Troubles in the Sunset

Image by Art4Inspiratation

When the day ends and the sun sets, I let my troubles go - Albert Scheitzer

Just as I would encourage you to begin each fresh day as if you were the sun rising anew, I would also recommend that you release all your worries and troubles when the sun sets. Let them go with the sun, or you may find that you can not arise free of these burdens and begin the next new day.

When you hold onto your problems and stress throughout the night, you begin to lose any sense of order in your life. There is no longer any night or day, work and rest. Just time to be restless, to worry and fear about what lies ahead or to fret about the past.

I suggest that you take the time to watch a sun set and when you do, let your troubles drift off with the sun. Watch them burn up in the brilliant palette that mother nature provides. Allow the beauty to refresh you and remind you that there is more to life than just your troubles.

Try this and you may find that when you send your troubles off with the sunset, you can then make room for blessings to fill the next day.

Troubles in the Sunset

The Secret of Living is Giving

There was an appeal on Triple M Radio this morning to help a 15 year old boy who had fallen off his bike and suffered brain damage. Yes he had a helmet on and still he was injured. In a way it is a tragic story. He was young, fit, adventurous and healthy one moment last October, the next his parents were getting ready to say goodbye. He is still in hospital having treatment and rehab while his parents attempt to prepare an environment to bring him back to the family home. Added to this his mum is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Yet there are so many positives in this as well. One being the community spirit shown this morning, as almost $50,000 was raised in under 6 hours. Though it is not only the offerings of cash in these troubled economic times that the family will remember, it's that strangers were willing to help.

As a parent who has been blessed with two healthy children, I felt that I had to do the right thing and offer assistance. We all hope and pray that we never have to get a phone call like these parents did and rush to the nearest hospital but we never know. At the moment there is not much spare cash in our place, so I was thinking how else I could help.

One thought that kept recurring was to use my skills as a photographer to help record Billy's story. I hope that his family take up my offer as I think that while it would be worthwhile for them to have a record of this time, it would also be an inspiration to others. The more I think about it, the more I would like to offer this service to others in need. I do not want to get monetary gain, but the rewards of collating these stories and getting these kids involved in groups that can inspire the world in some way, to give some meaning to their crises and hardships.

I would like to put this thought out to the universe and see where it takes me. My intent is that it will help inspire others.

The Secret of Living is Giving

Why???

Why can't I be happy with my life? Why do I always feel there should be more? That there are things I'm missing out on?

I am loved and adored by the man I love. We have two beautiful, healthy, intelligent, independent children. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table. I have friends I can call on whenever I need them. I am on the brink of a career that doesn't seem like work because it's what I'm meant to be doing.

What is so wrong with me that I can't be satisfied with what I've got? What I've achieved? I'm grateful for all that I have. That's different from feeling happy and joyful. I miss the laughter, the spontaneity, the playfulness.

Why do I have this belief that motherhood is such a serious business? How can I change it so that it becomes a belief that marriage and motherhood is a game - something fun, playful, enjoyable, full of laughter and delight.

I know and appreciate that my life includes lots of love and affection. It just seems like such work and I get so frustrated because I feel that I've lost my own identity other than wife and mother. I'm not sure who "I" am anymore.

Why???

Mothers Day

The gift of life is a mother's greatest gift.
Appreciate, respect, and acknowledge this.

I found this poem by Dr Bernie Seigel that sums up Mother's Day beautifully.

What gift will you give your mother this Mother's Day?
Is a card clever enough?
Will jewels sparkle enough?
What words say enough?
There is perhaps one gift that is enough,
Your life . . .
Thank her for it
And live your life with the love she bestowed on you
Then share that love with all

As a daughter and now a mother, I can appreciate both sides of the coin. My own mum lost her fight to cancer a number of years ago, but on Mother's Day I still acknowledge with great thanks that she loved enough to give me life. Now my life is a reflection of that love. I see part of my job as a mother is to give my own children the confidence and love to allow them to go and live their own lives, the best that they can. When I see my children having the confidence to try new things, to give something their best shot or to hold their own standards high in the midst of peer pressure, I know that I am succeeding as a mother. But also when they make their own mistakes, to learn life's hard lessons, to suffer the angst of being a kid, I know that I am succeeding as a mother. In good times and bad, I know that I am succeeding as a mother because my children want to share these times with me, and for that I am eternally grateful.

So to all the mothers out there - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. The best gift that you can get from your children is love, that only comes when you first give it away.

Mothers Day

Good Friends

Friendship improves happiness and abates misery,
by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting up with good friends and sharing a simple picnic by the river. Our children made some new friends and shared a game of touch football and frisbee and there were no arguments at all - except when we had to leave to go home on dusk. The company was fabulous, we enjoyed making new happy memories and laughing over good times we had shared. There was no great expense and the rewards were huge.

It made me ask "What is a friend?"

To me it is someone who knows all your faults and still loves you regardless. A friend is someone who can see past the imperfections to the beauty that lies beneath. A friend is someone who is there for you even if you don't have the courage to ask for help. A friend is someone who can say no to you and still remain a friend.

A true friend will point out your imperfections - not to put you down or criticise, but to help you become better at what you are doing. A friend will always answer your calls, even when you are driving them nuts. A friend never talks about who is right, instead they listen to your feelings.

A friend will not judge without making the effort to understand, and can forgive, let go of the past and continue to love. Though probably the most important thing a friend never do, is abandon you, no matter what you do.

I am fortunate in this life to have the privilege of calling a large number of wonderful people "friend" though I think of them as the family I have choosen for myself as opposed to the one that I was blessed with at birth. I am grateful for the ones I am able to regularly spend time with, as well as the ones I rarely get to see plus all the ones I am yet to meet.

Our children enjoying the great outdoors -Sometimes the best things aren't things at all - laughing, spending time with precious friends and just being make the best memories

Good Friends