{Post 71/365: Original Post: I AM LOVE}
Leo Buscaglia~Kindness Quotations
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
You never know when something you have said or done has made all the difference in someone else's life so it is important to live a life with honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and understanding for other people from all walks of life.
Try not to judge because unless you have walked a mile in their shoes and experienced all the aspects of their life experience you may not truly understand the place they are coming from.
Sometimes the grouchiest people are only getting YOU before you get THEM and it is the only way they know to keep all the people they can't trust at arms length. Sadly that sometimes also keeps the people they may be able to trust , or who may be able to change their lives with one small touch or word or act of caring at arms length also.
Remember, some people build walls to keep people out but, sometimes they build those walls to see who cares enough to get past them, around them, through them.
We should all strive to be people who break down walls...gently. :)
Showing posts with label I AM LOVE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I AM LOVE. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Second Chances
{Post 48/365: Original post: I AM LOVE}
There are many second chances in life for many people and many things.
Broken things that have been fixed have a second chance.
Pets who have been abandoned and rescued have a second chance.
A person with cancer that has gone into remission has a second chance.
An alcoholic who has become sober has a second chance.
A person who has lost a job and found a new one has a second chance.
A person that has survived an accident or other tragedy has a second chance.
A person who has been stuck in a dark and dangerous life and left it behind for a new beginning has a second chance.
A cheater who has broken his/her spouses heart, repented and been forgiven has a second chance.
A friend who has betrayed trust and friendship and been forgiven has a second chance.
A drug addict who has gotten clean and straight has a second chance.
A person who has been stuck in an abusive relationship and breaks FREE has a second chance.
A person who has had some kind of organ transplant has a second chance.
A criminal who has paid his debt in prison time has a second chance.
A parent who has not ben the best role model for many reasons can be forgiven and have a second chance.
A child that has made a mistake can learn from it and have a second chance.
Really in life, we are all children making mistakes and learning from them every day. Sometimes it is difficult to get past our own hurts and mistrust to GIVE that second chance to someone who we perceive has wronged us in some way but, perhaps we should just try to think about whether or not we would want THEM to forgive us if we had done the wrong. We should try to have the courage to FORGIVE them and ourselves and open the door to second chances because maybe a deeper commitment, a deeper understanding, deeper compassion, deeper intimacy, deeper friendship can come from having the strength to BE open and trying to move forward.
Sometimes letting go, moving on and saying goodbye is a second chance also because sometimes we are not strong enough to work through the pain or mistrust to find the deeper meaning of our connection.
People need each other but, many of us need the integrity and trust of a committed and whole...UNBROKEN relationship because sometimes second chances are difficult to GIVE. For some, being GIVEN a second chance is even difficult because of fearing whether or not we are strong enough to uphold our part in it. Maybe guilt, misunderstanding of ourselves and others, or the belief that we are not good enough or capable of keeping our word leads to the failure of doing so. We believe we don't deserve a second chance therefore we never fully embrace it with the depth and gratitude we should in order to truly appreciate it and honour it.
I BELIEVE in second chances but, I have a very hard time ever giving them to a person I don't think is really sorry for whatever wrong they have done to me. If you are insincere in your repentance I doubt you will be forgiven. I have to know that you understand and truly MEAN the things that you say to me. I have given second chances many times and thirds and more but I have also had to let go and walk away from people too. YOU are the only person who can know whether keeping someone or letting them go is the best thing for YOU. You only have to search inside your own heart to know this truth but, if you find that giving a second chance might be the answer then just embrace the fact that it may be difficult and is definitely a process but DO it with your whole heart and you may just be rewarded with an even deeper connection to someone who challenges you, engages you, mirrors you, or just makes you better than you were before!
There are many second chances in life for many people and many things.
Broken things that have been fixed have a second chance.
Pets who have been abandoned and rescued have a second chance.
A person with cancer that has gone into remission has a second chance.
An alcoholic who has become sober has a second chance.
A person who has lost a job and found a new one has a second chance.
A person that has survived an accident or other tragedy has a second chance.
A person who has been stuck in a dark and dangerous life and left it behind for a new beginning has a second chance.
A cheater who has broken his/her spouses heart, repented and been forgiven has a second chance.
A friend who has betrayed trust and friendship and been forgiven has a second chance.
A drug addict who has gotten clean and straight has a second chance.
A person who has been stuck in an abusive relationship and breaks FREE has a second chance.
A person who has had some kind of organ transplant has a second chance.
A criminal who has paid his debt in prison time has a second chance.
A parent who has not ben the best role model for many reasons can be forgiven and have a second chance.
A child that has made a mistake can learn from it and have a second chance.
Really in life, we are all children making mistakes and learning from them every day. Sometimes it is difficult to get past our own hurts and mistrust to GIVE that second chance to someone who we perceive has wronged us in some way but, perhaps we should just try to think about whether or not we would want THEM to forgive us if we had done the wrong. We should try to have the courage to FORGIVE them and ourselves and open the door to second chances because maybe a deeper commitment, a deeper understanding, deeper compassion, deeper intimacy, deeper friendship can come from having the strength to BE open and trying to move forward.
Sometimes letting go, moving on and saying goodbye is a second chance also because sometimes we are not strong enough to work through the pain or mistrust to find the deeper meaning of our connection.
People need each other but, many of us need the integrity and trust of a committed and whole...UNBROKEN relationship because sometimes second chances are difficult to GIVE. For some, being GIVEN a second chance is even difficult because of fearing whether or not we are strong enough to uphold our part in it. Maybe guilt, misunderstanding of ourselves and others, or the belief that we are not good enough or capable of keeping our word leads to the failure of doing so. We believe we don't deserve a second chance therefore we never fully embrace it with the depth and gratitude we should in order to truly appreciate it and honour it.
I BELIEVE in second chances but, I have a very hard time ever giving them to a person I don't think is really sorry for whatever wrong they have done to me. If you are insincere in your repentance I doubt you will be forgiven. I have to know that you understand and truly MEAN the things that you say to me. I have given second chances many times and thirds and more but I have also had to let go and walk away from people too. YOU are the only person who can know whether keeping someone or letting them go is the best thing for YOU. You only have to search inside your own heart to know this truth but, if you find that giving a second chance might be the answer then just embrace the fact that it may be difficult and is definitely a process but DO it with your whole heart and you may just be rewarded with an even deeper connection to someone who challenges you, engages you, mirrors you, or just makes you better than you were before!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
{Post 45/365: Original Post: I AM LOVE}
Valentines Day Quotes
Awwwww do you remember these Valentine's?
They came in a book and some of them were perforated for easy punching out
and some of them had to be cut out with scissors.
They also came with envelopes that could be cut out, folded and glued together.
I loved these books of Valentine's and I used to buy them for my older children
when they were little too!
Even at other times of the year these books of Valentine's would keep children busy
looking through it, sorting who gets which ones, cutting them out, making the envelopes, and all the happy feel-good feelings that come from sharing the love!
Sometimes the passage of time and progression leaves things behind
that we experienced a whole lot of joy and pleasure from. I'm sure the reasons are many and vary but I for one don't always enjoy the progression and expansion of things.
Bigger is not better!
AND I don't subscribe to the notion that things should always be updated, expanded, "improved" or re-designed.
IF it ain't broke, DON'T fix it!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Valentine's Day
{Post 44/365: original Post: I AM LOVE}
BREAKING QUESTION of the DAY:
(My friend's group on Facebook-feel free to join the group and the discussion!)
Who is Valentine, what does he stand for, what is Valentine day to you and how do you feel it
should be celebrated???
Saint Valentine is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome.
A brief, probably little known history of Valentine's Day is that the Valentine it was based on is relatively unknown except that he was a martyr and buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome in Italy.
It is also unknown whether the feast of Valentine's was to celebrate him or another of the martyred saints with the same name.
Valentine was a Roman priest who was martyred during the reign of Claudius II. He was arrested and imprisoned for helping Christians and marrying them which was illegal at the time because they were being persecuted by Claudius.
Many of the current myths and legends about St. Valentine were invented by the writer Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle of friends in England in the fourteenth century. This is when the day first became synonymous with romantic love.
Valentine's to me is a Lover's Day...a day to celebrate the love that you have found and share and maybe a day for those who are less expressive to actually be able to express their love.
Some people who may not express their love in a very strong open, way usually may use the opportunity of Valentine's Day to do something much MORE than they would generally do.
I think maybe that is the true nature of the day.
We have never done anything extremely special on this day. Quite often special for us is just to go out for a nice dinner together and sometimes we exchange a little gift.
The usual gifts like chocolates, stuffed love animals, cinnamon hearts or other candy are common things we might give each other. Ocassionally we will cook each other a nice dinner and drink some wine and listen to music and just enjoy time with each other. Once in awhile hubby will even buy me a bouquet of flowers to make me happy because I LOVE flowers. This is NOT a usual gift because really hubby thinks flowers are weeds and can never understand why I love something that just dies in a week.
The point for me then is that he doesn't understand, he doesn't care about them but, he loves me enough to know that I do and will buy them for me just to see me smiling and happy.
That is a lovefest in my home! ;)
For me though Valentine's Day was NEVER just for my significant other but, also an opportunity to share with the other special people in my life.
I always enjoyed sending little valentine's to my friends and family as small expressions of my love for them.
I also enjoyed making special Valentine's or love notes for my children and putting them into their lunch bags as a surprise at school. Sometimes I would include a little chocolate heart or some cinnamon heart candies as well.
I am aware that Valentine's Day, like many other holidays is for some people a very sad and depressing day.
Their attention is all focused on the fact that they are alone and don't have a lover to share life with.
I suggest that if that is the state of your life maybe instead of worrying about what you don't have you think about the things you do have or the most important people to you and do something special for THEM.
My best friend did this for me one year and it is my most memorable Valentine's Day and touched me very deeply. I had been married and divorced and it was my first Valentine's alone since being with someone so I was a little sad and depressed myself. So she came over to visit me and brought me a bouquet of yellow sweetheart roses with her. It was so sweet and thoughtful that she was thinking of me that day and it was a very bright spot in a dark period of time for me.
So REALLY, I suggest if you are sad and depressed find someone you care about and SHARE THE LOVE anyway! You NEVER know just how special you might make someone's day!
Many of us bring our game face, the brave life-is-really-ok-and-I'm-really-ok-too face out into the world on days like this. We don't show how sad or upset or miserable we really feel down deep inside because we don't want to spoil the day for anyone else. Or maybe we don't want to admit that we also care about such a day and would also enjoy the little bits of love and affections that are part of it for so many others.
So...if you know anyone who is alone or lonely I would like to suggest that you share some love with them too.
EVERYONE needs some kind of loving whether it be a hug, a little note of appreciation, or just a smile.
SHARE the LOVE people! Not only will you make someone's day, you might just make your own as well! :)
BREAKING QUESTION of the DAY:
(My friend's group on Facebook-feel free to join the group and the discussion!)
Who is Valentine, what does he stand for, what is Valentine day to you and how do you feel it
should be celebrated???
Saint Valentine is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome.
A brief, probably little known history of Valentine's Day is that the Valentine it was based on is relatively unknown except that he was a martyr and buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome in Italy.
It is also unknown whether the feast of Valentine's was to celebrate him or another of the martyred saints with the same name.
Valentine was a Roman priest who was martyred during the reign of Claudius II. He was arrested and imprisoned for helping Christians and marrying them which was illegal at the time because they were being persecuted by Claudius.
Many of the current myths and legends about St. Valentine were invented by the writer Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle of friends in England in the fourteenth century. This is when the day first became synonymous with romantic love.
Valentine's to me is a Lover's Day...a day to celebrate the love that you have found and share and maybe a day for those who are less expressive to actually be able to express their love.
Some people who may not express their love in a very strong open, way usually may use the opportunity of Valentine's Day to do something much MORE than they would generally do.
I think maybe that is the true nature of the day.
We have never done anything extremely special on this day. Quite often special for us is just to go out for a nice dinner together and sometimes we exchange a little gift.
The usual gifts like chocolates, stuffed love animals, cinnamon hearts or other candy are common things we might give each other. Ocassionally we will cook each other a nice dinner and drink some wine and listen to music and just enjoy time with each other. Once in awhile hubby will even buy me a bouquet of flowers to make me happy because I LOVE flowers. This is NOT a usual gift because really hubby thinks flowers are weeds and can never understand why I love something that just dies in a week.
The point for me then is that he doesn't understand, he doesn't care about them but, he loves me enough to know that I do and will buy them for me just to see me smiling and happy.
That is a lovefest in my home! ;)
For me though Valentine's Day was NEVER just for my significant other but, also an opportunity to share with the other special people in my life.
I always enjoyed sending little valentine's to my friends and family as small expressions of my love for them.
I also enjoyed making special Valentine's or love notes for my children and putting them into their lunch bags as a surprise at school. Sometimes I would include a little chocolate heart or some cinnamon heart candies as well.
I am aware that Valentine's Day, like many other holidays is for some people a very sad and depressing day.
Their attention is all focused on the fact that they are alone and don't have a lover to share life with.
I suggest that if that is the state of your life maybe instead of worrying about what you don't have you think about the things you do have or the most important people to you and do something special for THEM.
My best friend did this for me one year and it is my most memorable Valentine's Day and touched me very deeply. I had been married and divorced and it was my first Valentine's alone since being with someone so I was a little sad and depressed myself. So she came over to visit me and brought me a bouquet of yellow sweetheart roses with her. It was so sweet and thoughtful that she was thinking of me that day and it was a very bright spot in a dark period of time for me.
So REALLY, I suggest if you are sad and depressed find someone you care about and SHARE THE LOVE anyway! You NEVER know just how special you might make someone's day!
Many of us bring our game face, the brave life-is-really-ok-and-I'm-really-ok-too face out into the world on days like this. We don't show how sad or upset or miserable we really feel down deep inside because we don't want to spoil the day for anyone else. Or maybe we don't want to admit that we also care about such a day and would also enjoy the little bits of love and affections that are part of it for so many others.
So...if you know anyone who is alone or lonely I would like to suggest that you share some love with them too.
EVERYONE needs some kind of loving whether it be a hug, a little note of appreciation, or just a smile.
SHARE the LOVE people! Not only will you make someone's day, you might just make your own as well! :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Love is delicate.
{Post 30/365: Original Post: I AM LOVE}
Love is strong yet delicate.
It can be broken.
To truly love is to understand this.
To be in love is to respect this.
~ Stephen Packer ~
Trust is a fragile thing. Once broken it CAN be fixed and renewed but, for many it is a LONG, HARD road there. I, myself, lack the strength to follow that path.
Some people can be betrayed and forgive and move on many times. Some have a "three strikes your out" kind of rule. Maybe, others like me, have a ONE time mistake kind of deal. For me, it really depends on the person who has betrayed me I think, and the degree to which I feel such betrayal. But, usually a person only gets ONE chance to show me who they are and that they can be a person I can trust.
I am not talking about acquaintances or chat buddies or casual types of friends.
I'm talking about the people I would choose to go the distance with me.
The people I want to know have my back, understand my needs and faults and quirks and will decide to "keep" me anyways...no matter what because they VALUE me.
The people I can trust with my joys and sorrows equally.
The people I would trust with my life and more importantly my heart.
My intimate, vulnerable, soft heart.
I would forgive.
I would still talk.
I would still care.
I would still be polite.
I would still encourage and support and be sweet to them.
But, internally and deeply inside I would NEVER again be the same.
I know that people make mistakes.
I know that people make stupid choices sometimes.
And I would understand and forgive and move forward but, I would never again be able to trust them with 100% conviction.
I would always have an understanding deep inside myself that THEY did not value me as much as I did them. That they deliberately and knowingly decided to betray my trust and faith in them for a selfish reason.
That is human. It happens. It can be forgiven.
But, not always by me.
Perhaps that is a flaw of my own.
Perhaps it is a big one.
Then again, I would not purposefully nor intentionally betray anyone's trust in ME.
Since I have a few friends who can also say the same I KNOW that it IS possible for other people to choose to commit to that very same strength of WORD.
I value THEM.
Love and trust are deeply connected and without one it is very very difficult to keep the other intact and strong. So my advice is...keep your word, don't betray your trust, and when you say I love you...MEAN IT!
Love is strong yet delicate.
It can be broken.
To truly love is to understand this.
To be in love is to respect this.
~ Stephen Packer ~
Trust is a fragile thing. Once broken it CAN be fixed and renewed but, for many it is a LONG, HARD road there. I, myself, lack the strength to follow that path.
Some people can be betrayed and forgive and move on many times. Some have a "three strikes your out" kind of rule. Maybe, others like me, have a ONE time mistake kind of deal. For me, it really depends on the person who has betrayed me I think, and the degree to which I feel such betrayal. But, usually a person only gets ONE chance to show me who they are and that they can be a person I can trust.
I am not talking about acquaintances or chat buddies or casual types of friends.
I'm talking about the people I would choose to go the distance with me.
The people I want to know have my back, understand my needs and faults and quirks and will decide to "keep" me anyways...no matter what because they VALUE me.
The people I can trust with my joys and sorrows equally.
The people I would trust with my life and more importantly my heart.
My intimate, vulnerable, soft heart.
I would forgive.
I would still talk.
I would still care.
I would still be polite.
I would still encourage and support and be sweet to them.
But, internally and deeply inside I would NEVER again be the same.
I know that people make mistakes.
I know that people make stupid choices sometimes.
And I would understand and forgive and move forward but, I would never again be able to trust them with 100% conviction.
I would always have an understanding deep inside myself that THEY did not value me as much as I did them. That they deliberately and knowingly decided to betray my trust and faith in them for a selfish reason.
That is human. It happens. It can be forgiven.
But, not always by me.
Perhaps that is a flaw of my own.
Perhaps it is a big one.
Then again, I would not purposefully nor intentionally betray anyone's trust in ME.
Since I have a few friends who can also say the same I KNOW that it IS possible for other people to choose to commit to that very same strength of WORD.
I value THEM.
Love and trust are deeply connected and without one it is very very difficult to keep the other intact and strong. So my advice is...keep your word, don't betray your trust, and when you say I love you...MEAN IT!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
LOVE Everywhere
{Post 26/365: Original Post: I AM LOVE}
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
~Mother Teresa
It is easy to love the people we love and much more difficult to love the "OTHER" people...lol
I want to try to be better at loving the ones who are more difficult to love.
The ones who come at the world already on the defensive OR already on the attack.
The ones who are trying to "get them...before they get me"!
The ones who put on a gruff exterior and grumpy face or attitude to hide the fact that they are sad and lonely and unloved, and that they need to be wanted and understood and heard as well.
The ones who combat the world and all in it aggressively because they hunger deeply for a soft touch, for a gentle word, for a friend.
The ones who are lost and broken and alone.
WE are all these people at one time or another ourselves.
Since WE know how hard it is to heal ourselves, BY ourselves, then we should always aspire to help anyone who is following behind us with a hand up or an encouragement.
SOMETIMES, that makes all the difference!!
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
~Mother Teresa
It is easy to love the people we love and much more difficult to love the "OTHER" people...lol
I want to try to be better at loving the ones who are more difficult to love.
The ones who come at the world already on the defensive OR already on the attack.
The ones who are trying to "get them...before they get me"!
The ones who put on a gruff exterior and grumpy face or attitude to hide the fact that they are sad and lonely and unloved, and that they need to be wanted and understood and heard as well.
The ones who combat the world and all in it aggressively because they hunger deeply for a soft touch, for a gentle word, for a friend.
The ones who are lost and broken and alone.
WE are all these people at one time or another ourselves.
Since WE know how hard it is to heal ourselves, BY ourselves, then we should always aspire to help anyone who is following behind us with a hand up or an encouragement.
SOMETIMES, that makes all the difference!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Drop in the Ocean
{Post 25/365: Original Post: I AM LOVE}
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.
But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
~Mother Teresa~
I'm trying hard to realize that my words, my voice, while just a small drop in a big ocean, really would be missed. A friend told me "it is better to be a small speck in a big world and make positive impact on people than to be a big speck in a small world and be nothing to people" and I think he's right.
I strive to do that.
Every day.
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.
But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
~Mother Teresa~
I'm trying hard to realize that my words, my voice, while just a small drop in a big ocean, really would be missed. A friend told me "it is better to be a small speck in a big world and make positive impact on people than to be a big speck in a small world and be nothing to people" and I think he's right.
I strive to do that.
Every day.
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