International day of friendship

Art by Des Brophy Art

It’s the international day of friendship today and I will take time out of my day to connect with friends near and far. Even if we don’t talk, in energy we are connected. What a blessing you are to me and I am grateful that our paths have crossed. Together we share our wisdom and guide each other, and no matter how far or near we are, we are never quite alone and share this path alongside.

Recently I got a new book from Donna Ashworth called “I wish I knew.” She shares a poem about friendship and today I like to dedicate it to you and pass it on.

Friendship is…Knowing that someone will be there when you lose, when you fall, when you snort ugly tears.

Friendship is knowing they will ask you twice how are you, really? And the will not accept your answer of fine when you are anything but.

Friendship is showing up for the worst of times as well as the best and knowing which one is the most important.

Friendship is building another’s self esteem realizing the gift they have given you by allowing you to do so and never using that gift for anything but good.

Friendship is every color of the rainbow and all the hues in between the good, the bad, the ugly, the glorious the beloved and the brilliant.

Friendship is hanging on when that person is cocooned waiting for them to re-emerge ready to accept their changes knowing they are still the same, to you.

Friendship is a gift, a blessing, a joy.

Be the friend you seek to have and be that friend to yourself too.

Celebrating Independence

It’s Independence Day here in America, a time to celebrate our Freedom and Independence. Every year Americans celebrate this day with fireworks, picnics and other get together’s to remember this important day in history.

For me it rings true on a whole other level as I yet take another step towards that ultimate feeling of freedom and independence and what it means to me. Freedom can mean different things to us all and freedom is the word for a large umbrella that encircles so many different aspects. Freedom can be as simple as having the right to choose or as difficult as being enslaved with a life that is dictated and not truly yours to live.

Freedom this year and with a war still ripping our world apart, is surely viewed differently this year. Especially from the ones who are close, living this nightmare every day, trapped, yearning for that feeling that is freedom. My heart continues to go out to all who suffer and who have lost, who are separated and can only dream of the word freedom. This year we remember just a little more beyond the picnics and fireworks. This year we pray for a world united and at peace.

Two people fell in love

Many moons ago, two people found each other, fell in love and started a family. That’s how I came to be, the end result of love and passion. This is how our little family started and today I am the last carrying on traditions, our way of life, what was important and even what’s in a surname. I carry the family name within my heart. I will always remember my roots and where I cane from. I feel closer than ever to these two people that fell in love and gave life to me. As you celebrate in heaven your 61st wedding anniversary, I cheer you on with a great “happy anniversary” and live and miss you more than ever.

April fools day & a wedding

It was April fools day, the first day of April. The weather had been decent until that particular day as it began to snow like crazy and wouldn’t stop for two days. It was also the day my cousin, now my Brother was getting married to the love of his life. I am glad that I was here and that I could join this special day and celebrate with these two love birds. May many blessings continue to find their way into their life and may they live happily ever after. Congratulations 💙

Two important people

Two important people share a birthday today. Two important people mean the world to me and both are family. One has been like the sister that I never had, while the other has been like the father I never had and lost way too young in life. These two, are my heart and I am so excited to be there to share their special day. It has been the highlight of my trip prior to going and no words can express how much these two mean to me. It’s like a once in a lifetime occasion now, one that I might not get another chance to experience.

The amount of help, unconditional love and selflessness they have shown me, simply because of being family takes my breath away and leaves me nothing short of amazed. Nobody is left behind and there is a place where “I BELONG.” I never knew where that place was for many years and it’s an emotional trigger for me. Another chapter to be seen, addressed and to be healed during this all important trip. I imagine I will have a lot to talk about once this is all over with. I imagine I will never be the same again as I prepare to shed yet another self, another layer. I imagine that this trip will blow my heart wide open, wider than I ever imagined it could be, and fill it with unconditional love, growth and healing. I imagine that I have seen nothing yet and if I believed my heart was open already, spirit might have a surprise in store for me and humble me once more.

Holi

I’ve just learned of Holi. It is a popular ancient Hindu festival, also known as the festival of Love, the festival of Colors, and the festival of Spring. It’s a festival with rituals and traditions, a festival of music, laughter, prayer where people smear each other with colors and drench each other. Water guns and water filled balloons are also used to play with and color each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children or elders. everyone is equal, no better and no worse, and I like that.

Holi is an ancient Indian religious festival that has also become popular outside of India in countries such as Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, even the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Still I had never heard of it, and while I won’t be in a position to smear color onto someone, I will celebrate wearing bright colors, while welcoming Spring and marvel in the knowing that Love unites and is the answer to all.

Sharing the love & a whole lot of gratitude

Last week amongst a challenging week of loss, doctor’s office visits, and other difficult responsibilities, something super cool and positive happened for me also. I was chosen, worthy, picked, tagged and selected, at least it’s how it felt when a random act of kindness found me and took me by surprise. Someone linked to my blog and for a writer (although the link wasn’t to original content that was shared) there is no greater gift and accomplishment than being heard. To have your words being read, perhaps commented on and to top it off, have it shared.

Last week the little blog, now grown to nearly 3500 followers, received a lot of traffic and was up a whopping 423% for the week. At first I couldn’t figure out what was going on and where all the added interest came from, but then I saw that one of my referrers, directing traffic to my site was no other than Upworthy. Have you heard of Upworthy.com, how amazing is that. Please take a look if you are not familiar with their site.

Upworthy is a website dedicated to positive storytelling. It started in March 2012 by Eli Pariser, the former executive director of MoveOn, and Peter Koechley, the former managing editor of The Onion. One of Facebook’s co-founders, Chris Hughes was an early investor. In 2017, the company was acquired by Good Worldwide.

What a neat concept and mission. Thank you for making my day and my week. For picking my site, bringing interest and traffic to what I share. To making me feel that my voice matters. My mission on here is similar to yours as I share positivity and inspiration, that includes my journey of overcoming a chronic dis-ease, finding positivity in the challenges of our lives, as well as the daily pondering to the deeper meanings of our existence and reactions/feelings. Thank you for choosing ME with this random act of kindness that made a big difference and made my week. I hope you get to see this because you too should know how your actions have made a difference. Thank you 🙏🏼💙

Imbolc blessings

Happy Imbolc blessings beloved readers. Flashback: I haven’t used the word beloved in quite some time and it used to be a word I was quite fond off. But that seems so long ago, and it has lost it’s value to me. Today, it just merely needed to be acknowledged as it appeared out of surprise, out of nowhere.

Last night we celebrated a new moon and the energy is very powerful right now. With it, it brings the opportunity to celebrate life as well as open a doorway in your life. This February new moon ignites our fight to make dreams come true. It also proves to be a lucrative time for investments that become beneficial now. But this is not all and while each sign maybe impacted slightly different, some things are the same for all of us. We feel new energy stiring within. The long dark nights and days are making way to new life, to new beginnings, to making our plans a reality soon.

On top of the powerful energy already, we are celebrating Imbolc today. The beginning of the new lunar year and the flow of fresh energy. Imbolc is a fire festival that celebrates the home and the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It marks the midpoint and is quite literally called midwinter. The days are growing longer and have been since the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. For some of you this is a mid point where you are halfway through your summer with father winter coming your way. For me it is spring that is around the corner, followed by summer. Tomorrow is also Groundhog Day and if you believe in this tradition, you will learn how much longer winter is said to last. Will it end quickly or will we be faced with another 6 weeks of dormancy.

For now and with the celebration of Imbolc we acknowledge our cabin fever as we yearn to unburden ourselves from the long, dark days. I have to say that I am somewhat of a homebody and spending time inside doesn’t really bother me all that much. For one I have created such a comfortable, cozy space where I am surrounded by my favorite things, it simply doesn’t matter to be inside. I never feel trapped or confined despite this tiny tiny space I am in. I see the longer days and the darkness as a welcome balance to slow down and cram less into my day. It’s a time for meditation, for slowing down and for simply breathing. Alongside of dreaming and making new plans, following hobbies and crafts and what not. However, I know this is not the case with many and that cabin fever mentioned becomes a real issue.

After month of self reflection, planning, and goal setting, aspiration and ambition are beginning to stir. Enough is enough and the tiniest enthusiasm is starting to awaken beneath the surface. This is the time to let our creativity and imagination help manifest these dreams. For me it is still a preparation phase as I ready myself for my journey to Germany. I will be leaving mid march, in just over a month that will fly by in no time. The time is finally here and much awaits. Tomorrow we will also take a look in addition to the New Moon and to Imbolc to see which Spirit Animal has stepped forward to further support us through the month of February.

Have a holly jolly Christmas

Wishing you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and a warm holiday season. As we take a break from the blogging world, know you are thought of with love and kindness and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being in my life.

In love, light, and with many blessings 🙏🏼💙

Happy Thanksgiving

Picture credit: The Vikings Queen

I am taking a break from the daily musings but I wanted to come here and wish everyone a happy thanksgiving whether you celebrate this day or not. I wanted to express my gratitude for you and send some holiday wishes your way. So with that said…

May you feel comforted and loved, thought of and surrounded by great company and food. May you realize your blessings, and may you feel gratitude for everything that is. For everything that you have and for everything you have achieved. It could change in an instance and not always for the better. May your basket feel full of abundance and blessings. May you feel content and full of inner peace. May you always find your way and never be lost for too long. May you always manage to process life in a positive light, even the hard stuff. May you never give up and may you always feel appreciated, loved, wanted and needed. For you are one of a kind and you are amazing.

Happy thanksgiving 🙏🏼💙