Garden of faith and hope

 

 

 When we are born, we  begin to nurture our garden of faith and hope with seeds planted, maturing slowly and making their way to the sun- resilient to the extreme weather, as we walk our daily sojourn with our Creator.

Christmas thoughts

 

Christmas can be a challenging  time for  those who have lost loved ones and who mourn them.  But with God’s grace, we can move forward and begin to slowly enjoy the wonders and blessings that this season bestows and to remember that each day is indeed a gift.

The Wonders of November

 

The dark and dreary days of November can lead to the 

wondrous days of snow, the magic of Christmas, the  peaceful 

warmth of watching your favourite movies wrapped in your f

avorite  pajamas and  doing indoor activities you never have 

a chance to do in the days of spring, summer,  and fall, such as 

making home-made soup and jam.

The strength of goodness and kindness

 

 

Don’t let the unkindness of people wear you down, instead build upon the injustice, the cruelty to create a new structure that represents the significance  of  the strength of goodness,  and kindness and  their power over evil.

 

Definitions of Faith

 Faith is the ability to keep on going when all hope is gone.

Faith is believing you can do it when no one else believes you can.

Overcoming challenges

 

 

 It is not the challenges  you overcome  that  are so important, but the journey you  travelled doing so and what you have gleaned it  to share with others  that is most significant.

 

The jewels of each day

 Capture  the  jewels  each day . These are  the hidden blessings that are revealed to us in our daily lives.

 

The light of your spirit

 

Step into the light-. It is your light- of your spirit that embraces the many gifts our Creator gave you  when you were born.

 

Let your light shine eternally by sharing those gifts every day.

Grace within

 

 

Grace Within

 

We all have Grace within our spirit dwelling.

 

It is through adversity  that this loving Grace comes forth to heal us and others.

 

The bitter winds of hatred cannot withstand the spirit of  love, grace  and  kindness.

 

The Pandemic and our world view

 

The Pandemic  has changed our world view irrevocably . We are not the same persons we were two years ago.

 

 We had  to disconnect from others and reconnect with other family members with whom we reside and with our inner selves.

 

 In reconnecting with our inner self—to reclaim ourselves., we had to delve into that core that is our truly authentic self.

 

An example is  Alessia Cara, who like so many artists ,produced  incredible work during this period.

 

In our journey through the  Pandemic, we became more eccentric in travelling  our pathway to creativity  and in fashioning a new world transformed.

The Well of Gratitude

 During the  Pandemic, we can still  find and enjoy the many blessings it has brought us so we may move forward in focusing on the positive direction we can take.    

The Well of Gratitude

 

In these difficult times, we often focus on the most negative parts of our current situation.

 

Maybe instead we can focus on the positive/ the many blessings in our lives.

 

Like a wishing well when you put pennies in to make wishes, with the Well of  Gratitude, you  put in each blessing  thereby creating a fountain of up springing/ continuous joy and inspiration.

 

 

Computer shortcut keys

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/computer-shortcut-keys-everyone-should-know-1480158-2019-03-17

 

The ember months

 

When  we progress into our later years, like the last four months  of the year known as the ember months , these years becomes our ember  months --glowing and burning ever brightly with character, grace, and faith.

 In 2021, in our daily lives, let us craft a pearl necklace that is  a string of hope with each orb a beacon of light, faith and love

Living touchstones

  During these difficult times, in the workplace , we can be living touchstones of faith, grace and loving kindness.

Free Word Plug IN

For those who are auditory learners or process  info. better through auditory means... here is something below that may be of help to you in your workplace . 

http://www.wordtalk.org.uk/home/  ---   reads Microsoft Word aloud. but Windows only.

To honour International Women's Day

Sisters of the heart

Where ever you are

 You are with us

 No matter the race, religion, or creed.

 We  are all one in spirit in womanhood

 Let us  not forget how truly fragile we are

 Without the bond of Sisters of the Heart.

Books for stress management and for inspiration

Reading the right book at the right time can bring you  to a new level to understanding yourself, others and the pathway you are meant to travel in your career pathway.  Good luck and Enjoy !

Books for  Personal Motivation and Inspiration: Some of my Favorites:

Living the Seven Habits :  Stories of Courage and Inspiration by Stephen R.
Covey
Yesterday I Cried:  Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving by Iyanla
Vanzant
Travelling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The Woman's Book of Soul by Sue Patton Thoele
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson
The Power of Optimism by Alan Loy McGinnis
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Life's Little Instruction Book Series by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Five People You will Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

The Anatomy of a Spirit by Carolyn Myss ( to identify your spiritual path)

Books on Tapping into your Creative Soul:

Julia Cameron’s Books:  

The Artist's Way.

Walking in This World.

 The Vein of Gold

 The Right to Write

two.

Book on Multiple Intelligences:

" Seven Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing your Multiple Intelligences."  2nd edition.... by Thomas Armstrong.  The publisher is Canbook. You can try ordering it online at www.abebooks.ca.- textbook section. This site has some good prices for gently used books and some new ones too.

Books on Connecting with the Right Brain By Betty Edwards

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Paperback)
by Betty Edwards

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Seven Lessons to Enhance Creativity and Artistic Self Confidence

Tip for making positive impressions in meetings and introductions

1-     From a personal perspective, I now these make the  following recommendations :

a.      Clothing-wear the high -end clothing from your wardrobe. Prior to the important introduction, try the outfit on first and wear it front of a full-length mirror… Practice sitting down and shaking hands as well in front of this mirror to see how your clothing presents itself.   Also, men and women, bring a stain away pen for emergencies to remove stains and spills on your clothing, just in case something happens before you meet this person(s).

b.     Smile, but not excessively during your introduction.  Before the introduction,  please check a pocket mirror or car mirror to see that nothing is between your teeth , and  that there are not any pen marks, dust particles, etc.. are on your face, either.

c.      Eye contact- Try to not to stare intensely( eyeball- to- eyeball—maintain very direct eye contact long enough to note their eye colour), but focus on the space between the eye brows. Shift your gaze  to  the person’s eyebrows  after a few seconds  so they know they have your interest. But do not lose their attention by having your eyes wonder during the introduction.

d.     Body scents-  Both men and women  should not  wear  any scented deodorant,  cologne or perfume as a lot of people have allergies/ chemical intolerance these days.

e.      Breath-  Always carry and use breath mints or breath spray.  Don’t use gum to freshen your breath as you may forget you have it in your mouth.

f.      Tone of voice- watch that your voice is even toned- not harsh or anxious Try to avoid having any dairy products before such an introduction as they tend to create more mucus and congestion, and you may end up coughing, or sounding raspy or harsh.  If you are thirsty, drink water for hydration. .

g.     Posture- don’t hunch over or slouch.  Your posture gives away your attitude and confidence level.. Remember that your stance portrays how you feel about yourself.

h.     Content of introduction- try to be articulate and not ramble on.  Say what you have to in a concise manner. 

i.       Listening.- shut off your own  noisy thoughts in your mind and focus on their words - not yours. 

Thoughts on Remembrance Day

We often forget to honour our veterans outside of Remembrance Day or Remembrance Week, in the case of this year.

  Instead, we  need to honour them each day by doing something for them and/ or their  widows and families who may be left behind from those who served in our most recent wars.

 Once a year is simply not enough!

Paying homage to them  is a  part of our daily pilgrimage..   This is our reality... This is our duty.