...the time has come to focus on breath...

When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.

Author Unknown

     Take a deep breath and b r e a t h e ... inhale ... exhale ...
Have you ever stopped and realized you weren't breathing? I have done that so many times. Being preoccupied with being busy or just getting everything checked off my to do list, that I actually am not taking life giving consistent breaths! 
     The time has come to focus on breath. Life without being aware of consistently breathing brings illness. Life without breathing brings death. It's time to just stop and release the heavy burden that you have been carrying. It's time to let go of the baggage, the stuff, the mess that has attached itself to you and has become part of your being. Burdens are not part of your being.
     Breathing and being aware of your every breath brings life and health to our lives. Breath in the ancient Greek is "pneuma" and in a religious context it means spirit or soul. Begin to think about the amazing spirit that flows through us and breathe, breathe deeply. Begin to notice how quickly peace will replace the confusion and chaos. Thank God and give Him glory for every breath. Amen and so be it!
   

...you can experience peace in the midst of chaos...

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

Albert Einstein 

      As I was sitting outside the other morning, drinking my coffee, I had an incredible sense of peace come over me. It was a tangible presence I felt through my entire being. I embraced the moment, then found myself looking around at the beauty that surrounded me. God's awesomeness...the birds, the trees, the garden, the freshness in the air...took control of my every thought. I had not felt such peace in years. 
      My thoughts and words have not been peaceful lately. I have been in a struggle..mentally, physically and financially. You know that place you find yourself in, where all the things you know to do, you are not doing! Prayer, meditation, exercise has been interrupted by confusion. Time has stolen the best and replaced it with the good and not so good! There are times and cycles in our lives when we find ourselves in places, where we don't want to be. And even when we know the steps to take to leave those places, our mind gets comfortable there and refuses to leave.
      Give yourself time, start by refusing to beat yourself up. If that is all you can do for awhile do that. Quit beating yourself up and start building yourself up. You have the tools...your Bible, your book of affirmations, your meditations, your journal...keep them in front of you during these times. Even if you refuse to look at them, they are there waiting. You also have your friends, your family, your pastor, those you trust and those who love you. My therapy is reading and writing and of course those are the two things I have been avoiding, until now. 
      Allow God's nature, His creation and beauty help you come out of your unhealthy place. 
      I thank God, as I was sitting outside the other morning, drinking my coffee I realized, that you can experience peace in the midst of chaos. Amen, and so be it!

Flow : something you are really good at and love to do...

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Thomas Jefferson

     I learned a new term today watching a documentary. (I love documentaries, they can be life changing or at the very least thought provoking.) So the name of the documentary is "happy" and the term is  "FLOW". It is described as the mental state of a person who is performing an activity and is completely immersed in the energy, focus, and joy of the activity.  A single-minded immersion or focused motivation. The identifying mark of "flow" is a feeling of spontaneous joy while performing the task. Flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does.

     They described this as something in your life that you are really good at and you love to do. In the study of being happy, people who are fortunate enough to do this for a living or occupation, they are extremely happy. I also read that to be depressed or anxious is to be blocked from flow. Oh my!

  This information has made me challenge my choices, my thoughts and my ideas of what true happiness is. What really makes us happy? Family, money, food, working, dancing? 

   True happiness for me comes when I am in tune to God, my Source, everyday! When I am not, it affects my entire life...relationships, work, rest! Amen and so be it!

Can you imagine feeling that way everyday...

We must accept finite disappointment, 

but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King Jr.

        Hope, expectation, excitement! Great words, great feelings to wake up to each day. Have you ever noticed when you are involved in a project you love, you can hardly wait to jump out of bed and start your day. You can't wait to get back to it. Maybe it's a class you are taking, decorating a room or a craft project. A new scarf you are knitting or reading a good book. Maybe it's building a house or remodeling, or even just a planned dinner or shopping date with your friends. If it's something you love doing, sleeping and eating become a waste of your time.
      Can you imagine feeling that way everyday, regardless of a special date or project or event? I can! Is it possible, I think it is! How? Good question...
      Let's think about this. Right now I look around at friends, family, customers and I see a lot of sadness, fear, sickness and pain. I asked myself the other day, "is anyone happy?" And if you ask that out loud, everyone jumps up and says they are. The masks of happiness and joy and abundance  are quickly pulled out of hiding and slapped on, with big smiles and voices saying.."I'm happy!" Whoa! No one is judging you, just observing a very sad trend!
      In my opinion, there are disconnects between spirit, soul and body that need to be reconnected. Our spirit has that desire to connect to our divine creator and wants us to draw our daily strength and joy from Him. Our soul needs our attention and fed positive and nurturing thoughts and affirmations, to keep our emotions in a healthy place. And our body needs cared for with love, good food and movement to take us where we want to go. When we understand the need to tend to all of these parts of ourselves, I think we will begin to find that place of hope and excitement that comes with that special event or project.
      We ARE that event, that project! When we love ourselves enough to focus on giving ourselves time and care and attention, we will jump out of bed to greet that face in the mirror and say..."I can't wait to see what today brings!" Amen and so be it!

          

          

Willing to become new and strong...

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking.

 It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 

Albert Einstein

          Yes we can change our worlds by changing our thinking. Not an easy task of course, but it can be done. If we are willing to become new and strong and press through the 'not' so comfortable stages of change, we can come out on the other side happier and healthier!

          I have changed my thinking in so many areas and I know it is possible to do. I have also seen others make simple changes in their thinking and experience significant changes manifest in their lives. When you hear studies show that our core attitudes are established by the age of six, that can be a bit depressing to some of us. Since I can barely recall most of my childhood, it is hard to believe those findings. But we can change and some of us must in order to move forward and live the life we want to live.

          Begin with prayer and meditation. Take a few minutes alone everyday to become quiet and aware of the moment. Even if you say nothing...just stop to take time to build yourself up. Create your own prayers, write them down or just begin a conversation with God. Begin by being thankful and grateful for all He has been for you and blessed you with. You will truly see changes and feel strengthen as you continue this practice. Amen and so be it!