Happy Thanksgiving

"Finding hearts in nature!"
Each day I practice at making it a priority to give thanks for what I have. I want to be careful so that I always realize just how good I have it. I am not rich person but a person rich in love. The job I have doesn’t include a “corner office.” However, I love what I do and look upon it with honor and as a privilege.

It’s easy to complain about many things in this world. It is simple enough to talk about not having what we want and forgetting what we have. Being dissatisfied comes all too easy today. This is what I say; it could always be worse. For me the glass is always “half full” instead of “half empty.” I thank God each day for what I have, what I’ve gone through, and my hopes for the future. This helps me cultivate my attitude of gratitude. Happy thanksgiving!
Namaste.

30 Days of Gratitude Continued

As I contemplate the next ten things I am grateful for many things come to mind, most of which I have already listed, faith, family, health etc.. And even though I have listed friends before I am going to list them again because they truly help me in my day to day journey. So hang on and here we go!!!!

1. Girl friends – because they listen, even if they don’t have the answer and you know they will be there for you as we travel through life. And it is great to talk about “Hot” flashes to those who really can understand!!!!
2. Watching birds fly – their grace and heights are something to aspire to.
3. My hair dresser - because he gave me a fun hair cut and I have cut down my getting ready time to under 25 minutes – an all time record for me, and that includes a shower too!!!!
4. My yoga practice - because it teaches me all things come with patience and practice.
5. That my kids still like to hang out and talk with me - of course hot coco and cookies always help them get into the mood!
6. That I have had a very positive response to my Art show coming up in December.
7. That even though my kids disobeyed Mike and I last week - it has opened the door for more great teaching moments throughout the week.
8. That my car gets me around town – or else I couldn’t do all that I want to do such as teaching yoga downtown etc…
9. That the kids have a long weekend - we can all do fun things together like set up our Christmas lights outside!
10. My parents – they truly helped form the person I am today by giving me a great and solid foundation
11. Bonus: Last but never least Michael – my husband that I am so blessed to have in my life and who loves me for me and has built a beautiful life with me – I truly am blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and may God bless you all!
Namaste.

30 Days of Gratitude Continued

As I continue to list what I am grateful for, I stopped and thought about this past weekend. It was a challenging one in terms of parenting. Even though we found out that the boys had disobeyed us, it was a great "Teaching Opportunity" for us as a family to reconnect with our core values and to teach the boys that not everyone is going to agree with us but that we have to remain true to who we are rather than conforming just to fit in. So here are my next top ten items I am grateful for.

1. Time – with the people you love
2. Forgiveness – sometimes a challenging gift to give and a beautiful gift to receive
3. Timmy’s morning smile – it starts my day off on the right foot
4. Hugging my children – I know for those moments that are completely protected
5. Coffee – that is it decaffeinated so I can drink it all day without the shakes
6. Washer and dryer – it saves me so much time than if I had to hand wash everything
7. The weather in upstate NY – this November has been amazing and I bet lots of Christmas lights will be on more houses than normal since the weather has been so beautiful and more people are out
8. Holding the door open – especially when it is your child doing it for you without being asked
9. My feet – they get me from place to place and are priceless when working out
10. Life’s “Ah ah” moments – when you truly get want is going on – better late than never


I hope this post has got you thinking of your next top 10 things you are grateful for and hopefully you will share that with someone and this spark of gratitude will catch on fire!
Namaste.

Grow in Peace

Hard work and dreams are always characteristics I admire in people. My friend Carrie is this sort of person. She has a dream of helping children in Uganda and is holding a fund raiser this Saturday November 14th. I am sure it will be a wonderful and enlightening evening. I hope all that can make it will there. Here is Carrie's website for additional information www.yogashines4change.com . I hope to see you there!

To help Carrie with her efforts I will be donating a piece of wearable art. This necklace is called "Grow in Peace" and is chuck full of symbolism. Below are the details.

Description: This 16 to 17 inch adjustable necklace is full of symbolism. I used a variety of materials including fine silver for the heart pendant; sterling silver chain, wire and clasp; 4, 6mm grade “A” cultured white round pearls; hand crafted brass “s” hook; a real birch twig: and a 10mm briolette cut amethyst.

Symbolism:
The heart shape symbolizes “Love”.
The “Sunflower” motif on the heart was casted from an antique ink tray that I molded, and represents always looking and facing the light.
The twig branch reminds us to keep ourselves rooted while we grow.
The pearls are for protection, honesty and innocence – all gifts we strive to give children.
The brass “S” hook represents the unexpected turns in life that bring about great change.
And the amethyst represents contentment, spirituality, dreams, healing and peace – gifts for our world.

Special note of the placement of the pearls. I placed 3 pearls on the right side to represent the "Trinity" and on the left side I placed a single pearl to show that one person can help change the world.
Namaste.

30 Days of November, 30 Days of Gratitude

As I start thinking about the upcoming holidays two thoughts run through my head, one of panic – will I get it all done and the second one is of gratitude. Thinking back to past years I know I will get everything that needs to get done, done and that helps calm me down which allows me to put time into meditating on things I am grateful for. So I thought I would share my top 30 with you all throughout the month of November. So here are my first ten:

1. Faith – knowing that there is a loving God
2. Family – a blessing that goes beyond words
3. Health – being able to move around comfortably
4. Friends – knowing they are there for me and I am there for them
5. Home – a warm and safe place to be with family and friends
6. Books – they keep me entertained as they teach me many things
7. My hands – they help me express myself creatively
8. An unexpected smile – it can be from anyone and you feel its radiance
9. The sound of children laughing – the best music out there
10. Hope – makes life worth living

I hope this post has got you thinking of your top 30 things you are grateful for and hopefully you will share that with someone and this spark of gratitude will catch on fire!
Namaste.

A Busy Month

Wow this past month flew by! There was so much going on with the kids, sports, school, yoga, art, and a weekend away with friends. So much to tell and so little time to tell it in, so it it goes.

The month started out with the normal schedule then we added travel basketball for both boys, I added a couple new yoga classes to my teaching, holiday orders for custom artwork www.nicholsforpennies.etsy.com started to come in, Nick turned 13 and we celebrated it with the family - 35 people, Baytrail middle school got a new library that I helped set up, volunteering at the Elementary school started, I am Timmy's classroom parent with Amie, my book club read "The Priest and the Medium" and then we spent the weekend in Chataqua and went to see a medium in Lilydale, Nick and I did a Halloween morning 5k downtown, and Timmy did a half mile race that morning and came in 4th place! The list goes on and on but you get the general idea. October was fun, busy and beautiful!

Since Thanksgiving is this month, I am making it a point to take a few minutes each day to give thanks for the blessings in my life. Even though life is busy, there is always time to think and be grateful. Today as we celebrate our 16th year of marriage, I am thankful for my husband and the life that we have built together. Of course there have been the typical ups and downs but when I take time to remember there have been a lot more ups than downs and even during the "down" times it was nice to have each other to lean on.
Namaste.