A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Holiday Reflections

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Reflections

As I think back on the holidays when I was a child, they were filled with family, food and fun.  At times there was stress between the personalities, but the joy of the season overshadowed it.  In recent years the family has spread out across the world, we’ve gone our separate directions, and those who created those traditions have passed.

Now it’s just my husband Jack, my mom and me. We have created our new traditions that I’ll treasure all my life.  I miss my grandparents and my dad.  But I have these wonderful memories.  Each time I make a holiday pie, my grandma is cheering me on.  The twinkle in my grandpa’s eye fills my heart with love.  And my Dad is smiling down because he always said things work out as they need to.  And they have.

My memories of what was, and what is at this moment, begin and end with love.  And when we allow ourselves to lead with love all is as it should be.

Reflections – September 2013

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September 2013

Reflections

People, attitudes, and circumstances … they come and go in our lives.

They change; we change.

In our deepest sorrows, life around us goes on. In our highest highs, we soar and sometimes fall back down … but life goes on.

Regardless of the experience we are having, it is only a moment in time that we travel through. We’re not stuck in it, nor are we defined by it.

Our soul transcends the illusion of time and space. And there is no end. There is a cycle. The cycle is one of physical life.

Each night I say a prayer … an adaptation of one I learned as a child.

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray to god my soul to keep. If I shall die before I wake … I know my soul is always safe.”

Regardless of the experience you may be having … your soul is always safe. When you come to realize that, you find peace.

“Lemons, Lemonade & Life” by Janet D. Thomas

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Lemonade_CoverDesignA book review by Cheryl Maloney

Lemons, Lemonade & Life. Practical Steps for Getting the Sweetness Back When Life Goes Sour by Janet D. Thomas (133 pages)

When you feel like your life has been turned upside down or you’re backsliding, the best thing you can hope for is something – just a little something – that makes it all seem okay. After all … you’re not in a place you want to be nor did you aspire to be knocked down in life.

Lemons, Lemonade & Life is that nugget, a voice of simplicity and hope to refresh your heart and soul. Written by a woman who has experienced the worst that life has to offer, Janet D. Thomas encourages you to gently face your fears and your emotions. In doing so she helps you unveil your own strength to rise above whatever pain you’re experiencing.

As I read this book I found myself saying “yes” again and again. Yes to acknowledging life’s lemons (what brings you down), yes to neutralizing their effect (exposing them to the light puts them in perspective) and yes to allowing yourself to move beyond them (making lemonade from your lemons).

Within this book are the tools you need to take responsibility for your happiness. You’ll discover that dispensing with life’s lemons is solely within your power and your ability. In no time at all you’ll realize that what was dragging you down provides the ingredients that will lift you up … higher than you might have even believed possible.

Lemons, Lemonade & Life is a sweet treat that will have you celebrating all that this life has to offer. Drink it up!

Fearless Women – Visions of a New World

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fearlesswomenMary_Ann_cut_out_short-filteredFearless Women – Visions of a New World  

by Mary Ann Halpin

I have always found myself inspired by anyone who has come through a significant life challenge holding their head high. You know the one… the person who takes their tragedy and finds a way to make the world a better place. Fearless Women – Visions of a New World is a collection of the portraits and stories of fifty such fearless women who are answering the question, ”What can each one of us do to make this world a better place?”

Here are a few of the stories that touched me deeply:

  • Cherie B. Mathews, a breast cancer survivor, encourages us to ”be fearless when it comes to our health.” She is the creator of the ”Heal in Comfort” shirt that helps support the physical journey of healing and the spiritual need for comfort and dignity.
  • Karen Mertes’, Lt. Col. (Retired), USAF life changed when a drunk driver traveling at a high speed struck her vehicle. Her career and her life as she knew them were over. Her courage led her to create ”Fulfill Your Destiny,” a non-profit that help others become independent and successful whose life path have been changed by unforeseen circumstances,
  • Kimberly Ness who lost her sister and ten other family members tried to keep normalcy for her family while facing her own cancer diagnosis and the end of a 30-year marriage. She encourages us to see through the sorrow and see the glory of life enduring.

This beautifully photographed and riveting collection of life stories exists to inspire you. Be prepared to hear the message you need to become your fearless self.

Review by Cheryl Maloney.

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