Morning Thoughts and Coffee

I stepped out into the cool and dark, steaming cup of coffee in hand, sipping warmth in the moon light. Its truly beautiful out this morning and the cooler weather just mikes me smile from somewhere deep inside.  In the cooler air the sounds travel much more crisply and if I add a little imagination, the freeway noise from far away can be made to sound like waves crashing onto the shore…now that’s a much more pleasant thought to start my day with.

It should be an easy day today.  The pile of woes and worries sitting on my desk will be sorted, dealt with and put gently to rest and the sun will shine inside my office with the lights off as always.  I love natural sunlight and have been greatly blessed with a corner office.  It makes me feel like I’m outside when I’m stuck inside.  I look at the pine trees and green grass outside my window and my mind takes me to some beautiful places in the country I’ve seen…the gorgeous trees up in the pass above Seattle or the High Cliff Park in Wisconsin…the Sequoias in Northern California, our own local Los Angeles Crest National Forest.  Such beautiful places when your mind or even body and soul need an escape.

I’ve got the day off tomorrow and am really looking forward to a 3 day weekend of relaxing and recharging.  I think I will schedule a massage and then go to the beach and sip a mocha slowly as I watch the birds float gently across the sky, the waves crash into the shore and the sounds of the ocean take away all that is not happy and hopeful within me.  I love long weekends.  They are a little gift my company allows me to give myself a few times a month.  I can’t spend exorbitant amounts on yearly vacations to exotic places so create mini retreats often.  I find it works so much better for me at so many levels.  I ramble, on with the day.  I hope you find some measure of peace in the mundane things you run across today.  Focus on every task as if it were the most important task of your life.  Give everything you do much gentleness and care and become one with the task as you do it.  This is actually quite peaceful even if you would rather be elsewhere doing something different. (Still rambling – girl, would ya just get on with it?!)  Okay, okay, I’m going.  I hope you have a truly magical day!  Peace!  Love!  Light!

Grow On

When we're ready to grow on (not a typo), life is ready to meet us with interesting people, places and things to learn about. I was just outside having a mini meditation session with the stars. It's cooler out tonight than it's been in a while and I'll tell you, it felt really good. I sat there quiet and just stretched my thoughts up and out through the stars as far as I could go...I seemed to be just floating there in the dark, completely at peace. Then the phone rang. UGH!

Life isn't all wine and roses, sometimes its just damn hard period. That's the way of things but what we get out of those hard times, tough times and lonely times is growth. Well, that is if we want it--if we want to take accountability for our state of mind and our perspectives. We all have our choices to make...we can please others, we can please ourselves, we can take conflict head on or we can let it fly right on by. We can smile when we're bored, we can't eat if we're hungry we can walk when we're antsy. We have so many choices large-scale and small.

So, if you don't like where you are and how you feel, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Really, it's that easy. If you wait for all of the lights to be green before you try to change things, you may never get there. Make up your mind and just do it. Try to keep things in perspective. I always advise that when the worries of the world seem to great or just overwhelming, go sit under the stars and take a look a the miles and miles of space, dark and light. Think about how small you really are in the entire schematic of life from a global perspective. You're a tiny speck of a speck of a speck on a rock hurtling round a fiery burning star in a galaxy filled with light, gas and debris. Not very romantic huh? Yeah, well worrying about your worries won't help and I guarantee gazing at something infinitely beautiful for a time will do your soul a whole lot more good than worrying.

I know how hard things can be. I live and breathe with those hard things too. When things get too tough, I think it through, strive to gain perspective and see what I can do, consider what's in my power to control and what isn't and then I pray and see things getting better. I feel the lightness and joy of things being just the way I want and soon enough, what I want comes along in perfect time. Life is funny like that. So, worries are fleeting, as are life lessons and the hard parts of life. A moment of pain and stress can seem like an eternity but those moments will pass and you'll move onto something infinitely more enjoyable when the time is right. Have some faith in yourself and trust in life to provide the things you truly need. Breathe in and be peaceful. Its simple to think it...a little harder to believe it...but worth the effort.

I hope your worries are transformed by the light of the stars and the moon, that you wishes manifest right in front of your eyes and that your dreams come true! Be well. ~Blessings

Connected

There are some things they never teach you about life when you get here and begin to become aware that you are living.  Some things that come to mind for me are the amazing structure of a blade of grass, the way sunlight etches leaves in golden light and the beauty you can find in the darkness in whatever way darkness might befall you.  It is that darkness that is my focus today.  How do we ever truly appreciate light without the darkness that defines it?  One of my greatest teachers in life was not a person but rather a dark night of the soul.  That dark night was a defining moment for me.  Simply put, I could have chosen to leave this world behind because it (life) was just too painful OR I could choose to see the dark night for what it was…an amazing lesson in strength in terms of what is real and true in this life and then, ultimately love.  During that dark night I learned that when the whole world seems like it is out to get you and everything seems to go completely wrong, there is a tiny gossamer flame that burns deep inside us all despite the bad things that happen to us.

That tiny gossamer flame is hope, love and faith and so much more with our limited language I can explain.  With that light burning, truly there is nothing you cannot muster the grace to handle.  No matter what your religious or spiritual belief, it is that tiny gossamer flame that connects us one to the other and ultimate our Creator.  We are amazingly part of this beautiful and indescribable collective Cosmic Consciousness that lives and breathes as a whole whether you acknowledge its existence or not.  It’s a comfort to reach such thoughts out far and wide especially if you happen to be traveling through a dark night of the soul.  That connected point that resides within us all can really help us understand the unity we hold as a race, as an element of the Earth and as an element of Cosmic Consciousness!

We’re all in this (LIFE) together…here…on this planet…at this time.  You can choose to become mired in the day to day of superficiality and ego.  There is free will and you can do with this gift what you choose to do.  You can also choose to allow your mind, heart and soul to expand and encompass the all of everything by merely appreciating beauty in the ugliness and chaos of this world, seeking to understand a greater purpose for existence and taking refuge in the love that is there deep inside us all.  That love that courses through all of our veins is not separate, it is one…we are all one in many regards experiencing facets of existence and learning languages that continually assault (seemingly at times) our perceptions.  There is a language of the soul, a language of the heart, a language of geometry and mathematics, a language in science and a language of spirituality.  They are all different facets of the same global wholeness that we exist in from my perspective…and I realize many may not agree and that is okay.  But consider for a moment that we do not need to know and understand all in order to continue to create our world, live our lives and learn our lessons.  You can take a lot on faith, you can create a lot with pure intent and regardless, you can love all that is or hate it.  It’s beautiful that we have so many choices to make day in and day out.  We are intelligent, capable of great use of the power that resides within all of us and we each bring something beautiful and incredibly valuable to the table for all of the rest of us to benefit from.

Sometimes its nice to have a little reminder.  Sometimes its good when you can be open to the languages that surround you even if you do not understand them.  All you need to know will be made known to you in due time and with due process/experience.  Enjoy this journey that is your life every single day that you are breathing.  Take comfort in the fact that your brothers and sisters journey with you, not necessarily ahead of, behind, above or below you, but right beside you…each in his or her own way.  When times get tough, become open minded and understanding.  When times are good, become grateful and selfless.  With these simple things you can cope with what comes your way and you can trust that as you heal and grow, you take others with you and as others heal and grow, they bring you along for the ride too.  Be well and be happy dear souls.  ~Many blessings and much love.

Remembering Things I’d Like to Forget

Two years ago about this time, I was suffering one of the most traumatic times of my life. It dawned on me just how sick one of my family members was and how much I was way in over my head trying to care for her and at the same time realizing my marriage was going to fall apart. It was a very sad time. The thing that strikes me the most is that from my perspective, my behavior was about carefully setting boundaries designed only to protect myself. I made no offensive moves or statements to these two individuals closest to me, I just withdrew myself. I had already turned every cheek I had and they wanted more than I could give, they wanted me to be something other than I was and so I gave up in defeat and let go.

In matters of the heart, whether family or romantic, there are those who are unable to accept any form of rejection even when handled gently, even when methodically considered in order to make every effort to save everyone’s feelings, the act of protecting yourself from seeming insanity can bring more if the other parties are not on mentally or emotionally stable ground. I listened much without saying too much about the words of hatred and vengeance thrown in my face. I was so sad for hurting these two people. I really was and I said so but I had already turned every cheek and could no longer withstand what I felt in my gut as pure torment designed by two very wounded people.


Dealing with one individual in such a state is bad enough but two really required a lot of thought. I spaced the hard boundaries far apart to handle them one at a time. I could not deal with pushing two unhealthy fronts out of my sphere at the same time. I had nightmares for weeks from the post-traumatic stress responses I developed in defense. I learned then that if you love others to the point you are heavily wounding yourself, you are doing something wrong and you’ve got to step back and protect yourself.

Two years have gone by nearly on both attempts at boundary setting and I have to say, my life has been so peaceful. Without two dominating, controlling and demanding people in my mix, I was free. I was free from verbal abuse, I was free from manipulation and I really began to see that despite what these two repeatedly blurted out at me, the sky IS IN FACT BLUE and the grass IS IN FACT GREEN. It was a good lesson to learn and I’m grateful for having gone through it. These two individuals taught me so much and lessons are always good things. In time I began to forgive them both and many months after that, I forgave myself for allowing them to hurt me and for hurting hurt people. I hated adding to their pain but I just was unwilling to be a human sacrifice in the name of love for two people who should have respected the sacred positions they held but they were unable. In many ways, its not entirely their fault.

It’s on my mind tonight because in the last 30 days, both have attempted to re-enter my sphere. Immediately the post-traumatic stress response of fear and anxiety hit me hard. Thank God they didn’t show up in the same week and that the protections I put in place, kept direct contact from happening. But the stress response alarmed me. Even as I sit here tonight, I’m pensive, tense and feeling a little fearful. I still harbor guilt although I did nothing wrong. That’s my problem, my cross to bear and somehow I will resolve it. Perhaps I need to forgive a little more or work on letting go of the fear. I think I’ve moved my buttons enough that they cannot push them…but that’s just me. Unfortunately, both know that they can get to me through my children. I won’t fiercely fight if it is just me. I will stand down and let them think, say or do what they will. I know their actions and opinions along with harmful words are really about them, their own unhealed pain they refuse to attend to and ruthlessly inflict upon not only me but others who love them. But, they now come through my children. I cannot stand down. My children cannot protect themselves. I see this for what it is but that fierce mother instinct rises and prepares for battle if yet more wars must be waged with these two. So far, one has gone back into the shadows and my hope above hope is he finds his way to whole-hearted healing. I wish nothing but his happiness, health and prosperity. The other, is another matter and she will fight to the death to destroy my soul. It will not happen but the fact that she tries still hurts. It hurts even though at my core I know it isn’t about me. I cannot worry about this because worry will not impact any outcome she intends to implement. All I can do is pray for her healing, pray that I can protect my children from her negative influence and pray that maybe she isn’t out to engage in battle but maybe, just maybe make amends.

Two years ago, a judge awarded a restraining order because of this woman’s attempts to cause harm. It’s really very sad and still I pray. I can’t do much about this other than keep focused on my progress, keep love in my heart for this woman who once held the most sacred place in my life. We don’t get to choose our birth families I’ve heard. I’m not sure that’s true. I believe my mother and I (if you didn’t know the story) have been in this place repeatedly throughout our many lives. I wish this struggle between us to end, here, in this life time. I wish the pain and conflict between us to end. The sad part is, the only way to resolve from her perspective is submission to emotional abuse again on my part. I cannot. So, still it’s out of my hands…thus my struggle, my anxiety and my fear. I’m weary of this drama. I love her so much and yet she cannot be in my life until she heals herself and gets herself some help. I fear it will not happen and I’m too tired to continue to do this with her again.

So, when I’m not underneath the stars watching the sky, letting it remind me of how NOT important this little drama is in the scheme of the whole of my life, or the planet, or existence…I am so very human, so very fallible and I struggle to understand this lesson. It seems so pointless but bear in mind I do not believe there is a villain or victim in this situation. There is merely conflict in emotions and actions that seem utterly unresolveable and I’m either incredibly brave or really stupid for writing about it. My hope in writing about this is to let others out there in similar situations know that they are not alone in their conflict, their turmoil or their pain. We all go through this in some way. Some of us handle it well and some not at all. Me, I go either way depending on the day with this one. One thing is clear in my mind right now…feeling brave having 2 years from this conflict under my belt…my intent is to do no harm in this situation. My intent is to pray hard for some form of compromise if there is one to be had. My intent is for healing to set in and heal wounded hearts. I know that my Maker would not give me more than I could handle and that I will be given the grace to face whatever I must in this situation. So, I’ll go on and face it as it rises to the surface or comes to the fore of my existence and I will do my best to play my role as best I can and make sure my heart and soul stays intact.

Family challenges can be so damaging but only when you continue to allow the ego to take it personally. Not everything is about you even if it feels like it is. This I have learned. The only thing that can resolve this conflict is for love to enter the hearts on both sides and stop the ego drama for control to be right at the expense of another. I have not been right in this conflict. I admitted defeat and walked away. It was the only thing I knew how to do. But maybe it is time to face it head on one more time. Everything happens for a reason. We’ll just see what this resurfacing is all about. My feelings are not facts and I refuse to give into my own fearful assumptions. I think at times I work things out as I write it. Forgive me my vent then dear sweet souls if you’ve read this far. Something good may yet come of this situation and even though I can’t see it and I don’t know how the good will come, I just trust that it will. I pray that’s enough. If you face similar challenges with your own family or other loved ones, I challenge you to do no harm. Do not extract vengeance in any form for harm done to you. Step outside of the madness and refuse to engage until you are calm, centered and feeling good. Then address if you must or choose to go down a different path that leads you away from the individuals you are in conflict with. Just remember that the only person you can control is you. The only actions you should attempt to manipulate are your own. Remember the serenity prayer and do your best to hold a loving space for people to be who they are. Turn all four cheeks if you have to and then love yourself enough to set loving boundaries to protect you. It is your right. My prayers are with all of you in times of conflict always. I know that in some way love in its purest form will free you from your torment if you allow it to. ~Blessings

Delicious Moonlight

A nearly full moon seems to unfold from behind fading storm clouds.  The night is cool and I’m just in awe of this energy tonight.  It is so incredibly peaceful—absolutely delicious.  I love times like these where the worries of the world just seem to lose themselves in a beautiful night sky.  So many times have I sat alone under the stars, gazing at the moon and in a silent exchange, telling her all my troubles.  The sparkling silvery light melts the anxiety that seems to permeate my soul sometimes.  City life can be hard on a soul.  There is always so much clattering, shattering and rush that it takes a very concerted effort to break the chains and set the mind soaring up and into the sky.  Sometimes I wonder if we were ever meant to evolve the way we have. 

I leave those thoughts trailing behind me as I gaze up again into the sky and watch the clouds inch ever so slowly across vantage point.  Sitting here quietly, I hear the city stirring and churning but I don’t feel that, I just observe it.  I realize sitting here how important it is to get outside and not only see the sky but feel it with every inch of my being.  Under the stars its so easy to stretch your energy out beyond your local concerns and feel the heart beat of the planet.  It’s beating ever so strongly, deep, constant and if you sit there long enough, your own heart beats in time and your soul fills with light.  It s a good feeling, it leaves me so giddy.  Yeah, I’m weird like that, it’s okay.

We are not meant to be trapped under fluorescent lights all day long, come home – do the chores and go to sleep.  We were meant for so much more.  Our work life can become our identity if we are not careful and careful to avoid that is what we should always be!  We are not our jobs, we are not the possessions we own and we are not the company we keep.  We are alive, we breathe, we love and we live.  We are so connected to this Earth and connected to each other.  That is a great comfort on a night like tonight.  The things I do and the places I go to and see mean nothing if I cannot maintain a sense of my own soul.  I’ve been lost for so long in being a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter and so many other labels.  These things never did define me, I just thought they did.  I’ve learned so much under each of those labels but most of all I’ve learned to forget about what the outside world thinks.  Notice I said forget.  I have not yet come to a place I can transcend wounds from words intended to harm me.  I understand where they come from and that understanding quickly brings compassion to the door of my heart and then comes forgiveness and then comes forgetting.  On a night like this, I forget and remember things interchangeably.  I catch glimpses of things I once thought so important and yet here staring up at the moon, none of that really meant anything at the end of the day.  Well, except for maybe another lesson learned.

I’ve been writing a lot about plays and roles and not taking things personally.  I write about these things because I struggle with them at first until I strive to understand.  Then I can let go.  Lucky for me I am surrounded by so many beautiful souls who give of themselves so freely to not only remind me of what is really important but anyone else willing to stop their insanity and listen, consider and change their perspective.  Life isn’t always easy but finding peace can be.  You can walk through the middle of chaos and find the eye of the storm where you can breathe freely.  You don’t disconnect but rather connect to it in a different way, understand the purpose, keep on walking and learning and growing.  And I just can’t write any more, the moon beckons me to stay a little while longer.  Where ever you are and whatever you are doing, be well, be peaceful and grab yourself a piece of the beautiful night sky and drink it in.  Much love and many blessings!~

Themes and Things to Let Go Of

I’m standing alone in the cool night air, gentle sprinkles collecting into drops falling from my roof top, the periodic hissing sound of cars cruising on pavement…I couldn’t be happier than I am just now standing here getting damp. I notice the light from my kitchen window casting light and shadows…tiny little drops sparkle like diamonds on the plants in my garden. The air smells fresh and clean with the water washing away all of the dust—and I pause right there remembering what I am choosing to let be washed away from me.

The last few weeks have been brutal emotionally for me. But it finally dawned on me that I had a choice to continue to be an actor in a play or to step back and observe and watch the emotion fall away from it all. It really did begin to fall away once I realized my place in this play and the lessons I was to learn. I don’t need lessons of that kind any more. These were lower vibrational lessons I somehow missed and had to repeat. I won’t repeat them anymore and that makes me smile.

I had betrayal knock on my door from both the left and the right within the span of a week. Deep, rock your gut to the core type anguish and pain hit me and I almost panicked. I somehow remembered to practice what I preach and sat still for a very long time trying not to judge nor victimize myself with my own thoughts. For days I couldn’t really speak of the betrayals to the depths that I felt them with anyone and I won’t give the details here because it is the theme that is necessary and not the details. Suffice it to say that betrayal is an ugly lesson to learn and it has myriad levels of pain and yet amazing growth attached to it if you are willing to bravely walk through it and focus on learning as you take each step; each breath.

I know that telling the horrors of our stories sometimes can make things worse…especially when we do what we do and tell it as if we were somehow victimized in the process. In time and when the emotions settle, the lesson dawns on sleepy minds that there are no victims. We walk willingly down all of the roads we choose in life. We may have the storm warnings blasting at us from all sorts of directions and still we tread. Why? Only you and your guides know for sure. For me, the betrayal was a theme that goes back a very long way for me. When you experience traumatic events, your brain files away each picture in some negative looping Rolodex in your mind. It stores them there until the next similar event hits and then it starts pulling and playing only the recent similar events. But if you sit really quiet and ask your memory to unfold, all of the pictures from the theme will play on and you can go back to the source…the reason you keep walking down a road where the theme will occur yet again. For me it was a lifelong lesson of self-betrayals, going against my gut, being told my thoughts were not real, knowing I walked into so many things of my own volition that I maybe shouldn't have. I pulled out all of those memories and laid them out on an invisible screen in my mind’s eye. I viewed them all one by one and acknowledged them…my part, the parts of others…the roles they AGREED to perform in MY play. Hmmm, yeah, that was an interesting realization. It was MY play from the beginning.

I can’t tell you how I know it but there is this feeling inside of me that tells me today that everyone of the betrayals flashing before me were things I wished to experience. There were things I needed to understand about people, about the world and about myself. I learned those lessons the hard way as somewhere I knew I would and so they repeated…for thirty or so years they repeated. And now I see. And now I understand. So, I stand here in the rain, no more tears to shed, the sky seems to be doing that for me—I take one last breath in thinking of all that is positive and good in this world and I hold it for a few seconds…review all of the scenes one more time and I imagine clearing that screen with my bare hands causing each vision, memory and residual pain to immediately disperse and disintegrate into the nothingness from which they began as I breathe out slowly. They are nothing. Those experiences never defined who I was and I certainly no longer need to hold them. In this moment, standing here in the rain I smile at all of the willing actors who so generously participated in my learning. I thank them from the deepest parts of my heart. I forgive them for the pain I felt because they did only what I somehow needed them to do. The most important fact, article or thought remaining was to release myself from any anger or frustration for the betrayals I waged against myself. I understand them now. The place they originated has been made whole with the deepest and truest love possible and with that, I join in the sky and shed a little precipitation from clear seeing eyes! I am free from this lesson. It may arise again but it will not be at my hand. I know now that I can never go against myself in any regard. To go against yourself is like killing a piece of your soul little by little over the years and months of your life. It’s not worth it. (People pleasers pay attention to these last two sentences). (smiles)

It’s raining a little harder and I’m now getting wet but still I stand here. I let the rain perform the final aspects of this impromptu ceremony of letting go. I stand here grateful for all that I experienced. I stand here grateful for the actors in my play. I stand here grateful for the steps that I took and the roles that I played. I stand here free from the pain of a past that no longer serves me. I stand here ready to bless all and let go. One more breath in as I lift my face to the rain-filled clouds. I smile as each drop lands on my face, I hold my arms out wide to embrace every drop and I let the rain wash away all of the pain. I’m making a conscious choice to let go, to be healed, to realize the play was a play and I no longer have to carry the burden of this pain. I am free of it right here and right now. The residual effects that began to create an unwanted reality are in this very moment being rewritten. I’ve consciously chosen a different path from this moment forward. I will not walk in fear of this journey. Whatever may come will come and I will continue to walk bravely, facing what I must, learning what I want and need. I’m ready to raise up from this place I have been. I’m ready to finally heal the unhealed parts of me.

At some point in our lives, the pain of certain events or even a collective of negative events weights on our souls. This can manifest in anxiety, depression, addictions, compulsions and all sorts of other things. With the right kind of help, you can be free. It’s a choice you make and a goal you reach for with every healthy tool available to you. Notice I said healthy and not easy! Intent is everything. Patience is necessary. Love for yourself first and foremost is required. If the journey before you gets a little too tough or painful, remember you can always step back into an observer position…you can step back into the safety and serenity of your higher power while you work through the things you need to in order to set yourself free in a healthy way of the pain you carry from the lessons you are trying to learn. You are so amazingly powerful. If you only knew how much you would never despair for long. Everything happens for a reason for good or for ill. You don’t necessarily have to find the source in order to let go of pain. You can decide simply to let go and move on in the light of love. It sounds hokey huh? I would have thought so 10 years ago but no longer. Every time you let go of some part of your pain, you help free the world of pain. In a way, we are all part of a collective soul. When we are hurt – we hurt others. When we heal others, we heal ourselves. We are so intertwined and connected. But, that is another topic for another time. Keep hope always around you, draw love up from the well deep inside you and find forgiveness, find strength and find trust in yourself to learn what you need to and you will then be able to let go of the pain that keeps you weighted down on your journey. May blessings and love follow you all of the days of your life!

Contemplative Morning

I’m sitting contemplative in the cool and dark of early morning.  The stars still shine brightly overhead in a slowly fading sky.  I hear the sounds of the city begin to stir, birds calling over head and shiny metal boxes carrying sleepy inhabitants to destinations unknown.  I love the gentle crisp feeling of the morning air in the fall in California.  We may not have the drastic seasonal changes that other states enjoy but to those connected to nature and internally aware, you can feel the shift.  Fall is like a reckoning time for me.  For whatever reason, it finds me considering the lessons I’ve learned and brings into focus those things I’m ready to let fall away.  It’s my absolute favorite season.  I like change ultimately even when considering the impending nature initially and the twinges of discomfort as I go through it.  Without change and the ability to continually embrace the pure opportunity of it, we become mired in our fears and worries and I just can’t bear the thought of resisting anything in a short-sighted manner.

Steam trails from my coffee cup as I take a slow sip and enjoy the warmth immensely.  It’s so quiet in the city in the early morning hours.  I think its my favorite time of the day.  Its that part of the day that nothing is yet decided and everything is infinite in possibility from that moment.  We can make and shape the day in any manner that we choose.  It’s like that every day and if we slow down long enough to be in the moment we can realize what a wonderful gift that is.  It doesn’t really matter the things that you’ve done or the situations that have transpired.  Every morning is a rebirth and a chance for beautiful growth even if it becomes difficult to feel the beauty in life’s endless lessons.  No matter what stage I find myself in, I try always to remember that.  Every change I’ve ever encountered has been ultimately good in the end even when it took a long time to realize it.

One of the greatest lessons in life is learning to let go.  I love this dark morning sky but, the stars have just blinked out and I’ll have to let go of that and embrace the rising sun instead.  It’s beautiful out as it begins to paint the sky in pink and golden wisps of light.  Soon enough the pale colors will become vibrant like a carefully colored oil painting created with the broad confident strokes of a large brush filling the sky with amazing energy.   Its going to be a beautiful day no matter what sneaks into my realm of perspective or what I might bring there myself.  Attitude and intention is everything in life and this day, for me, will be no different.  I intend to embrace the day, fill my heart and soul with gratitude for all o f life’s lesson, drink in deeply this cool part of the moment once more and go about my day.  I pray that you find some measure of peace today, that you find something to do that fills your heart to over-flowing with immense joy and that you take a moment to consider the beauty of difficult lessons you’ve been blessed with.  ~Blessings!