Existence ~ Oct. 10, 2011

Had a great day . . . wanted to talk a little about gratitude today.  The BPI page on Facebook hit another milestone. 7,000 likes.  I am so grateful for all the love that you show.  For sharing my posts and mentioning the page to others.  I am also grateful for the support of other page admins who share my posts and suggest or page to their fans.

I went to knitting group yesterday and am blessed and grateful for such great knitting friends.  I was gifted a hat, a pattern for a beautiful sweater (I've never done a sweater . . . I'm a little scared by the idea) and I was also given the yarn for the sweater.  Now I just have to dive in and start it.  Wish me luck.

I hope that you found something to be grateful for in your day today. I know I found many things to be grateful for today.  Thank you all.


Quotes
You are what you want to become. Why search anymore? You are a wonderful manifestation. The whole universe has come together to make your existence possible. There is nothing that is not you. The kingdom of God, the Pure Land, nirvana, happiness, and liberation are all you. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Spirituality means waking up.  Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep.  They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up.  They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. ~ Anthony De Mello

~ This is kind of sad . . . I bet we all know people like this.

Philosophy is speculation, Zen is participation. Participate in the night leaving, participate in the evening coming, participate in the stars and participate in the clouds; make participation your lifestyle and the whole existence becomes such a joy, such an ecstasy. You could not have dreamed of a better universe. ~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 

~ Beautiful . . . Share this with the people that are like the Anthony De Mello quote.

Blog Posts


Tiny Wisdom: Enjoying How We Work ~ "I realize we all have different obligations and options, but for each of us, there are options. Some of them will work with our temperaments and likes, and others will engender internal resistance. Perhaps the key to loving what we do is not just enjoying the work itself, but to also paying attention to how we choose to do it."

What Aren't You Cut Out For? ~ "Somethings in life you’re a natural at, somethings you will have to learn, somethings are going to have to be worked at and are a challenge, and then there’s plenty that you’re simply just not cut out for and never will be.

So don’t be cut out for it. Just cut it out and go be brilliant at everything else!!"

~ I like to believe that I can do anything I put my mind to . . . but, this post is right on. There are just some things that I will never be good at.

May 3, 2011

Enjoyed a nice day off (sort of ~ I squeezed a little work in; I had to).  My hubby got our motorcycles out over the weekend to make sure they were ready to be up and running.  So we took a quick ride this afternoon in the sun.  It was still pretty cold outside though.  I had my cold weather gear and my leathers on and was still frozen when we got home. But man was that nice.

The work was of the fun variety.  I've been asked to speak at a women's luncheon next week in relation to my shop (Coastal Serenity).  Their topic this moth is Japan so I spent some time researching Japanese Tea and Japanese Tea Ceremonies.  I've got a week to get it finished and into some sort of form that I can talk from (speaking is not one of my strong skills). I'm excited to be invited to talk though it will be fun no matter what. 

Quotes

Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what's going on outside of us, there's always something we could be grateful for.

~ Barry Neil Kaufman

Gratitude is the fairest blossom Which springs from the soul. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

The law of gratitude is universal. It is a natural function of the soul. All things upon this earth or in the universe operate and respond to love and praise. ~ Robert Scheid

Blog Posts

Tiny Wisdom: On the Power of Gratitude ~   I chose this post today because the opening quote is part of one of my favorite gratitude quotes ~ “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

See the Bright Opportunity ~ Each and every day we have the option to let go of old issues, to stop worrying about things we cannot change, and to focus on the opportunity here and now.

#253 Optimistic Weather Dressers ~ Living in the NW of the United Sates I can relate to this post. Especially here on the coast; the weather guys can never seem to get it right. So I look out the window. If its windy the shorts stay in the drawer. If its raining or even threatening on go the shoes & socks (I'm sorry but socks & sandals is not an option for me; at least not anymore). I never carry an umbrella, only tourists do that here ;-).

Grateful for Fingers

Today I am grateful that I have all my fingers.  

While I was cooking dinner last night, I cut one of my fingers. Though it didn't need stitches, it's a pretty god cut. It is also on my non-dominant hand, but I do use it a lot during the day.

It's funny how something as small as that can affect your daily life. Thank goodness it is on the top part of my finger, otherwise many things would be next to impossible to do without a bit of pain and discomfort. 

I use my hands a lot during the day . . . typing, knitting, beading, etc. Even just having one finger out of commission can be a hassle, but I know my cut finger will heal quickly and I'll be back to normal activity soon. Today I am grateful that I have all my fingers.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 22. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Thank you

Today I'd like to simply say Thank you. Thank you to people who post on our Facebook page. Thank you to all you comment on those posts, Thank you to those who like the posts and Thank you to all who sit back in the shadows who simply are just there reading and enjoying.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

How often do you simply Thank someone?  Anyone, the Universe or God for all the gifts that we are given every day. Gifts like the tree that was cut down and split into firewood for our wood stove; to keep our home warm or for the husband who can get a fire going to take off the morning chill.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity . 

It can. Turn a meal into a feast a house into a home a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing and mistakes into important events. 

It can turn existence into a real life and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. 

~ Melodie Beattie The Language of Letting Go

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 4. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Gratitude

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for for being a part of this page.  It is an honor to have you all here and I appreciate each and every one of you.  I am thankful that you share my posts with others and that you invite your friends to join us here.  Thank you for allowing me to share.

Quotes

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. ~ G. K. Chesterton  

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust 

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach  

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein 

Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not. ~ Marcus Aurelius  

Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner 

When we become more fully aware that our success is due in large measure to the loyalty, helpfulness, and encouragement we have received from others, our desire grows to pass on similar gifts. Gratitude spurs us on to prove ourselves worthy of what others have done for us. The spirit of gratitude is a powerful energizer. ~ Wilferd A. Peterson