A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Reflections – Spring 2014

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There was a time when I used to look forward to packing up my office or my home and moving.  It was always a start of a new adventure. Of course it required packing and deciding whether I needed some of the stuff I’d collected since the last move. I’ve never been one to keep “stuff.” If I hadn’t used it or worn it… or if it was still packed in boxes since the last move then I’d take it to the local shelter or Goodwill for someone else to give it life again.

Today I packed up my home office in anticipation of moving my home, again. I’ve come to realize that what I choose to keep has meaning in my life. Symbols, accomplishments, memories. Some of them bring me to tears because I miss a loved one or a pet that brought me joy. Others remind me of how far I’ve come. Each one, though, enables me to look back and be at peace with this journey I’ve been on. If at any time I need to lose myself in my past, what surrounds me are the happy memories. And anything else doesn’t have a place in my Now.

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.

Reflections – March 2013

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ReflectionsWhen I think back on my life it would be easy to focus on all that went wrong. The bridges I burned, the money I lost, the wasted time I spent chasing a dream that wasn’t mine. When I talk with other women my age our stories are pretty much the same. We did what we thought we should do and were sorry that we did what we shouldn’t have done. In the end though the time spent giving those parts of our past more than a moment of time doesn’t change anything. It just makes us feel bad… or less.

At 57 I understand what is called “the wisdom of the ages.” All those experiences have taught me well. We all make decisions based on the best possible information we have at the moment. I would not make the same decisions now that I did back then. Rather than live with regrets I choose to celebrate how far I’ve come.

Yes, perhaps our wisdom is born of pain. However out of that experience we become stronger and resilient. If we can then take all of that and see the humor in our past it can never cause us pain again. And that is true freedom.

Reflections – June 2013

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ReflectionsThere are people who come into our lives and stay and those who are with us for only a short period of time. Each one touches us with their energy and we are changed in some way. Some came to show us who we are and others show us who we never want to be. Our hopes are rekindled, our passion ignited and in some cases our fire extinguished. And with others, we may not realize the mark they left on us for years.

Every experience though is our opportunity to touch another’s life. While they may not always bring out the best in us… we have the choice to allow our best to shine through. Allow kindness to prevail. Because no matter how another may treat us their actions are an indication of their pain, their unhappiness and their issues. They are not a reflection of who we are. Allow your light to shine over those who need it most and both your lives will be changed.

Lead with love.

 – Cheryl Maloney

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