The Choice is Mine

Today I am sharing with you a beautiful message from Alexandra Starr, it made my day and I am planning to commit it to memory. Let me know what it does to you. Have a blessed Sunday.

THE CHOICE IS MINE

I choose to live by choice, not chance.

I choose to make changes, not excuses.

I choose to be motivated, not manipulated.

I choose to be useful, not used.

I choose self-esteem, not self-pity.

I choose to excel, not compete.

I choose to listen to the inner voice, not the random opinion of the crowds.

The choice is mine, and I choose to surrender to the will of the Divine Mind, for in surrender to the will of the Divine Mind, for in surrendering I am Victorious.

~Alexandra Starr.

And What About Grandma

Time have changed so many things, one of them I believe is the way we see our grandmas. I remembered when visiting or receiving grandma at our home it was always a joyous occasion. I loved the way she listened to me and the special little things she would sometimes bring me, most of them were little and very inexpensive but just to know she thought of me was enough.

Life has become a place where you live where you can survive and not where you want to be. Families used to live closed to each other throughout their life and in that process they saw each other grow up and helped one another when needed. I won’t paint a rosie picture of the whole experience because sometimes there were moments you wished they were far away but grandmas somehow made things alright.

It breaks my heart to hear of grandmas being placed in nursing homes and then forgotten by their families. I realize that life moves so rapidly that before you know it your day is all gone; between work, house work, the kids, your spouse and all the activities you are lucky to have time for yourself. The days go by and grandma waits lonely in a cold room far away from all she holds dear, thinking that today maybe is the day she gets that visit, that call and nights fall down. Another day without you. She wonders why, how and for how long she will have to endure the pain and sorrow in her heart. Better days come to mind as her tears roll down her cheeks and wonder… If the grandma happens to be Hispanic and her kids moved to the United States now she has another barrier that keeps her faraway from her family, the language. It is so sad to see parents who replace their native language for the one they are living around now and don’t take the time and effort to teach their language to their kids. When grandma comes they can’t even talk anymore and they long to get to know them.

I thank God I lived in a generation that had the blessing to enjoy grandmas and that I had the chance to be with them a lot, I knew them and they knew me. They taught me their favorite dishes and made me my favorite food. I called them when I was far away and told them how much I missed and loved them. I also wrote letters to them. I played, I cried, I laughed and I grew to be who I am because of them. I learned by their mistakes and by their advice, and I was in awe when I heard all they went through. There is not a moment I did not want to be with them, even on their death bed and I will forever love and carry them in my heart.

So what about your grandma? Your kids’ grandma? Have you taken the time to talk or visit them today? Do you know she is waiting for you and no matter how long it has been she will still love you just the same as if you were there yesterday, even though you were not?

The Eyes – The Windows of the Soul

It is an old proverb, one that reflect our most inner condition and the undeniable truth. “Look at me” we ask, when we want to know if someone is telling us the truth. At other times we see sorrow, hunger, sadness, unhappiness and desolation. We also see happiness, peace, joy, hope and love.

It is easy sometimes to force a smile and pretend that nothing is happening, but one thing we can’t hide behind is our eyes. There is no veil or wall that can cover the windows of our eyes which reflect the innermost condition of our soul. Joy, peace, and love bring about a brightness difficult to ignore, you have seen it in your eyes and on others. Then you come upon the dark, extinguished, and dull ones that really touch your heart with either fear or sadness.

What is your opinion on this proverb. Is it true that the eyes are the windows of the soul?

Standing Tall

Nobody said we need to be work shipped, honored, or adored but one thing I believe we all need to be is respected. Respected for who we are, what we hold dear and most of all respected as a human being. Everyone is entitled to that because we were created in the image of God.

When someone is disrespected normally they look for some way of retaliation and in that process they may even hurt those associated with them in order to cause even more damage. I don’t believe such behavior should go unpunished. Anyone who willfully look for ways to hurt others must be ready for the same. How could anyone in their right mind complain about the effects of a bad action without looking at how they whole thing started? With them. Now, I am not saying that I haven’t done any bad things in my life but I have tried not to do them intentionally.

Revenge is a strong word and one I don’t like to be associated with but many actions could be called revenge. Now, what I do believe in is in standing tall in the face of insults, humiliation and hurt. There comes a time when I need to stand firm on my ground and let others know that is not okay to disrespect me in any way, shape or form. Sometimes the measures that need to be taken in order for them to listen are drastic but the main thing is that they are crystal clear to the individual. If possible I would not like to remind them of the boundaries set forth in the discussion but I would not hesitate to do so if necessary. This is my modus operandi right now and it will continue to be. Passive no more.

What do you do to stand tall?

Expectations

Today I woke up with this in mind, expectations. I don’t want to have any, and I want to navigate my day according to the waves I encounter along the way. I did a search on the topic on my blog because I knew I wrote about this before and what I wrote still resonates today.

Here it is one more time, tell me what you think about expectations and the best way you go about it in your life. I wish you an unexpected wonderful day!!

http://clary.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/expectations-2/

Healthy Balance

It is a daily challenge, something that I really need to concentrate on as I move along the many choices I make along the way to find a healthy balance; body, mind and spirit. Wanting to remain in the present not letting the past creep on what it could be, but at times feels like a lost battle inside. Putting myself before God -tired, humbled, opened- helps lift the burden up from my shoulders.

Your Light

Life has its ways to take us to places we never thought, to foreign lands and uncertain future. There is only one way to face to odds against us, with faith and hope. There is always a light somewhere even if it is far away from us, the ones who loves us provide that shine and we move onto the new path with support, with hope even with some of our dreams hanging from our hearts. Anything is possible when the slate has been cleaned, we have a chance to recreate our world, to dig deep and see what it is will take us there this time around and who are the ones that remain beside us. It is at that moment when sentiments dingle or are strengthen, when the love dies or grow, when hope flourish or dry out. What is true remains as we continue to look for that light while walking in the darkness.

The Way We Measure

We measure many things; our behavior, our talents, our tolerance, our kindness, our emotions, our love, our commitments, etc. As you can tell from my examples I am talking about our qualities or faults measure against someone else. I guess I never paid much attention to it before but lately it is really bothering me, perhaps because I can clearly see how short we all come to perfection, to that image we want to portray many times and that is very far from reality. I have never claimed to be perfect, good, talented, or anything like that. I do recognize some of my gifts but I try not to talk about it or compare myself to anyone. I do try to emulate good people even though I know I fail many times and come short to many of their best qualities and virtues. That is the reason why it really bothers me when someone goes into their high chair and hit their breast while they list the number of ways they are better than the person next to them for whatever reason. It bothers me because in the process they put down other individuals around them, it might not be intentional and they might not realize how the other person feels, but they do hurt and sometimes humiliate others.

This Bible verse says it clearly:

“He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.” Mark 4:24

And it has been in my mind for a long time. Every person is different and everyone will decide for themselves in which way to respond to different situations and responsibilities in their life even though you had the opportunity and privilege to raise or teach them. In the end it is on them and we get no more respect from anyone by telling others how good we are. Let’s learn to be humble and to keep our mouth shot most of the time, it will serve us well and let other instead tell us how good or bad we are.

Holding It In

For the longest time we have been trained to hold things up. Living in a society demands that sometimes we don’t speak of certain topics or opinions. When it comes to relationships it is pretty much the same but one thing I know is that no communication=no relationship. Holding in opinions, emotions, hurt, ideas, disagreements, etc takes a toll on anyone. There is a fine line between being honest and rude, between expressing our frustration and insulting someone in the process. At times is best to just walk away. Words can’t never be taken back but not because of it we are to be so afraid to utter them, in some occasions they are essential to help resolve a situation.

Holding things in for too long only leads to an imminent explosion and out of control situation. There is only so much we all can take and for our own emotional and health we need to learn to release from time to time.

What is your experience with holding it in? Have you learned ways to release in order not to create too much pressure that will provoke an “explosion”?

Life Lessons on Letting Go

It was a long time coming, the years go by and before you know it your kids are no kids anymore. At first one refuse to see it or accept and we try to hold on, one more year, one more month, one more day, one more hour but as the time goes by the tension grows greater as we try to hold on. The moment comes and the pressure is such that you just have to let go. It is painful, at first I felt lost and unneeded, sometimes even unwanted, but it has been almost couple of weeks and it is a relief not to have to be after anyone. Everyone is responsible for their own schedule and work. It is tempting not to try to help or ask too many questions but at the same time it is liberating.

This is the time to begin to recreate my life in so many ways; emotionally, physically and spirituality. It is a time to open doors and windows and see what is out there that I could not see, hear and experience for so long. My focus is slowly changing from raising and caring to the spontaneity of each and every day. It is not easy sometimes when you are used to structure and routine but at the same time is exciting. Time will pass until I am completely accustomed to this new way of living and new role in my life. I love to direct and guide and now all I will have to do (hope so) is assist. Watching how the decisions are made, right or wrong, while standing on the sidelines in not an easy task. I want to jump right in and make it alright. I guess every mom wants to do the same but it is time to let go.

As another day begins all I can say is that I am thankful for the years past no matter how hard they were, and that I look forward for the years to come which will come with new and unknown experiences. May they be as memorable and fulfilling as the time when we as a family laid a strong foundation.