The gift of love and adoration

~ The One Thing | INXS ~


Making every day special is important. Being unpredictable is a good thing and expressing affection in different ways is what kept the love alive in my long and happy marriage that tragically ended way too suddenly and took a beautiful life from this earth. Of course every day was not perfect, but my memories are beautiful, loving and happy because we had an amorous and adoring give and take that so blessed my life.


You may find yourself feeling a strong sense of adoration for that special person in your life. This amorous feeling probably brings on the urge of wanting to express your affection as often as possible.

Even though we may not be able to be together every moment of every day, we can find creative ways to express our feelings of love and adoration. Finding ways to surprise those we love and put a smile on their faces can be an awesome experience.

The best gifts are those that represent those awesome emotions . . . they show that we are cared for and that the thoughts we have shared have been heard and understood. It can be as simple as a look of understanding or a squeeze of the hand. When we take the time and thought to give these kinds of gifts, we express our appreciation for all that this person has shared with us. The acknowledgment of those we love is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Another wonderful gift is the gift of ourselves.

When we love, trust and adore another, the reward is the sharing of our beauty within . . . a gift that doesn't cost a thing, but means so much. Give that special person you love the gift of yourself today . . .

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New Beginnings

Times Like These ~ Foo Fighters

"Behold, I make all things new."

Rev 21:5

"One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things."

Henry Miller

"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail."

Napoleon Hill

"Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting... eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?"

Tony Robbins

In a previous post I mentioned that the start of a new year is much like a new chapter in a book . . . it could also be the start of a new book, depending on the life path and circumstances. Attitude has everything to do with it.

Since starting my new job in the mental health industry, I've been exposed to various ways of thinking . . . from that of the clients as well as my co-workers.

One of the clients has obviously had a miserable holiday season . . . I can relate since I dread them every year since becoming a widow. However, the new year has since marked the end of the dreaded season and my usual optimistic attitude dwells on the hope and positive vibes of that new beginning.

When I mentioned that to the client, he stated that "every day is the same . . . the same ole crap, day after day." He has no hope for change and doesn't see it as a new beginning . . . classic negative thinking that keeps him down and depressed.

I remember thinking how much more sad I would have been all these years if I didn't at least have faith and hope, even though I was disappointed year after year and so tired of falling back into depression and picking myself back up.

New Years Day is just a symbolic day for a new beginning . . . positive thinking, a healthy optimistic attitude and determination to make life a pleasant experience can change from one day to another, no matter what day it is. New beginnings are like that . . . they are a state of mind.

May your day be filled with peace, love and happiness!

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Resolutions and the new year

If we make our goal to live a life of
compassion and unconditional love,
then the world will indeed become a garden
where all kinds of flowers can bloom and grow.

Dr. Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross



My year ended with one of the most chaotic days I've had in recent past. As the ball dropped last night, it amazed me that I had made it without crashing asleep by midnight . . . I had to, it is tradition to see the ball come down.

Many thoughts came to mind in the last minutes of the old year, in particular, last year was the year that finally turned my life around in so many ways. Guess you could say it was my year to return to "normal" life and stop waiting to die after becoming a widow.

God has richly blessed me!

At the moment the new year was born, my thoughts flashed to the future . . . one that has so much hope, promise and finally, the opportunity for everything I have dreamed about. Symbolically, the new year is a new chapter in one's book of life, a new beginning that emerges from one second to another.

This season crept up on me and flew by, leaving me with no time to think about resolutions. For the first time in a very long time, my mind was occupied with so much more than "what if" and hope. The things I had hoped for had already arrived . . . I'm living the life I so desired.

Resolutions are typically broken before February rolls around . . . at least mine have been in the past. The decision was made last night to not make any resolutions.

The quote at the beginning of this post is how I decided to live my life last year . . . it is an ongoing goal . . . as are the three little words I have strived for my entire adult life . . . peace, love and happiness . . . it is all that really matters in the scope of a lifetime.

Happy New Year my friends!

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Days with tears

"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."

Carl Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Jungian psychology

"Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you'll come to realize how unnecessary it was for you to drag those burdens around with you. You'll see that no one else other than you was responsible. The truth is that existence wants your life to become a festival."

Osho, was Indian mystic, guru and philosopher

How many times did I almost give up on life
and just settle for waiting to die?

When I came across the above quotes, all I could think of was the wasted time I spent being upset with my life circumstances. No matter how many times I picked myself up after falling into another one of those traps that life throws out, I stayed down way too long. Maybe I needed to be there and think about that a lot. I've come to the conclusion that we sometimes have to "go there" . . . hit rock bottom to realize how serious the situation is and pull out all the strength inside to get out of it before it becomes all consuming to the point of no return.

This is one of the greatest lessons I have learned . . .

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Fear and insecurity

	"LET me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them." Rabindranath Tagore "When we love, we are courageous; and courage has nothing to do with being fearless,  it's about being willing to  experience fear, even dread,  to do what we must, without guarantee of outcome." Vanna Bonta

We seek to control our lives when we do not trust, when we do not love. Our ego, perceiving itself to be vulnerable and insecure, uses control in an effort to protect itself. At the root of our need to control, we find FEAR. It may be fear of the unknown. Fear of not coping. Fear of loss. Or possibly even fear of looking stupid. And as our efforts to control other people and events invariably fail, our fear increases. Trust, on the other hand, is a quality of the soul. While control is a tool of the mind, trust and faith are aspects of the heart. Trust comes with the deep knowing that we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. When we trust enough in life to give up our need to control, we can relax and open to the flow of energy in our lives. This brings peace of mind. 

Source - www.higherawareness.com

Fear can be paralyzing, making those things we truly desire to do become impossible.  The phobias born from fear can be defeated in the mind, where the desire can be courageous enough to battle those fears.

Anyone can do anything they set their mind to do.

 

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Courage to love

Put letting yourself be loved on your
resolution list for the coming new year


"You can never cross the ocean unless
you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
Christopher Columbus, was a Genoese explorer whose voyages
across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness
of the American continents.


"Mount the stallion of love and do not fear the path,
love's stallion knows the way exactly. With one
leap, love's horse will carry you home."
Rumi,was a 13th-century Persian poet and mystic.






Lack of courage can keep us from living a beautiful, happy life. Allowing another person to love us and returning that love has to be one of the scariest things we will ever experience.

There is a saying that I remember every time I meet someone new . . . you gotta kiss a lot of frogs before finding the prince. Ok, so maybe those aren't the exact words, but you get the point. My courage comes from being a widow after experiencing a long and happy marriage to a very sweet man . . . and still believing in fairy tales and knowing that it would happen again if I just have faith in God.

Sitting behind my keyboard has been my preferred method of finding my life partner since I don't like kissing frogs. For many, online love itself is a scary endeavor . . . for me, finding the right person in the real world through dating is frightening to the point of total avoidance.

The method does not really matter . . . what matters is having the courage to try and having faith that God will take you down the path you need to walk on. When it is finally right, it is worth all the hurt experienced running into the frogs who were never destined to be the prince.

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A gift of the heart

Letting People Know You Love Them

It’s easy to take our feelings for granted and to assume that the people we care about know how we feel about them. But while those we love are often quite cognizant of our feelings, saying "I love you" is a gift we should give to our loved ones whenever we can. Letting people know you love them is an important part of nurturing any kind of loving relationship. Few people tire of being told they are loved, and saying "I love you" can make a world of difference in someone’s life, take a relationship to a new level, or reaffirm and strengthen a steady bond. Everyone needs to hear the words "I love you." Three simple words – I - Love - You. When you declare your love for someone you admit to them that you care for them in the most significant way.

It can be difficult to express your love using words, particularly if you grew up around people that never expressed their affection verbally. But you should never be afraid to say "I love you" or worry that doing so will thrust you into a position of excessive vulnerability. It is important to share your feelings with those that matter to you. Part of the fulfillment that comes with loving someone is telling them that you love them. Besides, love exists to be expressed, not withheld.

If you love someone, let them know. Don’t be afraid of the strength of your emotions or worry that your loved one won’t feel the same way. Besides, the words "I love you" are often best said to another without expectation of a return investment. As each one of us is filled with an abundance of love, there is never any worry that you’ll run out of love if your expression of love isn’t said back to you. Saying, "I love you" is a gift of the heart sent directly via words to the heart of a recipient. Even though it may not always look that way, love from the heart is an offering that is always unconditional and given without strings attached. That is the true essence of the gift of "I love you."

Source: The Daily OM

When I finally found that man who loved me unconditionally and realized that we could share a lifetime together in peace, love and happiness, I had no problem telling him how much I loved him.

My heart had been broken waiting and waiting for the one who never came back from the military and I always blamed myself for having too much pride and not letting him know how I really felt about him. When I fell in love with JR, I was not about to lose him for the lack of him knowing how I felt because of so many regrets I was feeling about the other guy.

There are differing degrees of love . . . and they are all important . . . all of them must be expressed often and appreciated for the jewels that they are. Love is the one thing the human spirit and money can't control, but it can be nurtured for the beauty that it is.

After all this time since JR passed away, I have been given the gift of love again and I have given him the gift of my heart forever.

Merry Christmas . . . my first one in a very long time that almost feels normal . . . wishing  you were here with me.  

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