Deep within...

Deep within... I find that even during the times I find myself thinking that I cannot go on...I find a strength...Deep within...when I am in the middle of a trial if I catch my breath...I find a reserve...Deep within...when I feel that things are demanding...I and energy I did not think I had...Deep within...when I am feeling stuck or trapped...I find an inspiration to break through...

Today, I give myself permission to find all that I sometimes hide away. Today, I honor the understanding of the strength that I have...Deep Within!
LIFE IS GOOD!

 

Beginning...

It seems that this year I have left some of myself by the curb...That the things that make me happiest...that start my day of with thoughts and gratefulness have played less of a part in my life than other years. Now, I am not beating myself up about this...I am not down and out about it...I am not going to let it sit there without witnessing it...
Today, I am beginning again...I took out the paper...the paints...and I sat with myself quietly. This simple design came out in the mandala...and it showed me that it doesn't matter that I haven't kept up with my journal...that I set it aside till my voice spoke to me...I realized that every day you have the opportunity to start anew...to sprout...to grow...to rise up and do whatever it is that makes your soul burst with energy and joy.
So today, I had a beginning once again (in my nice clean studio) and it started my day off with a positive burst...And I give myself permission to enjoy it!
LIFE IS GOOD!

FINALLY...

Finally, I am starting to feel better! I have been down with the flu...OH, I do hope no one gets this nasty bug...it had me down for a week! So today, I am trying to play a little catch up...I have deadlines looming over for some "SPECIAL" art work that will be available with the release of my book...
PERMISSION SLIPS...for your heart and soul.
There will be more to come on when the book will be available for ordering...and where you will find those links!
This is a terribly exciting time for me! I have managed to get some pretty wonderful women to review the book before the release date!! Again, I will post that when it is available too!
STAY TUNED!
I am ever so appreciative of my HEALTH today! And I am giving myself permission to work on my projects till my Muse needs to sleep!

LIFE IS GOOD!

Sharing myself...

. opening up...
. being vulnerable...
. expanding...
. believing in the REAL ME...
. showing my weakness and my strength...

Today, I am connecting...opening up to look for opportunities to form connections.
I am exposing myself...more so than ever...I do not usually show my vulnerabilities...but I know that they need to be revealed in order to grow...to grow closer to others...and closer to myself. I am exposing the REAL ME today, and I have great hopes that by doing so I will be accepted with love.

I am appreciative of the courage that I am showing myself today...allowing others to hear my story...to see that I have weaknesses as well as strength...hoping that by doing so I will form new bonds...grow...flourish...expose my soul and my truths...

Today, I am sharing myself...

LIFE IS GOOD!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Message...

.reach out and grow...
. pay close attention...
. know you have the power of choice...
. see your layers...
. dance...
. laugh...
. love...
. BELIEVE IN YOU!


Today, as I sat and did my little affirmation mandala, I noticed that there were a lot of the same elements in this one as in many this week...As I sat with this I realized that I must really appreciate the messages that were brought my way.

This week seemed to have a theme of being aware of my movements...focusing on the significance not the success...of allowing myself to be happy and to stop trying NOT to be...to be positive...and to choose my dreams...To be grateful and know that I carry strength, beauty and forgiveness...and most of all a great deal of Love.

To be aware of all the layers that make ME...ME...and that they are all good layers, even if at times I cannot see that. And on those days when I cannot see to remember to dance...because you get to choose how you act and react.
So, today, I am paying attention and appreciating the messages from my heart.

LIFE IS GOOD!

dance...

Some days you just have to dance!

Today, I am reminded that no matter what is going on you always have a choice...So, my choice today is to dance...dance despite the fact that I am tired and that the studio is torn apart and difficult to work in...despite the fact that my older kitty is having kidney failure and I know must be put down soon...despite the fact that the house is a mess and they are coming to appraise it!

Some days you just have to dance...you have to take all those "despite" thoughts and know and appreciate every thing else that is going on that is good. Realizing that someone else has much bigger fish to fry than I do...realizing that all those despite are just temporary and they will all work out and are really very small in the big scheme of things (well all that is but the kitty)
SO today, I dance...
LIFE IS GOOD!

Layers...

viewing the layers...
. I see where there is growth...
. I see where there are dreams in the making...
. I see where there is confusion...
. I see where there is blockage...
. I see where I am letting go...
as I view my layers.

I am aware today of the many layers that I have...some I expose...some I do not. But as I look at them today I am appreciating the difference in all of them...the good of them...the bad of them...the growth...and the confusion all making me into the person I call ME!

I am aware today, how these layers are complex and sometimes sit on one another other times they blend together as if they are one. How as I appreciate them I can see where I am peeling some off and growing new layers...I am proud of my layers today, I am happy with each and every one of them...I am content...

LIFE IS GOOD!

Choosing...

Today, I am appreciative of being able to choose...I can choose the way I look at things, the way I respond to things. What it is about choice that I notice today, is that it can change my perspective, it can change my mood, it can change my life if I allow it to.

Today, I am choosing to be grateful for all that I am.
Today, I am choosing to appreciate the strength that I have to not only overcome obstacles, but to allow myself to be open to all the possibilities before me.
Today, I am choosing to see the beauty of my life...of my creativity...of my voice.
Today, I am choosing to forgive...not only myself but others.
Today, I am choosing LOVE.

Today, I am opening up my appreciation to allow myself to release and explore.

LIFE IS GOOD!

Movement...

As i move forward, I will be aware:
. to be myself
. to know what I long to create
. to BREATHE
. to focus on the significance NOT the success
. to be happy
. to be positive
. to CHOOSE the dream.

Today, I listened to a webcast by Patti Digh, if you haven't read her books or you don't know who she is, introduce yourself to her via her website...37 Days You'll be glad you did!

So after listening to her and following some of her prompts i came up with my list of things to let go of and things to create this year. The above list is my life line for the year and I so appreciate having listened to that webcast today. I so appreciate the place I am in life at this moment. I so appreciate the people who surround me. Today, I am aware that I have so much to be thankful for and I am moving forward feeling totally blessed.

LIFE IS GOOD!

Grace...

Grace...

the inner beauty that radiates outward...
surrounding me with hope...love...and beauty.

Often when I think of the word GRACE...I hear the words that people speak before a meal...but today, I am aware that grace exists inside and around us. It is our spirit that radiates outwardly...it is the feeling I get when someone touches my soul...it is really a matter of opening up my eyes to see its presence around me.

Today, I am appreciating the grace around me...the sun shining and the brightness of the day...the "good luck" that I feel...the love that surrounds me...the gift of good friendships...the comfort of my home and studio...talking with a stranger and forgiving...just allowing myself to be.

Grace...a feeling that allows me to live graciously...giving me hope, love and beauty...allowing me to trust that everything will be alright even during hard times...giving me a generosity of spirit...unconditional love...and the ability to see my blessings...

Today, I am appreciative of the grace that is in my life...

LIFE IS GOOD!

Burst of Spirit

I actually did this journal page yesterday, but it was a day filled with things I had to do...but it has actually served me better to revisit it today and REALLY understand what the appreciation of the day was...and the message.

Up and out of the house early I went to take my 85 year old Mother to the Doctor, she can hardly walk anymore because her knee is bone on bone...the news was either have surgery for a knee replacement, or hope that the cortisone shots will give her temporary relief...The jury is still out on what will be done, but she is NOT really wanting to do the surgery....and then there were errands to be run, and a haircut...and when I came home...I found that my dishwasher was not functioning properly...So I got out the book, took apart the dishwasher, and cleaned and tweaked it...not once but 3 separate times...and guess what...a new dishwasher now will be purchased as I am sure that the motor is not working fully as it no longer drains properly...

However, I worked through everything with a happy spirit...and I accomplished a great deal by placing my energy into the things that were most challenging. I felt energized both physically and mentally...allowing me to tackle things without feeling overwhelmed...I felt confident as I worked on the dishwasher...allowing me to believe in myself, knowing that I could take care of the things that needed to be done without stressing out....I felt vital and alive.

This burst of spirit...this renewed energy allowed me to go beyond myself...it allowed me to face the tasks that perhaps in the past I would of avoided, because I might not have thought I could handle them successfully.

Today, I am so appreciative of my burst of spirit...it allowed me to get through parts of my day without giving up...giving in...or giving way to fear. Today, I am aware that acknowledging and being aware of this energized spirit will always help me to overcome anything that I feel is standing in my way...Today, I know that my burst of spirit is helping me to grow.

LIFE IS GOOD! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seed of Appreciation...

Today, I am aware of my appreciation for the present...living in the moment allows me to quiet the inner critic that sometimes taunts me...I am finding the meaning once again and the value in the here and the now...re-discovering the joy of the moment...leaving the uncertainties of the future to unfold as they will...

The lesson I have taken away from last year is to live in the present...to immerse myself in every moment possible...as I learn to grow.

Today, I plant my seed of APPRECIATION of living in the moment...and not allowing the fears of the future to enter.

LIFE IS GOOD!

January 1, 2012

I woke this morning to the sun brightly shinning...that always makes me smile, but this new day of this new year I sat by the window and appreciated how good it made me feel and it will set the tone for the day...

I have chosen this year to feel my appreciation, to acknowledge it, to honor it, to be ever present with it. This year I will not allow myself to disappear...I choose to stand...I choose to allow myself to recognize myself...my stories...my life...my loves...my creativity.

I am giving myself permission to APPRECIATE all that I have and all that I am!

LIFE IS GOOD!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

10...9...8...7...6...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new year...well, 12:01 tonight does...So I have wishes for myself and for all who venture here..

I wish that you see some of your dreams come true. That you are surrounded by love, laughter, and that you make wonderful new memories. May your glass be filled with creativity, spirituality, and trust from within. May you be blessed with good health and peace, and that you discover gratitude every day. May your soul guide you toward all of these each and every day, and may you listen to your voice and discover your potential to be aware of and bring all these blessings your way.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
LIFE IS GOOD!

Appreciation

Every year I pick a word to focus on...and this coming year of 2012
I have decided on the word...
APPRECIATION

Webster defines Appreciation:
ap·pre·ci·a·tion
noun
\ə-ˌprē-shē-ˈā-shən, -ˌpri- also -ˌprē-sē-\
Definition of APPRECIATION
1
a : judgment, evaluation; especially : a favorable critical estimate b : sensitive awareness; especially : recognition of aesthetic values c : an expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude
2
: increase in value

My definition:
To appreciate each other...to appreciate what I write and paint...to appreciate LIFE, and LOVE, and the wonderment of the universe. To have courage to listen to my heart and appreciate what it shows me...To let go of some of my old notions...to appreciate my spirit...to appreciate intimacy...to appreciate my creative unconscious and allow it to flow freely...to jump off the cliff and fly or out of the boat and swim...to embrace my inspiration ...

APPRECIATION: to turn toward my inspiration from within and get my arms around it!

LIFE IS GOOD!

Protector...

Today, I am aware that I have a tendency to shut down...run...hide...when I feel fearful. What is it about fear that does that? Most of the time the fear that I am feeling is not from something that could hurt me, but rather from something that is good for me...does that make sense?!

NO...not really...what am I afraid of? Afraid that I just might be happy...or successful...or loved?

Today, I am giving myself permission to wrap myself up in warmth...the warmth that I feel from the inside out...the warmth that can keep away the fear...the warmth that allows me to know that I am safe and that:
LIFE IS GOOD!

Directions...

Today, I am looking at the directions that I am going in...I feel as if I am all over the board...Trying to finish projects...trying to stay centered...trying to be true to myself...trying to please others...trying to do it ALL!

Today, I am looking at the out going and the incoming...finding the gaps and the empty space...allowing myself this morning to surrender to the silence that lies between them all...

Sometimes my head will run past my hearts wishes...sometimes my heart surpasses my head...sometimes I feel as if I am going so fast that I blur everything...other times so slow that nothing is in focus...

Today, I am looking to the silence...trying to see the way to go...trying to weave my nest with all the tools available to me...my heart...my soul...my head...all coming together to make sense of everything...Today, I give myself permission to relax in that silence...not having to make anything happen today...not putting demands on myself...not needing answers at this moment in time.

Today, I am standing in the silence that lies in between all the directions I am going in and I know that I will see the right direction clearly when I am ready and I know that:
LIFE IS GOOD!

Time...

I have spent almost all day here in the studio emerged in paint and paper and pens!
What a treat...I did not leave the house at all...

What is it about time?...it seems to slip through my fingers and before I know it the day has passed...sometimes noticed by me...other times not. What is it about time? We give it up..we give into it...we have to much of it or not enough...What is it about time? We rarely give ourselves the time that we need in order to heal...in order to create...in order to be whole...in order to move forward. What is it about time? That we can't seem to manage it...except it...or get enough of it...

Today, I pampered myself with the luxury of time...doing it in my time...in my space...
LIFE IS GOOD!

Balance..

Today, I am going to remember to balance myself...more so during this time of year with the holidays...there are things I have to do...there are things I want to do...and there are just things to do...So balance now is something that must be done.

For myself I am trying out my new wings...I am working on projects...I am going to bake and make things...I am going to be aware everyday to connect with my gratitude...allowing myself to rest to better serve myself and others...to open up wide and see all the happiness that surrounds me...and to clean out the cobwebs that sometime cover the window of my soul...

Today, I am going to remember to balance myself...allowing the love that I feel inside to release freely...

LIFE IS GOOD!