Tag Archives: living

InspiredMe: Change is in the Air

“Change is life-giving.

It helps us grow into someone greater than we already are.”

-unknown

There isn’t a more perfect time to embrace change than when the earth is in beautiful transformation from winter to spring. We saw hints of this happening all around on our afternoon walk yesterday. Warm air, budding on trees, green filling the world. It is truly one of the most beautiful changes the world goes through.

There has been a lot of change in my life lately. I sometimes have a hard time with change. It can be scary, uncertain, and uncomfortable. But it can also be thrilling, exciting, renewing, and life-giving. My mother told me it’s all in the way you look at it.

My parents are brave change goers. They love change. That might be the reason we moved every 3-4 years growing up. My parents thrived on change… meeting new people, discovering the world, and seeing a new view on life. Change is what took us half-way around the world living in third world countries and having amazing adventures.

I recently asked my mom why she loves change and this is what she said. In her own words:

“To me, change and hope are side by side. I love change because it always fills me with hope that right around a new corner of life might be the most amazing things. Even things I have been praying for and longing for. That has happened time and time again for me. Change has also brought me amazing friendships all over the world that have so enriched my earth life. I would be sad if I could not look forward to change.”

My goal this week is to embrace change. To view it in the eyes of my mother… A reason to grow, to love, and to hope, and to see the beauty of change fill my world.

InspiredMe: 7 Days, 7 Ways to…

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LOVE. Valentine Day shouldn’t just be about romantic love. It should be about all aspects of love. Like loving yourself, loving your neighbors, loving your God, your friends, your family… and the list goes on. So this year I’m doing something different. I am celebrating valentines day all week long. Each day I will focus on a person or group of people and do one act of love for them. Seven days, seven ways to love. Join with me on the Love Week! Here’s a list you can use with some examples you can do. And you can tweak the list so it fits your life and the people in it, and come up with some of your own ideas too. The ideas are endless.

Day 1: Love Yourself: Go to a yoga or favorite work out class, eat something healthy, paint your toes, write some of your strengths/qualities in a journal, take a bath, read a good book, look at yourself in the mirror at least three times today and say, “I love myself!”

Day 2: Love the World: Recycle, pick up trash, go for a nature walk, bundle up and play outside, buy organic or local food, paint, make a craft, learn something about the world

Day 3: Love God: Spend a little more time meditating, praying, reading scripture or inspirational books, dedicate the day only doing spiritually uplifting activities, write down a goal to improve one of your weaknesses, serve someone

Day 4: Love your Family: Spend a day not criticising, play with your children, build something with them, cook something yummy with your children, call a sibling or parent you haven’t talked to in a while, tell them you love them, give lots of hugs, write a thank-you letter

Day 5: Love People: Volunteer at a hospital, nursing home, etc, smile at someone, talk to the person at the cash register, say hi, make cookies and deliver them to your neighbors

Day 6: Love your Friends: Take a friend to lunch, call a friend, write a letter telling them some of their best qualities you love about them, have a friend or two over for dinner

Day 7: Love your Spouse/ Significant Other: Play a game, go on a date, write a love letter, spend some cuddle time, buy or make them their favorite dessert, really listen, laugh, do something fun

Love is what this life is all about… how we love, loving more, loving better, loving when it is hard to. This is a simple and wonderful way to fill and find more love in your life. Maybe we can all start thinking of Valentine’s Day a little bit differently and start “loving” it more! So….. Happy Valentine’s week!