Stop and Smell the Roses

On a recent walk, I passed a neighbor’s house and a rose waved to me in the sunlight. I could not help it; I had to stop to sniff the beautiful scent of the rose. The rose gave me a magnificent gift that day, as it beckoned me to enjoy her beautiful aroma.

Another couple walking towards me saw what I had done, and yelled out, “That’s the spirit, stop and smell the roses, we never take time to that.” I joyously laughed and as they passed me, they too, stopped to inhale the beauty of the rose.

As I continued on my walk, I began to ponder the phrase stop and smell the roses. We often do not take time to enjoy simple pleasures. We live in such a hurried and harried society, running in many different directions at once. Mores the pity, that such a simple thing to do seemed like such a novelty that day.

I promised myself to make time for more moments like the one I experienced that day. I urge you to make a pledge today, to stop and enjoy the moment at hand and if you see a rose waving at you…Stop and say hello!

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round. ~Ben Hogan

Wealthy Beyond Compare

I had an interesting conversation with friends recently. As we were kvetching about the state of our personal finances, I said that I needed to work through money issues. My friend gently bitch slapped me into reality and told me how wealthy I was.

As I was forced not to look inside my wallet but into the core of my being, I came to the realization of how true it is. It is so easy to get sucked into the “Ain’t it Awful Club” and participate in the general lamenting of the economy and the ills of the world.

Truth be told it is much more difficult to buck that trend and stand in my truth. I am wealthy when it comes to knowing my purpose in life, pursuing my dreams, and living each day to its fullest.

Yeah, I am wealthy indeed. I thank God for the Abundance of knowing my true self-worth and I am blessed to have friends to call me on it when I steer off course.

Today, I declare to all of you I am spiritually wealthy, my cup overflows, and I give thanks and praise. Peace

Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth... Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it. ~ John Templeton

Happy Hanukkah

As this year's celebration of Hanukkah comes to a close, it is the perfect time to reflect on miracles. Hanukkah is the observance of the miracles that G-d can provide.

The Maccabees miracle was because they had oil was sufficient to light the Menorah only for one day. By G-d's miracle, it continued to burn for eight days, until new oil was made available. That miracle proved that G-d had again taken His people under His protection.

By having absolute faith in G-d I know that miracles do occur.

Do You Believe?

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle; Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. ~Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass

A Weathering Perspective

I am so enjoying the change in New England’s weather. We are finally drying out after a deluge of rain hit the area. So many of us are still dealing with the aftermath that to see the sun has put a smile on everyone’s face.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and the damp weather often takes a toll on me and believe it or not can make me irritable. I decided I needed to get out of the “ain’t it awful club” and be grateful for every bit of rain and every ray of sunshine that God has bestowed upon us. At least I have hands that hurt and I have legs that although they may ache, they still function.

This shift of perspective and the feelings of gratitude reminded me of BJ Gallagher’s poem about the weather and I thought it was apropos. We often say, “We weathered the storm, or weather it out.” Enjoy the weather wherever you are and be grateful.

WEATHER REPORT

BJ Gallagher

"Any day I'm vertical is a good day"...that's what I always say.
If you ask me, "How are you?"
I'll answer, "GREAT!" because in saying so, I make it so.

When Life gives me dark clouds and rain, I appreciate the moisture that brings a soft curl to my hair.

When Life gives me sunshine, I gratefully turn my face up to feel its warmth on my cheeks.

When Life brings fog, I hug my sweater around me and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.

When Life brings snow, I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue, relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.

Life's events and experiences are like the weather they come and go, no matter what my preference.

So, what the heck?! I might as well decide to enjoy them.

For indeed, there IS a time for every purpose under Heaven.
And each season brings its own unique blessings.

Lessons of Hope

The Haitian earthquake has brought attention and compassion to a country that has lost so much. Every day we hear about the death and the plight of the Haitian people. What impresses me most is the hope and faith of Haitians in the midst of utter despair.

This is a lesson in what it means to have faith and hope. When life is at its darkest, continue to hold on. I watched the news as they pulled a man from the rubble, and he was praising God. His shouts of joy and gratitude after being literally buried alive for almost a week are the stories of the miraculous.

The countless incredible stories of survival in the midst of the Haitian tragedy made me rethink my situation and those who are struggling. I was recently asked how it was going for me in this tough economy. I started to answer by going down the road of the “a’int it awful club.” I did an about face and corrected myself. I stated emphatically that I am doing well. For you see when I look at what is happening in Haiti, I have no reason to complain. I have the basics of life: food, water, shelter and I am alive! Trust me that reality check really puts things in perspective.

I am confident that the Haitian People will survive this, as they are a strong, independent, and faith-filled people. Haiti was the first Black republic in the world and the first country in the Western hemisphere to abolish slavery completely. Haiti is a country that can inspire the rest of the world to have hope.

Angels in Our Midst

When we least expect it, angels appear to get us through the murky causeway of life. Angels walk in human form and help us on our path. Whenever we think we are alone, their healing presence warms our spirits, our minds, and our hearts.

I am truly grateful for the angels who constantly step out, scoop me up, and embrace me in their universal message of love. The angels who walk among us have blessed me time and time again. Whenever, I have stepped out on faith and asked for God’s guidance and eternal blessings on what next to do…. An angel appears.

Angels are watching over all us and for that, I feel we are truly blessed.

Richard Smallwood Angels lyrics

Through dangers seen and unseen, there's protection all around.
Under the refuge of God's wings, security is found.
For there are angels watching you to keep you in all of your ways,
keeping you from stumbling, so don't be afraid.
God's appointed angels watching over me, angels watching over me.
Angels watching over me, angels watching over me.
Unseen hands, guiding me, through my storm and through my rain.
Healing hands, holding me, through the darkness of my pain.
Wings of love encamped around me, so I will not fear, for I can feel thier
presence hovering near. Nothing but... Angels watching over me All night, all
day, angels watching over me my Lord.
All night, all day, angels watching over me.
All night, all day, angels watching over me my Lord.

Angels watching over me.

A Humble Walk

Yesterday I was walking through Boston during a rainstorm. This in itself was a difficult feat for me because I have rheumatoid arthritis. I was achy and hobbling downtown with my bag and a cup of coffee. I was not in the greatest of moods.

That changed after an experience humbled me and gave me a new perspective on life. As I was hobbling along, I passed a homeless man sitting on the wet curbside. I glanced his way but truth be told did not want to make real eye contact. I was not in a position to give him money at the moment and frankly I was also feeling a little sorry for myself as I walked with difficulty through the rain.

Then it happened. This gentle man turned to me and said “sister friend, you take care of that leg of yours okay". Wow, that powerful statement from a man that most of us deem invisible moved me to tears. In that moment, I recognized the spirit of God and the light that shines in those who society has forgotten.

“There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it doesn’t behoove any of us to speak about the rest of us."

Where Charity and Love Prevail

As many of you know, I am a fan of the Celebrity Apprentice. I was so happy with this year’s outcome. Joan Rivers won and was able to win oodles of money for her charity God's Love We Deliver.

However, what was really nice about this win was that it wasn’t based solely on money raised. The other criteria included the integration of the charity in the event. That truly was the highlight of the evening. Joan embraced all the workers and volunteers of her charity to help to pull the event together. More importantly, she held an event with a silent auction that allowed full participation from celebrities and regular folk. I have seen so many auctions that are overpriced and only the very wealthy are able to participate.

By Joan keeping it affordable, she allowed everyone involved to feel good and to be able to donate to the best of their ability. God's Love We Deliver http://www.godslovewedeliver.org/ delivers meals on wheels to those who are sick and home bound. Check them out. I urge you to day to give what you can afford, whether it is your time, talent, or treasure to the charity of your choice.

Mine eyes have seen the beauty

Every day is a miracle of God’s beauty on this earth. A while back a fellow blog poster http://www.gosmelltheflowers.com/ posed the question about places we have visited. I return to that thought today as I think about the beauty of the earth.

I love to go to places where you can witness God’s beauty and see what man has been able to do long before technology existed. Last year I was in Argentina and was able to visit the Iguaçu Falls and I declare it is absolutely magnificent! Stories have reported that upon seeing Iguaçuu, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!

I also love the Mexican Pyramids, specifically The Pyramid of the Sun in the Teotihuacan and the Pyramid in Coba. These architectural ancient sites are not to be missed. After climbing to the top of the Coba Pyramid and looking below, I was in AWE at how our world was developed and who I am because of it.

There are so many places I could name and so many more places for me to go. To see beauty all around us is the joy in life!

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Words: Folliott Pierpoint Music: Conrad Kocher

¿Why are you special?

You know one of my favorite interview questions is to ask someone why they are special. People become dumbstruck or better yet they look like a deer caught in headlights. We can easily talk about our skill sets and why we are qualified for a particular job. But when we get right down to the heart of who we are, why you are special seems to leave us baffled.

Yet if you ask a small child, why they are special, they have zero hesitation and zero limitations to their answers. A child might tell you that they are special, because they can jump, their parents told them so, they are beautiful, they are smart, they know how to share, they can color, they can run fast, and the list goes on.

What happens to us, as we become adults that we can not even put together a list of what makes us special? The fact is that we are all unique and amazing individuals that God created us to be.

So I ask you this today…...... Why are you special?

One More Day

I read Mitch Albom’s book "For One More Day" recently. Then I watched Oprah and she had an emotionally charged episode about if we could have just one more day and it got me to thinking. If I could spend just one more day with someone, who would it be? Hmmmm.

When we knew my mother was dying, she had been ill for a while, I said to my sister that I wasn’t ready for her to die yet. My sister said, “When would you be ready,” and I told her that “I would tell God when I was ready.” Well she laughed and said, “So you are trying to micromanage God.” And I said yes!

Isn’t odd that most of us want to micromanage the Universe and to control what will happen and when. I suppose we all want that one more day to say the extra I love you or a heartfelt I’m sorry.

For one more day, I would love to tell all the people that I loved or who touched my spirit for a moment, what a great impact they had in my life and their life on earth mattered.