inspiration | Owls and Orchids

Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

Intuition, or what?

Posted in Challenges, Coping Skills, Creativity, Identity, Life, Life lessons, Philosophy, Psychology, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged a knowing, Albert Einstein, England witch trials, feeling, gut instinct, inspiration, intuition, Leeds University, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Mark Harmon, NCIS, New Age, Salem witch trials, SIxth sense, unexplained changes on August 20, 2013| 8 Comments »

image from intuition.byu.edu

What is intuition? For long years it was ridiculed as the fevered imagination of bored housewives with nothing better to do than dream up fanciful reasons for something they couldn’t logically explain. Much has changed since then, much study has been done and there are still people unconvinced intuition is real. All we need to do is remember back to the Salem witch trials, or the witch trials in England to recall the documented evidence of women burned at the stake, tortured and left to starve in cages, all because they “knew” something but could not explain how they knew.

However, ask people if they believe they get a ‘gut instinct‘ or a strange feeling like their hair standing on end on the back of their necks and you will probably get them to agree they have. Strange what a difference terminology makes. One of my favourite characters on TV, Mark Harmon, playing Jethro Gibbs in NCIS has made his “gut” famous when solving cases. “Trust the Gut”. It always makes me smile. I suppose it sounds a little more manly than saying he has an intuition about a person or event.

Intuition has saved more lives than we have an accurate count for. There are recorded instances of people deciding not to catch a train, take a bus, catch their flight and there has been a disaster of some kind. They had no reason to change their plans at the last moment, yet in every case it has invariably saved their lives. There are numerous documented instances of people who worked in the Twin Towers who decided for no known reason not to go to work on 9/11 as well as people who were unaccountably detained from getting to work that day. These sudden, unplanned, and unaccountable decisions saved numerous lives that day.

image from kineticsmag.com

The ironical part of this is that intuition or gut instinct, sixth sense, knowing or just a feeling, can and does happen to anyone. Acting on these ‘hunches’ is a different matter. If those people had failed to listen to this intuition or sixth sense they would not be here today.

Intuition is not only found in the province of New Age Spirituality or TV shows. It has been suggested that intuition may be the ingredient which separates successful business people from the rest. It was described by Dr Gerald Hodgkinson of the Leeds University, in the UK as “the brain processing previous experiences and other cues to help it make a decision, a process which takes place on a subconscious level”.

This goes part way to explaining the intuitive response and no doubt more will be acknowledged as time passes. If I hadn’t listened to my intuition or sixth sense many things would have been different in my own life, especially when I was a serving police officer, but also where my children are concerned. Arriving at school minutes after an accident and before the school had time to call me is one simple example. Deciding to move to one side as a drunk, out of my line of sight, suddenly swung a four by two piece of timber moments before it would have taken my head off if I had remained where I was is another.

There are many tomes written on the subject and there will always be the nay sayers and that is fine. Yet I truly believe that we are guided by intuition, sixth sense, gut instinct, a knowing or feeling when we need a little help. I, for one, will gladly accept whatever help I am given if it means I or anyone else will be safe as a result of my hunch.

The final word on intuition goes to Albert Einstein.

image from http://www.psychicwilliamconstantine.com

“At times you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
― Alan Alda

May you find your feet always guided in your best interests.

Ciao, Susan x

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Inspiration from my back deck.

Posted in Blogging, Challenges, Creativity, Motivation, Photography, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Blogging, Communication, desire, dreams, inner drive, inspiration, Living from the heart, Magic, motivation, Motivational, nature, Spirituality, Writing on July 3, 2013| 4 Comments »

Sunset at Byron Bay Lighthouse – beautiful

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”

Picasso, Pablo

– See more at: http://quotationsbook.com/quotes/tag/inspiration/#sthash.IQG55giD.fqgDuYnd.dpuf

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”

Picasso, Pablo

– See more at: http://quotationsbook.com/quotes/tag/inspiration/#sthash.IQG55giD.fqgDuYnd.dpuf

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” John Muir

What makes us, writers, bloggers, artists, photographers and so on, different from everyone else “out there”? We all have the same bodies, give or take, we have similar backgrounds within a huge range of possibilities, but what is the indefinable something which sets us apart from the rest of society. I feel it is that inner drive to make yourself understood. It is the need to share your ideas, to craft them and polish them and then put them out there, into that vast unknown sea of the ‘audience’ and find out if we have managed to resonate with others.

Some artists do what they do for their own satisfaction and need no acceptance from others. For most of us it is not simply nice to be acknowledged, it is the standard by which we measure how well we are at putting forward our ideas and inspiration. From books to art, to the landscape of nature we seek and find inspiration for our ideas, our incredible imaginations which craft together thoughts, ideas, rich tapestries which spread a canvas of possibilities for others to share. To be acknowledged as successful in that endeavor must be a heady brew indeed.

At present I’m drawing with broad strokes on a huge palette until I find, or rather narrow, my niche. Perhaps it is also true that I need courage to grasp that idea and run with it and see how far it can take me. It is also true that I have no real desire to narrow my area too far and thus stifle a spark of genius which may float my way.

Let me share with you some of the sources of inspiration which have been given to me recently.

The beginnings of sunrise. The blazing light of the sun behind the clouds and the shadowed trees in the foreground. The ocean seems almost peaceful as it gently rolls to the shore.

Darkness banished, the sun in all it’s glory and spirit orbs welcoming the dawn.

Golden sunlight pours out from the cloud cover, bathing the land with molten gold. No wonder the people of old believed it was magical when the sun appeared each day. It shows us the power and majesty which surrounds us and that anything is possible. It’s a palette of colours any painter would be thrilled by.

The beauty of the full moon, mysterious and magical.

The terrific days and nights of the past full moon when she was the closest to earth for years, bringing with her thoughts of the ‘wild hunt’ with Pan, the Druids and mystery and magic in the air.

The stirring view of the moon’s light across the ocean as she rose into the sky.

I found this picture irresistible to take, thinking of how luxurious it would be to soak in the water as the moon’s light washed over me. Just an old-fashioned romantic, or perhaps a sorceress of old, charging up her powers by the light of the moon, and so wonderful for charging up your crystals.

Two pairs of wood ducks wandering around the garden.

It was a pleasure to see the ducks wandering around in the garden, totally without fear. I spent hours just enjoying the freedom they made me feel and they waddled along finding grubs wherever they went.

Rolling ocean waves.

You cannot help but be overawed by the power and majesty of the ocean as she pounds on the beach. It makes you realise how small we are in the grand scheme of things, but it is thrilling to watch as the waves cleanse the air and refresh the body and mind. Simply invigorating to be a part of it.

High seas and stormy weather.

The same section of coast during the storm – the power and intensity were even more awe inspiring as they thrashed the beach over and over again. The roar was incredible, you could imagine the old timber galleons being pounded to pieces with the ferocity of the waves.

The magic of a rainbow after a storm.

A beautiful rainbow after a storm, with the colours so defined. I made a wish and looked for the proverbial pot of gold. Perhaps the pot of gold is seeing the rainbow arching across the sky.

Still feeding her babies.

We’ve watched this family of Eastern Rosella’s grow up. There is a nesting box in the poinciana tree and over the weeks we have been able to watch the parents make their trips back to the nest and watch the babies pop their heads up to be fed.

A Major Mithcell standing guard on the bird feeder.

A Major Mitchell standing guard on the bird feeder.

This was a rare treat. Major Mitchells are usually found in inland Australia. I’ve been told this is really unusual so we’ve made the most of watching them. They may be Corellas or Bare Eyed Cockatoos. Whatever their name it’s been wonderful watching them, even if we did lose all the figs on our tree.

These are some the things which give me inspiration, which motivate me to think, feel and dream outside the box. The world surrounds me with inspiration if I look to see it. The desire to write, to communicate my ideas only means that I haven’t yet said all I want to say and if I have a ‘dry’ period, as a friend said, I only need wait for my next dream. Either way I know that I am ‘polishing my craft’..

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

– Harriet Tubman

Blessings Susan x

If this interests you the following may also.

Where’s Your Inspiration Coming From?

Is Your Inspiration a Feast or a Famine?

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Is your inspiration a Feast or a Famine?

Posted in Blogging, Creativity, Motivation, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged frustration, Ideas, inspiration, Magic, manifesting belief, memories, mind power, motivation, patience, self belief, wishful thinking, Writer's Block on July 1, 2013| 6 Comments »

image from http://www.redletterbelievers.com

“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.”
― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

For over a week now I haven’t been able to blog. My laptop had picked up some malware and it wouldn’t let me log on. It’s been frustrating to put it mildly. A simple job which I was told would take and hour and a half took the entire week, All those beautiful bright thoughts, that glittering inspiration which felt like a tingling in my fingers, just waiting for me to get them onto the page were stuck there, somewhere inside my head.

When I tried to write them down they seemed to become trapped in some mystical never-land and before I was past the first sentence they had become lost in a quagmire of sluggish thoughts, firmly swallowed by a thought eating monster who would refuse to let them out. I felt like a still pond when someone drops a pebble into it, the ripples spread out but the surface is barely affected and soon returns to stillness,

By the time I got my, allegedly fixed laptop back I had hit an awful blank wall. Nothing, but nothing wanted to come out. All that inspiration seemed to have been gobbled up in the despair of not getting those bright ideas onto ‘paper’. From a place where I had so many ideas waiting to burst out of me I reached a place where there was an arid desert – a nothingness where no ideas wanted to take root.

image from http://www.flickr.com

“Ideas are like legs: what good are they if you can’t run with them, or spread them?”
― Jarod Kintz, The Days of Yay are Here! Wake Me Up When They’re Over.

I have a multitude of beautiful photos I’ve recently taken, and those I’ll share soon. The stories, well, I’m hoping they return once I start writing again. That’s my hope and plan. A slow trickle to begin with, like a slowly moving stream. It slowly meanders along making its way from the source to the river and then the ocean, carrying everything along with it. As it moves along it picks up little bits and pieces and carries them with it making it more than it was before.

Then, when the time is right, and my idea guzzling monster has fed well and decides to leave me for fresher pastures, I’m hoping that the bright scintillating plethora of ideas will come flooding back. They may not be the same ones, in fact they most probably won’t be, but they will be stories which want and need to be told.

I’m trying to be gentle with myself. The creative process cannot be forced. It either is or it isn’t and the difference can be felt. I don’t want to fill a ‘page’ with the nonsensical, a space-filling nothingness just to say, “Hey I’m here, I really can’t say anything but I want to say I’ve posted something today.” Which is really just a vain plea to say “Please don’t forget me, I really want your ‘likes’ and following and I just want to remind you not to forget me”.

I know the experts say regular posting builds a following, but I would rather post something meaningful, at least to me and hopefully my followers than what feels like filling up empty space with ‘white noise’. (Have you ever seen that movies? It’s frightening because of the possibilities).

I want my river of ideas flowing with the magic and mystery of spirits and undines, sylphs and sprites to bring mystical and wondrous delight to the reader.

image from http://www.nipic.com

“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.” ― John F. Kennedy

This then is my feast or famine. It is a simple arid desert of nothingness of ideas, a slowly moving stream of a budding flow of inspiration and then a beautiful rushing river of creative wonders, just tumbling over one another to get out.

So I wondered, what is your inspiration? How would you describe your feast or famine of ideas? How do you get past that awful “writer’s block”. There – I’ve said the dreaded words. They weren’t too difficult after all – it’s simply what they mean which is so awful.

May you always have bright ideas to fill your page.

“Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass – to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.”
― Anthon St. Maarten.

Blessings. Susan x

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Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Blog, Blog award, farm, inspiration, Inspiring Blogger Award, shy, Speaking, Writing on February 6, 2013| 11 Comments »

Thank you very much Sarah, ( http://starrystez.com/2013/02/05/inspiring-blogger-award/ ) for the Inspiring Blogger Award

I feel truly honoured and totally surprised by this award. I had begun to wonder at times how many people were seeing my blog – just one of those funny things when you’re writing in the middle of the night like the proverbial owl 🙂

Guidelines for accepting this award:

1. Create a post and reveal 7 things about yourself.

2. Post the blog award on your site, indicate who nominated you.

3. Present the award to up to 15 bloggers that inspire you and include links to their blogs in your post.

Seven Things about myself. Believe it or not this is really difficult.

1. I’m a very private person, in person, and writing helps me to express myslef more easily.

2. I really love writing, it allows me to explore parts of myself I don’t look at very often.

3. I am really painfully shy. I’ve worked really hard to overcome this and hope I might be able to say I have when I’m up on the big stage! (OK I know its similar to 1. )

4. One of my ambitions is to be a speaker on the big stage.

5. I was the P&C President, Chairperson of the School Council and Head of the Budget Committee all in the same year where I lost my nerves over Public Speaking.

6. I am going to have my own farm (with my husband) which will be our private retreat and sanctuary.

7. I have two children who know nothing about my clandesine writing life.

The blogs I have found inspirational and a font of knowledge or excitement I nominate are:

P.J. Hodge, Freaky Folk Tales

Ben Furrows, Travelling Thane Furrows

Daniella, Lantern Post

WOW,

All the wonderful authors at Thrive on News

Kathleen’s Writings

There are so many more I love to read and these people have been wonderful sources of inspiraton for me. Many thanks to you all for your generosity and time.

Blessings

Susan x

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The Angel of Thankfulness

Posted in Identity, Life lessons, Motivation, Uncategorized, tagged acceptance, BEing present, Blogging, Bush Fires, coping skills, Floods, frustration, Gratitude, happiness, Inner-peace, inspiration, life lessons, Living from the heart, Mindfulness, Motivational, Natural Disasters, patience, self acceptance, Soul Growth, unconditional love, Weather on January 27, 2013| 1 Comment »

image from encwor.blogspot.com

I have spent the day, when I have been awake, in mostly silent contemplation of what has been happening, to Queensland, Australia, the world at large and myself. Australia Day 2013 will not go down as one of the best days we’ve had. It hasn’t been the worst, but Mother Nature has decided to remind us of her awesome power.

Less than a week ago, Central Queensland looked like this:

image from brisbanetimes.com.au Near Rockhampton

One day ago we saw this:

image from guardian.co.uk

The view from my bedroom window looks almost peaceful about two hours ago.

Stormy weather from my bedroom window

I am remembering all those people who put aside their problems and head out to tackle the elements, brave the dangers and help the rest of us to survive this crazy, changeable weather we have. It’s not malevolent, it’s not personally directed at any one person or place. It’s not a vengeful “God” or whatever deity you believe in, wishing to wreak havoc on a sinful population. It’s not man-made Global Warming or Climate Change. This is Mother Nature at her finest. It is just today’s weather.

image from tasteoflifebysabi.wordpress.com

We are being reminded of our place in the scheme of things. I am reminded that my meditations for peace and harmony, for thankfulness and gratitude are as valuable today as they were yesterday. I am reminded that I am no more, no less than this frog, I simply AM.

What is even more important is that this is not only OK, it is absolutely fantastic because it is as it should be. Life is meant to be lived. We may not understand all our lessons immediately. Sometimes the lesson is absorbed deep within and it is only over time that we realise the great import of that lesson. This too is as it should be. I am exactly who I am meant to be in this moment. I am meant to be the best I can be, but no more and no less.

In the midst of this chaos I am grateful that I have been reminded of this as I allowed myself the time to roam along this path. I had a blog almost completed when the screen went blank and all I had left was an “r” residing at the top of the page. Why? my mind cried. The answer it seems was simple – there was something else I had to say. I trust in my higher self that this is the message that is meant to be sent out tonight.

image from fineartamerica.com The Angel of Thankfulness

I am grateful for the safety of our world, its people and places. I am mindful that we need to be responsible for our land, our plants, animals and all the spirits and creatures which abound on our earth. I am grateful that I can be a small part of this, that I can contribute my small part to this wondrous experience we are having. As a spirit having a human existence I will succeed and I will stumble, but I will get up again and take another breath, another step and keep moving towards that goal….. whatever it may be. With you beside me, walking along with me, I will do my part as you do yours.

image from thebaresoul.blogspot.com

I also want to let everyone know that I have remembered to thank that special person who, despite my frustration when things go wrong, when I cannot be running around but bound to my bed, who always brings me cups of tea with dollops of sympathy and understanding, that one person who offers unconditional love at any time of the day and night, my beautiful shining star, my soul mate and partner in this world and the next, my husband Ray. Thank you darling for your patience and love.

All is well with the world. Blessings, Susan x

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2013 – Through New Eyes

Posted in Creativity, tagged 2013, acceptance, Australia, BEing present, Blogging, blogging, Coping Skills, dreams, Friendship, goal setting, Gratitude, gratitude, inspiration, Life, Living from the heart, Mindfulness, Motivational, New Beginnings, New Year Resolutions, self acceptance, thank-you, Through New Eyes on January 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

image from love4anime.deviantart.com

This post began yesterday, January 1st, the first day of a new year. For some of you it will still be January 1 in other parts of the world, but down here in Australia, where we are ahead of almost everyone else, it is now January 2nd.

For many people it is still ‘traditional’ to make a New Year’s Resolution‘. Once it was talked about for days before and after New Years Day, almost as if we needed to ‘turn over a new leaf’ and this was a way of doing just that. The reality was that, for the most part, these resolutions, if made, lasted barely the first week of the new year. Sometimes people would make a strong start but eventually it would fade away under the pressures of everyday life, or it was simply too difficult to keep it going. The new leaf simply withered slowly away like the autumn leaves withering on the trees before falling off. Another cycle ended.

image from frugalityuk.blogspot.com

So this is my look at 2013, through new eyes.

I started blogging several months ago, more as an outlet for someone who was unable to get out very much and I realised that I was really enjoying putting my thoughts down. I did make one fatal mistake when I started though. As grateful as I was for the people who read and ‘liked’ my posts, I forgot to remain mindful of the fact that these wonderful people deserved to hear my heartfelt gratitude. I forgot to thank them. Such a simple thing to do, to say thank you, to be grateful that someone had taken the time to read my blog and to say they ‘liked’ it. This is a lesson I will take into 2013 with me – looking with new eyes at my actions.

image from family.wikinut.com

So, I’m not making a resolution, in fact I haven’t done so for many years. Instead I’m looking with new eyes at how I would like 2013 to be. What I’m looking at is how I can make 2013 better, not only for myself but for everyone I interact with, either through my blog or in person.

One of my goals is to try to get something out on my blog every other day. I want to share what my insights are, my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations for 2013 and beyond. I want to let those of you who have chosen to like and follow my blog share in my victories, commiserate (I hope) when things don’t go according to my hopes and plans and in the process we can all learn more about living a better life together. We will all be learning to look at life through different eyes.

image from weheartit.com

That’s my plan, not a resolution. One of the goals on my dream board.

Please join me and invite others to join us in supporting each other as we expand our vision for each day, week, month and our futures throughout 2013 and beyond.

image from nasa.gov

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Brian Tracy

Do You Have A New Year’s Resolution? (lovebugandsweetiegirl.com)
what i wish for the new year 2013 (rawsilkandsaffron.wordpress.com)

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Take each day as it comes

Posted in Life lessons, Love, tagged acceptance, BEing present, Friendship, frustration, Gratitude, gratitude, happiness, Impermanence, inner peace, Inner-peace, inspiration, Life, life, Living from the heart, Love, Mindfulness, Motivational, patience, Religion and Spirituality, Soul Growth, soul mates, unconditional love on December 7, 2012| 6 Comments »

image courtesy of positivethoughtsonlife.wordpress.com

“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend or a meaningful day.” Dalai Lama

Each day is a mystery, an unopened present. We have only an idea of what the day may bring. Some follow each other like soldiers marching along in unison, with little change and either reassuring in their sameness or boring in their lack of difference. Some, take our breath away with the explosions of unexpected news, loss and sadness we can do little to avoid.

I struggle each day with patience, or I should say my lack of it. I want so much to be able to Do – anything, everything, something! The endless sameness of each day make the hours, minutes, even the seconds feel like an eternity. I am grateful for each day since it gives me an opportunity to grow. I know this sounds more like I’m not sure what I want or talking about, but it’s an accurate reflection of how I feel.

Each day brings with it its own sweetness, the dew on the grass, the bright sunshine as the sun rises shining on the bright colours of the buds opening on my rose bushes, the birdsong caroling the start of the day. There is a magic in the air at the moment the sun crests the horizon, a hush in the air where, for a time, there is the feeling that anything may be possible.

image courtesy of http://www.deviantart.com –

What better reminder of unconditional love than when I see this rose blooming in my garden. Yellow, my mothers favourite colour for roses, and also for me the same in this, the Peace Rose, a perennial reminder of all that she meant, and still means to me, even though she is no longer here with me.

For me it is also another reminder that I struggle for patience which she teased me about and the search for peace, peace of mind since her leaving, which, whilst a blessing, is still a raw wound. Life is so full of contradictions.

image courtesy of http://www.dreamthisday.com – None of us truly know what each day will bring.

I often wondered how she managed to retain her inner strength of mind and will, when she undoubtedly knew what the day would most likely bring. Her gratitude for another day, her happiness that she saw her children and grandchildren one more time, her acceptance that life is impermanent and each moment to be cherished for the tiny miracles it brought. All of this countered with the knowledge that she was marking time, her health was not going to improve and time was a vanishing gift, one to cherish like a fragile snowflake, beautiful yet gone too soon.

All the things I struggle with, she had in spades. (old Yorkshire saying). I struggle against the inactivity brought about by not being well, and even though I’m doing all I can to become well again, meditation, chanting, praying, none have really brought me closer to the patience I hope to achieve. The inexhaustible patience she appeared to have, I know is also not quite true. She railed against her ill-health, being unable to walk around her home or garden, not able to leave her home because the short trips by car were too exhausting. She was human, as human as I and struggling with the same things I do.

My mother was a “Yorkshire Lass” and had all the hallmarks that entails. She was strong and unyielding, refusing to allow the state of affairs to bring her low. She was the epitome of all I could wish for. The word “indomitable” always comes to mind...Impossible to subdue or defeat: “indomitable spirit”. Despite the passage of time, I am like her in so many ways.

I struggle for the patience she had to learn over many years. Many would think me unyielding, more because I refuse to yield if there is a chance of success, which I feel is different. The gratitude, love, happiness, joy and contentment with my family and husband, I am overwhelmed by the unconditional giving and receiving of these treasures.

I have been reminded once again of the impermanence of life, of its fragility. My aunt has been struggling with cancer. A strong lady whom I pray for daily. Thus far she is winning her battle and I am grateful for this. A wonderful friend and mentor is once more struggling with her fragile heart. A heart so full of the love of life, of the people in her life, her life in its entirety, and I pray for her also.

These wonderful people are my inspiration. I will find that elusive patience and I will continue to cultivate the ‘attitude of gratitude’ for all the many blessings I have in my life, in each day. My grandmother always said, ” We are never given any burden to bear which we don’t have the strength to carry”. She was another indomitable lady whom I admire. So many wonderful women for me to emulate.

image courtesy of magicalmysticalmimi.blogspot.com – Dig deep and find the extraordinary in the ordinary of your day and be grateful for the miracle of sharing one day. Being Mindful of all there is in each moment.

“Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” – Marelisa Fábrega