My Friend Dr. Sanjay Pisharodi Breaks through the myths surrounding Ayurveda. He is both a Medical Doctor and also an Ayurvedic Practitioner. I enjoyed doing my internship in India with him, he is brilliant and amazing.
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Find the Healer Inside of You
I sit and try to write about the dry fall and what this does to our subtle energies but for some reason I am drawn to another subject today.
Recently my husband had a small procedure (dental) that turned into a major event, he asked me to apply Ayurveda to help with his healing. He is very open to what I say and ask him to do so he was one of the “easy ones” to treat.
One thing I noticed while treating him with various teas and rinses is he thought because what we were doing was so “difficult” he could understand why more people didn’t try Ayurveda.
If people really, truly, deeply cared about them selves they would make the effort? Do we live in a society of people who don’t have this type of regard for their own “self”?
I started to think, “this is what our style of society has made people start being, a society of people who have a pain and take a pill”.
We need to look deeper to see where the pain is coming from; covering it up is only a bandage. Ayurveda DOES take a bit of effort and as my friend whom I treat tells me it can be a “pain in the Ass” but it is THE ONLY thing working for her. She has learned to listen to herself, and this was her first step towards healing.
Everyone is different, some people are more sensitive, others will be healing and not know it, all of the signs will be there but they won’t notice them. We have been trained to NOT listen because we just “take something for the pain”. It’s not until we have a crisis we start to look for a different, perhaps better way to do things.
Unfortunately our crisis sometimes comes in the form of an Allopathic Doctor (western Doctor) telling you there is nothing more they can do for you. If you are a person that does not accept this news, you will most likely seek other forms of medicine. Eventually you find your way to Ayurveda, the “Science of Life”.
So back to what my husband said about Ayurveda being difficult. I know people think this yet I know we have a cellular knowledge and intelligence and if we listen to it, we will be more aware of what our bodies need. This knowledge is intrinsic in our nature but we have lost sight of it because our attention spans have shortened and we need/expect immediate results.
When you understand the deeper principals of Ayurveda it goes without saying, our energies affect everything and our Intentions are energy “ports” all of their own.
When we have intention and we set goals that we can visualize, we can manifest what we focus on, in this fashion it can be realized with the sort of life being led.
What we know about Ayurveda and the body is nutrition is partly dependent on the 6 tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, bitter).
Yet in our society, we have been used to taking a pill. Typically Ayurvedic treatments required a decoction or a combination of herbs in a liquid or powder form not in capsule form. Encapsulating totally bypasses one of the first processes of digestion which is taste.
According to Ayurveda each taste has an effect on different organs and thus related to different diseases when used in excess.
| Taste | Organ | Disease |
| Sweet | Spleen Pancreas | Diabetes, obesity, tumors, slow digestion |
| Sour | Small Intestine | Ulcers, boils, hemorrhage, thirst, fevers |
| Salty | Kidney | Hypertension, stones, swelling, wrinkled skin |
| Pungent | Lungs | Cough, bleeding, thirst, loss of energy, impotence |
| Astringent | Heart | Anemia, low BP, insomnia, gas, constipation |
| Bitter | Colin | Constipation, Depleted Tissues, distension |
So if our Intentions affect the outcome of things and our taste buds change what happens INSIDE our bodies, why would we want to bypass the biggest step in US healing our own selves? By being directly involved with the “making” of your herbal tea will encourage healing within you, your intentions are it will be healing and your sense of taste will start the healing while your tea is in your mouth.
Our cells are so smart, when we taste something, our bodies start to anticipate what will come next and secrete the proper mucus, hormone or what ever it is to facilitate what is about to happen. We fool our bodies with artificial sweeteners and then it fools us right back, but we don’t think it’s funny at all. The diet soda is “supposed” to help us lose weight but all it does is put the pounds on.
If a doctor was to say to you they were going to give you a bag of herbs, all mixed for what is bothering you, or lets step this up a level, they hand you the bag of herbs and say, “this will save your life, follow my instructions”.
They proceed to tell you to take the mixture, get a measuring spoon, measure out one teaspoon of the herbal mixture and put it in a pan. Take one cup of purified water and add to the pan of water. Put it on the stove and boil it for 5 to 7 minutes. Pull it off and let it cool, filter the fluid to remove the sediment and take a certain amount, 1 hour before eating.
Could you follow those instructions?
Please don’t say “no” because honestly you are insulting your own intelligence. I know 7 year olds that can follow these directions. No matter how it tastes or what a bother it feels like, I guarantee if it is helping, your body will be anticipating it’s arrival and making it will become a habit.
It’s all about taking responsibility for your health and really living, being productive and feeling great.
And so I wonder if life has just gotten to easy because we look for the short cuts in everything we do. We have machines doing many of the chores we used to do manually and we have put our health into our Doctors hands. We need to put our health back into our own hands, because who knows you, better than you?
Your Doctor is certainly a partner in your wellness, we need to listen and at the same time take responsibility because the healer is not your doctor, the healer is inside of you.
Seasonal Cleansing, Get The Spring Back into your step.
Kapha season is late winter and early spring, time for seasonal cleansing.
At that time of year our Kapha energy is more likely to go out of balance. Kapha is immobile and stable and strong. During the late winter Kapha tends to accumulate, we become less active and many times we crave comfort foods which tend to be Kapha-genic. This is usually a time that suggests it’s time for seasonal cleansing.
With spring comes a shift in the weather and it becomes time to rid our bodies of excess Kapha. In order to do that we plan some seasonal cleansing (ridding ourself of excess Earth and water elements in order to avoid imbalance).
Ayurveda provides a nourishing and effective approach to seasonal cleansing of the body that seeks to balance and restore harmony to the system.
Ayurvedic Suggestions for Seasonal Cleansing:
Drink lots of water and shift your diet to lighter fare. What we eat has the greatest overall impact on our health and Most Americans get less than half the required amount of fiber-needed daily.
Ayurveda suggests a diet that support the bodies natural purification systems. Including complete servings of fiber and protein in order to stave off hunger between meals. Herbs and spices are used to help detoxify and cleanse the body as well as make the foods tastier.
What are some signs that you need Seasonal Cleansing?
- Crave Junk food and sugar but have a poor appetite
- You notice it takes longer to feel hungry after a meal
- You find yourself eating large portions
- Feeling heavy, congested or constipated
- Bloating and gas cause discomfort
- Feeling tired with little energy
- Mind feels a little foggy and “spaced out”
- Lack of motivation.
What is the first thing you need to do when preparing for a seasonal cleanse?
The first thing is to remove the foods that create sludge or Ama in the system such as foods with preservatives and additives, junk food, sugar, cheese, deep fried foods, carbonated drinks and left overs. These may be things that you normally do not consume but you may have found that some of them have snuck into your diet.
Do not eat raw foods, they are harder to digest and we are trying to cleanse the system. Foods that are cooked are partially digested since digestion is our systems way of cooking. Eat plenty of cooked vegetables and eat fresh fruits (ripened fruit is not considered raw as the ripening process is the plants way of “cooking” the fruit until it is done).
Eat foods that are whole, fresh and organic as much as possible and make sure you are eating according to your dosha. When we eat according to our dosha it makes the food easier to digest for each of us individually. Make sure and eat your cooked food warm and drink only warm or hot water.
Tea is a great way to help detoxify your body. Boil equal parts of coriander, cumin, fennel and ajwain, take it from the heat and let it set for about 20 minutes to seep. Drink the tea throughout the day, make fresh tea every day.
For seasonal cleansing the best vegetables are cabbage, celery and cilantro, and fresh ginger, and lemon are excellent herbs to assist the system your detox.
Get plenty of rest because a rested body will digest and assimilate the foods more effectively. Exercise is very important as it will increase your metabolic levels, help sweat out toxins and increase energy levels.
Using healthy oils on your skin and in your diet will help to loosen toxins embedded deep in the layers of the bodily tissues. Generally coconut oil for Pitta and Sesame oil for Kapha and Pitta.
Regular elimination is also important when seasonal cleansing, including lots of vegetables and fresh fruits in your diet will help such as cooked apples and pears, prunes, pomegranates and pineapple.
Within a week you will feel the fog lift and you will feel more energetic, as you continue you will feel lighter and release weight. When you began you may have been craving your old lifestyle, after a while you will wonder why you would ever want to go back to unhealthy eating again.
What’s For Dinner?
In our fast paced world with all of the conveniences at our fingertips it’s hard to imagine having enough time to actually cook a nutritious meal that doesn’t have some ingredient that is processed. Many recipe’s today include opening a can of this or a box of that. I may be a cooking snob but when I see these things I usually discard the recipe unless I can make the ingredient fresh.
The media helps us in this thinking that we need nothing but convenience when it comes to our meals. I love the Olympics so I dusted off the TV and turned it on and really enjoyed the stories of the athletes and their competitions. What I didn’t enjoy is the bombardment of the media and their convenience foods. The Mom talking about how “toasted” she is at the end of the day so she stops by KFC and gets her family a meal.
I was thinking now she isn’t only toasted she’s fried too!!
With a little bit of planning it is not difficult to cook healthy meals with nutritious single ingredient simple foods. The best place to start is on the weekend, this is a great time to plan the weeks meals and strategize about how to make it more simple and convenient. Planning ahead will guarantee you will have all ingredients at hand and any prepping can be done ahead of time.
Todays meal is Cajun Chicken Gumbo so I planned ahead.
This take about 7 hours to cook in a slow cooker so the best part about it is that you put everything together and leave it. When you get home, dinner is cooked.
Last night because we had a planned out meal it was simple to chop up the onions, peppers, celery and garlic and seal it up in the fridge. Then this morning I took 15 minutes to make my roux and cook my sausage at the same time and drain. A small amount of Italian sausage is the only processed item in this recipe, Gumbo just isn’t the same without it. When it is pre-cooked and drained it is much healthier than cooking it in the gumbo like most recipe’s call for.
Another thing that I do for convenience is that I can organic chicken breast meat in jars. It is amazing for quick meals where chicken is called for. I only use it if time is an issue or there is no chicken on hand, it is an amazing time saver. I will go through the steps for you so you can learn how to can your own chicken in an upcoming blog but for now lets stick to the gumbo.
Shelli’s Cajun Chicken Sausage Gumbo:
1/3 cup Flour
1/3 cup Canola oil/ cooking oil
3 cup Water
12 OZ Cooked Italian Sausage
1 1/2 cup Cooked Shredded Chicken
1 cup Onion chopped
3/4 cup Sweet Green Pepper chopped
1/2 cup Celery chopped
6 cloves Garlic minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
3 cups cooked rice
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 7 hours
To make roux: combine oil and flour in pan, cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes stirring constantly until it is a rich dark reddish brown color like the photo, set aside and let it cool (hint: take if off the heat before it is to the finish point and it will finish as the pan cools, make sure and stir it occasionally)
Cook and drain the sausage and cook and shred the chicken (or open a jar of home canned chicken)
Chop all vegetables.
Add 3 cups of water to a pan, add the roux, it will look like the photo
Add the sausage, chicken and vegetables and let it simmer all day.
When you get home it will be done. Serve over rice. it’s delicious!
Because dinner was so easy tonight, you can plan for tomorrows meal and prepare anything that needs to be chopped ahead of time.
A great hint if you don’t have a timer on your crock pot is to buy one for the wall and plug the crock pot into that, set the time for 7 hours and head off to work.
There is no substitute for fresh locally grown food that is cooked freshly delicious.
Bon Appetite!
Running on Fresh Legs
Running on fresh legs
Literally of figuratively speaking running on fresh legs gives you a new perspective.
Bad news is I woke up yesterday and found a delightful “sty” in my eye and so decided to take it easy in the exercise department until I could get it under control. It was just a two mile walk with the dog for me yesterday…….which is not the norm.
And so I start my day today, “sty” going away with my awesome home treatments, and a new perspective on things.
It’s a 5 mile day and I head out on fresh legs
Feels pretty good actually, the brain is as fresh as my legs and so off I go with some positive tunes flowing into my head, keeping the pace up.
You may agree and you may not, 6:00 to 7:00 is the best time to take a nice run. The air is crisp and clean. All is quiet and calm because school hasn’t started up here in Oregon, so all is sleepy with only a few commuters.
Sprinklers are sprinkling and so I go out of my way to run through them and feel the cool dots hitting my skin. The grass is so green and the sky is the bluest of blues.
All of it was there just for me this morning, giving me new eyes to see the beautiful doves that swooped and played. Only to see them later on a power line watching me as I ran by.
After that energizing start to the day, I finish my morning “stuff” and here I am, ready to start a day of learning something new with a new perspective, with Fresh Legs figuratively speaking.
That Fresh perspective is what it’s all about, what can you do that’s Fresh with this NEW day?
What I found is that taking a step back, a chill day…..even though I didn’t plan it, was really something I needed to INCREASE my PRODUCTIVITY because that is the bottom line. What more can I do for myself and do for others.
That new perspective is going to carry me pretty far on my fresh legs today, because after the 5 miler my new perspective seems even fresher and MORE vibrant.
So give yourself a Break, whether it be mentally or physically and see what it is like to run on fresh legs, I think you are going to like it.
Peace out 0>-(
The Really Important Things in Life
People can be interesting creatures.
Growing up it seems so easy to make friends and find someone to play a game of handball or swing from the monkey bars with.
It’s so easy to make friends, and find things to do even if it is just throwing rocks into a pond. The most simple things will keep a kid occupied for hours and hours.
Sometimes we keep these friends for a lifetime, sometimes they are with us for a season. People come and go in and out of our lives and that is just the way it works.
Then we finally grow up and we start having a family. Many times we get busy and lose contact with friends that we had “long ago”. Sometimes this is due to going in different directions or moving to a different area.
For what ever reason we find that our “pool” of friends is shrinking to a smaller group and it all seems due to life.
Then as we move into new areas of life, like starting a family we all start to grow new “support systems” and we find ourselves in the company of people that are in the “family growing” stage of life.
We depend on these friends for child watching trades, “play dates” with the kids or rides to the many activities that kids are involved in. These people are more than a support system, they become friends.
Are they lifetime friends, seasonal friends or there is a possibility that the only connection you ever have is what the kids are doing?
You just never know, it takes time to find out. In the 20 years of raising kids it all “shakes out” and you find that out of many contacts and friends you may retain one or two of these friends beyond the child rearing years, or maybe you don’t.
For what ever reason, we find that when the kids are grown, we have collected more lifetime friends, however once again, the circle of friends shrinks back a bit after the hectic child rearing years. I have to say the quiet is nice……….for a while.
As adults, we don’t play on the playground, usually don’t swing from the monkey bars…(I may be the exception to that) and we certainly don’t knock on the neighbors door and ask them if “they want to play”.
So how do we make new contacts and friends when we feel like a kid inside but the mirror tells a different story?
We all have friends on facebook………all 5,000 of them and out of all of those people, how many do you actually know? Maybe 100, and how many of them are close contacts? I just counted mine and I would say about 20 people that before last week I considered real friends and close contacts, now there is more, almost 20 more, so I have doubled my network. And I wasn’t swinging on the monkey bars either.
My experience this past weekend was with some very exceptional people who are studying natural medicine with me. Some of them I have known for 2 years and some of them I only met months ago, I know that they are lifetime friends.
What I find is that it doesn’t matter where we come from, what we look like or how we dress. What does matters is the “stuff” that is on the inside…..Our hearts and souls.
I have come to the conclusion this weekend that what brings us together is what is inside all of us.
Kids have so many friends because they have pure, clean hearts. Not usually tainted by some of the ugliness we find in the world, that is why making friends is as easy as hanging from the monkey bars.
It gets more difficult as we become adults and get hurt by others or cheated or even physically and mentally harmed. It becomes more difficult to open up to others because our trust levels go down, we can’t be sure of someone’s intentions.
So we keep ourselves “safe” and contract our circle.
Live life with an open mind and heart.
Open it up to receive all of the goodness that life has to offer. If we live in fear we miss so much of the beauty that life is about. The beauty of a new friendship, relationship or finding a lost love.
When you open yourself up to the beauty in life, that beauty will find you and fill your heart and soul with joy. You get in touch with what is really important in this world and it is not the material things.
The important things in life are the other souls that intertwine with your own. The hearts that beat the same beat as your own, the ideas and thoughts from others that create growth in our own self, and the relationships that we hold dear.
Nothing else really matters because without that base, without the energy from others to help us on our journey we will find it difficult to achieve the greatness we were put here on earth to achieve. We can only achieve that greatness with synergistic energy and we get that by combining ideas, thoughts, feelings and love for one another.
Ode To Sunny
Ode to Sunny
Little bits of sunshine is what they
gave her for a name,
Laying in the sunshine was her
very favorite game.
She wasn’t long on memory
try leaving for just one hour,
When you came back in the door
her bark would make you cower.
And so she went about her days with
many jobs to do,
Like cleaning eyes, sniffing scraps
and humping Riley-Roo…..
We love that girl and all she was
mighty and divine,
That’s why her name was right for her
Little Bits of Sunshine.
She showed her love in different ways
that to some was a surprise,
She’d bark and growl with just a hug
but it was a disguise.
To make you think that she was tough
a little bigger and really rough.
Go Brush your teeth at night we’d say
so she would go to bed,
She’d tuck her tail and turn around
and up the stairs she’d head.
She came to teach some lessons and
bring with her some blessings,
So now she has another job that makes
her wear some wings,
Love and hugs compassion too is what
she brought to us,
What we gave back in return is what
she taught to us.
Rest In Peace My Dear Friend.
Ode To Riley
Ode to Riley
Sometimes we have a friend for life
who has to go too soon,
to a place where we can’t go
it’s way up past the moon.
So Riley has his angels wings
‘cuz he’s been called back home,
to a place with lots of toys
and Big green fields to rome.
He taught us some important things
that he was here to teach,
Love and care compassion too
having patience within your reach.
His gentle eyes, his happy smile
we will surely miss,
When he got his call back home
You sent him with one last kiss.
We know that when we get these friends
They might leave before we are ready,
It’s one of the lessons that they teach
to make us much more steady.
My Mama, My Mama he would say
with just a simple hug,
He wanted the attention, him and his
silly Mug.
So now we must say goodbye to one
we hold so dear,
For we will meet again my friend of
that I have no fear.
Exercise and Weight Loss, Let’s Have the Truth
Does Exercise really help you loose weight?
I hear this all the time and the only thing I have to say is, “it depends”.
I get a lot of weird looks with that answer having been a fitness professional for the past 27 plus years. I guess the expected answer would be, “Absolutely”. I understand their position. I am no spring chick, I have been in the fitness industry for years and years and I have no weight problem, and they think it is because I exercise “all the time”.
Naturally you know that’s an exaggeration because nobody exercises ALL THE TIME.
I have to explain to people that sure exercise keeps our entire body strong from the bones all the way to the heart. Our bodies were built to move and exert energy and when we don’t do that, we don’t feel our best and we may not even realize it.
I give them the old fitness speech then I move right in to nutrition. It’s not a 50/50 thing you know, just like relationships aren’t. We may want them to be but they aren’t. There is always one person pulling a little extra weight, the relationship works when it isn’t ALWAYS the same person doing the work.
Exercise and nutrition does NOT work like a relationship. If it did, Nutrition would probably divorce Exercise.
Continue reading “Exercise and Weight Loss, Let’s Have the Truth”
I’m Guilty
Okay, I’m guilty.
Not anything I am proud of, that’s the way things of this nature go.
I am guilty of being impatient.
Impatient with someone that I should not be. Impatient because things aren’t happening in MY time. Getting grouchy because they haven’t.
Honestly it came down to a time that a discussion needed to happen, I was so impatient that it had to happen RIGHT NOW.
I’m sure you have encountered “My Kind” before haven’t you?
We may say it’s our prerogative as a woman to change our mind, never was it written in the “guide lines” that we had the prerogative to be Impatient.
Impatience accomplishes absolutely nothing. People will move at their own pace, you will have a difficult time controlling that.
What we can control is our own emotions because we share them with others whether you like it or not.
Let’s talk……
What I found out is something I already knew, we came from two different environments. Two different styles of families and two different styles of parenting. That is what make us all individuals right?
From my side, I was the “over-looked” one. Quiet, didn’t need much attention, so I didn’t get it. With 2 other kids making a heck of a lot more noise than me, I understand how something like this can happen. My Immediate family is still all around within about 5 miles of me.
From the other side, the person was adored, never had to question the importance that they held in their family, splitting image of the father, who passed away at a young age. Grandparents to dote, and aunts and uncles as well. Many of whom have passed away.
Two totally different worlds.
I feel like I have to be heard, and charge to the front
From the other side, they are happy letting someone else win and take pleasure in their joy, they are able to sit back and wait to say something until it is important.
I am So Guilty.
As I read this I think I could use some of what this other person has.
I understand about the two different worlds and everything, now how about the impatience issue (which only belongs to me)
The other person explained it very simply to me in just one sentence.
They said, “You know I don’t really like to make people mad, I would rather not create anger directed at me. I have already lost so many people (to death) in my life and I really don’t want to lose anyone else, especially when they are alive”.
That was one of the most powerful sentences anyone has EVER said to me. I am sure I looked like a Deer in Headlights at that moment…..
Just when you think “you know everything” RIGHT?
I am GUILTY as Charged (charged by myself) because the person that I was talking to would never “gloat” or “charge me guilty”. They just ask for Understanding and Acceptance, that is the least that I can offer along with my Apology.
I am working on Patience, Many times it is directed at myself. I may slip because I am not perfect, I am a work in progress.
Thank You Virginia
Life is so interesting.
People come and go, the calendar page gets turned, time marches on, and on forever sometimes it seems.
Before you know it, 30 years have passed, you look at your baby daughter and she is 27 years old and you think to yourself, DANG!
When you are in the moment, it drags on or so it seems. Looking back it happens in a flash.
It goes by so fast and then we come to a time that we reflect back over the years.
Everyone does it, to a certain extent. “Did I make an impact in anybody’s life”?, “Have I done my best to make the world a better place”?, “What will I be remembered for”?, “Have I fulfilled my purpose in life”?
I know, these are some pretty deep questions and that is why it takes us so long to finally look a little deeper and ask them of our self.
You wonder about it and then something happens, quietly and unexpectedly, just out of the blue.
Someone reaches out.
On this occasion I received a beautiful card in the mail. The Actual US Postal Service with a stamp and everything…….You know how the electronic age can be.
This beautiful card was Hand Made AND it had bling on the front (A girls best friend).
I knew the card was on the way because the person contacted me and requested my address.
I wasn’t sure I knew who she was and so this opened up a lovely conversation over the internet and she turned out to be someone I went to High School with (you know that 30 years I was talking about earlier). We never really knew each other, she was much smarter than I was in academics, that would explain the lack of curriculum together.
Funny thing is that we both were aware that each other existed but in our busy teenaged life, we didn’t know each other.
I was loud, okay so I said it. She was shy and quiet.
We both had our challenges, everyone does in High School, that’s a pretty tough environment.
It was fun to hear her perspective on how life was in High School, as we chatted through email while the beautiful card she sent me was in route.
I couldn’t resist finding her in the year book, I had to dig it out first.
When I opened the book the thing that struck me first was the glorious fashion of the 80’s……..honestly what were we thinking, and yet it was so fun!
And so the day came when I opened my mailbox and what I had been waiting for had arrived. Did I get home and open it? Heck no, I ripped it right open in the car.
I was touched.
It made me smile.
It made me feel good.
It let me know that life throws curve balls at all of us, It’s how we catch it and make the play that counts. If we drop something we are juggling it’s about how we are able to fit that piece back into the puzzle and keep juggling.
If we focus on the things we drop, we may never make the play.
I was happy to know my friend has a happy, fulfilling, satisfying life. With a Husband of 20 years, 2 beautiful children, a Labradoodle (like we have).
She is one of the “Wild, Wacky Women” with a spirit that soars free.
In this beautiful card she has inspired me and made me realize that “YES” I have touched people’s lives.
How simple it is to be able to do that, because she touched my life in such a powerful way with her kindness.
She Reached Out.
Thank You from the bottom of my Heart Virginia.
Happy Birthday To Our Sweet Daughter
It was 27 years ago today that a great love affair was started. I became a Mother for the first time and it absolutely changed my life forever.
The moment I had waited for and planned for, didn’t come the way I had imagined it. The first thing I didn’t imagine is that I would be kept waiting for two weeks after my due date. You my dear were on your own time schedule, as far as you could see, there was no rush to get out into the world.
You made your appearance at just 12 minutes after midnight following a long day of being in labor.
And there you were, as beautiful as I had imagined. You were so interested in looking around at your new world, you didn’t cry you just sneezed, and sneezed and then our eyes met. Your beautiful blue eyes and we recognized each other as our heart beat on the same beat, synchronized forever.
I could not believe the miracle I was holding in my arms, an angel sent from heaven for me to love and to teach and to mold into the beautiful woman that you have become.
You amaze me every day with your beauty and your intelligence. I love your silly sense of humor and the practical way you look at the world. You are such a strong person and I have confidence in you that you can handle anything that comes your way.
I am so proud of you and everything you are. You are now and will always be a part of me. I think back on the years and how quickly they seemed to pass, and then I realize that even though it seems like yesterday that I held you in my arms for the first time, it actually is. 
Because each time we hug and I hold you in my arms it feels like that first time all over again and I am reminded of how much I Love, Admire and Cherish you for the beautiful person you are.
Happy Birthday My Sweet, Sweet Daughter. May every wish, every dream and every hope for your future be yours today and every day of the rest of your life.
Do You Love and Accept Your Family Like a Mother Her Child?
We can love and accept when we try to, just about any day of the week. There is a difference between love and acceptance and the way that a Mother loves and accepts her children. Unfortunately this happens sometimes to the point of blindness however in most cases there is nothing like a Mothers love and acceptance.
Many people don’t think of their family in this perspective. Love and acceptance is enough right? No, not always because when you are referring to your family your love and acceptance needs to be without condition, like a Mother has for her children. Say this to your Self:
I love and accept my family as a mother loves her child.
The bond between a mother and her child is stronger than steel. Mothers love and forgive their children unconditionally. Children know that when they run to mom they always find open arms. Such is the love I have for my family.
The treasure hunter in me regularly seeks and finds the embodiment of hidden treasure in the richness of my family. I love my family because they make my life great.
My family is a soft pillow that I can rest my head on. I crave time with my family and my heart delights in watching them grow.
I am affectionate with my loved ones. My supply of hugs and kisses is always fully stocked. When I speak to my family, I use soft words of admiration because my goal is to nurture their self-esteem.
I take care of my family. Selflessly, I put their wants even before my own needs. My family is my gift from my Creator. Each member of my amazing family has a special place in my heart and a distinctive trait that I adore.
There is nothing my family members can do to lose my love. My heart toward them is filled with forgiveness, keeping no record of their offenses. When we have disagreements, we still value each other over our differences.
Just as a mother forgets her children’s misconduct, my family retains no recollection or history of wrongdoings.
I get along with my loved ones and I do my best to ensure that we get along with one another. My family and I share many traditions that bring us closer together and help us cherish our time with one another.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Can I think of a distinctive trait of each of my family members?
2. What kind of words do I use with my family?
3. Am I keeping any records of offenses?
No matter the attitude of others we can rise above what is not desirable and choose to forgive even when we feel that we are not forgiven. Holding negative thoughts or grudges only damages the person holding onto them.
Accept and Love Your Family Members As They Are.
Many times we would like to change behaviors in the ones we love that don’t seem to be of any value to us. What we need to realize is that we are all different and that is what makes life interesting. We look different but more importantly we think differently. We need to love and accept people no matter their idiosyncrasies as I am sure you would like others to love and accept you.
Take time out and examine the way you think about your loved ones. Are you accepting of the way they are or would you be tempted to change some things about them. Acceptance is part of being happy so it would be advantageous for you to take some time and repeat this affirmation so that you can get on the road of acceptance.
I can love my family members as they are.
My love is a free gift that I offer to others without any strings attached. There are no pre-requisites to being cherished by me. I love because I choose to love.
When I make the choice to love the members of my family, nothing can get in the way. The manner in which my family members look or dress is irrelevant to me. I embrace my family for who they are, not for how they look.
I relinquish my desire to control the way people behave. On the contrary, I welcome the different ways people carry themselves as a beautiful blend of personalities, like a garden filled with various types of flowers. Each one is as beautiful as any other.
Regardless of whether my family members are shy or loud, uptight or free spirited, wealthy or poor, wise or ignorant, I choose to love them just the way they are. I enjoy being loved the way I am; therefore, I love others without needing to change them first.
At times my family members may lash out in an unloving way towards me. Instead of responding in kind, I rise above the hurt and respond with compassion.
Although I love my family, I know that not all of them are trustworthy. I choose to cherish even the members of my family whom I cannot trust. I am strong enough to humble myself and love people who fall short of my expectations.
Today, I choose to love all of the members of my family with kindness and patience. I cultivate the best in myself as I accept their imperfections and love them no matter what.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do I love unconditionally?
2. How can I separate love from trust?
3. Who do I need to show more love to in my family?
Just these three simple questions can make you see if there is some work to do in accepting people the way they are without feeling the need to change them.
The simple act of encouragement will build self confidence in your children. They will be secure in your love when you accept them as they are, find out more about encouragement, CLICK HERE and find out more.
Family Time Is My Treasure
The world is full of stress and we all need an escape from it. Family time is the perfect time to be able to relax and enjoy the people you love and care about the most. Learn to relax and you will come to realize that
Family time is Your treasure.
Find a quiet spot and take some time to repeat to yourself how much you treasure your family time and how you feel energized after being together.
Maybe something like:
Each day, I set aside time to spend with my loved ones. Just as I make time for working, eating, and sleeping, I make time for my family. Jobs come and go, but the moments I spend with my family last forever.
I value any time I spend with my family. Whether I am able to spend long hours or only a few minutes daily, it is always a pleasure to spend it with my family.
By making time for my family, I am building a legacy of love and togetherness to pass on to my children. My actions make it clear to my family that they are important to me. My children have a healthy self-concept because they feel valued.
I feel refreshed after spending time with my family. I make the most of the time we spend together. I look for ways to make everyone laugh aloud and enjoy the time as much as I do.
Family time breaks up the monotony of everyday life. When I allow my loved ones the freedom to speak their hearts and have fun, I also feel free.
I refrain from complaining during family time by focusing on the positive. My uplifting words fall into the hearts of my children and help them feel good about themselves.
Today, I choose to connect and engage with my family in a positive way. I make time for us to be together.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What is my favorite family activity?
2. How can I increase the amount of time my family enjoys together?
3. How can I improve the quality of my family’s time together?
Asking your self these questions will help you to gauge how much time the family does spend together and what types of things they enjoy. Finding the “treasure” in family time is so simple, CLICK HERE to find out how you can get the spark back into your family time
Experience is Making Me a Better Parent
Although I read many books in preparation for becoming a parent, experience is making me a better parent every day. The book of reality is my greatest teacher. I embrace my life lessons with humility.
Every day, I am gaining knowledge from the mistakes I make. Sometimes, things turn out differently than I hoped. I learn from those moments and apply their lessons to my future behavior.
I am humble enough to apologize to my children when I react in a manner that is inappropriate. My children are discovering that, although I am not perfect, I am someone worth imitating.
As the kids get older, I look back with clarity and see areas that I can strengthen. I offer my advice to younger parents who seek it. Sharing my experiences with others saves them from making the same mistakes I made.
Over time, I am becoming slower to anger and quicker to forgive. I have such a powerful inner sense of peace that I am able to overlook offenses, exercising patience with others.
I am learning that time goes by so fast that I must hold on to every moment I can. I live in the moment and enjoy my children just the way they are.
With experience comes the clarity to distinguish those things that are worth dwelling over and those which are best forgotten. Experience increases my ability to take life in stride without allowing anything to steal my joy.
Today, I choose to embrace the lessons that life teaches me and apply them to my future behavior.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What lesson have I learned from my children lately?
2. Am I slow to anger and quick to forgive?
3. How can I turn mistakes into powerful lessons?
Being a parent is not an easy job, but it can be fun and rewarding, use your experience to make you a better parent.
Click here to read about being a better parent to your child
We Are What We DIGEST
We are what we digest. That’s the truth.
Most everyone wants to believe that we are what we eat and that couldn’t be further from the truth, it’s part of the truth but not the whole truth.
We are what we digest. That sounds more like it. We can eat all we want, what is eating?
Digesting, now that’s where the real “stuff” comes into play.
I know you are thinking of food alone here, most people go there because people like to eat, so when we talk about digesting, that’s what we think about.
It’s much much more than that. We digest so much more than food every day, day in and day out.
Have you ever noticed that when we listen to a dialect or accent for a while we will start sounding like that too? That is because we have digested the sound and our bodies let it become a part of us. Even the kids will speak like their parents because they have listened to them so much.
We digest sounds from all over and it actually changes our vibration, our hormone and different chemical levels in our bodies. In some cultures the folk music is written to make people feel a certain way or maybe feel like it is a certain time of the day. Sound is all around, it’s digestions is something that we take for granted.
The sad thing is that sound is the MOST important thing we digest each and every day. Our words form sounds that are digested and words can be the MOST hurtful and difficult things to digest.
People use words with no thoughts to their consequences or any care as to their perception. This destroys relationships with friends and family alike.
About 90% of it comes down to sound because sound is the “Alerter”, 90% of the time we HEAR something that we take note of. Then maybe we see it.
What you look at gets digested from the eye and goes to the brain where the second phase of digestion takes place and it becomes PART of you. It’s hard to see this coming, we actually start to look different.
Come on now, you can see unhappiness written all over a person that is unhappy, they look unhappy, yet when they are happy, they look like a totally different person.
People that have been married for 70 years. Have you ever noticed that yes, they look old but not only that they look more like brother and sister, they actually resemble one another. Honestly look at the photo, they have looked at each other for all those years, the eye was digesting to the brain and they start to look alike.
Even with our food, we are what we digest with the mineral and vitamin absorption that assists our cells to do their jobs. Foods affect our functions too. Food makes our blood thick or thin, tints our skin, changes the color or our feces and urine and so many other things that happen inside we can’t see.
We digest what we smell. You know how when you move away from home and you miss your Mom’s cooking, you dream about it, you can see it………Fast forward…..you come home, as you walk in the door all you can smell is the Lasagna or what ever is in the oven and you instantly salivate…….You know that feeling?
Digestion at work again, you have smelled this before, digested the information, and now you are sending that information to the salivary glands and other systems preparing for digestion because that smell is related with food. Our taste buds do the same thing.
We even digest through the skin, touch is such an important thing to a human being. The tips of the human hand hold more energy than most any other part of the body and they are capable of passing that energy on to another.
Our hearts are more powerful when it comes to energy levels. When one healthy heart comes within about 10 inches or less of another healthy heart, the two hearts will synchronize and beat the same beat.
Our bodies are quite fascinating and every facet of it is interrelated with the rest. It is so important to digest only beautiful and peaceful things. Cut out violence and loud hateful noises, have more loving contact with other humans and pets who give back the same love in return. Keep our thoughts pure and free of negative thinking, take the time to Digest everything that is beautiful in your world.
Ode to Snicklefritz (Fritz)
Sometimes the best people in our lives are not people. That can be hard to understand unless you have one of these 4 legged people in your life. Sure they are hairy, they shed and sometimes they have dog breath. However they are put in our lives for a reason.
They show us how to love right from the very bottom of their heart, an all encompassing love.
They show us compassion even when we bring something on all by ourselves, they don’t say “I told you so” or berate us in any way. They instead place themselves by our side, and make their head available for a pat or a rub.
The pets in our lives show us a steadfast, never wavering devotion that is incomparable to any other type of devotion you could ever receive.
I have had the pleasure of having several of these types of “people” in my life.
This is the story of Snicklefritz, she was a questionable breed but her heart was never a question. From the moment I laid eyes on her I knew she was “the one”. She wasn’t “the one” for me but for my sister. She was a cute little furry black ball of sweet love right from the very start.
When my Sister showed me the two pups she liked, the other was an Australian Shepherd and something told me she wouldn’t be a fit. When I saw Snicklefritz, she was so silly and cute, and there was a line of people waiting to see her, they wanted to take her home. I pointed that out to my sister, at that point she scooped her up and opened her purse, took out some money to make room and put tiny little “Fritz” in her purse for safe keeping.
Now the homecoming was a little precarious due to the fact that she was un-expected and hubby felt that getting a pup was disrespectful of their older Cocker “Lou”. Eventually the dust settled and the bonding happened.
Amazing things happen when you bring a pup into your home. She seemed to be the missing part of a family jigsaw puzzle the way she fit it. 3 year old May claimed her as her own and made sure she had water, was fed and let out to use the bathroom, May was barely tall enough to reach the door handle to let her out.
Then a funny thing happened, this cute little all black fur ball started sprouting hair….and it wasn’t black hair. She grew a brown beard which was quite un-lady like and then to top it all off she got these whacky long brown eyebrows that she refused to pluck. She liked how they blocked the sun on those bright days in Central Oregon.
This little gal had it going on! She knew what needed to be done, she may not like it but she tolerated what ever that was. She had a knack for knowing when something was wrong or some one was sad, and she just took care of business in her own way.
Fritz was not my pup, she was my “Niece Pup” and she held a special place in my heart. When I was going through a difficult time and was staying at my sisters house, I didn’t want to get up in the mornings but that was hard to do with Fritz around. The first thing she would do in the morning is find me, jump on my “bed” and start digging and “rooting” around, kissing and letting me know her belly needed rubbing. After she got me all rustled around, we would both get up and start our day much happier for the morning greeting and silliness that she exuded.
The sad thing is that these little four legged people really do not live long enough, sometimes we think we will have them in our lives much longer than we actually get to have them.
They are ALWAYS taken from us too soon, before we have shown them all the love we have for them.
Sometimes we ask if they knew how devoted we are to them because they have shown us what it is to truly be devoted.
We want to know that they lived happy, full lives.
They are excellent at communication until it has to do with their pain or illness. Then they become stoic and don’t want us to worry, they suffer in silence.
We have to face the difficult task of making a decision and that is what my Sister had to do 3 weeks ago when she found out that Fritz had stomach cancer. We never want our pets to suffer but still we worry if we waited too long and if they are indeed in pain. The right decision is never an easy one but we know it is the right thing to do.
My sadness comes from being on a trip when we found out that she was terminally ill and that she would be gone before I got home and had a chance to say my goodbyes. Because of this fact, the sadness is staying in my heart a little longer, although I have said my goodbyes a thousand times since, it is not the same as having Fritz on my lap, looking into her eyes and understanding what we have in our hearts for one another. Her not being able to give me one last lick and me not being able to give her soft sweet belly one more loving stroke.
I know we should have had you much longer, but you were called home.
We love you and we miss you, our faithful friend Snicklefritz……
Ode to Fritz:
On the day we brought
our Fritzy home,
We didn’t know how much
she’d grow.
So fuzzy and cute, tiny
and small,
In no time what so ever
she was loved by all.
She came home, to keep
warm, inside my coat,
So snuggly and cute, put a
lump in your throat.
Her legs grew short, her body
grew so long,
She was a mighty midget,
her heart was very strong.
Her nose was black, as
dark as night,
Her tail was straight and
stood up right.
Man, that girl could run
so fast,
Chasing all the bikes
riding past.
A little skittish when around
any guys,
That always created a big
question WHY?
Black Fluffy hair so soft to
the touch,
Never knew we would love
her so much.
Just to see her would make
you say “wow”,
Cute face with a beard and
crazy eye brows.
There will only be one,
no Fritz coming after,
In our life we are closing
one great, big, huge chapter.
She will always be with us,
always be near,
Listen, be quiet and you can
feel her right here. (put your hand on your heart)
That sweet little pup is healthy
and whole,
Being an angel now is her
God given role.
Thank you for the lessons we have learned from you. We will never forget the way you made us feel. We can only hope that we made you feel as special as you made us feel.
Even now I can feel her, as I sit quietly and I put my hand over my heart. I know that her heart is beating the same beat and that she feels the love I have for her.
Get Your Thinking “Outside The Box”
If you already know you want to change your life – Congratulations! Having that realization and committing to do something about it are the first and most important steps to creating any change.
Now, you may want to focus on specific life changes, for example your physical health or your spiritual life. Or you may be looking for an approach that has you diving in and changing everything from the ground up!
However small or large the changes you want to make, though, we’ve found it’s best to start small. Changing our lives involves, among other things, breaking old, unhealthy habits and developing new and healthy ones. And that’s why we’re going to address habits first in this list of 5 easy ways to change your life:
Continue reading “Get Your Thinking “Outside The Box””