Morning Meditation - Grayscale Healing

 Morning Meditation. Grayscale healing - in my experience, this is real and powerful. ✨

#HealingMorning #MorningMeditation #GrayscaleHealing #Calm #Peace #HealingProcess

Morning Meditation - Retreat Within And Heal

 Morning Meditation™️. This statement epitomizes what I find during meditation and prayer. 💖

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditationArchives™️  #MarcusAurelius  #RetreatWithinAndHeal  #SoulSearch  #Peace  #Bard ✨

Morning Meditation - Truth and Peace

 Morning Meditation™️. A moment of truth and peace. ✨

#HealingMorning  #MorningMeditation™️ #NehemiahEightTen  #Joy  #Strength

Morning Meditation - Psalm 23:3

 Morning Meditation™️. There are so many days that challenge us and drag at our spirit. On those days, in those moments, there is peace and calm to be found in simple words. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #Peace #PsalmTwentyThreeThree

Morning Meditation - Necessary State Of Being

 Morning Meditation™️. Peace is a vitally necessary state of being. ✨

#HealingMorning  #MorningMeditation  #Peace  #NecessaryStateOfBeing  #WellBeing #Tranquility #MentalHealth

Morning Meditation - Prepare For Renewal

 Morning Meditation™️. Winter allows us to take rest and prepare for renewal. ✨

#HealingMorning  #MorningMeditation  #WintersRest  #PrepareForRenewal

Morning Meditation - Shades of Lavender

 Morning Meditation™️. For me, the shade of lavender has always evoked peace, strength, and quiet blessings as I allow my mind to go into prayerful, meditative state. ✨

#HealingMorning  #MorningMeditation  #QuietBlessings  #ShadesOfLavender  #Peace

Morning Meditation - Soft Stillness

 Morning Meditation™️. One of the most peaceful experiences is to sit quietly and become one with the soft stillness and the night. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #SoftStillnessAndTheNight  #Shakespeare  #Bard  #Peace

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 - Becoming

 Morning Meditation™️. As we live & learn…as we Become…we add continual layers of beauty. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditationArchives™️  #Growth  #Expansion  #Healing  #Becoming  #InnerBeauty  #Peace

Morning Meditation - Speed Isn’t The Goal

 Morning Meditation™️. Change is challenging. Finding peace & clarity amidst the process helps ease the growing pains.✨

#MorningMeditation™️  #HealingMorning™️  #Change  #Adapt  #Growth  #Clarity  #GrowingPains

The Essence of Christmas

 Christmas Blessings. 🕊️

#HealingMorning  #ChristmasBlessings  #Joy  #Peace  #Love

Earthrise

 Healing Morning Extra™️. 54 years ago, this iconic image of our home planet was taken by American astronaut William A. Anders on the Apollo 8 mission on December 24, 1968. “Earthrise” never ceases to instill peace in my heart. 

#HealingMorningExtra  #Earthrise  #Peace

Morning Meditation - Psalm 55:16

 Morning Meditation™️. A moment of peace to dwell upon as we begin the day. ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditation™️  #Prayer  #PsalmFiftyFiveSixteen

Morning Meditation - Invite The Quiet Moments

 Morning Meditation™️. Invite the quiet moments. They allow true wonder to shower down upon us! ✨

#HealingMorning™️  #MorningMeditationArchives™️ #InviteQuietMoments  #TrueWonderIsNear  #Peace  #Healing  #Reflection  #Understanding

Morning Meditation - Matthew 5:4

 Morning Meditation™️. In times of grief, know that you are never alone. An unending, limitless loving Source is there with you, always. ✨

#MorningMeditation™️  #HealingMorning™️  #MatthewFiveFour  #Grief  #Mourning  #Peace  #Uplift  #LimitlessLove 

Healing Morning Extra - Beginning

 Healing Morning Extra™️. The genesis of the Healing Morning foundation began in 2009 with a conversation and extended lunch with Shannon Foster-Boline, who helped me create the shell for my Healing Morning blog. Since then, the form of expression I have employed has shifted and grown into three weekly image quote card series that have been a joy to create. This quote card thought shared today continues to match the sentiment and energy that I wanted to give voice to thirteen years ago, and the journey continues. I hope those of you who follow the Healing Morning page enjoy what I share! ✨

*Shannon, thank you for helping me get my feet on this writing path all those years ago! ❤️*

Healing Morning Extra - Snow Thoughts

Healing Morning Extra™️. Snow thoughts. ❄️

#HealingMorningExtra™️  #MorningMeditationArchives™️  #SnowThoughts  #Peace  #Beauty

Strawberry Zen

photo:  www.wdrb.com

Inspiration for a blog article can come from the most unexpected sources. Often, when I'm having a conversation with a friend, a random comment will sparkle so strongly that it prompts me to elaborate my thoughts.  I commented on a Facebook post of my friend, Zero Dean (article link: http://blog.zerodean.com/2015/tao-of-zero/are-you-awake/), and that started today's musings. 

I have shared that lately, I have been in a quiet, contemplative stage with many areas of my life. This year seems to be full of inner searching for me, and if I allow it to happen, I can fall down the figurative Rabbit Hole of chaotic self-questioning.  One question leads to the next, and the next, with each demanding a resolution, or a profound change of habits and approach to life, until there is a very loudly jangling bundle of expectations that cannot be met quickly or easily.  I think we all do this to ourselves.  It's human nature to think we have to tackle all the Big Ticket Items and produce instantaneous and successful results.  That is not only unrealistic, it actually invites more chaotic energy to pour down on our heads.

When I catch myself doing this, I stop.  I breathe, and I calm my heart.  With calming of breath and heart, I can cut the stream of angst ridden mind chatter.  Today, it was a strawberry Zen moment that cut the mind chatter.  Rather than let my energy scatter into myriad directions and goals that cannot be accomplished simultaneously, I stopped and focused on the immediate moment.  That moment is a carton of fresh, beautiful strawberries.  Their ruby beauty, dotted with tiny black seeds and crowned with bright green caps, all speaking of the onset of summer weather and sunny days harken to those lovely childhood comfort memories for me.  We are currently one day into true Spring in the U.S., so these luscious strawberries come to me from some other climate; summer growing weather is a bit of a stretch down the road for East Tennessee.

Standing in my kitchen, I focus on the sensory and tactile impressions of my prosaic task.  I gather the strawberries from the cardboard carton and place them into a small ceramic colander, running fresh water over them.  The musical splashing of water sharpens the strawberry scent and brightens the already vibrant shades of red.  Shaking the colander produces a waterfall of liquid drops into my sink that is another visual delight....tiny dazzles of water gems rain into the stainless steel sink and become a clear wash that dashes from sight.  Picking up a small paring knife, I nip the green caps and slice the strawberries, enjoying the soft snicking of the knife as it passes through berry to the small cutting board.  A cut glass bowl awaits the sliced fruit, and sunlight hits crystal, exploding into rainbow refraction as I step outside to my patio with my afternoon treat.  The day is sunny and mild in temperature, soft breezes promising a true march beyond the colder embrace of winter.  Spring appears to be lifting her arms across the land.

As I eat my bowl of strawberries, enjoying the tart flavor, my soul is quiet again.  The rushing thoughts are calmed and Zen is in my grasp.  A simple chore of preparing a light meal has brought me back to balance.

This moment, this action, this breath, this heartbeat....this Strawberry Zen.  In a nod of fellowship to my friend, Zero....

 I am awake.   

Noble Undertaking

Photo: www.blog.utest.com

I first wrote this article in February 2010, prior to the Winter Olympics that year.  We are now approaching the Summer Olympics of 2012, so I am adding on to this original post.  My thoughts haven't shifted to any large degree and I think this article still stands strong enough to be shared again.

The Summer Olympics begin this year the weekend of July 27th.  Those who know me well are quite aware of the fact that I'm not the most athletically gifted person in the world.   I was never one to join team sports or be a fan of getting sweaty and dirty while pushing my physical limits to extremes in the pursuit of athletic excellence.  It may seem contradictory, in light of these facts, that I am a fervent fan of the Olympics.  I admit it's a bit unusual for someone who is not all that athletic to be so dedicated to watching the penultimate two week period of all things athletically related.

Why am I such a fan?  What is it about the Olympic Winter and Summer Games that captures the attention, imagination and hearts of the whole world?  One reason is simply that very fact...it is a moment in time where the whole world is focused on one brief window, one narrow, specific place on the planet, where a small retinue of talented young people gather from every country, in peace, to compete in a variety of individual and group sports.

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius", a Latin expression meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger".

The Olympic Creed is...

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." (Olympic Motto & Creed, Wikipedia)

During every Olympics, there are remarkable stories of incredible feats of athletic strength, courage and endurance that, any other time, would be considered unreachable, impossible to achieve. Yet, they do happen, and the blooming of the human spirit, the digging deep within that these young people do is what speaks to each of us in a way that is so touching. We collectively witness athleticism at its highest, most pure level....drama, unparalelled pressure and demands on the human body, excitement and patriotic fever run rampant. Indeed, many of the most memorable moments during the Olympic Games aren't of gold medal winning performances - they are of the enduring human stubborn refusal to give up that burns in the hearts of these athletes who push themselves to finish their race, their sport, their individual competition, because they are at the Olympics.

In ancient times, warriors would compete in the Greek Games in peace, setting aside their weapons and coming together in the spirit of the Games.  This most vital component exists today in our modern Olympic Games and, I feel, is another reason the Olympics are such a unifying moment for the entire world.  Thousands of hopeful young people gather together for this same noble concept.  Most of them will not win a medal.  For the majority of the athletes, simply winning a spot on their country's Olympic Team and making it to the Olympics is a dream beyond compare and a once in a lifetime experience that few are blessed to live. 

For me, it is a two week period that is full of hope, and a purity of energy that lifts the whole world up.  I watch everything during the Olympics and it is extremely important to me, when a U.S. athlete wins a medal, that we are able to witness the medal ceremony and hear our National Anthem being played.  I get choked up every single time I hear the U.S. National Anthem played, and my emotions are racked higher during the Olympics.  It is a "feel good" moment that lasts for two weeks and creates some of the most enduring memories.

If any of the people reading this post watched the last Summer Olympics with me, who among us will ever forget watching Michael Phelps break the swimming records and medal victories set by Mark Spitz in the 1970's?  I watched, absolutely spellbound, wishing with all my heart for that young man to achieve the goals that so many doubted, scoffed and outright declared were impossible.  And, he did achieve them...every single one.  I watched every single event he competed in and I witnessed every single gold medal performance, as well as each medal ceremony that was televised.  I experienced that euphoria that all sports fans feel when their team wins, but for me, it goes so much deeper than that simple desire.  This year, Michael Phelps will be closing out his Olympic career at these Summer Games.  I hope to watch him increase his medal winnings, and I look forward to seeing the upcoming new, young athletes who follow in his footsteps.

During those moments of watching Michael Phelps achieve his mutiple gold medal wins, and so many other Olympic performances, my heart and spirit were transported in a manner that I sometimes experience when I hear an especially beautiful piece of music, or witness a uniquely beautiful moment in nature....feel an especially bright moment of love for another.  It is difficult to put into words, the emotions that I feel during the Olympic Games, but I am positive that the energy that is created during those two brief weeks every two years is very important to the overall energy of our planet Earth.  I feel that it is a healing energy that takes place and I also believe the young people who compete in the Olympic Games are forever changed by their individual experiences.  They then go forth to live their lives, it is to be hoped, and do more wonderful, positive things.

I believe that each country cares about the Olympic Games for more reasons than just winning.  Yes, of course every athlete attending the Olympic Games dreams of winning that gold medal, standing on that podium and hearing their own National Anthem played.  Beyond that ultimate moment, the Olympics themselves present an ideal - a wish and a dream of everything being possible and within the grasp of each athlete.  The Olympic Games hold elation, promise...and possibly most importantly, the Games represent Hope.  In these modern times, I cannot think of any single human emotion that is more important than to feel hopeful. 

So, in these next two weeks, everyone who knows me well will sigh, shake their heads in slight amusement, and agree to not ask me to come to dinner, agree to not call me after 7 pm and then greet me again at the end of the Olympic Games.  They know they will hear me wax rhapsodic about the highlights of the Olympic Games for the next couple of weeks, and they'll kid me about my borderline unreasonable devotion to not missing a single, exciting moment of televised coverage. 

It's okay - they're used to me, and I'm used to them, and I am not offended when they find me amusing.  I know that I'm a bit outside the norm in this regard.  It makes me happy to watch the Olympic Games, plain and simple.  In the coming two weeks, I am confident that I will witness some truly inspirational, amazing moments.  I am equally confident that for two short weeks, this beautiful planet that I love so deeply will also bask in the higher vibration that is generated by the Olympic Games.  For a short period of time, magnificent competition, experiences, emotions and memories will blaze brightly and proudly.  And I will have been there to see it.  My memories will be richer, my heart will be stronger, and my Soul will be gladdened. 

Perhaps, for those of us not so athletically gifted, the Olympic Games are also a moment to simply appreciate what those who are truly athletically gifted can accomplish.  At the end of the day, the Games are an exercise in pursuing excellence, pursuing dreams and being up at the top of a mountain, poised to jump out bravely into the unknown and grab victory in both hands.  When you think about it, that's a noble undertaking for two otherwise ordinary weeks out of the year.