Surprises

Surprises often bring joy! I got a lovely surprise in the mail today.

A mystery friend sent me a card filled with inspirational words!

I love surprises. Below is the front of the card my mystery friend sent:

I did not even realize today is Friday the 13th (of January). It has been a pleasant day filled with one lovely surprise after another. Most of the surprises came from the friendly interactions I had with many people today both on-line and in person. All the people with whom I interacted face to face were not people I knew, but each one of them were super nice. I love exchanging pleasant words and gestures with them. It is the small things in life that make a world of difference in our hearts. I wonder how many small surprises I can create for others in the future to bring joy into their lives? Some things you just can’t plan. They just happen by surprise. 

Nurture

I define nurture in this passage as: to feed and protect; to support and encourage; foster.  For our own well-being and that of the world it is important to nurture our friendships as well as our own hearts. I believe I can do both, nurture my heart and my friendships, at the same time.  Spending time with friends, socializing, eating, drinking and being merry supports and encourages love and joy in our hearts. The hearts of our friends as well as our own hearts are being nurtured as we spend time together and simply being in the moment with each other by giving our undivided attentions to each other.  Every moment we have is a blessing that should be fully appreciated.  Sharing these precious moments with others is a great way to appreciate those moments and nurture our own hearts as well as the hearts of our friends.  Friendship is a form of love that deserves to be nurtured. 

I will nurture my heart by feeding it joy and protecting it from negative feelings. I will support and encourage my heart with only those activities that I take delight. I will foster happiness in my life. This will nurture me! By nurturing me, I can nurture my friends and the world.  Self-care is so important. It is vital that we do not neglect ourselves. How are we able to take care of others when we are not taking care of ourselves?

Nurture…feed, protect, support, encourage, foster…our hearts and our friendships with joy and love.