L-O-V-E

How do you spell L-O-V-E?

Well, sometimes my son spells it C-O-O-K-I-E.

My son is a cookie baker. He learned how to bake cookies in middle school, and has traditionally baked cookies every holiday season since. He is a very good cookie baker.

 He is not as good at expressing feelings and emotions verbally. I may never hear the words "I love you" come from him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't express love or caring. He just expresses it in more tangible ways.

My husbands family had to make the difficult decision to take their mother off of life support, it was a long night at the hospital. We came home and there was a plate of fresh baked cookies sitting next to my husband's chair.  It was my son's way of telling his dad that he was sorry he was sad and that he cared. My husband never forgot those cookies.

This morning as I enjoyed my coffee my son brought me a cookie. He can't tell me he loves me with words, but he tells me. This morning a cinnamon roll cookie said "I know you are sad and I am sorry. I know it is a hard day for us, and we miss him. Oh, and I love you."

Don't forget to tell someone you love them today.

Peace and Blessings,

EB

Of Course You Can

Today's quote...
We were all given the same amount of spirit. None more, none less. The difference between individuals is allowing the Spirit to have more of you.~~Bear Heart~~

Whenever you read a weight loss success story on the internet, or in a magazine, the person who has reached their goal will usually say something like "If I can do it, anyone can do it." I know that when some of us read that they sometimes think that doesn't include them, but the truth is that not one of those people sharing their success story has more spirit, or drive, or motivation, or discipline than the rest of us. So, if I can do it you can do it, is actually true.

BUT, first we have to give ourselves over to learning the truth about who we are, and discovering that we are a person of worth, and learning that we CAN do anything we set our minds to do. Yes, sometimes our challenges might be more than someone else, sometimes the obstacles in our way can be daunting. But inside each of us is that place where the truth has been replaced by untruths over the years, and we need to capture each one of those untruths and replace it with the truth.
Takes work on our part sometimes, but every time we think a negative thought that we aren't worthy of the best in life we need to stop, ask ourselves if that is true, tell ourselves that it isn't true and replace it with a true thought.

Every time we hear in our head that we aren't smart enough, or good enough, or pretty enough, we need to say stop, that is not true, the truth is I am smart enough, I am good enough, I am beautiful. I am a person of great worth, and I deserve to treat myself well. It is a choice we can make, and when we believe that we deserve to treat ourselves well, we will make the best choices we can to become healthier in our mind, body, and spirit. When we become used to making the choices that make us the best we can be, then it will become easier to work towards our healthy bodies, because we are worth it!! Treat yourself well today, no one deserves it more.

Peace and Blessings,
EB


p.s. I am still a bit short on the money to fix my car, so if your spirit leads you there is a paypal button to the right. Forgive me for needing to mention it. 

Take the weekend off!

The quote for today is...

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.~~Lao Tzu~~

We get so busy, so many things to be accomplished. When we have a day off, we run through the day, working much harder than if we had actually gone to our jobs. Running errands, doing chores, paying bills. Often quality time with our families is just one more item on the to do list, characterized by that frantic frenetic need to get everything done. So, sometime we need to ask ourselves, what would truly happen if I just chose to ignore the to do list and relax and spend time refreshing and renewing my spirit? Time laughing and playing with my family? I suggest you try it. Throw the list out the window. Take a day where you accomplish nothing other than being. Where your major goal is to laugh and play. Where the most strenuous thing you do is talk to your higher power.Take a walk with you family, make the long legged husband slow down so you can truly notice the world around you.Take a nice tall glass of sweet tea or lemonade out to the deck and watch the wildlife in your space. Because even the most urban of dwellings has abundant critters of nature living there. I guarantee sitting and watching a spider work on her web is one of the most amazing spiritual times. Contemplating the awesome majesty of creation takes time and effort. The rewards of effort spent thusly are vastly better for you than the rewards of efforts towards running around accomplishing a to do list.

So today, a day which is supposed to be a day of rest for many, do just that. Rest, relax, do something totally useless and unnecessary. Laugh, play, refresh your spirit. Give yourself permission to do nothing, and if you find that you can't quite give yourself permission, tell your mind that I gave you permission!!So there!!

Peace and Blessings,

EB

So Small So Big

My world has gotten smaller and smaller lately. I haven't been able to save enough money (and I have some dear friends who have helped) to get my car tagged and repaired, so we don't get out much. It seems as if our life is on hold, because getting out and about has always been a way for us to work on my sons social skills.

On the other hand, my world is very BIG. It is amazing to this child of the 1950's that I have 'friends' and acquaintances all over the world. I write a blog post and people in Russia, Finland, Indonesia, and China read it. Kind of mind boggling when I think of it.

How awesome is it that I have friends that I can keep in touch with every day, just at the touch of a keyboard and yet, I haven't seen a friend in person in a while. What an odd world we have created.

Not saying it is a bad thing, just thinking out loud. It is actually a very good thing that I am able to interact with people online. If it weren't for cyber connections I would be a hermit living in a cave, and that is not a good thing. Connection is the thing that keeps me going. I participate on a Weight Watchers message board, I spend time on facebook in groups and with friends. These things keep me supported, encouraged and feeling loved.

"When just being together is more important than what you do...you are with a friend."~~Anonymous~~

This is what my cyber friends are for me.We all know those times when we just spend time not doing anything with our friends. Those are times of mutual rest, relaxation, and contentment, and they are so nice. We all need to have those times when we are able to be quiet together. We are just here to share our days. Some days we deal with big important issues, some days we are just silly, some days, we just share the details of our day, and we know that no matter what we share, someone is glad to see that we posted. Just glad to share the same space with us. Doesn't matter that we are from all over the world, different faiths, different life experiences. Just matters that we came here and spent the time to post. Someone cares that I exist, it says to us when we get a word of encouragement, love, and support.

So, today,which is my wedding anniversary and I am nostalgic, I am loved and supported. That is a very BIG thing in a very Small world.

Peace and Blessings,
EB

p.s. I hate asking, but if you feel led to help get that car fixed there is a paypal button over there on the right.




 

Tools of thought

Today's quote...
"We have the tool of thought within us to create a thousand joys or
a thousand ills."~~James Allen~~

 When we choose how we react to situations and things and people around us we are using that tool. We can use our thoughts to create positive ways of reacting to the circumstances we are surrounded with, or we can use that tool of thought to create negative response.

I was reading something on a message board, a very nice article on steps you can take to lower stress. Then along came the poster who said "None of this works when you have a life as stressful as mine" and then she laid out a tale of woe. Posters responded with really good thoughtful ways she could let go of some of the things that were stressing her out, and of course she couldn't hear any of it. It was apparent to everyone but her that her woes weren't as big and bad as she thought they were, and that she was actually creating some of them with her negative thoughts. She was using the tool of thought to create a thousand ills.


Sad really, someone gets really good loving advice and chooses to stay stuck in their misery. Living in the moment allows us to capture those thoughts, choose how to react, and use that tool of thought to create a thousand joys. Imagine what a great day this will be if you experience a thousand joys, or a hundred joys, or ten joys, or one joy created by using the tool available to you. Using your tool of thought today, choose to live in joy.

I know I am working on it.

Peace and Blessings,
EB


  

Summertime

Today's quote...
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.~~John Lubbock~~

What a lovely quote, reminding us that rest is something to be sought after. Something to be cherished, and used as a part of our spiritual practices. As children we knew the value of resting in the summer grass, watching the clouds moving across the sky, allowing our minds to flow with changing shapes. Our imaginations taking us to places of adventure. Sailing away on the cloud that looked like a pirate ship, riding the horse shape cloud across the sky, mounting up with the birds as we watched them soar. And as our imaginations soared our dreams took shape. As we lay in the grass on a summers day we heard the sounds around us, savoring them, because the sounds of summer, the crickets chirping, the birds singing, the children screaming in laughter as they play their summer games, the sound of the ice cream truck playing its simple tune bringing refreshment to hot and thirsty children, the sounds of summer are just for that season, and we savor the fleeting joy that will sustain us through the winter.

 

The memories of a summer afternoon spent picnicking can get us through many a dreary day. The sense memory of the salt and butter dripping from your chin as you relish an ear of fresh corn roasted to perfection, the sweet cold delight of watermelon juice dripping down you elbows as you sit on the sand. All of these things are important as we go through our day to day existence. Rest creates sense memories that we can call on in an hour of stress and weariness. Remember, take a break today, rest a few minutes, refreshing your body, mind and spirit. Take a few minutes to walk barefoot, if not literally, then in your memories from youth, enjoy the sounds and scents that surround you, and save them up for the day you will need them later. Relax, Enjoy, and don't feel one twinge of what needs to be done in that time, because you are doing an important necessary job for your spirit.

Peace and Blessings,
EB

The Little Things

So, being stressed out to the max, I have noticed that every little thing that occurs seems to add to my stress levels. Every little thing. Things I would shrug off on a normal day now seem to add to my desperation.

I noticed this this morning. I don't walk well, haven't for a long time now. On the days I can walk I occasionally stumble and fall. Not often, but in normal circumstances it wouldn't bother me all that much. It happens. In fact it is such a normal occurrence that my son doesn't even look up anymore. So, why when I stumbled this morning did it just add to my feelings that nothing is ever going to be OK again? And more importantly why does something like that get to live in my head for more than the few moments it took to catch myself and move on?

So, while I was contemplating how hopeless my life feels that even a little thing can cause me to despair it dawned on me that little things should be important in the good times too ,and like many of us I tend to not see them then.

So, here's too the little things that I should be noticing instead...

My son watched The Muppet Movie (the original 1979) a couple of nights ago and not only did he laugh all the way through it, he has been singing the songs ever since. Now that is a beautiful thing.

I have good friends, friends who are generous in their encouragement and support. This is a big thing!I need to acknowledge big things too.

I saw my first fireflies this evening. Here we are on the eve of the summer solstice and sitting at my patio door I looked out and the greenspace behind the building was alive with sparkling lights. Considering we had snow in May, the first fireflies of the summer is something to rejoice!

Fireflies are one of the joys of childhood in the Midwest. For me they represent summers spent with relatives that lived in a different way than we did growing up in Los Angeles. A totally different rhythm of living. Summer vacations at my favorite auntie's house. A time when bad things didn't happen and life wasn't hard.

So, to night I am letting go of the stress for a few minutes and reveling in the beauty of fireflies and the treasure of childhood memories.

Here's to the little things!

Peace and Blessings,
EB