Ready? To Let Go and Embrace!

Today is the perfect day to decide what you are ready to let go, release and forgive. Take a moment and ponder. Think about your year. Ask yourself the following questions: What are you ready to let go? What are you ready to release? What are you ready to forgive?

My year was filled with many ups and downs. I am ready to let go of all the hurts, the grief, the struggle, the unnecessary drama, poor communication and misunderstanding, pretenses and phoniness, disconnect, fear, the extra weight upon my frame that only serves to drag down my high spirits and energy.

I ready to let go of my resistance to change and avoidance of new experiences. I am ready to release seeking approval from others. I am ready to let go of criticism, especially self-criticism. I am ready to release my uneasiness around certain people and new situations. I am ready to forgive all the wrongs and negative situations of my past. I am ready to let go of ALL those things and actions that no longer serve me.

2013 will be a powerful year; a year that will allow me to shake out all the old ways and habits that no longer serve me. It is a year to fully step into creative self-expression and abundant support for my dream from all that is. 2013 is a time for my vision to become a reality. I am ready to appreciate, invite and embrace love in my life, success, great health, a fit body, successful publication of my books, travel opportunities and adventures into unknown territory that will bring me prosperity. I am ready to step into my life fearlessly and live!

What are you ready to embrace, invite and appreciate in 2013? Take this opportunity to really think about it. I invite you to narrow all your thoughts from all the questions in this article into one word you wish to fully live in 2013. My word of the year is FEARLESS. (To get the step-by-step directions on how to do your own “New Year Art” go to www.heartsthatcare.net, scroll down to image, FEARLESS, and click).

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True Nobility

Dr. Wayne Dyer has often said that TRUE NOBILITY is really NOT about being better than everyone else. It is about being better than you used to be. It is shedding the mantra of the ego, “what’s in it for me?” and practicing the mantra of one’s highest self, “how may I serve?” Dr. Dyer feels that there is no greater model of that than the man who lived in Assisi (Saint Francis).

I believe each of us are gradually awakening to this higher spirit within ourselves, where we can shed the self-serving habits. We are developing our loving and compassionate hearts and spirits by practicing love and kindness, no matter the circumstances. We are beginning to show our capacity and ability to be pure love to one another, to all living creatures, to our environment and to our world.

Everything in our world are our sisters and brothers. We get to share our pure and unconditional love to our sister butterflies, brother birds, sister flowers, brother sun and sister moon. We get to live from the place within us where there is no condemnation, no judgment, no criticism towards any of God’s children, anywhere! The moment we can love that of which we most fear or hate, then we will know pure, unconditional love that of which is Jesus Christ and God (and all the higher spirits of the Universe). We DO have the ability! We can be love for each other and the world. I believe this to be awesome and wonderful.

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Love in the Face of Tragedy

In the face of the recent tragedy, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut that took the lives of 27 people,  let us embrace each other and be love. Let our hearts fill with compassion for those directly affected today as it has touched each of us. I know I have experienced disbelief, shed a few tears and questioned, “why?’ But, this will not bring our loved ones back to their living state.

Love, positive thoughts and prayers are the only things that will  heal the wounds of today. Anger and sorrow will not. May God bless and comfort anyone who is experiencing anger and sorrow. May we all have a better understanding of each other and appreciate our fellow humankind a bit more. Let this tragedy bring us closer. Let us stem from our very being as pure love and send it out to those are deeply hurt today.

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Hanukkah ~ Celebration of Light

Tonight begins the Jewish eight-day festival of light and purity, Chanukah (Hanukkah). This is a celebration of triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, and of spirituality over materialism. The history of Hanukkah begins more than twenty-one centuries ago. The Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God.

When they sought to light the Temple’s menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah (candelabrum) lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.

On Chanukah the Jewish people also add the Hallel and Al HaNissim in their daily prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to God for “delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few… the wicked into the hands of the righteous.”

Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil — latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, “a great miracle happened there”); and the giving of Chanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children. Click here for the complete story of Chanukah.

Happy Hanukkah!

(My gratitude to Chabad.org for the information posted.)

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Share Your Ups and Downs

Share joy and sorrow alike. ~ Duke Shanxiang, Zhou Dynasty

People want to be a shoulder for you to cry on when you have sorrow, just as much as they wish to share in your joys. Do not feel you are a burden to others when you have trying times in your life. Let others lift you up. Share your joy and sorrow alike.

 

Use Words for Encouragement

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT

Kind words that are spoken to others are not only good and helpful, but these words also lift the spirits of both the recipient and the speaker of those words. It is a double blessing as well as being an act of love and compassion.  In order to let everything we say be good and helpful, we are given the opportunity to take pause to reflect and think before we speak. We get to take time with others. We are afforded the chance to be deliberately mindful and kind. Then in turn, our words will be encouraging and may be even inspiring to those who hear them. Now, that is a beautiful gift.

One of my favorite quotes that reinforces today’s message that I never grow tired of hearing and expressing is from Mother Teresa: Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their
echoes are truly endless.

Also, making the rounds on the internet is the “Before You Speak…THINK” campaign. The campaign’s anagram uses THINK, which conveys the above bible quote beautifully: “Before you speak, THINK: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” I used these words to create the above image to go with today’s message. Feel free to share it as long as you keep my website information on it. May this inspire you over the holidays as we mingle with friends and family whom we have not seen in a while (for one reason or another). Be the change you wish to see in the world and in them. THINK. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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November: A Month of Appreciation

November is a month of thankfulness and appreciation as we celebrate Thanksgiving later this month. A great idea that was started by two dear people in my life, my friend Donna and my cousin Amber, is to note what you are most thankful each day this month. They are posting their thoughts of gratitude in their status each day this month on Facebook. I am collecting my thoughts in a journal and on Thanksgiving Day, I am going to share these messages of gratitude with my family and friends during our Thanksgiving Dinner. I may post messages of gratitude on Facebook, as well. I try to do that now and then throughout the year, anyway.

Upon reflecting on gratitude, attitude comes to mind; gratitude is an attitude of appreciation, knowing the worth of another. Gratitude is a positive feeling of indebtedness to another. It is a form of love, loyalty, and giving back; like an I.O.U. Your heart feels a warmth and longing to be of service to whomever or whatever you feel gratitude.

Gratitude is related to being thankful, grateful and appreciative. It is an uplifting emotion where you feel worthy and valued; and, you usually have a feeling of joy where you want to pay a favor in return directly or indirectly for the person you feel gratitude. An attitude of gratitude brings positiveness and higher energy. It is a glow in the heart, a warmth from within that makes one grin.

A great quote to ponder stated by Denis Waitley, truly makes me realize how much I have to be thankful: “I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man with no feet.”

I am deeply grateful for: my overall good  health, my wonderful husband and family (including Sasha, my fur-baby), my amazing friends both off and on-line, God and the Universe. The gratitude in my heart I extend to all those who have touched my life and molded me into who I am today, including the bullies and heart-breakers; and most importantly for having Jesus Christ in my life…the example He has led as God in Body…God the Experience…God the Flesh…God the Human Example. He showed us the path and the way to be.

I have the gratitude attitude for music, creativity, life, transformations, lessons, love, friendship, fellowship, family, education, color, sight, all my senses, my gender, my femininity, my masculinity, my whole being, my outlook and perspective, my vision, my attitude and openness…for everything. Everything is a blessing that deserves to appreciated! Have “Gratitude Attitude”and a thankful heart. Consider keeping a log of everything you appreciate this month (and perhaps beyond). You will see the positive ways it will change your life. (Parts of this article were used in previous articles in A Kiss of Bliss this year.)

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Buckled Down; Higher Ground

Between yesterday and today, my family and I have moved things up from the ground level in anticipation of flooding. As you see in the picture, we elevated my dinner table and placed items on top of it. We, also secured all loose items that we had outside. I was thinking, this an interesting metaphor for life as I seek higher levels spiritually.

Furthermore, I have secured my belief in my Lord Jesus Christ and God. I have buckled down all my loose emotions like fear and grounded them in love and joy. How are you moving yourself to a higher level and securing your beliefs?

 

Gift Of Love #36

As I have given an update on my Gift of Love campaign yesterday, I also discussed how each bag has a story. Gift of Love #36 has a very special story. It has an image of praying hands with 3 hearts surrounding them. The three hearts represent God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I spent a lot of time on the hands because I wanted them to look as reverent as possible. I, also, felt deeply connected with the Holy Spirit as I painted this. I really sensed that God was guiding me through this Gift Of Love. In fact, as I have progressed with this series of Gift of Love bag paintings, my connection with God and Spirit became more and more profound. It is extraordinarily validating. I know I am doing what I need to do. Have you ever felt this kind of connection in your work?

Encourage the Heart and Spirit

Affirmation, validation and appreciation encourage the heart and spirit. Whether we are receiving encouragement or giving it, our hearts and spirits fill with love and warmth. It is uplifting.

I find that the more encouragement I give, the more I receive. Imagine that. And, I find myself looking for opportunities to encourage others in their intentions, goals and dreams. If they want to try something new and/or worthwhile, I urge them to try it. And, wow, the expressions on their faces…priceless.

Sometimes encouragement is needed when we are experiencing a low moment. Encouragement may come in many forms; and, one of the best forms of encouragement is comfort for others by simply being there for them and listening. All we really need to do is attentively listen. Encouragement can be a smile, a wink or a hug. Encouragement may be the spoken or written word, art or music. Anything that moves another heart and spirit in a positive way is encouragement.

The gift of encouragement is one of the most valuable and affordable gifts we can give to our family, friends and peers. Can you remember a time in your life when you were encouraged? How did it feel? It is an amazing feeling, isn’t it? I invite you to encourage someone…anyone. I bet it will be a great experience! May God and Love bless you and encourage your heart and spirit to encourage others.

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