We all build
Nests of hope
Inside our heart,
Clustered, in glowing
Chambers, cherished
For their innocence.

I am starting a new project for myself. I am calling it Healthy Living - makes me think of the phrase that kept popping into my head months ago - Living Whole Heart and Soul. This is the first day and will encompass every aspect of life. Through recent events of my father being in the hospital for three weeks after having to have open heart surgery, along with the stress, heartache, and sadness that go along with seeing your father this way, then to have him back on the road to recovery, has given me a whole new outlook on life. We are given one precious life to be lived to the fullest. In living it to the fullest one of my main goals is to love and show kindness to everyone and to take the time to stop and see the beauty in everyday life, no matter how busy or stressed I am at the time. Another aspect of healthy living is also to exercise daily. I have to incorporate this in my life. I am a vegetarian but have slipped into just grabbing things on the go since I had limited amount of time to sit down for a slow healthy meal that I truly enjoy. I have exercised already this morning, ate breakfast which was one buscuit with cheese. I plan on making myself a salad in a few minutes. My reward for excerising and eating well this morning will be to go to the bookstore, prowl around for some good reads, and have a soy decaf peppermint mocha. Then I plan on going for a walk in the park to look at the gorgeous spring that is blooming before my eyes. Right this minute I am in love with Life!

Oh, this morning I woke up to what looks like will be a beautiful, gorgeous spring day! The sun was shining bright, the birds were chirping cheerfully, a cool breeze blew slightly threw my open bedroom window. Today, the first day of spring, is going to be terrific!! HAPPY SPRING!!!!!

On this bleak, rainy, windy, foggy Saturday morning, I am finding beauty in everything. I am getting a chance to slow down and just BE right now. There is beauty in the barren winter trees, their branches stretching up toward the sky filled with grayish, white snow clouds. Wind quickly changes the face of the sky, clouds scattering, blowing, new formations made within seconds, a reflection of life. I am sitting at my desk, dividing my time between watching the world outside and writing, while listening to Norah Jones, drinking a vanilla latte while my kitten plays or naps. Poetry is singing in my mind as my pen brushes across the pages of my journal; I am wrapped in the folds of creativity at this moment in time, my voice and inner thoughts being heard. Creativity flows, I am grateful!

Simple Things:

The vision for my life is to live simply from an authentic, organic place. In doing that I know that it is the simple things that will feed and nourish me.
Some of my simple things:
Quite time to reflect, pray, meditate
Candles
Winter snow which brings quite and stillness
Hot tea
A good book, snuggled in a warm blanket, drinking hot tea, looking out at Winter's splendor.
Writing in a journal
My kitten Mocha
All of these things make my heart sing and when I have these simple things in my life, my life flows.

Meditation:

Sitting in the silence

Letting all flow

Through me

All goodness and love

Meditating

On the Tree of Life

Created by God

All things love

That rests in the soul

Shines

God's love always

Prevails

Fire and ice
Runs through
My veins
Coursing with
Glorious life
Filled with
Stories -
We are a moisac
Of the experiences
Of our lives
But -
Something much more
At the same time.

I wrote this after spending a few hours in the mall the other day. So it is my reaction to what was going on around me. Part of my vision for myself in 2010 is to listen to my authentic voice, the essence of who I am and be driven by my authentic self. I want to live an authentic life always. There should not be a struggle to find this part of oneself. I am making it a point to get quite and silent each day in order to connect to the authenticity that is me.

In this season of baubles and bows
Battle for authentic voice
To be heard above the endless chatter
Is a daily struggle
In an ego driven world

Morning
Made beautiful
By cold, watery
Sunshine reflecting
Off trees, dew
Bright, glittering
Jewels
A lone hawk's squawk
Echoes
Breaking Winter's
Silence

I wrote this poem the other day when I was a little under the weather:

Some days I feel
I move in shadows,
A shadow of myself -
Who I am is concealed
Never revealed
I want to live my
Life in vibrant color!

Today with the sun shining bright and the air crisp I counter the poem above with this one just written:

Embrace self
All that has flowered,
Is flowering,
Or ever will flower,
Is grace,
Surrounded by grace,
Peace within

A stream from the
Light of life -
God
Flows through
All,
Sacred roots
Run deep are
Nourished with love

Thank you Christina for inviting us to participate in The Simple Things! You are such an inspiration!

I stumbled across these wise words by Maya Angelou the other day and her phrase spoke to my heart: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." This phrase makes me very thankful for the simple act of writing. I love to write, from writing poetry, to short stories, long stories, and everything in between.

So let me start the list of simple things that make my heart sing and my soul dance by adding writing at the very top of the list, along with:

long walks in nature
my kitten Mocha
reading
Autumn and all of her colorful spelendor
beautiful sun shine
blue skies of Autumn
crunchy leaves
rain, the sound of rain
thunderstorms
hazelnut lattes
soy decaf peppermint mochas
Borders bookstore
vegetable soup
pumpkin lattes
pumpkin soup
curling up in blankets reading a good book
classical music
dancing to pop music
teaching children
laughter of children
friends
family
laughing so hard that I snort
watching a good movie
music of any kind
this beautiful world and the people that we share the world with
prayer
peace
lavendar
peppermint
pretty stationary and pens
new journals
reading old journals
cherishing memories of college
sitting in the gazebo reading a good book on a sunny day or on a rainy day, both types of weather are good to be in the gazebo in
first snow of the year - if we get any in Georgia at all
looking at clouds float by
looking at the night sky full of twinkling stars

This list could be much longer, I will think of other things to add within the next few days and want to add more. I can't wait to read what everyone else has written.

This is the last Pink Thoughts, thank you Christina for creating such a positive idea to get awareness out, and to help support others.
A few days ago this was the quote on my calendar, "Silently time passes. The only life I have submits to its power." Hatsui Shizue This made me really think and it is so true, we have one life and it should be lived to the fullest. Many times people don't seem fully awake to themselves and living the life that takes their breath away until they are given a time limiting prognosis. We must continue to work together for everyone that is effected and will ever be effected by cancer. WIth joint efforts and renewed and continued positive thinking there will be a cure.

I absolutely love this time of the year. The crispness of Fall, the beautiful colors that pop and come alive with color. With Autumn we see nature's true colors. It fills me with hope. With the feeling of hope I am overwhelmed with pink thoughts to show support of cancer prevention and research, as more and more people become survivors of cancer.

Today I woke up and was exhilarated with life. I think of all the wonderful aspects of my life that I have been so blessed to have experienced and will continue to experience. Life is an adventure. The season of Autumn reminds me of the adventure of life and takes my breath away with it's beauty. With the vibrant colors on the trees, to the brilliant azure blue sky, and the bite to the chilly mornings I am reminded that life is beautiful and meant to be lived fully. I am also reminded of the courage of so many people who are living with breast cancer and all forms of cancer. With these people there is a beauty in their fight to find cures and for life. As I woke up this morning with my windows open to let in the chill of Autumn's breeze, snuggled in my blankets I heard a train whistle in the distance. One box car does not make a train's noise, one engine does not make a train's roar, but with all the box cars and the engine the train roars down the track. I am reminded of all the people who daily gather together to blaze down the track to find cures for breast cancer and the courageous roar of people living with the disease. Let's all roar!

Train roars
Echoing across
Still quiet Autumn,
Dawn breaking
Into nature's noise,
Train whistle creates
Man made chaos.

The train poem has nothing to do with cancer but I created it when I first woke up this morning and wanted to share that too.

I am thinking pink thoughts today. My dear friend Christina, at Soul Aperture, http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/2009/09/wont-you-join-me-please.html is hosting wonderful pink thoughts for breast cancer awareness month. We all know so many people affected by cancer. We know many people who are survivors of it also. Those survivors give us hope. I often wonder what separates those living remission cancer free after having it and those who have with cancer, which then eventually take their lives. I have met this wonderful writer in the blog world, her name is Susie Hemingway and she is over at A Power Within blog: http://susiehemingway.blogspot.com/. Her husband is living with cancer now and she celebrates the love that they share with one another and it is so very beautiful. With people like Christina and Susie who have positive thoughts and the added power of love there will be a cure. So I will continue to pray everyday for a cure and that everyone may live in peace, light, and love.

Sun shines crisp
On scattered rose petals,
Brittle leaves, and dew
That rests on the early
Morning Earth
There is love for the
Freshness of another day.

On this rainy Saturday I have taken time to do the things I love. I have had a slow day, where I take the time to enjoy myself completely. As I was working on writing a story, listening to Natasha Beddingfield music, in the quite moments listening to the rain on the windows, and leaves, my kitten, Mocha, playing at my feet, and napping on my bed, I was so joyful. Today was filled with happiness, that nourished and fed my soul and creativity. Bliss!

Scattered red petals
Stain green grass which
Is slowly fading to brown
Pungent spicy smell
Of freshly cut grass
Tickles my nose
Clouds move across
The sky like ocean
Waves
Every blade of grass
Standing at attention
Swaying in the breeze
Fiery brilliance
Radiance of
Autumn to come.

I catch a glimpse
Of myself in the mirror
As I pass, seeing
My flushed face,
Hair tucked behind
My ear, silver
Glimmer of earring
On a pale ear, surrounded
By dark damp curls
After a hard workout
Look, feeling an appreciation
Of self to the
Core of my being.