This conversation last night:

Mini me: My friend always gets green in school. She has never had a yellow.
Me: But you've had a yellow a few times.
Mini me: It is okay. I now get greens everyday. Bygones are bygones (as she said with a wide sweeping arm motion).

Precious. My baby is growing up way too fast! AND her behavior continues to improve. She is learning manners. Some days parenting is tough, but most days I appreciate every second of it. She continues to be the light in my life. Bless her heart.

Moving away and back toward my spiritual center. So many of the trivial matters of each day consume me and pull me from my core being, but when I am really quiet like I was while out on my run on this beautiful fall day, I feel my center. It is there. It is love. It loves all. It forgives all.

Sitting in church a few years back, a quote supposedly uttered by Jesus was described and resonated quite deeply with me.

"Forgive them for they know not what they do."

I searched for opinions of this quote for fun and wholeheartedly agree with one I read that indicates most people operate through ego and are unconscious. It further went on to quote the following which I find to be true and help shed light on Jesus' quote above.

"Every human being has been conditioned to think and behave in certain ways - conditioned genetically as well as by their childhood experiences and their cultural environment."

"If her past were your past, her pain your pain, her level of consciousness your level of consciousness, you would think and act exactly as she does. With this realization comes forgiveness, compassion, and peace."

Simply beautiful and undoubtedly true.

Namaste.

Having the Government shutdown. As sad as a day it is in America to see that Republicans and Democrats can't come to some sort of agreement over the Affordable Care Act which, in turn, delays the FY14 appropriation and continuing resolution and causes the Gov to shut down, it gives me inspiration to vote. Historically, I have chosen (with intention) not to vote. I never necessarily believed in our political system. But this day has lit a fire in me... This country needs a change and I'm going to use my "voice." Won't you consider using yours too?

Beautiful weather.

Some quotes that resonated with me this week...

Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.

~Richard Bach

I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than closed by belief.

Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.

It has been quite some time since I posted here. It's not because I do not have inspiration and gratitude working in my life, it's that life has been so full and enriching I must enforce breaks and relaxation so much that I come to the point of almost forgetting this little blog even exists... but I still know it's here. :-)

I find myself in a very richly moving mood today. I have moved through sadness, happiness, indifference, elation, and peace through the morning hours today. My emotions are based on processing many different things seemingly all at once. I've come to a bottom line conclusion out of everything I've processed today. I am so deeply in love with a man who came in to my life unexpectedly and who I tried not to allow to sweep me off my feet. We have both been through so very much in our pasts, but have made significant progress healing from those events. For him this happened before meeting me, but for me - he has helped me through it - more than he even knows. He may just be the only person I have ever fully opened up to, and the miracle of that (in my mind) is that he loves me anyway. Despite mistakes of the past, wild emotions of the present, and just the everyday things, he is devoted to me. For this, I am grateful. This I do not take for granted. Staying true to myself, I will be true to him. I am so very fortunate to have had experienced my past to prepare me for this moment right now, for it is where I am supposed to be.

"You can build your life on what tomorrow brings
And you complicate the simplest things
You can hold your eyes fixed on the prize
And never see what’s in the periphery"

I am eternally grateful for my ability to fully see the periphery. There are beautiful things there. Some days are easier than others, but when the vision is open - wow. I am certain that we all have the capability but we do not all tap in to it. The flip side, or shadow, is knowing pain intimately. In the end, I find myself glad that I am able to experience the full spectrum of what life offers.