The Gift of Gentleness....

I bought a card to send to my sister that says:
"Give yourself the gift of gentleness today..." 


It made me think - what is gentleness???  Softness, kindness, something easily managed,  easily handled, being considerate - not harsh, not severe - nothing but ease...and flowing from the heart???


What is your definition of gentleness?  It is a soft touch from someone you love?  Is it the warmth of a friend's hand while waiting in the doctor's office?  Is it the way you touch a baby, a bird, or a bunny?  Is it the feeling of a feather on your cheek?  Or a warm breeze upon your face?  How would you describe gentleness?


Do you offer gentleness to others?  To your children?  Your elderly parent?  Yourself???
Think about it - when do you stop to consider being gentle to another human being?  Or does it come naturally for you?  


Where do you find gentleness?  Look around.  See the beauty and gentleness with which a new day dawns....it is truly amazing to look for gentleness throughout the day.  It will change your mood, your outlook on life, your perspective.


Give yourself the gift of gentleness today!

Become Awestruck...

Become awestruck.....how do you do that???  Take a tender moment and look at something beautiful in nature.  That's it....stoop down and literally smell the roses, flowers, or daisies blooming in your garden or one that you visit!


Do you see the little tiny, yellow disk in the middle of a Daisy?  Imagine what it took to create such beauty!  Take a peek at the lovely Purple Bearded Iris - what incredible imagination that took to make!  See the small petals of lilacs and smell the wonderful aroma of their scent!  Pick a bouquet and enjoy them for several days!  Take them to a neighbor and see the smile on their faces....Have you ever seen an entire field of coral orange Calalillies?  They are exquisite!


Imagine stopping along the highway to watch a meadow full of baby sheep frolicking through the field - such fun to watch!  Or, imagine seeing real bluebirds at the park you walk in - such a brilliant blue that it takes your breath away!  Or, imagine touching the soft fur of a small bunny...wow!  Have you ever thought about a Zebra - are they white with black stripes or black with white stripes?  What about the originality of a rainbow?  Seven colors in the exact order like a color wheel.......imagine creating such delight!  Or, surround yourself with the colors of a sunset........hues of red, orange and yellow turning to pink and purple as the sun sets.  


What lovely pictures these images bring to mind....capture the essence of the creator in the gifts of nature.  Stop along the way and take it all in........don't miss a single drop of beauty!
Take a deep breath and realize that beauty is within you as well........

Feel the awe........feel the wonder........enjoy the gift!

Healing...

Healing........how do you heal a broken heart?  How can you restore that which you feel is lost, gone or dissolved?  How can one return to a place of health and wholeness in your heart?  How can one set aright the fracture lines that cannot be seen?  It is not easy nor a quick process.  Healing is definitely a long process........slowly....one moment at at time, one day at a time.  There are many things in this life which are difficult to navigate and healing a broken heart is one of them.  Over time, with love, care and compassion the fracture lines begin to heal and mend.  Allow yourself time to grieve........allow yourself to cry and shed all the tears your heart needs to so that you may feel whole again.   Each heart heals in its own time as we nurture and care for ourselves and grieve the loss which has occurred - no two hearts are alike.

A broken wrist may heal in six weeks, however, a broken heart does not.  Mending a broken heart does not happen overnight or over a specific course of time such as six weeks, six months or six years.  But know that it will heal.  Allow yourself to place your fingers over the break lines when necessary and then, take the time to mend those broken lines.  Go deep within your heart to see what hurts - Release the hurt, acknowledge the betrayal, bury the broken dream...and then, as Melody Beattie so eloquently says in her Journey to the Heart book:  "Lightly, gently with love, rub a golden layer of forgiveness and love around your heart."  Forgiveness heals many break lines if only we will choose to forgive.  Healing comes in stages.  Comfort yourself when needed, wrap yourself in a warm blanket, take a hot bath, go outside and feel the sunshine, allow yourself to feel hope.  Emily Dickinson has a beautiful message of hope:  "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in your soul, and sings the song without the words and never stops at all."   Beautiful - that is what hope is, that is what healing does - it brings you hope for a brighter day and that day is today.

Become willing to heal your heart and know that love surrounds you each moment.  Give yourself the gift of healing your heart with love.....Feel that love from your family, from friends, from those in your life who support you and most of all from God.

Allow God to bring you the comfort that only HE can give........feel His Divine Presence near you and draw near to Him.  The Holy Scriptures tell us the He heals the brokenhearted........allow Him to heal yours.

Believe....

What do you believe?  About yourself?  About life?  About love?  Melody Beattie has taught me so much through her book:  Journey to the Heart.  If you believe that you have to fight your way through this world, you will....If you believe that God's love surrounds you, it does!  If you value yourself enough to take good care of yourself, you will. 

Surround yourself with positive people, loving people, and beautiful things!  Absorb the beauty of this world:  catch a sunrise or sunset and just savor it....watch a mother duck with her baby ducklings cross a pond....plant your garden, water your flowers and watch them grow!

My mom used to live by the saying:  BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!  It's true!  We are each growing and changing every minute!!!  Allow yourself to blossom by giving away your friendship and love....find someone who really needs a visit from a friend and go!  Don't wait....today is all we have.

Melody teaches that our beliefs about what we deserve and who God is will change as we journey through this adventure called life!  Start that journey and BELIEVE in yourself, life, and love!!!  It is all around you, IF you will open your eyes and your heart!!!

Mutuality...

Mutuality...hmmm....what does that mean in a relationship?  Whether it is a friendship, work,  or love relationship, mutuality implies that there is reciprocation..... a collaborative effort.......interdependency.  


Wouldn't that be nice to have?  If you think so, why not offer your half and see what happens?  Yes, sometimes, you do get hurt in a relationship, but seeking this type of level of mutuality in any relationship is work trying to find!  


Try it - you might like it!!!

Empathy

Empathy....can you sense the emotions of those around you?  Can you feel what they are feeling?  Does your intuition allow you to share the emotions of those special people in your life?  Being able to instinctively understand other people's feeling is an incredible gift.....powerful.....wonderful and very uplifting!  Try to learn to have empathy for others.  It is deeper than sympathy.  Empathy allows you to find just the right words as just the right time for someone who may be going through a very traumatic episode in their lives or an incredibly joyful time in their life!  Share in their tears....share in their joy!  Give others the gift of your empathy for them - it will enhance your relationships on many different levels and enhance your ability to offer others support they may never have experienced before on their journey!!!!!

Moments....

I read a saying today that said:  "We do not remember days, we remember moments".........think about that........what moments do you have fresh in your mind?  Safe in your heart?  Tucked away for a rainy day?  Those "Ahhhhh....." moments......catch one in your mind and relive it...savor it and sigh a deep sigh...


Try one of these.....
1)  Remember that precious smile on your brand new baby's face?
2)  Feel the joy you felt when your son rode his bicycle all by himself to school for the first time...
3)  Laugh at a bumper sticker which says:  Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake!
4)  Create a comedy skit and ask yourself next time you do something that you think is really dumb - How smart do you have to be???  The answer:  Not very!!!
5)  Take a walk in the part and feel the gentle breeze on your face..........look up at the blue sky and say "Thank You" to our creator!


Find time to savor these moments.....they are all we have.....cherish them!