Handmade Mom

Mindful Monday...

Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Mindful Monday...

I'm going to try to bring back Mindful Mondays.  This blog is a personal documentation and journal of my life and I've lacked on the spiritual side here lately.  I've noticed that when I don't journal about being mindful, I forget to practice mindfulness in my everyday life.  So my goal for Mondays is to post a quotation, a thought for the day or inspiration I've found.

I am free to decide how I respond to life. 

When an obstacle blocks a stream, the water finds a way to flow over, under or around it. Sometimes the stream gathers strength and moves with force and speed through narrow passages. Other times it collects and rests in shallow places. I am free to choose the course of my life's stream and to determine the flow of my life. 
 
When I rest in the Silence, it may not look as if any forward movement is occurring. Nevertheless, I am tapping into a wellspring of spiritual resources and gathering strength to maneuver around any obstacles that may arise. I have what I need to move through the tight spaces in my life. I can access peaceful pools of stillness or move at a brisk pace. I choose the flow that best suits me.

Mindful Monday

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."  Robert Brault

Apples...

Brothers:

 

Fishing...

Fish...

Kisses...

Trick or treating with friends...

Mindful Monday

"On this day we dedicate ourselves to peace on earth.  We accept ourselves without harsh jusdgment and express appreciation for our individuality.  We live without fear and meet the events of this day with confidence.  We accept others without prejudice and experience a sense of unity with all people.  In harmony with ourselves, our lives and all others, we live this day, with a peaceful mind, a peaceful heart, and a peaceful spirit."  Peace Prayer by Duke Tufty

A few years ago I attended a Unity church service and this is the prayer the congregation said together.  I cut it out of the program and taped it in my journal. I think these are words to live by.  For me the  "accepting ourselves without harsh judgment and express appreciation for our individuality." is what I've always struggled with.  I'm less hard on myself now and I'm learning to love myself for who I am, instead of always trying to be the person I think other people want me to be.   I want to thank Erika for meeting me at that service.  She always tells me how much she loves all of the things about me from my insane coffee mug collection to this blog.  She's given me the acknowledgement I've needed to appreciate myself. 

I have many friends and family that love and support me, but Erika was the first person I actually let myself listen to.  It has taken me a few years, a few counseling sessions, and a few book clubs to finally love myself.  I've always loved all of you.

Mindful Monday...

"Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."  Anonymous

This really resonates with me.  Every time I read it I am filled with compassion and unconditional love.

Mindful Monday

I love Stephinie's,  "Mindful Mondays" section of her blog, Gypsy Forest  where she "shares a quote or a thought along with a photo. Sort of a mindful moment.... a good start to the week. Food for the soul."

I'm sharing one of her posts today, the buddha & the monkey.  My own relationship with Buddhism is very similar to hers and I think she does a wonderful job summing it up.

 

"the buddha & the monkey

I was driving in the car today. Solo. All you mamas know how rare a solo trip is. Especially a 30 minute each way solo trip. Despite my love of music, I got in and turned it off. No NPR, no Ray, no nothing.

The quiet howled in my ears a little. The low rumble of the engine and rhythmic sound of tires on pavement at 65 mph. 

Just me, the car, my breath and my thoughts. (the monkey)

The monkey in my mind jumped around for awhile. My thoughts skipping around like stones across the pond. One after the other, after the other..... all sinking to the bottom. And then.... it was just sort of quiet in my head.

And I thought..... I am not, I just am.

It's one of those random Buddhist thoughts.... one that I think just sort of came to me. Maybe I read it somewhere.... maybe I am the one that thought it up. Or not. Because, I just am. I am not really I.

Am I making your brain hurt yet?

I (we) found Buddhism about 7 years ago. This way of living and seeing the world spoke to me at a time that I was grasping for some meaning, some slowing down. It sort of yelled out to me "just be, j-u-s-t be" and over the years the just being has gotten a little easier. Buddhism is a way of living, not a religion. It's often confused as religion, but Buddhists believe you can practice your faith and Buddhism. They do not worship the Buddha, only follow his way of living peacefully and mindfully. 

Focusing on the breath, the mind, the heart and being aware of things around you, it's all good stuff. It's helped me to be more calm, more patient, more loving and in the tip top of the roller coaster moments in life, when I know things are just about to careen downward at full speed.... I can stop and say to myself "this roller coaster is not where I want to be.... in fact there are a thousand other places I'd rather choose than this.... but this is where I am.... so I will just be here."

It isn't always easy. Sometimes I do it better than others. But that little Buddha is there... wisely smiling in my mind at just the right moment. I just have to slow down enough to notice him.

Just, be."

By Stephinie