Love's Divine

Love heals. It's raw and pure. Giving love and sending it to all corners of the Earth. Feeling the sadness and horror that is gripping Japan today. My heart aches. My head aches.

Lent. A time to pray, fast, and give......to be closer to God as we know him/her/it. Being a few dozen countries away from Japan doesn't make it easy to help out. I can't just walk over or fly over and give them our clothes, cook them food, share a hug, or even hold their hand.......but, I can offer them my love from a distance while holding them in the Light. I can realize that all that I have can be taken away in a matter of moments and I could be left with nothing. No family, no material objects, my life. So I will fast from selfishness and taking my life for granted. I will give them what money I can because that will help someone. I will give them my love through prayer and thoughts of goodwill. I will give them my heart, my tears, and my hope that Life will be OK again.

Love......Love's Divine.

Peace, Peace, Peace... Be calm. Be still. Let the healing begin...

In light of that tragic events in Japan and along the Pacific coastline I am honoring today's Lenten post to all of those who are mourning, worrying,and in despair. I am honoring all of those who have lost everything. I am honoring those who will stand up and be a friend to a stranger and offer a hug full of love and compassion. I am honoring those who have no material objects to give but will give all of their heart to a neighbor in need.

I am praying for the guidance that is needed to keep everyone safe from further harm, guidance to know where to turn for help, guidance to begin the healing and to find peace again. My heart aches for those who have suffered.......let the healing begin.

The simplest of things.......

We made pretzels. They are wonderful and smell just like the ones you can get in New York City except BETTER!!!! There is nothing more wonderful than discovering you can make those coveted treats at home and they truly do taste just as wonderful. *sigh* The simple pleasures......

*********The following is my article that was published in Little Acorn Learning's March Afterschool Enrichment E-book. If you haven't already checked out all the amazing work Eileen is doing.......GO! Check out her amazing website and all the amazing gifts she has to offer!

The photos are from our pretzel making today! It truly is such a simple pleasure and a ton of fun!!! ***********

Pretzels have a surprising history within the celebrations of Lent, dating as far back as the fourth century. During the time of the Roman Empire, those who were devout Christians followed a strict fast during Lent. Their diets for that 40 day period would consist of no more than breads, fruit, vegetables, and grains. Simple breads, made of only flour and water, were made and folded in the way that honored their traditional way of sitting in prayer, not with folded hands, but with folded arms across their chests. These breads were called "little arms" or bracellae. It is from this Latin word where the word 'pretzel' came from.

A simple way to make these pretzels part of your Lenten celebrations is to begin making them on Ash Wednesday as a family. Talk about the rich history these little breads have and how they can represent something so meaningful. Like a candy cane is to Christmas, let pretzels be to Lent. Serve these breads with each evening meal though out the Lenten season until Easter. Reserving this tradition solely for Lent will make these a time honored tradition in your home.

Recipe for Lenten Pretzels::

Combine 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 1 tablespoon of sweetener, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add to this one packet of dry active yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes until it has proofed (becomes foamy). Add 4 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, along with 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Once the dough has come together, pour it out on to a clean surface and knead until springy (about 5 minutes). Return the kneaded dough into a large, oiled bowl and let rise for one hour.



Once the dough has doubled, pour out onto a cutting board and cut into 8 equal portions. *At this time, prepare a large pot with 10 cups of water and 2/3 cup of baking soda and have it heating to a rolling boil.* Roll each portion into a long rope (about 18-24 inches).



Hold each end of the rope and form it into a "U" shape. Still holding the ends, twist the ends around each other 2-3 times and then meet them together at the bottom of the "U". Pinch the dough together. Complete the rest of the ropes. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.





Now that the ropes are 'tied' and your water is boiling, place one pretzel at a time in the water bath. Let it sit in the boiling water for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spatula and return to cookie sheet. Once they have all been boiled, brush them with a solution of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle them with kosher salt and bake until they are golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).

"Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time." ~ Deborah Chaskin

A little later than I had hoped, but with transition comes the challenges that puts us to the test.......our challenge for today?......Acceptance. This is what we as a family have decided to work on together. Accepting all that is that we have no power to change. Accepting all that is that we do have the power to change. Accepting that all we can do is always right in front of us......not behind us or ahead of us.

Today we created our Lenten Journey calendar. I found an idea similar to this and thought it would be wonderful to create our variation on the theme. The idea behind the calendar is 'transformation'. We used the butterfly as our visual support. From a simple caterpillar to the graceful butterfly......transformation is a fluid transition from one physical form to another. I know we won't physically change from human to something else, but our emotional form and spiritual form will. It is our hope that through these next 40 days we as a family will build a stronger foundation for our spiritual growth together. We will come together in prayer, fasting, and giving to build up our lives together. We have a pretty great life. Simple, honest, joyful, abundant.......we are very blessed in this lifetime to be so fortunate as to have each other to be with and celebrate this life with. We also understand that we are given this one life to live. We have this one chance as these six people together to make a difference, to transform to a higher form of ourselves, to understand more fully that which makes it all worth while, to be closer to our Higher Power. The butterfly symbolizes all of those things. The journey we will take on these 40 days will meander and wander all over.....this is why the path our caterpillars will follow is not straight......it curves and swerves all over. There will be ups and downs and forward steps and back steps but ALL the steps will eventually lead us to where we hope to be........together in Unity with our God of choice and each other.

If you, too, would like to make a similar calendar to help guide you and your family through the 40 days of Lent, all you need is some paper, crayons, and the will to transform. Give a title to your poster, we used 'Our Lenten Journey'......



......draw a meandering path around the page, however you feel moved to draw it.



Make 40 leaf shapes to attach to the path. These can be labeled each day with a thought for the day, a prayer, mantra, what it is you hope to transform within yourself (acceptance, forgiveness, honesty, friendship). Then, make 40 caterpillars to represent the emotion that comes with the words on your leaf. Whatever it is you feel when you think about the word, hear the word. These two things will bring a visual to the transformation at work within you. Attach each caterpillar to the leaf at the end of the day.



Create a big butterfly to attach to the end of the path on the opposite end you start on, this signifies the full transformation. On the night before Easter, give wings to each of the caterpillars and hang them around the calendar so on Easter morning everyone can see and celebrate the transformations of the caterpillars and within.



As a child I yearned for a closeness with God and my family. I'm so honored that I have been given the ability to open my heart and to share my life with a partner who, too, is open, so that we can raise up our children together, in the Light. I am proud that we are not afraid of the honesty and grace that comes with wanting to know more, be more, give more. I am proud that we are open, together, to love more, accept more, and forgive more.



Wishing you Grace in your transformation and all the love your heart can handle!

Let the Light shine out of Darkness

I don't really follow any type of denomination, however I am quite Spiritual. I believe in the God of my choosing.......one that embodies Love. I don't believe in a punishing God. I don't feel as though I will be cast to hell or damned to the pit of sulphur for not going to Church every Sunday or for having an unfriendly thought about someone or something. I am human, after all. I am not perfect. What would the point of this all be if we were to fear our whole lives away? Therefore, I choose to love as much as I can in my life. I choose to fear as little as possible and to raise children who will not fear, especially the God of their choosing. It our greatest effort to know that we are loved, always. To know that no matter what, we will be loved, supported and looked after. That is our simple right as dwellers of this Earth. To love and be loved, to give and to receive, to hold and be held. This Lenten season, as millions of folks 'sacrifice' something they love and cherish for their own spiritual growth and to 'show' their faithfulness to their God of choice, I will follow a little differently. Sacrificing at Lent, as I understand it, is to show that we understand the sacrifices that Jesus made during his 40 day retreat into the wilderness. He fasted for those 40 days so giving up food items is typical. In more modern times, giving up TV, gambling, smoking, driving, drinking and many other kinds of personal vices have become popular. This year, it seems many people feel that giving up Facebook is a sacrifice!!!



"The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and alms giving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations." To provide a sound plan for celebrating Lent with my family we will utilize the three traditional practices: prayer, fasting, alms giving.



Each day, during the 40 days of Lent, we will focus our 'prayer' by connecting with our God of choice, whether in sitting together quietly, taking a walk outside and connecting with our surroundings, preparing a meal together giving full attention to the bounty before us, writing, or reading something that inspires us.



Each day, during the 40 days in Lent, we will make sure to focus our 'fasting' to better the lives of those we live with. We will fast from saying hurtful words, forgetting our chores, not listening, and other acts that may seem hurtful or unfriendly (to be determined by each individual). Being a family with small children, I feel like it is so important to allow our children the most potential for personal growth. Having said that, fasting from foods is not something I want to encourage, even if it is sweets, ice cream, or gum! Focusing on 'doing' something positive seems more fulfilling in the long run and will hopefully bring lasting change. Sweet treats will always return after Lent, but, working long and hard on changes within our personality, my hope is that the harmony that will ensue will be clear......everyone will be happier!



Each day, during the 40 days in Lent, we will focus our energies on 'giving'. Giving to each other, giving to our neighbors, giving to those we don't know. We will give of our time and talents......to focus deeply on things we are good at and then doing to benefit someone other than ourselves. These tasks are easily done by all members a family, young and old! Little ones and older ones can help clean out a neighbors garden bed, bring treats to the Humane Society, bake for the food pantry, visit the home bound, bring cheer to someone who might be feeling down. The ideas and possibilities are endless. Giving is endless. Lent is about Giving, the ultimate in sacrifice! Giving is LOVE. God is LOVE!!!! It all makes perfect sense and these things don't need to end once Lent has. They can be motivations to change ones life forever and bring us closer to the God our our choosing as well as bring us close to remembering who we are meant to be. These small shifts in ones consciousness will bring peace to the heart and soul.



Each day during these 40 days I will share a thought of the day. A focus to help guide the Lenten day. Whether it is an idea to share with family, a simple meditation, a song, a poem, a picture. My hope is to bring inspiration to Lent and to help foster the joy Lent can bring in it's endless celebration of life and giving. I am choosing not to focus on the traditional 'sadness and grief' that is associated with Lent but to bring about the Love that was shared by Jesus and all others that suffered in sacrifice to each other. This truly is such an inspirational time. Being that today is Ash Wednesday we will celebrate the beginning of our Lent together with a fire. We will make ash to bring symbolism to the day. We will share this poem:

"Tomorrow at sunset the Journey begins
The footprints precede you, but glow from within
Stop often to listen, to pray and to write
Be aware of your breathing, your feelings, your Light
Be true to intention, to wisdom received
Allow for transition in what you believe
Open your heart that your Way may be known:
That your peace and your truth become solid as stone."

We will celebrate a lovely meal and enjoy our homemade Lenten pretzels (which have a fun Lenten history). We will make a plan for the next day to keep our focus and to share in the excitement of all the wonderful gifts to come: how we will 'pray/connect' together, what we will 'fast' from, and how we will give of ourselves. I wish for you an inspiring Lenten journey.

Trust that your God loves you and wants only the best for you. Trust that giving of yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Trust that God is Love.

OPEN YOUR HEART!

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear......

Welcome to the New Moon! There is an awesome awareness that comes with this moon: an expansion of new understanding and creative endeavors that will support our ability to tap into the energies of our dreams and aspirations. WOW!!! This energy will be with us for the next 18 months so it seems as though this would be a great time to reconnect with our intentions and put good use to this extraordinary energetic shift.



The most wonderful realization about the time of the New Moon is that it marks a new beginning. This time identifies one that can be of deeper connection and inner growth within our personal lives. This particular New Moon will require that we find or rediscover our own truths and connection to our passion. We could be flooded with a library of new ideas and spirit that will drive us into action in order to discover what it is that makes our hearts sing. In that light, it is of utmost importance to act, in all ways, from the heart........to be open to our truths and feel love and a deep sense of compassion for every living thing.



How awesome that we get the chance to start anew every single month! We are given the opportunity to re-evaluate the prior month, weed out the things that didn’t work, and apply a brand new approach in our lives and the path we’re leading. It’s very liberating when you think about that......it’s like a breath of fresh air that we can count on to purify and replenish all that is within us. As I think of how I might be affected by this energetic shift, I am reminded that everyone’s response and reactions to these changes will be different, they may even pose a challenge. Change is not easy.......and when we feel an inner drive to be something different, feel a calling for another type of work/creative play/project, it can bring with it frustration and sense of being unclear with all that you have become thus far. Compassion. Act with compassion.



I think about how my life has changed, from 10 years ago to now. Of course that is a broad time frame, however, I can clearly see how I have grown.........in motherhood, in friendships, in marriage, in personal awareness and growth. It is astonishing how in 10 years, all of these amazing changes and shifts can happen, but........I find it most amazing that during those huge transitions, revelations, epiphanies, I was almost unaware of what was happening. I knew ‘something’ was happening.......beginning an education, moving through a personal journey, rediscovering those ideals that align my heart with my mind.......but I didn’t know what and to what capacity. I just trusted that all was well, I discovered my direction and found the guidance I needed for the questions I needed answered.



Having discovered the potential that comes with this New Moon, I am awestruck to know that this will also be the time that I begin my tuning for Reiki I. I have been feeling the intense pull to act on this and the time kept narrowing itself to now. I had originally thought to begin with the newness of the Spring Equinox, but thankfully, my teacher knew that this time would be optimal. To know that my heart is aligning with my mind and to know the power that comes from being connected, evenly, to both, is wonderful inspiring and assuring.



As I think of all the amazing potential this new time holds for all of us, I’m always called to discover what that means for the children. How will our children be effected through all of the energetic pulling and shifting? Some might be a little cranky, some might have more energy than usual, and some may become saddened or troubled. They know there is something happening, it’s a matter of whether or not they are held in the light so that they may have the opportunity to grow, shift, align their hearts and minds. Our children are our biggest dreams and dreamers. Imagine the amazing potential they would have if we could just let them loose and allow them to cultivate all that is real for them. I think of my daughter, Bella, who has been put in a very tight spot. She has just learned that a vacation has been planned, where she is expected to go, on the same weekend as her dance recital. For her, no matter what she decides, she feels someone will be disappointed. Typically, my sweet child would throw a tantrum, become very irritable, and stay hold up in her room angry and wistful. Instead, she has been talking about how she feels and she has discovered that she doesn’t really like this particular dance class anymore. She’s feeling the urge to move on to other grand adventures, like horseback riding. She has also discovered that it feels better for her to not go on vacation and finish out her dance class instead, since it will be her last. Now, her gut reaction was to go on vacation and forget about dance, but once she sat quietly, aligned her heart and mind, she discover that which she thought she knew didn’t fit. It’s these little lessons our children bring that reminds us of how we can be more authentic to ourselves and those around us.



To celebrate the New Moon with my family, we are planning a retreat. We will stay home, be at peace with one another, play games, draw together, read together, snuggle in together. We will honor that which makes us all who we are and begin the dialogue to discover those things that align our hearts and minds. We will discover and help chart out the paths that will lead to the guidance and answers we need to make it happen for each of us. We will celebrate life and our family. We will simply be......in love and compassion.



As the New Moon shifts into your life, I wish for you a stronger sense of peace. I wish for you the guidance and answers that you seek to align your hearts and minds. Be free from those things that keep you from allowing yourself your dreams. It is all possible.......be in it. Be.......in love and compassion.

The March winds are the morning yawn

It has been a beautiful March thus far. Sunny, mild temperatures, and a cheerful disposition make the day that much brighter. It was an early morning and I'll admit, it was lovely to be up and going before 7:00am. Usually, I'm not one to admit that willingly but today......I will.

Charlotte and I decided that since today was March 1st we must celebrate the newness that is forthcoming. Charlotte and I love making things together, typically they're baked things, but today we decided to 'bake' for the birds. On our home we have two lovely bird feeders. One right close to our kitchen window where we see and talk to the birds that dine at our window buffet. It's a wonderful treat early in the morning when the birds are just waking up and one by one they come to the window. It's this quiet, slow time of day that I luxuriate over my cup of coffee and am grateful for the little things......particularly juncos!

Since Spring is on it's way and along with it a plethora of new birds we decided to make a bird treat. I had a couple of larger pine cones lying around so we thought using those as our vehicles with which to deliver our snacks would be sufficient. Most recipes for bird snacks call for lard or some other animal derived fatty substance........we went with peanut butter! I can only think it's healthier for the birds who will gorge themselves and, well......this is a whole other topic entirely! Nonetheless, peanut butter will offer them the extra calories essential oil content and will also work to glue our birdseed on to the pine cones.





The basic rule is to have fun, make a messy and lick your fingers!!! Simply coat a pine cone with peanut butter (smooth or crunchy would be fine as well as ANY other type of nut butter)and then roll the peanut butter slathered pine cone in birdseed.



We tied our two together with some twine and hung it on a branch where the birds wait their turn for the other bird feeders.



After we had hung up our little surprise for the birds we sat quietly on our porch step and waited and listened and watched the flurry begin. The chickadees and juncos discovered the pungent peanut snack and flitted by and around the pine cones. I had suggested to Charlotte, and not only because I wasn't wearing my coat, that we sneak back inside and watch from our window.

Once we returned and warmed up a wee bit we came to the window to discover this.......




Today I am grateful for my children,the birds and this most inspiring day!

"One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe