Reflections On Sunrise

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

After eleven straight mornings of dust and clouds, it’s nice to be able to post a photo this morning with some color in it !! A perfect day to be outside or on the water.

I have a lot to be grateful for.

First, I am grateful to the fact I have 318 FB friends! That’s 300 more than I expected when I joined Facebook 4+ years ago. As I reflect further on yesterday’s post, I suppose what makes me sad about my lurking friends is this: In my humble opinion, I think they are missing the wonderful opportunity that Facebook offers. Which is to connect. read more

“Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find.”
~ William Shakespeare

Good morning faithful friends Yesterday was summer solstice … The longest “daylight” of the year, as well as the midway point. Thank for taking time each day to share in my journey. You are appreciated. All 53 of you, 25 of you who I am grateful to have as friends outside of this digital world. As for the rest of you, I hope we have the pleasure of meeting one day!

In real life, according to Facebook, I have 318 friends. I personally know most of my FB friends, but a handful, I’ve “friended” because we share something in common, and they are active in the world of Facebook. And I enjoy being able to interact with them. read more

“That which I do not forgive in you, lies unforgiven within myself.”
~ Buddhist Proverb

This morning’s early sunrise seems to capture so perfectly the renewed calm, both for mother nature and for myself. A large group of white butterflies danced below, and I found myself laughing … If only I could focus on my meditation as intently as my cat was focused on her prey ….

So yesterday, I found myself in the position of either taking care of myself, or pleasing others. It’s caused me to reflect on why the options feel as though they are mutually exclusive? Reflecting brought me to one of my favorite posts over at TinyBuddha.com read more

“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.”

So it’s overcast today! Will I obsesses on wishing for sunshine, while neglecting to bring an umbrella? Surely not. Yet this is exactly what we so often do in life: We focus on what we can’t change, while ignoring what we can ….

Yesterday, a note from a friend prompted me to consider the steps I’ve taken to begin to find peace from within …. It’s been a long haul. What are we actually responsible for? As woman, mothers, owners of businesses, wives, girlfriends, daughters, we are taught that we must take care of other people. And men too: Society and our media often show men helping the damsel in distress or being solely responsible as the financial foundation for their family. read more

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
~ Viktor E. Frankl

I sat with interest under our partly cloudy skies this morning. I had a fitful night’s sleep, mind was busy, cats were oddly huddled up next to me, then around 3AM a strong windstorm blew through, and shook the house. I got up, and browsed the web via Stumble Upon … My favorite tool for “counting sheep”. I was grateful for the clouds, as I knew they would allow me an extra half hours sleep. read more