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beach rock with heart shape hole from water sitting on green moss and sand A Heartfelt Journey

The Hero Making Something Beautiful from Broken Glass

  • August 17, 2023August 2, 2023
  • by admin

 

Guided drift. A term coined by the late Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers fame to describe his life’s path, and as Ann Saunders McCarty’s story unfolded, I kept hearing these two words. Guided drift. A path previously unseen making itself known. A trajectory changed. A willingness to follow new opportunities. A resilience to learn from plans that didn’t work out and take a different tack. Ann ultimately understands that previous experiences, good and bad, joyful and painful, lead her to where she is today.   Read more “The Hero Making Something Beautiful from Broken Glass” →

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mountain view with yellow flowers in the foreground and blue sky in the background A Heartfelt Journey

Less Comparison and More Compassion

  • August 3, 2023August 2, 2023
  • by admin

It’s easier for you because you are smarter.  It is easier for you because you are stronger.  It is easier for you because your situation is different.  It is easier for you because… fill in the blank.  It’s easier for you because is a refrain I have heard throughout my life.  And perhaps things have been easier for me.  I really don’t know because I only know what I experience.  What I do know is that when these words are given back to me, even when I have said nothing about the subject at hand, what I hear is, ‘Your experience isn’t valid.’ Read more “Less Comparison and More Compassion” →

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sandy footpath with blooming orange and yellow nasturtiums on either side A Heartfelt Journey

What is the Perspective of Fairness?

  • July 7, 2023
  • by admin

‘It’s only fair, isn’t it?’ Such a common phrase, but I was a bit bewildered when my mom uttered it as a defense of wishing to be treated with simple respect and decency. Fairness had nothing to do with the issue at hand, I tried to explain, but she clung to this concept of fairness in having set a boundary with someone.

Read more “What is the Perspective of Fairness?” →

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sunset at beach with a low tide Reflections and Lessons

Finding Hope in an Unexpected Place

  • June 7, 2023
  • by admin

Recently, I attended a local school board meeting. Because of a few items on the agenda, it was standing room only, and I found myself in the hallway for a couple of hours with a group of high school students and their two advisors. We were all waiting for our turn to make our presentations, and though we listened to what was happening in the boardroom, as is the nature of these events, we found ourselves whispering pleasantries to one and another as well as a few comments about what was transpiring in the other room. Read more “Finding Hope in an Unexpected Place” →

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Common Star Lily or Deathstar Lily wildflower along sandy trail Mindfulness

Perceptions, Perspectives, and a Wildflower

  • June 1, 2023May 23, 2023
  • by admin

Wildflowers have always fascinated me. When I see them, my heart sings and I smile in wonder at their beauty and courage to grow in some of the most inhospitable places. Many years ago, I began taking pictures of ones I encountered when visiting different areas, admiring how there are so many varieties and knowing you can find them almost anywhere. Because of this, I have grown to recognize many of the ones I find along our local hiking and walking trails, and recently, I noticed a new one I didn’t remember seeing before. White, delicate star-shaped flowers sat atop a thin stem with long, blade-like leaves. The leaves reminded me of daffodil leaves or perhaps narcissus, and with these observations, I thought the plant had been placed along the trail by someone and not endemic to the area. I still enjoyed its beauty and took a quick picture, making a mental note of its location to point it out to my granddaughter on our next walk that way. Read more “Perceptions, Perspectives, and a Wildflower” →

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beach rock with heart shape hole from water sitting on green moss and sand Heroes Among Us

A Hero Among Us and a Mother of the…

  • May 26, 2023May 17, 2023
  • by admin

I believe every person’s story could be made into a major motion picture, complete with all the things we hold dear. Joyous celebration, heart-rending grief, challenges to overcome, and lessons to learn. These are the things that make a movie enjoyable, and these are the moments that comprise our lives. As Veronica Williams generously shared her story with me, it reminded me of this. She also reminded me how each of our stories matters because we matter. A reminder we matter not for what we have done, but for who we are.   Read more “A Hero Among Us and a Mother of the Community” →

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sunset with a carpet of yellow flowers in the foreground and greenery in the background Reflections and Lessons

Choosing to Reclaim My Dream and Power

  • May 4, 2023
  • by admin

How often have I given my power away to a single person? A single person who didn’t even know me. A single person who didn’t even care to get to know me? Perhaps far too often, but obviously not often enough to be aware of it, a lesson brought home recently.

Read more “Choosing to Reclaim My Dream and Power” →

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heart rock in sand Mindfulness

Smiling at the Noise of the World

  • July 25, 2022July 25, 2022
  • by admin

Noise.  There is so much noise right now.  Whether it is the war in Ukraine, climate challenges, the stance that SCOTUS is taking, another mass shooting, the revelations of the January 6th Hearings, or a myriad of other perceived threats, there is a lot of noise.  A lot of noise, discomfort, and for me this morning, a lot of overwhelm.

Read more “Smiling at the Noise of the World” →

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blue sky with trees and hawk soaring above Reflections and Lessons

Abundance, Enough, and Energy Flows

  • June 23, 2022
  • by admin

There is an energy flow to everything. In some things, it can be seen as a river flowing. In others, like ice, the movement is not seen. Science teaches us all things have energy, little tiny particles in constant motion. Even though a rock appears only to exist, or thought seems to be ephemeral fluff, both have energetic qualities. And like a river, we can change the flow of energy; redirecting it so that it goes around us untouched, letting it flow through us supporting our needs, or stopping it much like a dam, either before the energy reaches us or trapping it inside. Viewing life through the lens of abundance has taught me much about these energy flows, how I influence them and they influence me.

Abundance mentality, the acceptance that resources are enough, successes are enough, and there is enough of everything to support everyone, recognizes and acknowledges that we are all connected. More important, it brings me into the present moment, letting go of how I believe things should be and accepting how things are. It leads me from a victim stance to one of empowerment, feeling energized and not drained, hopeful, not hopeless. It opens up opportunities and choices, leading to clarity instead of reacting out of fear or lack of choice. Abundance has taught me life is not as hard as I once thought, but enjoyable, creative, and even fun. 

Approaching life with an expectation of enough or abundance allows the energy to flow, unobstructed and supportive. For example, when a deadline for a project looms and I realize perhaps I may not make the deadline as hoped and accept this as fact, I can feel my body tense. Thoughts become constricted, focused on the premise I will not finish in a timely fashion, which will likely result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, when I take a mindset that there will be enough time to finish what needs to be accomplished, I can feel the energy flow again. I notice space for my thoughts and, with space, clarity for how to proceed, given the parameters in place. Please don’t misunderstand. Time doesn’t magically appear and allow me to finish the task, but I can work with the time given more constructively and often, if not completing the job, at least arrive at an acceptable point.  

I am not suggesting that we approach all our resources with the attitude that there will always be enough no matter our actions; this would be foolish as we are all called to be good stewards of the world. What I have found, however, is that by viewing my life with abundance versus scarcity, I open up my choices, able to flow with the surrounding energy instead of swimming against it.  

Here are some key ways that have helped me adopt an ‘abundance’ approach.

  1. Gratitude for what I have-I focus on three things each day, not always material things; sometimes they are experiences and can be as mundane as listening to birdsong as I walk my dog in the morning.

  2. I center myself in the present moment. I do this usually with breathing exercises or using my five senses to anchor me.

  3. Developing and maintaining a growth mindset, I don’t have things all figured out, and there is so much to discover in this wondrous world.  

  4. Being curious about the people with whom I interact. Asking questions about their lives and experiences, trying to understand and trying not to judge.

  5. Approaching things using a beginner’s mind or with my inner child and a sense of awe and wonder.

  6. Being aware of my dialogue with myself and others and reminding myself when I recognize I have put forth a scarcity view that perhaps there is another way.

Wishing you, dear friend, enough, no matter the situation on your heartfelt journey. ~♥~

 

 

Understand that abundance is a flow through energy and not about holding anything or counting anything, because that is when it becomes finite and you are expressing infinite energy.  
~Steve Rother~

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Cream double narcissus blooms fringed with dew drops A Heartfelt Journey

The New, The Shiny, The Sugary

  • January 31, 2022March 2, 2022
  • by admin

Over the last few weeks, I have watched a single, lone narcissus plant flourish along the edge of one of the dirt paths I walk in our neighborhood. Not native to our area, I wonder how it came to find its home in an area that is not under anyone’s care other than Mother Nature’s. More importantly, I have enjoyed watching its transformation in such a short time.

When I first encountered it with my husband, there was but a single, fragile bloom with the promise of more. As the days progressed with rain and sunshine, I have witnessed the single flower turn to several as the plant shares its glory with me and others that pass by.

Read more “The New, The Shiny, The Sugary” →

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Text Learning to embrace the uncomfortable, at least at times, has allowed me to be me, the good, the bad and the amazing.
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