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PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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BEING APPRECIATED.

One of the nicest things that happen to you in life is a surprise that says “I appreciate you and what you do/are”. The flowers above appeared one morning on my table at school where I volunteer once a week, from my daughters with four personally handmade notes attached from each of my grandchildren. My heart could not have been fuller, filled with more joy or been more grateful! I know of course that they all love me, but this said “I am happy you are here and love what you do for us”.

There are many opportunities in life for each of us to show our appreciation in simple ways that cost only a little thought and a few minutes. My guess is that we miss many of these opportunities and once the moment is gone, it can’t be recaptured. You have to observe and find another time.

Here are some thoughts: Smile  at those who wait on you or bag your groceries with a genuine ‘thank you’; holding a door for someone who may or may not need that; letting someone go ahead of you in a line because they have only one or two items;  telling your children/grandchildren that you appreciate their good work/help; thanking your friends for their friendship and support (in good times and bad); and above all find small ways to let your partner/significant other know they are appreciated on a regular basis.

“Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of  your thankful thoughts” (Alan Cohen, inspirational author).

Who can you shower with appreciation today, tomorrow, next week, next month …any day?

DIGGING UP THE PAST

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A few weeks ago we had our original drive way of about 28 years, completely dug up, filled with asphalt and then sealed. As I watched the machines easily gliding across the driveway, chewing up the old asphalt and spitting it out into the dump truck, I could not help but think about the ‘past life’ of this drive. How many different cars carrying our family members,  friends, and household repair workers had driven on it? There have been parties on the drive, cookouts and a few firecrackers lit. There also have also been police cars, ambulances, doctor’s cars, UPS, the mail truck, and sadly a hearse. Yes, this driveway has lived a full and busy life. The digging up brought back some interesting reflections for me.

Isn’t that how life is too? Some event happens and it brings back a flood of past recollections, some good and some less than good. Suddenly, you find yourself immersed in ‘digging up the past’, bringing about perhaps some sadness, anger, and hopefully some JOY with beautiful memories. It is a funny thing about memories. A wise lady once told me that you have to cull through your memories and selectively pick the one’s that have special meaning to you because you could never hold all your memories in that bank, the brain. Words of wisdom for sure.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”  (Soren Kierkegaard).

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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FIREWORKS!!

Fourth of July has come and gone, which makes me sad because in my mind that means that summer is half over. So, I engage myself in a different conversation – thinking about all the things I can still do during the last couple of summer months.

What can I do to create some artificial ‘fireworks’ in my life? For starters, I could just sit and enjoy this nice 75 degree weather filled with sunshine and cool breezes. Just enjoy the day for what it is…today. One thing I am working on during the next couple of months is reconnecting with friends for lunch that I have not been in touch with, for one reason or another for a while. One is a college friend from 1975 that I have not seen for about three years. Reaching out to a neighbor for lunch that I do not know very well was also worth the time. It seems that I think of these people in my life but don’t go to the phone and make the plans. My new commitment is to make the plans!

One other adventure I am taking part in is to attend Watercolor Classes for a week long intensive session with a friend who also is a watercolorist! This will be ‘fireworks’ for me and I am truly excited about the new things I will learn, as well as looking forward to catching up on life with a dear friend.

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “The PURPOSE of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly without fear for newer and richer experience.”

What fireworks do you want to create for yourself before summer ends?

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Summer reading!

Summer is a favorite time for relaxing, vacationing,  enjoying the outdoors, getting together for family reunions, and just plain having fun! It is always a challenge to keep our kids, or grandkids, engaged and hopefully not hearing too many “I’m bored” comments. Suggestions today will center around reading/literacy.

The local library usually has a few reading challenge programs so that kids view reading as fun and in some  ways a ‘game’ as they earn points. There are also many IPad apps that have a wide range of books to chose from, such as EPIC. One of my favorite apps is STORY MAKER. Kids can hand write or type their own experiential story page by page, add pictures from a pre – set vocabulary, draw pictures, record their own voice, and retell the story. It is engaging and quite user friendly. For younger kids, Tab Tale and Grasshopper apps are great for engaging learning through animation. There is nothing wrong with encouraging the use of IPad apps,  as long as the time spent on electronic devices is limited to not more than an hour to an hour and a half a day.

Other ways to encourage reading and writing include having the kids write notes with drawn pictures to their grandparents or friends, write the weekly grocery list (yes the use of invented spelling is great), write their personal invitation for play dates with friends, and write little notes to family members on post-it notes and leave on the refrigerator.

Parents and grandparents, don’t forget to model reading for your little ones! Keep a book or two in each room of the house that you have either read or are in the process of reading. My book for this week is “Column of Fire” by Ken Follet.

“There are many ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all” (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis).

Happy Reading!

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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SEED!

Today the featured article is from Mershon Niesner, Certified Personal Professional Coach, a guest blogger for PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES.

“You’re a Seed”

“They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds. Mexican proverb.

As a woman entrepreneur in the ’80’s, a single mom, a motherless daughter raised by a dad, a sudden widow, a board chair leading mostly men, there have been times in my life that I’ve felt the pressure of “being buried”. However, little did society, neighbors, corporate men, know…I was a seed. In spite of the difficult environment, I grew, I blossomed, I thrived.

I recently heard this great metaphor from a young Mexican American, disabled woman who was speaking to her fellow graduates at a college commencement. No doubt she has felt buried many times but on that commencement day she was a seed who had blossomed.

Affirmation: I am a seed.

Coaching questions: What’s causing you to feel buried? What will help you bloom?”

Thank you Mershon for your thoughtful insights.

I hope that you have enjoyed Mershon’s blogs that I have shared with you.  Should you wish to follow her blog, you can find it at: http://motherloss.blog.

PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Today’s post will be from my guest blogger, Mershon Niesner,  who is a Certified Personal Professional Coach, Welcome Mershon.

“Coaching helps people get unstuck, move forward, and live a healthier, happier, more productive personal/professional life. Mershon Niesner, CPPC

Ever wonder why there are coaching questions or requests at the end of each blog? I’m a retired, Certified Life Coach and I want to share my expertise. Here are three things I’ve learned while coaching people.

People generally know what they need to do to move forward. Solutions may need to be “teased” out with good questions.
Big changes may start with small steps. Simple requests like, “make your bed everyday” or “buy yourself flowers” have been the beginning of major change.
Most people thrive with accountability. Paying a coach and knowing that they are going to ask how you did during the week, often helps folks stay on target and make progress toward their goals.
Affirmation: I want to grow. personally/professionally.

Coaching questions: What is one thing you want to achieve this week? What step can you take today to move forward? How will your life be different if you reach your goal?”

Mershon’s full article 6 Insights From a Retired Life Coach can be found by contacting her through her blog: http://motherloss.blog

Thank you Mershon!

Purpose, Joy and Positives

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RETURNING:

Hello family, friends, fellow bloggers and faithful followers!

The last eight weeks have been an interesting and painful experience for me. Please pardon my absence from the blog. It has not been all sunshine and walking through the daffodils as pictured above.  No, I broke my upper left arm in two places which required a surgery, slings, pills, physical therapy, pain and sleepless nights. But the good news is that within the last few days, I feel some relief and life is beginning to resume the normal state! Wow…what an experience! I am in my seventies, grew up on a midwestern farm, rode horses, jumped from the hayloft, climbed trees and drove tractors and never broke a bone. So, the moral of the story is: NEVER EVER FOR ANY REASON STAND ON A SWIVEL CHAIR!!!  Enough said.

In my next blog, I will introduce a guest blogger for your reading. Mershon Niesner, a Certified Personal Professional Coach, authors books, articles and the blog Life After Losing A Mother. Her insights on this and many important life topics will be a fascinating read for you. I met Mershon back in the nineties as she led a woman’s group I belonged to. Somehow over all these years,  our lives keep crossing paths, She has always inspired me and I believe you will enjoy her writing and reflective coaching questions.

See you all soon and truly thank you for your patience.

PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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RESILIENCE !

Just as the bulbs in the ground all winter must remain hardy  in order to produce the beautiful spring flowers, we too are often called upon to draw from our inner strength and courage. I think one of the cutest sayings I heard many years ago relating to this was “Just pull up your big girl pants and deal with it”.

It could be said that resilience is a characteristic that one must develop in order to survive and thrive! It starts with loving your imperfect self. There will be things that don’t turn out as well as we would like, but we accept, we learn and we move on. It is also helpful to have a good support team in place to assist in our journey through the tough times. Life is going to happen and things can fall apart…….probably more than once. The important factor is to hang right in there, grab the challenge, and never give up!!

Go for it!

What part of your life could you draw on resilience?

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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via Daily Prompt: Song

 

“Sing to the mountains, sing to the sea. Raise  your voices, lift your hearts. This is the day the Lord has made. Let all the earth rejoice.” This is the chorus of a famous Christian song by Bob Dufford and it was the first thing that came into my mind as I saw the daily word prompt of SONG. I have not used the prompts before in my blogging, but this one seemed especially meaningful for me.  Music is a wonderful form of art for me that calms my mind and fills my heart with tenderness.

Deane Alban in her article “How Music Affects the Brain”  reports that music activates every known part of the brain, can improve your mood, and can reduce chronic stress due to a reduction of the stress hormone cortisol.  There is an actual area of research, neuromusicology, that although is fairly new, has interesting information about how listening and/or playing music can affect our brains.

As a kid I played the accordion and the organ. I  still have my accordion that my father bought when he sold a pig to get the money for the purchase (true  story).  I will never let it go out of the family. Probably, my favorite song was “Lady of Spain”, only because I had to practice it a gazillion times a day for a contest I competed in as an Eighth Grader. Whew….I bet my Mom wished she had a sound proof door to the kitchen many times!

Does music have a place in your life? How does it make you feel?

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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AWE!

There are so many things in life that can inspire moments of AWE. They usually happen unexpectedly, but sometimes we have to look for them.  I had that sensation when I captured this sunset a couple of weeks ago, and wouldn’t you know when I picked up the mail,  a new magazine  was waiting for me which had a great article, ” 7 Pathways to AWE”, by Patricia M. Robertson (St. Anthony Messenger). 

Ms. Robertson talks about AWE as added value to our life that can provide greater happiness, kindness and possibly even reduce negatives in our bodies. Here is what she recommends  about heightening our awareness of ‘wonder and amazement’.  I have added a few thoughts on the areas, but the topics come from her.

The first one is to go outside and take in nature…..and leave the technology inside. Rocking a baby and looking into those tender eyes, untouched by the world, is amazing. Being a part of a community as people, friend or stranger, is  a source of wonder and when we are open to them, we can experience moments of kindness in little things. She also suggests that experiencing the arts, however that may manifest itself for each of us, can be filled with moments of wonder and inspiration. Remember reading a touching book and your eyes filling with tears? The next idea is to create something, which I relate to with my watercolor painting. Her final two suggestions are to meditate/pray and to go to church. Meditation/prayer can be a special way of experiencing deep moments of enlightenment, calm, and the Presence of the Spirit to deepen our roots and guide us to seeing the world with AWE.

Albert Einstein said “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed”.

When have you experienced awe? Where can you look for those moments?