Life Springs Forth

While Spring may be 24 hours away, I can feel the seeds of newness, joy and miraculous possibilities springing forth inside of me. I no longer feel that blanket of doubt and fear. I believe I have truly come out the other side.

My beloved Cricket is amongst the stardust as I type. My two favorite guys in the whole world (truth be told there are a few more favs) are on the glorious mend and I am happy, delighted, relieved and not surprised, that I am cancer free.

This moment is full of potential and life and while life may still be challenging, and who doesn't love a good challenge, I am completely up for it. I feel like a newborn looking out of new eyes for the first time and all that I see is glorious. I can't quite explain it yet. There is something more going on inside. I am not who I used to be and I think I am heading for some major changes that will propel me into the being I have been sculpted to be. There are no coincidences. There is a master plan and I feel that I have just stepped into the magical steps that are my life.

All is well and as it should be. It always has been, but there is a certain clarity, fearlessness, appreciation, and love that I am only just now beginning to realize. These have always been inside of me but life acts as the watering can to induce growth in stagnant places. Once you turn toward the light, the light springs forth and waters, nurtures and more than grows. There is some serious growing going on....just in time for Spring.

I am truly grateful and happy to be alive. I know I have work to do, souls to heal, people to teach. Thanks be to God for I am truly on the path to fulfilling my life's purpose.

Carve Out Your Life

For me, life has always had lots of plateaus. Some pleasant, some not so much. I think now though that I'm ready for the next level whatever that may be. We've been at this level for some time now and have had some success. We've manifested change in our circumstances and we've been happy with the outcome.

It's time now to move on. Passion works like that. It's a stirring. A feeling that will not relent. Something that calls continually until you pay attention to it.

Jim's been working really hard at the shop and needs a vacation. I've been busy with my Reiki Master level working with clients and giving talks and lectures but I think it's time for more, something new, something radical.

We live in a sea of limitless potential and possibility, what will we create?

Well I know I'm going to pursue my Reiki Master Teacher level. It's only logical - not so radical, but necessary on my journey. I've come so far and the next step would be the last in my "official" certification and training. Then, I would be able to attune others to Reiki so that they can teach others and so on and so on....sounds like a sweet legacy and an official plan to me.

Jim has some major life changes to consider. We would love to move out of state and start a new business while broadening my Reiki practice. We know that we're just young enough to do something that everyone least expects but secretly hopes we'd do. It's time. Our hearts have been a little troubled but oh so grateful lately. We're praying and thanking God for His continual help. We praise Him for everything that we have, everything that He's given us. And then we stumble upon these waters while taking a little trip to clear our heads. Just look where we wound up . . .

John 7:38 NIV

38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,

streams of living water will flow from within him."

I want to see more of this. I want to continually cast my cares on the living waters that rush with such ferocity that I rest assured that they have been swept away and cleansed from the inside out. God is so awesome like that. He reminds us that He's right beside us. He reminds us that if we allow it, He will orchestrate our lives in such a way that there is absolutely no mistaking that He is the navigator.

I believe He places passions in our hearts to continually grow to the next level and give and learn and be. And I believe He takes away that which is no longer necessary in our lives effortlessly and surely, as surely as this water is flowing today, as surely as He is still the Living Water.

These waters were such an unexpected pleasure. We knew we were headed to the Newark watershed, the water supply for most of northern New Jersey but because the water table was so high from all the rain, this little waterfall turned into a monster with a message. A message about how to carve out your life with purpose and intention.

I speak all the time about Dr. Emoto and his work with water and how we need to be more mindful and appreciative. I thanked that water as it came crashing by us.

It was such a powerful moment and reward to just sit and watch and listen as it came from high up in the stream and cascaded down and carved out it's path whether the rocks approved or not. Sure the rocks held their ground and for the most part refused to move, but the water, over time moved those rocks in such a way that the rocks are almost unaware that their being moved.

Like our circumstances and trials in our lives, they are the mountains or rocks that I speak of...the mountains or rocks of stress and illness and dis ease or dis belief, dis content. The water is our faith. Our faith moves those rocks, moves those mountains and defies even the most stubborn of obstacles. We need to identify what we're placing our faith in and if it's God, we need harness the power of that faith.

Matthew 17:20 NIV
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth,

if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there' and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you."

Powerful huh?

These waters have been and still are carving their way through the mountains and rock, relentlessly. There is a whittling away, a re-shaping. We will go back at the end of the season and take new pictures to see how it's changed and to see how much the water has moved the rocks.

I think God would point out though, that we're the ones that move and we're the ones that change. I'm just sayin'.

What are you moving with faith today?

2 Peter 3:5 NIV
5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word

the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

Photography & Springtime Gratitude

(Photo taken by me...AC/NJ)

Today was a beautiful day and I am taking a minute to express how very grateful I am for it. Thank you God.

(Photo taken by me AC/NJ)

I wonder and I hope I'm not the only one, am I the only one? The only one bursting with joy? Thank you joy!

Seriously, I can't look out the window and not be grateful. I am so very grateful for even the smallest things...and no things at all. I am grateful for all things in between. I think I drove my husband nuts today. I think I did, but when I asked him, he just smiled and said no. No. He gets me after fourteen years. Lonnnng exhhhhale. I suppose he better.

Thank you Jimmy.

I found myself so appreciative for even the littlest things today. I saw an ant, a few bees, a dandelion...the first of 09 and was elated! I associated them with Spring and it was all good. I saw lots of budding plants, flowers, bushes, trees, birds, ducks. The breeze was warm with not a hint of a chill. Our cats were outside rolling around in the sunshine all day. They were filthy from rolling in the grass and sand and they had twigs and pine needles in their fur and it was awesome. A day well spent.

There was lots to be the ultimate observer about and even more to be grateful for.

(Photo taken by me from window in my Reiki Room)

God.

God is great.

C'mon....who else can produce a sunset like this?

A feeling like this?

Gratitude like this.

We are all but a twinkling in His eye,
we are all but His reflection.

I haven't missed a sunset in a while now and I'm not planning on missing any in the future. I am purposefully slowing down for them. Jim and I are stopping whatever were doing and spending a few minutes....we're basking in the light of the setting sun, deliberately, together marveling at it's magnificent brilliance, offering prayers of gratitude and appreciation to the Most High God.

So very thankful. Besides, the mornings offer even more to be grateful for, and truthfully, from my innermost being, I, for one, cannot wait.

(photo taken by MP this morning - our neighborhood)

What are you thankful for?

Out With The Old . . .

Spring is a great time to spruce things up on the outside as well as the inside.

We've painted the outside of our house and we've taken down the old pool. By next weekend, it will be replaced. As if by magic.

No, not really. Taking down an old pool is a ton of back breaking work and we did it ourselves.

It turned out to be a pretty smooth operation. Jim and I compliment one another. He rips and tears through and I am methodical, so between the two of us, we look up and stuff's done already.

We're both so thankful that we're healthy enough to do this type of work. I know a lot of people that aren't. It was very satisfying. This is our home. These are our projects and we sink our teeth into them. We wouldn't have it any other way.

Winds of Thor are Blowing Cold

So the groundhog was right and six more weeks of winter is what we'll be expecting here in New Jersey. But wait, my fig tree in the garage is blooming and right outside the garage door there is more than six inches of snow...what's happening?

Oh well, better keep warm and keep positive. Spring is right around the corner. Maybe then Mohito will venture past the front door. Maybe not.

My neighborhood digging out...