Resilience

A human's resilience is an amazing, even awe inspiring quality to me.  While volunteering at funeral dinners, I observe the way people handle the passing of a loved one.  It is a mix of quiet acceptance, bewilderment, numbness, sorrow, loss, grief, support and the love.  People reaching out to each other for comfort, compassion, reassurance and hope.  You also see bravery and the celebration of people that were deeply loved.

Several of the ladies I work with have lost their husbands very recently.  Their steadfastness and commitment to continue helping others who loose their loved ones, moves me deeply.  It is an exhausting job and I see a lot of them in physical pain by the end of the dinner, but none of them ever complain.  They just keep going.  

One lady in particular just lost her husband two weeks ago.  Yet she was there today, ready to help even though I could still see and feel how raw she was inside.  Her quiet dedication and presence showed me her resilience and bravery.  She is not shying away from life nor death.  She is facing her reality and accepting it one baby step at a time.

I simply felt moved to write about this today.  This blog is meant to be a tribute to human resilience, to the strength that is within all of us, to the acceptance of life and death as equals, to the dedication and commitment of these ladies, and to the love that is in all of them and all of us.  May God bless us all.

Signs

Everywhere I turned today, the word 'Art' seemed to be following me.  At first I didn't notice, but after a while it was hard to ignore.  When something like this happens, I do believe that Spirit/God is trying to tell me something, which in this case was a quite insistent reminder to be creative - at least that was my interpretation of it.

Signs, signals, reminders, answers are being given to you all the time by the Universe.  They are subtle though and it is up to you to become aware of and sensitive to these signs.  In the example above it was the random, repeated appearance of the word 'art' in 'non-artsy' environments.  Other times it is an unexpected turn of events or anything that is not the norm.  It can come in a peculiar/unusual phrasing out of a loved ones mouth.  And so on.  Again, the key word is 'subtle'.  You need to pay attention to the details and open your heart.  As everything, it takes practice.

I do believe prayers are answered.  Often times it doesn't happen the way you expect it to, but if you are able to let go of the how, you might be able to see/hear/feel the answer that is being given to you.  Be aware, be open and expect miracles to happen.  :)

Go With The Flow

Sometimes, no matter how well you plan something, things just go differently.  The trick is to surrender to the moment and go with it.  Embrace the flow of life.  It is teaching you something.

You have prepared the best you could.  Your knowledge is your surfboard.  Then all you have to do is feel the wave and ride it!  You will have a great time and achieve more than you expected!

Giving Thanks

Today I was reminded of the importance of giving thanks while feeding 25 high school kids.  Every single one of them very freely expressed and showed their gratitude for the meal provided.  Their enjoyment was so obvious it simply seeped all the way through me.  Though the preparation was a lot of work, I felt so elated after it was all said and done that I wouldn't blink an eye to do it all again.

It reminded of how important it is to SHOW gratitude and what a difference it can make in a person's life.  By saying 'thank you' you are acknowledging another person's effort and letting them know that the deed was noticed and appreciated.

Everyone of us wants to be seen and appreciated.  So how about it?  Take time out of your day today to give thanks to someone you take for granted, to someone you think could benefit, to anyone for that matter.  Bring some joy to another person's life.  It'll make your life brighter too!  :)

Perseverance

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of the hard work you already did." by Newt Gingrich

Perseverance is a wonderful thing.  It is the magic ingredient you need when you feel like you can't take one more step.  It takes will power, utter conviction and trust that what you are doing is the right thing and that it will make a difference.  

Perseverance comes from deep within you and thus has its roots in God/Spirit/Allah/etc.  It goes beyond thinking.  It is the helping hand that leads you to taking one more step.  It is within us all and we all have access to it.  It helps us reach beyond and become more.  :)

Starting Point

When a day comes that you suspect or even know that your life cannot go on the way it has, but you don't know what will change or how it could possibly change, what do you do?  Indeed, what do you do?

I believe the most important thing in this situation is to first find hope within you, hope that there is another path (and there always is), hope that things will change (and they always do), hope that you will find your way through (and you always will).  Believe that things are happening for a reason and that eventually you will be able to see the big picture.

Once you start feeling hope again start wondering...

What if the answers are all within you?  What if you do know?  If you were to guess, where would you start?  What would be your first step toward your new life?

Realigning

"When you are off track there is nothing like a good friend to put you back on track."  by Bettina  :)

When walking your path, invariably there will be times where you may step off the path or even head back the way you came.  Old patterns and habits are hardly ever changed instantly.  The trick is to recognize you are heading off course.  This is usually easily done since you won't feel elated, confident, sure of what you are doing, nor happy like you are when you are in alignment with your soul.

When this happens and you can't find your way back on your own, turn to your believing eyes or your coach, in short someone who can guide you back onto your path.  It will make a world of difference and save you a lot of time and heartache!