Morning Meditation - Make Kindness A Priority

 Morning Meditation™️. Make kindness a priority. 💖

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #Kindness  #Compassion  #Support  #Encouragement  #Love  #LifeChanging

Morning Meditation - Joshua 1:9 9

 Morning Meditation™️. Sometimes, a verse will resonate so strongly, in such a timely manner, I am inspired to share. I hope this offers encouragement, uplift, & a measure of comfort and peace. 🕊

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #JoshuaOneNine

Morning Meditation - Kindness Changes the World

 Morning meditation™️. Kindness, and kind people, are part of changing this world. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #KindnessChangesTheWorld

Morning Meditation - Isaiah 40:31

 Morning Meditation™️. This Scripture always offers me reassurance and uplift, and perhaps prompts a few tears at the reminder of Grace. 🕊

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditationArchives™️  #Grace  #IsaiahFortyThirtyOne

Morning Meditation - Beautiful You

 Morning meditation™️. If you are reading this, absorb this truth: You are Beautiful. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #YouAreBeautiful

Light always follows

Photo courtesy of
Bing images

Do you ever write something to a friend...something of an encouraging or uplifting tone as they're going through a challenging moment...and come back to it later, finding yourself somewhat amazed at your own wisdom?  This happens to me occasionally, often enough that it has forced me to accept two truths.

One is that I can say that I have reached a level of personal growth that I am clearly aware that I am used as a vehicle at certain moments to communicate the words that person needs to hear the most.  I think this happens to all of us on a regular basis, if we're present enough to recognize the experience.

The other truth is that I have also reached a level of growth where I recognize my own abilities and strengths.  Some of this awareness has come from comments from people over the years who have been completely unrelated, all telling me a similar truth about myself.  The "properly raised" side of me struggles with the lessons instilled from childhood to not blow my own horn, to not push myself forward in a self-aggrandizing manner, to not walk forward in an arrogantly perceived fashion.  Those early lessons behoove me to remain humble and to not represent myself brashly.  All of that being said, it is a pleasant thing to come to a place in my personal growth where I am comfortable with the traits and strengths that I have honed over a lifetime; the traits that allow me to make a difference in this world.

Months ago, I was having an email conversation with a friend who was struggling through a rocky period.  This friend had also blogged about their experience, and I had replied with this snippet:

"...it is also not necessary to walk a dark path alone. The truth is, rarely do we have to, if we would but realize it. Help, encouragement, friendship and a soft place to fall are all usually within fingertip reach...even if all that those things can do is simply provide a listening ear. Brighter moments are always on the horizon because it is a simple truth that darkness cannot endure. Light always follows."

At the time I wrote that passage, it struck me as a very powerful message.  So powerful that I copied and pasted it into my blog draft folder, tucking it away for a future blog article.  When I was writing those words above, I was consciously aware that I was being given a degree of assistance, as the words flowed so effortlessly from my keyboard.  I had that moment of startling clarity where all the planets aligned, per se, and the simplicity of the wording gave me chills.  When chills hit, you know that you've created something of such harmonic purity that it resonates at a very high level.  At least, that's the message I receive when chills hit me after writing or reading something that I find to be profound.

So, this line of thought falls somewhat into the "chicken vs. egg" theory.  Which came first - being aware that I was being used as a vehicle to communicate that message?  Or reaching a stage of awareness that allowed me to be aware I was being used as that vehicle?  Many would say that it doesn't matter, and perhaps that is true.  I think there is no fault in claiming ownership of growth and awareness on a spiritual level, as those personal achievements are always hard fought and hard won. 

One of my strongest talents in this life is the ability to weave words together to communicate my thoughts.  Another strong talent is one that I haven't ever consciously honed - it is one that I have come to accept exists through the comments of people around me.  For whatever reason, I exude a sense of peace on a personal level, as well as that same sense of peace being communicated with my writing.  When I started this blogging journey and sat with a friend and her laptop to create this blog page, I had no idea how prophetic and ideal the title I came up with would be.  The Healing Morning title continues to be appropriate, and continues to allow me to grow....or, more to the point, it grows with me.  Occasionally, I will run across a passage I have written in the past and be reminded that I am definitely on the right path.  The quote above was such a reminder. 

I think we all question why we are here on a regular basis.  We wonder if we're making any tangible difference in the world with the life we're leading.  It can be a lonely reality for every single one of us occasionally.  The comment above that I wrote to my friend had a dual purpose; one being to extend encouragement and support to that friend, and another being to remind me, months down the road, that I'm doing okay. 

Photo courtesty of
http://www.johnwimberlyphotography.com/

There's that passage in the Bible about entertaining angels unaware:

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrew 13:2

Let me stress that I am in no way intimating that I am some exalted presence!  Far from it.  I do, however, think there is the possibility that when we are in a creative and/or loving state of mind, that our Spirit opens up to a larger degree, allowing inspiration to flow.  Who is to say that this is not merely a different manner of entertaining angels unaware?  Divine presence doesn't have to manifest in physical form for us to feel it and be inspired by it.  I have heard many creative people claim an almost amnesiac state of mind when they have been in a firestorm of creativity - they feverishly go with the Muse, working non-stop until the canvas has been painted, the book has been written, the song has been created, the athletic event has been won.  When they look back and attempt to explain or detail each step, it is a blur.  All they can say is that a rush of unique, all encompassing energy took over and their body responded until the goal was achieved.

I talk a great deal about Light when I write.  I find it interesting that I ended my paragraph to this friend with the comment that

"Brighter moments are always on the horizon because it is a simple truth that darkness cannot endure. Light always follows."

This is a message I need to remember on a personal level, because I, too, have moments that I lose sight of this simple truth.  Whatever the source of beautiful inspiration that produced that thought, I find it a strong, clear message.  Not everyone will read this blog article and find it to make the kind of sense that I am attempting to communicate.  Others will read it and immediately understand what I am working to convey.  This Earth School that we all inhabit definitely gives us strong challenges and those challenges take us on complicated journeys, weaving in and out of sunlight, passing through occasional dark, sometimes protracted passages.  The message that I have learned over a lifetime is clear, and it is one I will continue to share....

Darkness cannot endure.  Light always follows.

Free flight

I was doing an onsite visit this past week for one of my freelance writing accounts. This particular site visit was one of those borderline surreal experiences, as it was a wedding venue straight out of a fairytale. Picture a sweeping estate harkening back to the days of the Old South era, complete with winding drive, rolling hills with manicured and professionally landscaped grounds, a vineyard, various pavilions, gazebos, gracious circular drive and triple-tiered fountain, all leading to a stately manor atop the highest point of the property. It was enough to make any feminine heart sigh in delight, picturing her wedding in this lovely setting.

The day itself was what I call a soft, gray day. Most people find this type of weather a nuisance, but I love soft gray days. They are similar to snowy days in that they soften the edges of the world, dampen the sounds around us and slow the pace a wee bit. We had unseasonably warm weather for January that day, which caused winds to whip up and provide a brisk outdoor viewing of the estate. Since my job is to write glowing reviews and descriptions of this property, I walked around extensively, drinking in the wide expanse of the grounds. For some reason, I glanced skyward and spotted four hawks. I don't know if you've ever had the opportunity to watch birds gliding the winds on a blustery day, but it's something I have always enjoyed. I stood there, at the top of that highest bluff and just watched them.

They were loving the weather, their wings outstretched as they glided about, carving lazy, elegant wheeling loops across the sky. I found myself just smiling at the sight, something deep inside of me touched and brought to a very bright moment of peace. The soft gray light of day, the whipping winds tangling my hair and bringing rosy color to my cheeks, the lovely backdrop of this incredible estate....and those beautiful hawks up in the sky, playing and skating the winds for the simple joy of it all. All of these individual details combined to create one diamond sharp instant in time for me and I doubt that I shall ever forget it. For that moment, I breathed in damp, fresh air and watched a performance thrown by nature, and I simply soared along with it all.

Does this sound overly dramatic? Absurd for a grown woman to suggest it possible to step into this dance of nature and become an element of it all? I don't see it as either - this is how I view the world.  Magic does exist and I will not be convinced otherwise. To me, moments such as these are meant to be embraced with all our senses, and that's exactly what I did. It was glorious. Even the trees surrounding the estate were doing their own gentle, elegant waltz as the winds shifted them to and fro.

I stood there, living in that moment for what felt like a separate eternity. Eventually, the four hawks moved on across the sky and disappeared. I am sure they will return to that stretch of sky and take full advantage of the wind patterns, and if I'm lucky, I'll be there occasionally to witness the beauty of it all again. This one day, however, this soft gray day of mine, will never exist again. I have it in my mind's eye and I am now attempting to paint it with words for you to share. My written efforts fall quite short of accurately describing the sheer bliss of the moment I experienced, that free flight of those four hawks.

My day continued and I was pulled back into the real world of cell phones jangling, clients wanting to schedule appointments, traffic snarling its way around the city and deadlines looming. I tucked that day away in my heart because the deep, lasting sense of peace continued to radiate inside me. I feel it even now, as I write these words. The energy of it pulses inside me and I recognize that I was sent a very profound message that afternoon - I felt a divine presence embracing me with a palpable touch.

For whatever reason, I was given that incredible moment, a nod, an encouraging touch, a thundering whisper that brushed against me and said,

"Listen...be still...this is your moment...your free flight.  All things are possible."

My throat tightens now, and chills touch my arms from the memory. The message was clear in some ways, inscrutable and cryptic in others. The example of those four hawks swooping and gliding for the pure enjoyment of the experience reminds me to embrace doing what I love with equal abandon. Their eventual progress into the distant sky also reminds me that there is more to do, experience and explore.

If we're lucky, we might have a handful of these experiences in our lives. I am like most people, sometimes wondering if I'm making the right choices, wondering at the outcome of actions set into place. Witnessing this free flight in the sky scrubbed away some of those worries and concerns and lightened my heart. I will remember this lesson, this dance on the wind, and continue my own free flight into the vast expanse of the future.

And I will remember....all things are possible.

Lamp shining brightly

A couple of friends of mine are going through some challenges. One lost a beloved family member; another was just having a really crummy personal day. The quote below came to mind for both of them and prompted me to write my own thoughts:

"Perhaps it will seem to you that the sunshine is brighter and that everything has a new charm. At least, I believe this is always the result of a deep love. And it is a beautiful thing. And I believe people who think love prevents one from thinking clearly are wrong; for then one thinks very clearly and is more active than before. And love is something eternal - the aspect may change, but not the essence. There is the same difference in a person before and after he is in love as there is in an unlighted lamp and one that is burning. The lamp was there and it was a good lamp, but now it is shedding light too, and that is its real function. And love makes one calmer about many things, and in that way, one is more fit for one's work."
~ Vincent Van Gogh

I have always found this quote to be startlingly beautiful. The concept captures so many different applications of how we, as humans, love. It also narrows the reader's focus to a still, silent thought, a moment to ponder love and how it illumines each Soul.

We all have those unpleasant days - at times they can go beyond the span of a day - where nothing feels good. Nothing seems to fit, colors are muted and sounds are muffled. We twist and turn, searching for something outside of ourselves to mitigate this dimming effect. At times, something outward does do the trick. There are moments which require only a change in scenery, or the company of a good friend to lift our mood and banish the gloom. For the moments that extend beyond those quick fixes, Van Gogh's quote sometimes comes to mind for me.

For those who have suffered the recent loss of a deeply loved one, the process of grief is an individual one. Each of us must walk that particular path alone, moving through the various stages until acceptance finally is met. Love from those still here can certainly prove to be a lifeline which we all grasp hold of. There will be, without a doubt, days of darkness to navigate in solitude. Days where your heart is sore with loss and nothing seems capable of soothing. Again, I come back to Van Gogh's quote.

Love is a fickle creature, of a certainty. It is also that which lifts us, transports us to joyous bliss, fills us up with fizzing delight, warms us with a soft, lambent inner glow. We can be pitched into the depths of despair by love, left sprawled on the floor, completely undone and broken. That light...that lamp which Van Gogh identifies as the analogy and symbol of love....it is always there. It may require effort on our part at times to light, or to shelter from whipping winds of change. I daresay we should consider ourselves dutiful stewards of our individual lamps. Without constant care, the lamp can grow dull, can become depleted of sufficient fuel to shine brightly in the darkness.

It is perhaps very simplistic to claim that printing a quote from long ago might have the power to lift the hearts of those reading this blog post. A friend having a challenging day might not feel like being coaxed into a better mood by Van Gogh's perspective. The friend in the midst of fresh, sharp grief and the loss of a loved one might not have the energy to even think about reading a blog post. Others dealing with their own challenges may brush this off as just another blog post full of self-indulgent optimism, hearts and flowers and those inevitable rose-colored glasses that this writer insists on wearing. All of the above have merit. I cannot claim to have miraculous answers or solutions for those who are in the midst of their own personal struggles.

What I can do, however, is reach out in my own personal fashion. I can share the quote above in the sure knowledge that, if it touched my heart and continues to have value for me, most likely it will touch others and inspire. I think that Van Gogh's words are beautiful, full of hope, that they communicate a wish for those reading the words to have courage and believe in the fact that love is eternal.

"...the aspect may change, but not the essence."

We forget, often, in the midst of our personal moments of crisis, that love is an eternal constant. It truly is the most powerful emotion in existence and can banish a crummy day in the twinkling of an eye. Soothing broken hearts obviously requires much more time and effort, but the eternal nature of this emotion, coupled with the healing application of time, is again that one endless constant. How fortunate we are, then, that brilliant minds took time to write personal thoughts for us to read hundreds of years later; to be encouraged, to be inspired, to be gently wrapped in the words of love and brought through those maelstrom moments to calmer shores.

We can believe...and know, for it is true, that our lamp shines brightly.

Shared Moments

"This needs to be shared," said my friend Marty in the midst of a Facebook email conversation.

For those of you who feel that blogs should not include personal anecdotes or discuss mundane issues, this is your head's up to click to another page. I'm going to share a completely silly, irreverant moment with a good friend - it has a purpose, and I'll talk about that too, but just saying...this is a window into a very silly conversation.

It all started with some random email one of us sent, regarding building up of readership/followers of blogs, as well as building up networks of friends in Facebook. I commented on the fact that I don't like the tendency a lot of bloggers have of suggesting, "If you follow me, I'll follow you (on respective blogs)." I find this to be an exercise in emptiness. My goal is definitely to grow my readership, but not to do it in a blind, sweeping manner by following countless blogs that I'm not interested in reading. I want the same to happen with fellow bloggers who choose to follow my own blog - I want people to actually read what I write, you know? So, my comment back to Marty apparently hit him in a similar manner, to the point that he wrote back and put my comment in quotes. The next is a series of replies in our email thread:

Marty: "OK. I like your view of things... I think that 'Gratuitous attention is completely empty and unnecessary.'"

Dawn: "Had to laugh at seeing my own comment on gratuitous attention in quotes. Do you think I'll become a famous author one day that people will quote on the next social media version of Facebook?"

Marty: "And yes, Dawn, you will be the bomb... I will be 85 years old, trying to adapt to the new "Facebook of 2050" and I will be writing on my status.. 'I knew Dawn' and I will automatically get 400 friend requests. :) My blog by then will get close to 20000 views a day, because, 'I knew Dawn.'"

Dawn: "I will, in turn, be up in Heaven on my cloud, the one that's a bit messy, with stray feathers, some interesting scrolls from the library stacked on a poofy section, Dove wrappers tucked discretely beneath my robe for future contemplation and, of course, some nifty device that allows me to access said future computer waves so I can watch over your progress. The other angels will stop by to see 'what that intelligent, funny, witty Marty is doing these days. He's so accomplished, but more importantly, he loves with his whole heart. Smart move on your end, while on Earth, that you became friends.' I will nod, smile and send you love & support from my messy, but comfy and lived in cloud."

Marty: "OMG. I totally can't quit laughing... This needs to be shared... If only I could add Brenda onto this chain... :)"

Dawn: "How do you feel about me using this as the focus of a blog?"

Marty: "I absolutely DO NOT CARE if you use any of this stuff. :) I'm just trying to imagine myself when I'm 85 using the new Facebook. I'll be like coding and manipulating the site in everyway possible, installing widgets, and little virtual Dove chocolates that will plop onto your screen in all their Dark Chocolate goodness and the wrapper will say, 'Sent with Love from Heaven Above by Dawn.'"

I went on to add a whole slew of possibilities for Marty's future, which is too long and involved to add here. I know in my heart that his future is blindingly bright, so my description of possible scenarios went on with quite a bit of detail! This was the last comment Marty emailed and the one that struck me the most and made me smile the most:

Marty: "You could just throw this conversation into a blog. I've never laughed harder. This has been one of my favorite days so far in our friendship, Dawn ."

If you've read this far in this blog, I hope you've laughed at the absurd humor Marty and I were tossing back and forth. Why have I chosen to make this a blog post? Because I think that moments of shared, absurd humor are the stuff of Golden Memories. I will remember that conversation with Marty for the rest of my life. It was silly, yes, but it also was full of an incredible amount of support, encouragement and belief in each other as friends. That was what touched me the most.

Beyond that, I have to give a nod to the Internet and to Facebook for the ability to foster some of the most unlikely friendships. Marty lives in the mid-west. I live in the south. There's an age gap between us, with me being older, that normally would be too large an obstacle for a friendship to be born. Against all odds, though, Marty stumbled across my blog several weeks ago and was the first person to post an encouraging comment, and also one of the first people to follow my blog. I pulled up his blog, liked what I read and began to follow him in return. From there, we've been building a solid friendship that spans a wide range of topics, emotions, learning experiences and, best of all, sheer, lighthearted fun as depicted above. I think that many times, we cheat ourselves out of a wonderful experience by not pursuing those unlikely friendships. This is one time that I embraced the opportunity and my life has been made richer as a result.

Take time to embrace that inner child, my friends. Also, take a chance on an unlikely friendship in the future. Think outside the box with this one! You're presented with those opportunities fairly often, if you just take time to pay attention. If you already have a Marty in your life, be thankful and appreciative!!! The Marty in my life gives me lots of little moments of laughter, as well as all the other important aspects of friendship. The email conversation above reminded me to keep believing in myself, my writing, my dreams, all in the context of absurd humor. Here is to the Marty's in the world - may you all have one of your own!

Allow love

Does anyone reading this sometimes struggle with being open to being loved? Does that statement sound bizarre, or does it strike a common chord for you? I'm one of the ones that tends to get in my own way with that concept, sometimes rather spectacularly. I'm accustomed to being the one watching out for friends, being protective, nurturing, loving, supportive, etc. Yep, throw out the psycho-babble terms....co-dependent might be one that applies to that mindset. I won't argue the point. I think we all feel much safer and more in control when we're the ones doling out the care. Flip the tables on us and send someone our way to take care of us, nurture, protect, encourage, support and love and hmm....that feels a bit odd. Perhaps a bit unnerving.

I'm aware of my issues with control, have been for years. I work hard to keep it to a sane level and most days I feel I'm doing pretty well. Recently, I finally sat down and wrote out a list of things I'd like to invite into my life - that good old life mapping process, Law of Attraction at its most basic application. The very first thing I wrote was, "I want to meet new friends, or come back into contact with old friends, who are loving and caring towards friendships in the manner that I am." Basically, I was saying I want to be loved as deeply, openly and outwardly as I love the people in my life. Some might read that statement and think it sounds slightly egocentric, patting yourself on the back for your ability to love. I disagree - if there is one thing I can say about myself, without an egocentric mindset, it is that I know how to love and express it openly. It is one of the things I appreciate the most about myself, and in recognizing this fact, I felt, for the first time in a while, that I deserved just as much care and love as I freely give to others.

Well, let me just say that this small exercise is beginning to bloom extravagantly in my life. New and old friendships are sprouting up all around me. Interesting that I'm using gardening analogies here! I feel that I have always been blessed with people - family and friends - who genuinely love me. What I felt was missing was actually hearing that love expressed, or, in lieu of hearing the words spoken, seeing them written. I bow to the necessity of electronic communication to a certain extent.

Very early this morning, a dear friend sent me a song link on my Facebook page, expressing in music that he believes in me. It was so unexpected, kind and loving that I stared for long moments and thought, "Wow, that's exactly the type of thing that I would do for a friend. So, this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end!" Other friends are making phone calls out of the blue and making comments that heretofore would have been quite uncharacteristic for them. Still others are sending emails that say, with simple, heartfelt words, the things that I asked to hear when I wrote that list. All of this is not to say I feel disenfranchised, unloved or neglected - to the contrary. I am rich with blessings and love. I just needed to hear, see and feel that love become manifested in a different way.

Has it been easy for me to accept? You'd think the answer would be a resounding "Yes!" In fact, it has been a bit of a challenge to open up and allow this love into my heart. That may sound churlish, and that isn't the intent - I do accept the kindness and love and appreciate it all more than I can put into words. It is those quiet moments alone, when I sit and absorb it all that have me a bit off kilter, realizing that allowing love is occasionally a much bigger struggle than giving love. The beautiful part of this whole process is how magically simple it has been. It was completely unnecessary to trot out all my defense mechanisms, shore up my highest, titanium walls and deepen the moat surrounding my personal fortress. I just took a breath and allowed love in. It was and continues to be, wonderful!

The first step - identify what you want. The second step - ask for it. As most of us who study the Law of Attraction concepts, or the Bible or other holy texts know, those first two steps are the easier ones to accomplish. The third step - allow what you asked for to manifest. That one takes some work, I admit it! I've said it countless times, that being loved is such a simple thing, and this is an immutable truth. Recognizing it and being open to it is the challenge. It's like putting on a new pair of shoes - sometimes they feel a bit tight and odd to begin with, but if you're patient, those shoes begin to adapt to your shape and fit like the proverbial glove. The same concept applies to allowing love - it may feel a bit odd and uncomfortable at first. Give it some time, let the love meld with the shape of You. Once it feels like it fits, you're just getting started....the next step is to continue!