Thank you!

Thank you. Two words with a powerful meaning. Those words can change a negative attitude, heal relationships and bring closure to a situation if spoken with sincerity. My spirit keeps bringing me back to gratitude. I understand that when you desire a change or if you want to manifest something in your life having gratitude brings it to you faster so I'm going to spend the next 30 days in gratitude. It’s funny how the law of attraction works because I was attracting a lot of things to me about gratitude and then I received an email from this website that I’m subscribed to and the teacher is doing 30 days of gratitude so I decided to join him on his journey. His name is Peter Adams and each morning he also does what he calls “an hour of power” which is spending an hour each and every morning in prayer and meditation. I can speak from experience and say that this exercise really does change your life. The way you respond to things and people whether it’s “good” or “bad” your attitude will be completely different.

 

I remember when I was in my mid 20’s I used to spend that quiet time alone seeking and believing that there had to be more. I was single, my son was very young at the time my cousin and I were roommates and I had a part time job that started at noon. I would drop my son off to school and when I got home the apartment would be empty. Our apartment faced a lake so I would go outside and close my eyes and listen to the birds singing and just relax.

I would sit there sometimes just being grateful for the serenity and the stillness of the day. I have to admit that I really miss those quiet alone times and the simplicity of my life at that time. I think I was a bit ahead of my time because I was not able to find a group of people who supported my intuitiveness. I did have a friend whose husband was into spirituality but he involved beliefs about Christ that I did not agree with so I did not connect with him. Nonetheless, I’m grateful for my experiences and that I was brought to a place of seeking and desiring more. I’m grateful for where I am right now and that I have the desire to do more, see more and be more. I’m grateful for my family and that everyone is alive and healthy. I’m grateful for being able to document my feelings and share them with whomever is interested. Maybe you’re on the same path of seeking more because you believe there’s more. Well, there is and it all begins with YOU. Be grateful for person, every experience, every situation, everything, no matter what it is.

              Gratitude changes everything!!

The mind is a terrible thing to waste

I found this awesome quote on Pinterest.com by Eleanor Roosevelt. I decided to blog about it because lately I find myself in the midst of small minds. With that being said, I am making a conscious decision to remove myself from those types of situations. In order to create our best life and to attract great things to ourselves, we have to stay in the light, meaning we need to surround ourselves with positive people who are discussing ideas and things that will help us to be better in some shape or form whether it's financially, spiritually, mentally or socially.

As Proverbs 4:23 says, "We have to guard our hearts because everything flows from it". So if we allow negative people, music or TV shows into our hearts, our spirit-man which is our true nature begins to fade and we end up lost and caught up in this human experience, thinking this is all there is. But as spirit be-ings we have to understand that there is so much more to this life than what we see with our carnal eyes. We have to turn off the TV, shut down the computer and spend time in prayer and meditation which will lead us to our purpose. Yep, I'm letting it all out in this one.

There are tons of inspiration bible scriptures, spiritual verses, quotes and books about the mind. One of my favorites comes from the bible:



As a Man thinketh, in his heart so is he
Proverbs 23:7

The other is a simple book entitled Don't let your mind stunt your growth by Dr. Brian E. Robinson, PhD. There are several great books about your thinking: James Allen, As A Man Thinketh, Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, Ernest Holmes Creative Mind just to name a few.

All of these offer insight as to why things happen to us and why we allow certain things and people in our lives. Your life is shaped and formed by your thoughts, beliefs and actions. Your thoughts create things and whatever you believe to be true will be true for you. So if you believe that you will never meet the love of your life or that person doesn't exist then guess what? You will never meet the love of your life. If you believe it's hard to make money or you'll never be wealthy then that's exactly what will show up in your life; lack, struggle and poverty. If you keep attracting the same situation or the same type of person over and over again, it's very possible that you have some limiting beliefs that are blocking you from moving forward. If undiscovered, those limiting beliefs can keep you in a cycle of dismay and regret. Some people go through a lifetime living this way and never understand why these things keep happening to them. If you get nothing else out of this blog, please know and understand that you are a co-creator with God and you are constantly creating whether it's positive things or negative things. Take a close look at your life and see what you've created thus far. If you're pleased with your results then good for you but if you're not so pleased or you have areas that need help, ponder how you feel about these areas and examine yourself to see what limiting belief you may hold that's blocking you from being successful in that area. I encourage you to change your thoughts in order to change your life because your mind is a very powerful organic machine. After all, you really are what you think you are.

Inspiration Time

Inspiration Time

Last week at work one of my coworkers passed out a little baggie filled with sweet treats to celebrate spring. Each baggie was a different pastel color with different colored Easter grass in the bottom and attached to the baggies was a little note printed on bright yellow paper that said:

                                                                                                

                                                        May Day

                  Live every moment  

                             Laugh every day

                       Love beyond words

JHappy SpringJ

This little note brought me joy that day because I have these words carved in wood in my den and kitchen. I ate some of the delicious treats but I kept the note because it is a reminder of how important it is to LIVE, LAUGH, and LOVE. It reminds me of my old college buddy Marsha. She used to say all the time “life is too short to be unhappy” and she was so right. At that time she was single and had 3 daughters and she lived in a fabulous townhome with her kids. She was a few years younger than me and she always had such a positive outlook. I admired how she LIVEd her life to the fullest by taking nice family vacations with her daughters, working hard to put herself through school to support her family and how she made sure to provide a nice safe home and environment for her family. She LAUGHed all the time and she always had a smile on her face. When things went wrong she didn’t get upset, she just said “oh well, that’s life” and took whatever the challenge was in stride. And she LOVEd her daughters beyond words. She would always give them kisses and hugs and they were always hugging and laying on her whenever they could squeeze into an open space. Now, she wasn’t perfect but she was a genuinely good person and friend. She was my maid of honor at my wedding and unfortunately after getting married I lost contact with her. But these words brought back the great memory of my friend Marsha to LIVE every moment consciously, LAUGH every day, even if it’s at yourself and LOVE beyond words by giving hugs and kisses to those who you love. Life is too short to be unhappy, so just LIVE, LAUGH AND LOVE. Thanks Marsha!!

                  

Adventure Time

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, everythings going my way!!! What a nice and simple song. I like to sing it every now and again and when I do people look at me like I'm crazy but hey, that's what I'm feeling yo, LOL!!! Ok seriously, I'm so grateful for my life and my journey of intention. I'm really coming out of my comfort zone and doing things that I've wanted to do for years and it feels gosh darn awesome man!! I mean, I made the decision (and yes when you want to do something you have to make a quality decision) to spend this spring exploring and doing outdoor things that I've been wanting to do and this past Saturday I went hiking with my friend Tracy at a state park called Washington on the Brazos. 

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed on March 2, 1836. It is the birthplace of Texas. We went there for 2 reasons, my friend loves history and I wanted to see the wildflowers. This place is known to have a beautiful blue bonnet field but unfortunately because of the strange weather we've been having lately and the drought last year, the blue bonnets bloomed very early and didn't last very long at all but there were other beautiful wildflowers that stole the show.

We walked along the trail and listened to the gravel crunching under our feet. I love that sound. When we stopped the only sound  we could hear was the birds singing. I took this time to reflect on how awesome this beautiful earth is and how wonderful God is for getting us there safely. I was very grateful that I finally got to experience the wildflowers of this wonderful state. The colors were so vivid and bright and they smelled fantastic. At this moment I felt like everything was okay in the world. It's amazing how serenity makes you feel.

  We continued our walk with very little conversation other than pointing to the beautiful flowers and attempting to name them. I verbally thanked God for this experience because it was something I've always wanted to do and I thanked God for my friend who wanted to share this experience with me. I joked that I hope we wouldn't be attacked by wild animals when she discovered bobcat poo and then I almost stepped on a snake.

Yeah, I was ready to go after that. We rounded the trail and came upon a couple having a picnic and we saw a photographer in the bushes about 25 feet away from the couple and the photographer told us that it was a proposal. What a beautiful day it was for such an awesome event.  I would have loved to hang around to see it but I think we would have given it away so we continued on to the river overlook which was another peaceful area of the park. I could have stayed there for hours just watching the water and listening to the birds.

The day was perfect, the sun wasn't too hot and there was only one snake and no visible bobcats, thank goodness!! But after thanking God for allowing me to see this beauty, I found that am really interested in seeing other state parks. I'm sure I won't be able to see them all this spring but I do want to visit more and also take a nature class or something to know how to respond to the wild animals that are out there so that I can be protected. I mean, nature is in the wild and there are all kinds of creatures that go from place to place and you never know if someone owned a wild animal and didn't want it anymore and dropped it off in the preserve so just for my own peace of mind I'd like to know what to do. My friend who is a native Texan and lives in the country says she's never seen a live snake before and honestly that was my 2nd time in my life coming close to walking on a snake. Anyway, I enjoyed myself immensly and I hope that if anything, what you will take from my adventure is to get outside and have an adventure of your own. Go somewhere you've never been and open yourself up to experiencing something new. Keep moving and growing so that you can discover new things about yourself. I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Just Be happy

Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.
- Mildred Barthel

I love this quote because this is so very true: Happiness is a choice.  Your happiness comes from inside of you, not from circumstances, other people, increases or anything that would be outside of you because again, it’s a choice. I’ve often heard people say I’ll be happen when this or that happens. Well what if those things never happen, or happen years from now? Are you going to put your happiness on hold? If you wait for something or someone to make you happen, you’re limiting yourself because it’s a choice you can make right at this very moment.

                                                                     

Did you know that there is a "happy" meditation that you can do to change your vibration? Yep, it’s true. This meditation is so simple and all it takes is for you to make up your mind and open yourself up to it. All you have to do is close your eyes and smile. When you smile, that action brings forth good feelings which trigger good thoughts. Sometimes you may just laugh at yourself because you’re sitting with your eyes close and smiling. Either way, it works.

For this new year, I choose to do those things that make me happy. I choose to live my life on purpose, laugh more, hug more, take more pictures, say “I love you” more, make more phone calls, spend more time outdoors, and just live more. So this weekend I went hiking with the hubby and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As we started down the trail, the birds seem to serenade us and welcome us to the woods. They sang with so much vigor and beauty, I immediately felt a sense of calm and peace. I noticed an older gentleman sitting on a bench and as we got closer to him I looked at him to say “hello” but he had his eyes close, his head was slightly leaned back as if he was listening to the singing birds, he had a very peaceful smile on his face and he tapped his foot. He didn’t have any earplugs in his ears for music so that led me to believe he was simply enjoying the music of the birds. Watching this man enjoy this moment gave me a feeling of “connection” and ushered me into the state of mind to enjoy the moment. I think my hubby felt it too because he reached out and grabbed my hand.

As we walked along in this peaceful place watching the butterflies flutter along and the lizards creep across the sidewalk, I verbally thanked God and allowed gratefulness to overtake me. I felt so grateful for the beautiful day, grateful for the cool breeze (it was about 70 degrees), grateful that although it had rained a couple days before, there were NO MOSQUITOS. I took this time to reflect on all of the things that mattered most to me like my mom & dad, and all of my loved ones. I thought about how blessed I am and how good it felt to be moving and alive.



attempting to count the age of the tree

We walked the trail for about 40 minutes or so with very little conversation. I think we were both basking in our own worlds but grateful to be together. We came to the map and I wanted to see the botanical gardens because I figured that it’s spring so things should be in bloom. We crossed the path to head over to the botanical gardens and to my surprise it was a blooming wonder. I can’t imagine why I thought this was my secret place because there were quite a few people there taking pictures and walking with their children. The fragrant smells of the flowers filled the air and the gentle breeze blew the trees and petals around on the ground. It was totally picturesque. So beautiful. So much so that I decided to bring my son and his family back so that I could finally get some family pictures because that's what I wanted to do to make me happy.

So I offer that  you find those things that make you happy. Laugh out loud everyday and have fun like a child would. You get old when you forget how to have fun and forget to laugh. Smile more, love more, be more friendly, live more, and just be happy. It could always be worse.



Slow down and See it

Spring is my favorite time of the new year and I am still basking in the newness of life.  The wildflowers are all in bloom, butterflies are everywhere and I feel so grateful that the sun is shining but not like the usual Texas hot sunshine, and there is also a cool gentle breeze in the air. Texas summers are brutal and it's almost impossible to get out for running errands or family time prior to 5pm to do anything. You either need to go out before 11am or after 5pm in order to survive the heat. So what I've decided to do this spring is spend more time outdoors enjoying the city before it gets too hot. I want to slow down and not just look at things but see things. I'm going to take my time and see what I've been missing, so this week I started with my favorite place: Canino's Farmers Market. I've been to this market hundreds of times but because it's soooooo crowded I always rush in, grab the usual items that I want from the same lady and be on my way. But this past Saturday, I decided to slow down and bring my camera along to see what I've been missing and I was pleasantly surprised. I normally buy my leafy greens from the supermarket because the prices seem so competitive but on this day this is what I found in the air conditioned part of the market:

 This place even has goji berries which are filled with powerful antioxidants and other compounds that may help prevent cancer and other illnesses, including heart disease and all this time I've been ordering them from the web.

 There are many varieties of jams, preserves and natural fruit spreads that I've never even noticed before.

      And look at all the varieties of pure raw honey. My honey is comparing prices to get the best deal.

         After our purchases in this part of the market, we headed out to the open air part of the market.

                    I headed to my favorite marketeer and I finally asked her name. Meet Ms. Celia

     Her produce is so fresh and at this market each bushel of produce is only $2. Can you believe these prices???

Get busy

Happy Easter......a celebration of Christ rising from the dead and proving his diety. It's a feat that can't be topped by any human but we all can rise from dead things like relationships, jobs, unnecessary stresses, weight and so on. Although it's already April, if you've fallen off the wagon of your new year resolution, this is a great time to start again. The only thing stopping you is you.

 My biggest challenge was releasing weight of an extra 25 pounds that I gained in the course of being married for 8 almost 9 years. I use the term releasing weight instead of losing weight because when you release something you let it go for good as oppose to losing something that can be found.  Now that may not seem like a lot of weight to some people but for a 5'5 woman, 160 pounds on me is not cute. I started out at a size 6 and then went to an 8 and started pushing the envelope on a size 10. What was my biggest weakness? POTATO CHIPS!!! Salt & Vinegar chips to be exact. I would eat them with breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a late night snack. I ate lots of fried foods, lots of chips, lots of junk and get this.......I'M A PESCATARIAN. I think I had enough when my son took this horrible picture of me at the mall stuffing my face.

Now this one isn't as bad as the other one that I refuse to publish but this one is pretty bad. Anyway, I decided to start by eating salads and adding more fruits to my diet.

This helped a litte with my energy level but I still needed to do more to get the results I wanted. Now, because I had decided make this change in my life and understanding the Law of Attraction, I started to think on what I wanted to do as far as getting healthy overall. So one day at lunch I was surfing the net and came upon this website called "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I browsed the site and saw that there was a video on YouTube. I went home that night with the video on my mind and once things settled down I was able to watch the 2 hr video uninterrupted. I have to say it absolutely changed my life!!! I followed the juicing regime that was offered on the video for 10 days which turned into 25 days which turned into 45 days. This new lifestyle brought me so much more than weight loss. It brought clarity, energy, vitality, along with prayer and meditation. I had enough energy at the end of the day to do my quiet time, read, pray for longer than 5 minutes and meditate. I usually start my day with a breakfast like this:

Leafy green lettuce, golden apple, carrots, cucumbers, tomato & radish. Each of these vegetables have exactly what a body would need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I make sure to juice enough for breakfast and lunch. I have a glass of this juice for breakfast along with a piece of fresh fruit and for lunch I have the remainder of the juice with some nuts.

 For my mid-morning and afternoon snack I have a protein shake:

Gluten free protein mix, papaya, flax seed, kiwi, local honey, bananas and hemp milk. When I get hungry again around 10 am or so, I drink my protein drink. This shake gives me the energy that I need and keeps me full for the most part of the day. I drink this again around the end of my work day when I'm feelling a little hungry.  This shake is absolutely delicious and very filling.

I do make several varities of both of these drinks to not grow bored of the same thing but they are all extremly nutritional and include nothing but fresh fruits and veggies. This has been so much more than a diet for me, more like a lifestyle change. I used to juice several years ago and I was following "The Hallelujah Diet" so I decided to look it up again since I am doing a lifestyle change. This diet consists of 85% raw and 15% cooked. You can order the book and get all of the receipes and encouragement you'll need to make the change. Once you do it you'll see and definitely feel instant results.

Ok, so I said all this to say change begins with you. If you want to make a change in your life, believe in yourself that you can do it. I know the hardest part of getting started is that first step. Martin Luther King said "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase" so don't allow excuses to keep you from getting to your dreams. No matter what the challenge, you can be an overcomer because of who you are. You are a cocreater with God and you have been equipped with everything you could ever need to get to where you want to go. So get in tune with the god within and get going to where you want to go. The only thing standing in your way is YOU.

Kisses,

Tums

Attitude of Gratitude

An attitude of gratitude is more than a rhyming phrase.When you are grateful for things that happen to you, for you and to others, you put yourself in a place of receiving more of those good things. Being grateful for the good and for the bad helps you to grow spiritually and it teaches humility. The bible even tells us to give thanks for all things and that's because all things are working together for our good. The Universe is conspiring to make things happen for us that will enable us to walk in our purpose. You may wonder why some doors may close and some open. That's because you are being led to your purpose and when you are out of your purpose you always have the feeling that something is missing. Grumbling and complaining won't change a thing, trust me. That's the time to surrender and say "Thank you" because God is working it out for you. Have you ever been in a situation where you were upset about something that didn't go the way you planned and then later on you find out that it was a good thing it didn't work for you? That's what I like to call "Divine Intervention" because although it looked good at the time God was on the job covering and protecting you from disaster. So when you're sitting in traffic and you feel like you will never get there, pause and say "thank you" because it's possible that the Universe is working in your favor to help you avoid a horrific accident. Even when you get let go from a job and I know it sounds crazy but still say "thank you" because it could be an opportunity for you to start your own business, go back to school or to find the job that better suits you.

A New Day

It's a new season, it's a new day... Spring is here and it represents starting anew, hence this blog. I started this blog because I am feeling exactly like that...."NEW". I am on a spiritual journey that has taken me in many directions starting with improving the care of my hair and my skin to self love and care, and to my diet which has now conjured up feelings of a career change. I am striving to live a spirit guided life and to be intentional in everything I say and do. Afterall, we are all spirit be-ings and when we walk outside of who we are we get lost and end up going thru the motions. What actually struck me to start this blog was a movie on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) called "The Shift" with Dr. Wayne Dyer. If you don't know who he is check him out here. Anyway, I was so inspired by this movie that I was in a fog for several hours just thinking and journaling, meditating and praying. I had so many thoughts going on that I couldn't contain them all so my spirit prompted me to start this blog. I'm not looking for any accolades or anything, I just like to share what I know and help because you may be like me which is trying to find out my purpose in life (I believe I found it) and to just be a better more focused person. Wherever you are in life it's important that you do this one thing and that is to take the journey and find your true self. Yeah, I know it sounds woowoo but If you've been questioning the meaning of life, God, or asking why me, I encourage you to simply open your mind and your heart and take the journey to get to know yourself. Find out what you like, what you don't like. Examine the areas of your life that are successful and not so successful and then make a change if you're not happy with it.  Sometimes that change can be saying no to some things or invitations or maybe ridding your life of toxic people.You have to start somewhere so be like Nike and just do it. You are wonderfully made in the image of the Divine whether you believe it or not. And because of that, if you have any questions about yourself, go to the Creator and ask. And when you ask,  be prepared for the answer because it may not be something you want to hear so be honest with yourself. Get quiet and go within to hear your answer. How do you go within? Find a time when it's nice and quiet and you won't be disturbed for at least 15 mins and then close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and then ask your question. You will get your answer, trust me.

Ok so this blog is going to be about my journey and some rambling here and there so if you're interested stay tuned. I look forward to seeing where this is going to take us...