The Truth of Thankfulness

Giving thanks is often a focus around the holiday season. The gathering of family and friends brings it to the forefront of our thoughts and in our hearts. When we hear of tragedy across the globe we often give thanks for all the blessings we have in our life. When we have faced a challenge and come through it successfully, we are thankful. And so on it goes. Yet, our ancestors would tell us quite plainly that we need to give thanks daily, for every step we are given on our path. We are to be thankful for each person who we meet. We are to be thankful for each lesson life gives us, for each opportunity to be of service, for every small act and connection we are part of, for our everyday life; thankful.

We are immersed in powers that support our lives. Some call it the love of God, others call it Spirit, others the energies of the Universe…but in times of thanks, all that matters is that we recognize we are part of a whole and for this our gratitude rises within us. We often forget our connection to each other, to community, to family and friends. And even more to be thankful for are the connections to complete strangers that bless us as well.

No random act of kindness should go unnoticed. No simple smile should not be mirrored back. No request for hope or compassion should go unheard. Random acts of kindness are prominent at this time of year and in response to life events around the world. It does our world so much good to express our gratitude for each other, to reach out in kindness and support and to be a part of the global community with awareness and integrity.

Our thankfulness is prayer in action, our gratitude restores some of the balance in life. Our connection to each other creates bonds that may never be broken. And the world becomes a better place.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Celebrating Life

Today is Monday, just a few days since the tragedy that happened at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School. A few days that felt like a lifetime. I live beside this grieving and suffering community. Our hearts will heal, our lives will go on and our memories will always hold the sweetness and bravery and kindness of the victims, the community and the nation. But today I am choosing to celebrate life. I have to move into that place of energy and view it as my best choice in honoring those who lost their lives on that horrible day. For those of us not intimately affected by this shooting the best we can offer is our love and honor. Celebrating life will be good for us, for our families and especially for our children. They are looking to us for understanding, which there really is none of. They are looking to us to gage how to move forward and somehow we must find a glimmer of honoring the celebration of life, as difficult and impossible as that may feel.

Finding ways to incorporate our traditions and family rituals into these days of sadness will be ever so important to us and to our healing. We need to gently find a way to bring a glimmer of joy to someone’s life, a ray of hope, a smile and hug, and we will then help in the spreading of the love that will be integral in the healing. Parties, perhaps not, but intimate gatherings of family and friends, cherishing the gift of each other, celebrating the delight in our relationships…this is what I mean by celebrating life.

We cannot stop living the lives we have been gifted with. We cannot stop celebrating the friends and families who grace our path. We cannot do this because it will only dim the bright light of those innocent victims who lived beautiful lives and celebrated family and friends. Lit candles and other memorials line the streets in Newtown. All these are beautiful sentiments and prayers being sent out to the hearts of those who are grieving. Today I am sending the light in my heart to those around me. Today I am sharing gentle joy with those I love. Today I am trying to restore balance to the energies that flow through me, knowing that my heart is big enough to hold both my sadness and my light.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Choices During Chaos

Feeling overwhelmed? Does this time of the year create chaos and stress in your life? How do you handle it? How does it impact your enjoyment and your wonder of time spent with family and friends? A wonderful quote helps keep me grounded when I begin to feel overwhelmed. It serves me well. I share it here with you, "Life does not happen to us, it happens from us."-- Mike Wickett. Reflect back on times in your life, perhaps even as far back as your childhood when you experienced overwhelm. How did you handle it? Think back to what occurred to you and envision where your emotions were at? Many times the way we first experience chaos, or the way we have been conflicted with our emotions during a particular stressful time can lead us to think we are not capable enough, maybe we do not have the skills, or that we are not good enough. These become issues we struggle with about our own personal power. When we are in our power overwhelm does not grab a hold of us.

So the next time you feel chaotic emotions, when you feel stressful situations taking hold of you, when you feel swept away by overwhelm, remember this…you have the ability to go inside, ground yourself, claim your power and become in control of your situation. Recognize that how you respond to the situation at hand is how the energies passing through you and around you will be in flow. Focus on releasing the negative and debilitating energies that do not serve you. Pull in the positive and affirming energies that keep you grounded and calm. Look for your inner peace and grace. Focus on the good and on what matters, not what is beyond your control and negative.

Recognize that the choice is yours. When you are in your own power, you are the ruler of your reactions and your emotions. Your choices determine whether you will be a victim of circumstance or allow the stress to pass over you and leave you without impact or disturbance. The next time you feel this scenario try to engage your power, be selective of your choices, and remain calm. You can deflect what does not serve you. You can release what does not pertain to you. You can be in control.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Mindless Behavior

As the busy-ness of the holiday season sets in, many find themselves moving through the day with mindless behavior. Holiday parties present edibles and beverages that we mindlessly indulge in without much thought, other than, what the heck…it is the holidays! For others mindless purchases are made because of the temptation of a sale that is just too good to pass up. Neither of these are horrible things that need anything more than some intentional awareness as we make these choices. It is important to allow the occasional splurge in our life, to celebrate without remorse and to have a few delights as long as we keep our balance. But what of the other mindless behavior that can occur. Often these holiday parties and gatherings bring opportunities for idle gossip and story sharing. This is when intention is most important. Words have very specific energies and we need to realize that what we say and what we share has repercussions whether we witness them or not. And there is that old saying your mother promoted of if you have nothing good to say about someone…say nothing at all! I have had to remove myself from conversations or speak up to end the negative talk that is happening. I figure if I would be uncomfortable standing next to the person about whom the gossip is being shared about then it is a done deal! Easy as that!

Other mindless behavior that often occurs at the time of the year is negative self-talk and comparison. We allow those old broken records of undesirable comments about what we are or are not to play through our thoughts. We give them power to control our actions and our energies. We allow them to weigh us down.

What other mindless behavior creeps into your days during the holidays? How can you create good boundaries and set limits? What new perspective can you bring to the holiday season this year and set a new practice into motion? Create positive change for yourself and watch it ripple out into the festivities for the end of this year the start of the new! What a beautiful gift to bring to your day!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade