truly will continue evolving through hate. You are stuck in a loophole of some serious old programming.

I choose love. I choose to love and forgive the lack of humanity and awareness while continuing to move through love. Because… I know it is love that will save humanity. It is love that made us and it is love that will raise us. This doesn’t diminish the atrocity. It doesn’t erase what is happening. I cannot throw fairy dust and then hide my head in the sand. I get to decide if I continue giving hate more power or reinforcing our natural state of compassion.

I love YOU. ❤️

Be Kind

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Be kind to each other. If you are out there amongst others show compassion. Whether you wear a mask, an armor and a shield…or not at all… please be kind. Humanity seems to be losing its grip to what really matters. You matter. I matter. We all matter. Have we not learn a single lesson the last few months?

I went to get a few things at a store and the cashier was almost in tears. I thanked her for all she’s doing. She said she didn’t know how much more she could handle. People are vicious at times. And I stood on the other side of the plexiglass unable to touch her, hug her and assure her that it will get easier.

It might not. It might require that we truly experience a deeper awakening. I don’t know. My words were empty. It’s odd. It doesn’t feel like there is humanness in my syllables. My tone doesn’t do justice to how my heart feels.

We will get through this not just by social distancing but by generously allowing each other kindness, empathy, love, no judgment and profound understanding of how connected we are. Let’s not have prickly hearts that don’t feel. Let’s remember that even without touch we can still connect by looking into each other’s souls. There we will find truth.

Please Be Kind

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Please be kind to one another. Be gentle with someone who is going through a tough time. No judgment or criticism is gonna make things better. You don’t know what’s going on in their lives. You might have made up your own story. The truth is that no one knows the heart and soul of another. We cannot imagine the mental anguish that goes on in life. Find love even when it’s impossible. Find compassion, especially when it seems improbable. We are all taking each other home. I will say it again and again, sounding ridiculous and redundant, “I love you!”

Be the love you want to see in the world. I fail…OFTEN. I fail and fall and fracture just like everyone else. I then have to check my ego and put it back in the place where it is of service for the important aspects of survival. We are here to learn and expand in a cosmic journey. So ego serves nothing when it comes to compassion and love. Have a safe and loving week. Give your heart to another who needs it. What a gift it is!

Bless the World

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A few years ago for Christmas a dear friend gifted me an amazing book by Mark Nepo: ‘The Book of Awakening.’ It’s a daily meditation guide. The pages are worn and marked. The book now looks like it’s been put through a dryer. Every time I pick it up I find something else that I’ve missed the last five years. Words have a way of popping out just when they need to be acknowledged.

“There are many reasons to be kind, but perhaps none is as compelling as the spiritual fact that it is what we do. It is how the inner organ of being keeps pumping. Spiders sting. Wolves howl. Ants build small hills that no one sees. And human beings lift each other, no matter the consequences. Even when other beings sting.”

Have we forgotten in these present times of “what we do?” Have we lost our way to understand that we are all on different spiritual paths and forms of evolving? Have we deviated from truth because of ideas, convictions and beliefs without once remembering that we must be kind to each other in order to make any form of transformation?

The hardest part of being an empath, or sensitive person, is the constant bombardment of others’ emotions. Even when I am not partaking in their issues, I feel the energy deep in the core of me. I am made to be kind. You are made for kindness. We cannot deviate from our authenticity. This is who we are. We learn how not to be kind, consciously or unintentionally… because we are born with love and kindness in our cells. That’s the starting point to each of us. That’s who we are. That’s what we come here to express to others. That is the web and fabric of our Unity.

Let’s try to return to THAT. Let’s…please…because the alternative really really really sucks! Tonight I am sending prayers to several folks really struggling in so many ways. I want to truly be present with them in spirit, in love, and in kindness.

I love you.

Love Notes to Humanity

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Yesterday, before my boys left, we stopped at Barnes & Noble. It was crowded with the remains of Holiday folks. I waited by the magazines while the boys looked for their books. I remembered years ago when I moved to Asheville how that store was my saving grace. When the winter hit hard that year I was stuck up on the mountain and my only outlet was to come into town to the bookstore. I had been stripped of all monetary means. A friend and I bought an old motel that took everything I had. She went off to work for the winter and I was left with two teenagers and a deep isolation that pushed my soul into a spiritual awakening.

The mountain taught me invaluable lessons. The motel endorsed those experiences. At the time I didn’t recognize how priceless those obstacles would become. I learned to trust my intuition. I was snowed in more than I could ever imagined. I spent time without electricity and water. And I knew not one soul.

My outlet was coming into town once a week if I could make it down the roads. I packed a bunch of Post It notes and typed up letters. I would sit in a hidden corner of the store and write inspirational notes to put in books and magazines. In the mental health books I would leave “You are magnificent. You are here to make the world brighter.” In the glamour magazines, especially those for teenagers, I would leave something along the lines of “You are more beautiful than any photo shopped girl here. You are here to make a world a better place.” And on and on I would go around and just post the little love notes around the store. It filled me up with joy.

The letters I called, “Love Note from the Universe” I would fold and place in the windshield of cars in the parking lot. Those were longer. And deeper. I would watch from the second floor of the store as people would grab them. Some would open them up and read them, always checking around to see if they saw anyone. Many times they were thrown on the grown or crumbled up in their car.

I had the time to do these things. I have lost my way with busyness the last few years working full time, raising small children, taking care of lives (especially mine). They aren’t excuses. It’s just the way it’s been. It’s a different journey now, but yesterday I ached to start again doing those things that touched the core of me: going to the homeless shelter and having coffee; taking books to the VA Hospital; gathering stories from all walks of life. I ached for a moment so deeply for those simple acts of kindness that my chest felt like it cracked open. I gasped for a bit of air and recognized my soul’s call. I know it well!

This new year I plan on being more present with humanity. I vow to write Love Notes to Humanity and share all the stories from around my world. We are united by the act of connections, feeling acknowledged, listening, and knowing we are not alone on this journey.

The other day I was getting in my car from the supermarket. It was drizzling. An elderly couple was in front of my car. He held the umbrella and was trying to get his partner into the car. It was sweet to witness. I wondered at that moment how many years they had been together. He actually kissed the top of her fragile hand when she got in and closed her door, getting a bit wet then slowly dragging his feet to come around to the driver’s side. And without words, their story became mine. Love Notes for Humanity. Their actions became the driven force to go home and be gentler, more loving, and accepting of whatever was to come with all the buzzing from the holidays. A few times this week I have returned to that elderly couple in my memories. I smile thinking of their lives. And I am blessed to have them now become part of mine.

You are part of mine by just being here. Never, for one moment, do I take that for granted. I love you. May you also begin to collect and create love notes in your life from all of humanity. We need more of that!

Coming Undone

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I was next at the check out counter in the grocery store. A woman with three small items came up behind me and I immediately asked her to go before me. She thanked me and was a bit shocked.

“This would never happen where I’m from!” She said.

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Florida.”

I told her I was from there too. I laughed. The cashier said she was from there as well. I told her it had nothing to do with where you are from. It had to do with conscious kindness. She had three things. I had many more. I don’t even think about it as location or origins. I don’t think. It’s hard enough waiting in line. It’s not a big deal.

She looked lost in her thoughts. She began to come undone while putting her credit card in the machine. She complained about the weather being too cold, just moving here to Asheville, coming to live with her mother, having to start all over again. In less than three minutes I knew her life. She was younger than me. She was beautiful in a broken way that my heart wanted to grab her and cuddle her through love and compassion. She was completed disheveled by the act of skipping over me. I asked her to stop for one minute and just be. I asked her to just be with the moment. I refrained from going too close to her. She said thank you, paid and left. My words triggered something deep and she just couldn’t be.

I was getting in my car when I saw her still struggling with herself two cars down from me. I told her to have a good evening. To be gentle with herself. Tears formed. She waved and got in her car.

She didn’t want to be seen. She resisted the humanity. She was so deep into her own world of disappointments that she couldn’t get herself comfortable with anyone, let alone my presence. She couldn’t accept. She was way down in too much pain to feel me holding a candle for her release from darkness.

It’s okay. It’s okay to not want to come undone in front of a stranger. But, I hope that you come undone in front of someone. I hope you accept kindness and love and acknowledgment from someone. I hope you have a someone for this. It’s hard to witness and even harder to feel the feels of it all.

And this is what the holidays seem to bring up for so many. They feel forced out of their comfort zone and have to pretend.

So don’t. Don’t do anything you feel goes against your beliefs or your stability. Stay in the now. And make zero excuses for how you feel.

I love you.