Help Ever, Hurt Never.....

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another personal's suffering and bring that person joy.

- --Thich Nhat Hanh-- 

 

I read this quote and said to myself what a simple form of expression but yet so difficult to practice.  I looked at the news this morning and it was full of violent acts and just felt disgusted that we as human beings have allowed ourselves to resort to that level.  We have all been through some form of suffering in one way or the other at a certain point in our lives. We know what it feels like to be hurt, to feel pain, to feel the anger, to feel the bitterness, etc. and because we know what it feels like, why would we want to do that to another person - why would we be impulsive in our thoughts/actions/words to hurt another being. Yes others may act violent, others may be selfish, others may be narrow-minded, others may be insensitive and cruel - but if we mimic their behaviors we are equally contributing to the hatred and violence to continue. It becomes a continuous cycle and doesn't end.  What if we change our perspective and shift our perspective.  what if we change our attitudes and stop ourselves from making assumptions, from jumping to conclusions, from lumping all being to be in one particular category, what if we practice just seeing them for what they are and treat them like how we would like to be treated? we must begin to shift our lens not only for our sake, but for our children's sake. Our children should not be have to live with this kind of mentality and grow up to live in an intolerant society perpetuated by hate and fear.  

I liked this quote because it talks about spreading love and joy and the way to do that is by helping others - and it doesn't take much to help others. It could be a word, an action, a smile, a nod, a wish, a greeting, anything that can add to making another person's day better. And it spreads.  Because the joy/love you feel is transferred to another person and then that same person is filled with joy and then spreads it consciously or unconsciously to another person by random acts of kindness and then it becomes a ripple effect. Deep down inside of us we all crave to be loved.  If that's what we crave, then why would we think that does not hold true for another human being? Mahatma Gandhi says it so profoundly " I will not let anyone walk through our mind with our dirty feet."     Each violent thought is part of a larger creative collective force that gets sent out into the universe and it becomes a cycle.  So instead of succumbing to thoughts that shrink us, let us hold onto our core human values which will only expand us.

Make a resolution to be part of a movement to shift perspective, and be agents of change.  If we witness something that is unjust, we must say so, we must speak up, not remain silent.  And always try to help not hurt. Even if we don't get a pat on the back, even if we don't get acknowledged, do it in the spirit that you are contributing to a larger circle that will have ample positive ripple effects.

Happy Journaling! 

Where would I go with you Sun?

https://allycatadventures.wordpress.com/tag/summer-solstice-2011/

" Where would I go with you Sun?"

I would travel around the earth with you so that I get to make stops in all the corners of the world where all my loved ones are both earthly and departed so I get to meet them once again and just spend time with them.

I would go with you on a journey to sprinkle lots of warmness to those suffering from cold

I would absorb all your energy so that it could be transmitted to every cell of my body so that I can feel your energy regardless of how my day is.

I would play "peekaboo" with the clouds so that I could make the children giggle.

I would go with you on a long journey so that I can learn from my past mistakes, and truly learn to live in the present. 

I would shine, shine, shine, so strong that the light in me burns and never extinguishes

I would spend time with you so i could learn from you how to love without expectation, to love without disappointment, to love unconditionally. 

I would go on a long journey only to want to return home!

Happy Summer Solstice!!

A Beautiful Soul

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. ~ Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross~

Today I write in honor of my paternal grandmother -whom I lovingly called Nani -who is no longer on this physical plane.  About two-three weeks ago, she was not feeling well. She turned 90 this past december and for the most part, I would say was rather healthy for a 90 year old. However, she had taken a turn for the worse, my internal radar had me feeling like this could be the beginning of the end. It wasn't an over reaction, I just felt it. I have seen too many family members pass away and even though I wasn't physically with her, based on the information I was receiving, my only prayer was "god please don't let her suffer, please let her be pain free."  We don't know when death is going to come, and each time it comes, it hits you in a different way. But when it does come, we must remember the message and the life the person lived. We must grieve, because it is important to do so, but in grieving, we must remember their life. Their life was an inspiration, and we must take that with us.  We must be able to look back at the life that person lived, especially someone who has been able to live and see it all:) I was thinking about it the other day - what is it that she has not seen and heard? She has lived and survived through so much - in history, in family, in her evolution of her self, etc. 

We all deal with grieve differently, I like to write. I like to remember the moments, and cherish the times that I did have, because there are times that I wish I could have been with her, but couldn't make it. So instead of focusing on what didn't happen, I remember the moments. There is always going to be a "should have, would have, could have," feeling and it is important to be aware of our feelings, but regret gets you no where -it only fuels for more guilt. So I choose to do otherwise. I look through pictures, I write. That is what helps me heal. Last week, was my birthday.  This is one woman who has never missed any of her children's birthdays, her grandchildren's birthdays, her great grandchildren. She remembers numbers like a calculator and I was always amazed how she always remembered to call and wish. I was glad I got to see her on a video call. She wasn't well, but she was able to do that. So I am grateful for that. 

Today I want to celebrate who she is,

To me, she is and will always be the matriarch of our family. Losing her today is on many levels is like losing the link to our family. She was and is the thread of the family and to have that physically gone is sad.  But when we see the legacy she has left behind in her children and grandchildren, I celebrate her once again. I know she lived a good life. She has attended most of her grand children's weddings, and even got to know her great grandchildren. Her legacy lives on in them and in her children.  They remind us of what she believed in. But that is the kind of person she was. Silent, but strong. And if there was another word to describe her it is Strength. Her strength was unimaginable. And she gained her strength from her faith. So her influence was immense.  

She created a life for herself and came up with activities to keep her busy so that even though she had limited mobility, she wouldn't lose her mind.  She kept her mind active,  she was always doing something and so when I think of one word to describe her, it is the word "energy." She was pure energy.     She had energy in her - her spirit always moving onward, upward, always "doing" something,   Her influences on me were and are tremendous. She introduced me to Yoga at an early age. I remember as a child we sometimes would share a bedroom, and I would wake up in the early morning seeing her do her exercises on her bed. Those exercises stay with me till now, and then she would do her breathing. And that stuck with me. Her energy was incredible. If she visited, her first question to us would be, "what do you want to eat?" and she would add, "it only takes five minutes to make it not long." and lo and behold, whatever we wanted, within five to ten minutes we would see the whole kitchen upside down with pots and pans, and oil, and flour, and an array of sweet indian dishes. One thing I was always so impressed with was her passion for reading and her reading speed. She just didn't read in her native language, she read in English and to be able to do that as an adult was impressive. She loved the phone and was always calling everyone in the family. That sense of connection was important to her and it was amazing how she was able to be connected to everyone all around the world. If we needed to know something about someone, we could ask Nani, and she would tell us.

So yes she was and is still one incredible lady. Her soul was a beautiful soul and I pray that she showers all her love and energy on her family. I pray that her strength is passed on to her children and her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. I pray that no matter how old we get, and boy are we getting old, that we continue to have that energy that she had and find ways to keep us active.  And may we always remain as beautiful as she is despite what life may throw at us - life threw many things at her, and yet with her faith she remained beautiful, graceful and amazing.   

Journal Prompt: If you are remembering someone you lost, write a letter to them. Writing a letter to honor them, to tell them how much they mean to you, to just let your feelings out. Writing heals, and I hope you try it.

Happy Journaling!

Fallen Leaf

Breathe like a fallen leaf and think of nothing.  Just Breathe and let your heart and mind be carried, however briefly, by the spirit you can't quite see. ~Mark Nepo~

"I am floating softly in the air. The wind moves me left and right and I move in the direction of the wind. I know not where I will land, and so I enjoy the breeze, the sounds of the wind, and the glow of the sun. I was once a leaf on a tree branch strongly attached to the branch. Then one day the wind got a hold of me and no matter how hard I tried to hold on tightly, I had to let go. I let go but this time was different. You see, I have let go before in different versions but held on so tightly that rather than just swaying away and watching as to how and where I lay, I end up falling down with a thud.  Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it scrapes, sometimes I just don't know how to rise back up.  Maybe because I wanted to control the direction of where I go, rather than see where it takes me.  But this time was different. I found myself moving and enjoyed floating around. I realized that I didn't worry about how or where I would eventually land up, but what I did instead was pay attention to what was around me. I noticed the colors, I noticed birds I had never seen, I even saw trees that I never thought existed. I saw the squirrels play with each other, I saw children running around in playgrounds. And I watched the people around me.  I felt their emotions - so many different emotions all in the same moment.  I was in the moment and allowed myself to feel. Feelings are important.  If we don't allow ourselves to feel, we get stuck and then we can't move onward. Before I knew it, I was down on the ground by a beautiful pond surrounded by daffodils and sunflowers and butterflies. I landed softly, and felt okay. I had learned to let go and fly. "

Journal Prompt:  Imagine yourself a leaf and let your breathe take you away. Once you are done, do a five minute writing exercise on you being the leaf that has fallen. Or write whatever comes to your mind.

Happy Journaling!

Love Yourself First and Foremost!

"Focus on what you love doing, not what you fear the most."  Something I read today on using creativity and our imagination to do something that we truly want.  Simple statement yet so difficult to practice. How much of our thoughts are fear based rather than love based? Our thoughts dictate our reality. Our fears dictate our reality. So what we project is what we feel.  If we project fear onto ourselves imagine how our actions play out? Our sense of reality, our perception, our desires is fully based on this one feeling and emotion - which is fear.  What other emotions feed off fear?  Envy, Anger, greed, resentment , anxiety, and deep deep sadness-and the list goes on. Imagine our mind consumed with those feelings -subconsciously or consciously and what that does to the human body? We begin to manifest those symptoms in some way or the other and our body parts begin to break down. We have created our own deficiencies by sending those emotions to our entire body. We begin to feel depleted and need something to fill us up. And we turn towards addictions that begin to feed the void or feed the emptiness that we feel. Addictions can be of all kinds - some of them extreme, some of them manageable or in control. Something as simple as "i need chocolate right now" to going on a shopping escapade when we know that we may not need any of the things that we just bought. That void has to be filled in some way or the other because our negative feelings are depleting us. We need to find a way to fill it.  

But what if, just what if, we begin to make a conscious effort to shift our feelings from fear to love? Imagine being in love and what that does to you - that fluttering feeling, that happy warm fuzzy feeling, that feeling of just completeness, that feeling that all is enough and is well. Our feelings of love create our day to day reality. Love expands. Love does not shrink. The more we love, the more we want to love. Love is giving. We give of ourselves unconditionally without thinking what's in it for us. Imagine the things you love to do -and the feelings that come to your mind when you engage in those activities. How do you feel? Energized, strong, happy, that's because you engaged in something who's roots were based in love-the activity was a positive one and it sent positive feelings to your whole body. Observe it in your energy. Love is action, Fear is outcome. When we focus on an action because we love to do it, we don't think of the outcome as much because the energy is in the process. When we focus too much on the outcome of something and whether it will be right or wrong, whether it will be appreciated or not, whether it will be successful or not, we lose the fun of it, we become fear based and get stuck in the emotions of it all. That's what fear does to us.

As we approach a holiday revolving around love, I can't help but stress how we need to send loving energy to ourselves. We fear ourselves the most and in doing that we reject love, joy, success, positivism into our lives. Yes life is painful and yes we can be broken repeatedly by life's experiences, but those are circumstances that need to be felt through, that need to be worked through so that we can embrace what we deserve to have which is love. Numbing the emotions only cuts us off from love. We are love, we need to realize that. We need to be more loving of ourselves and less hard on ourselves. We need to stop expecting perfection from ourselves and learn to just love us how a child loves unconditionally.  Love ourselves first and foremost. It comes of as selfishness sometimes, but if we don't give it us, who will? So on this day, practice loving kindness to yourself. Everytime you find yourself being harsh, being critical, being resentful, take a deep breath and exhale. Everytime you find yourself lonely, deeply broken because of lost loved one, deeply sad take a deep breathe and exhale.  Every time you examine your life and you feel like you have not amounted to anything, your dreams are not coming to fruition, you have no idea where you are headed in life, and you are fearful of not being able to make ends meet, take a deep breath and exhale.  This may need to be done throughout the day because it is so deeply embedded in the core of who we are.

As you exhale, Create an affirmation that you can say to yourself that will center you.  Ask yourself what is it that you truly want? My answer to that is I want to stop wanting. I want to be at peace with whatever is and will be.  And once I have answered that question, I create an affirmation that will reflect my intention.   
Example: My affirmation is  "I am exactly where I need to be right now. Everything is in divine order." That's what I say to myself Every time I find myself going in a direction that is fear based. And it takes time, it takes practice and in time it becomes a core of you.  

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Journaling!
 

By Thy Grace....

Grace is something we feel, not always visibly seen with the physical eye. We say grace before food to say thank you for the abundance of food in our life, but what if we say grace before everything we do? what if Grace is a part of us no matter where we are in life. This time of the year is always bittersweet for me. It reminds me of a loss I had many years ago that sits with me everyday, but in that too I find grace - I find grace for being where I am today. I find grace for being able to move past many emotions and still survive. Ironic because while so many of us were celebrating life and gratitude, many years ago we were mourning a loss. But it was Grace that taught me to celebrate the loss and use that as a way of living and getting past it. It was Grace that pushed me to always remember that kindness, love, and service is what gets us far in life not misery, sadness and anger. So thanks to Grace I learned to honor both life and death. You see it was also a time of joy - thanksgiving was being celebrated and it was the beginning of the holiday season in the U.S.  The time of togetherness, spreading cheer and reminding ourselves of the good in life. That too is Grace. grace is all around us, we just have to catch it, breathe it, hold it and never let it go. You see, it never lets us go, it is us who lets go of grace - when we feel we don't need it anymore. We always need Grace. It is what keeps hope alive. Grace is what helps us believe in miracles -it helps us survive the loss of a loved one, it helps us beat a sickness, it helps us put food on the table, it helps us forgive those that have hurt us deeply and last but not least it is our feeling of expanding love. I say thanks to thee again and again for thy Grace.   So wherever you, whomever you are with, however you are celebrating this thanksgiving weekend, try to practice one thing - Grace. We all need it, so instead of holding on to it just for yourself, extend it to others - you don't know where it will lead you.  

There is too much sadness around us and suffering, we all have and are part of that process in some way or the other.  As we move into a new season let us each try to contribute in our way to more hope.  That has been my word for 2015 - Grace has led me to believe in HOPE, and without HOPE we cannot survive.  Look for it and you shall find it. It is there waiting for it to be seen.  Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Journal Prompt:  Grace is a five letter word.  With this word think of synonyms that define Grace, Write down at least 4-5 words without stopping. After you are done, begin writing non stop for five minutes with the following lines:  BY THY GRACE.........

Happy Journaling! 

 

 

Lead me unto Light!

The Hindu festival of Diwali is one my most favorite times of the year. It brings back warm memories of my grandmothers making mouth watering sweets, lots of cleaning of our homes, and anxiously waiting for the big day - celebrating with families and friends and preparing sweets and goodies to give away to loved ones. It is something that I hoped to continue as I get older, and pass down as memories for my son. It is a time of happiness. It is a time of storytelling. It is a time of prayer. As I get older I have found that the rituals get less and less with me, but my focus is more so the significance of this holiday. 
But what is the story behind Diwali that is so special?  It is two fold - It is welcoming the Goddess of Wealth into the homes and wish for a prosperous New Year.  Wealth is not just measured by material -it is spiritual, physical and mental wealth - and on this day we offer prayers and light "diyas" to welcome her.  It is also the story of good triumphing over evil. The story associated with it is that of a prince named Ram who was exiled to the forest for 14 years with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. During that time, in the forest, Sita gets kidnapped by this evil king called Ravana and Ram begins his search for Sita. King Ravana was in Lanka, but in order to find him, he enlists the help of a monkey king/god named Hanuman. It is a wonderful story because it shows the determination of Ram on finding Sita, , it shows courage on the part of Hanuman to undertake this task of finding Sita single handedly, and it shows how with Right Action, Clarity, and Love, one eventually is able to defeat "evil.  Diwali is celebrated because the city of Ayodhya was celebrating its Prince's return and they decorated every street, every corner with rows and rows of lights. You see, although the Prince was exiled, the city was very sad without its prince - there was darkness all around- and so the light symbolized the joy he was bringing back. Although he was the rightful heir to the throne, he had to go through his journey to get to return back home. And he went through his journey without complaining, without resentment, without bitterness or anger. He simply moved with his duty treating all alike and fulfilling his duty to the best he can.

The story of Diwali teaches us that and much more - our trials and tribulations are many but how we respond to it is what is important, not the final outcome. These stories have remained with us since childhood and by hearing and reading these stories over and over again, it taught me to remove the negativity in my life. Only if we are able to remove the negativity within ourselves, and by that I mean the doubts, the insecurities, the ignorance in our lives, can we have clarity. There could be a row of lights in front of us and we would be unmoved by it, because we are clouded by ignorance - but we must begin to remove the ignorance and negativity within us so that we can see the light. 

Light is light -it does not go away it is always there , but we must be willing to see it and only we can make ourselves see it.   So on this day before Diwali, I want to wish each of you happiness, joy, prosperity and clarity - I hope you gain a glimpse of the light in you - because it is only when you begin to see your light you can spread light and be a beacon of light for those around.

Journal Prompt:
Use the word clarity and light in a poem. see what comes up.
Feel free to share!

Happy Journaling!