Touchstones

One of the blogs I read for fun is Design Mom. She writes on where design and motherhood intersect. This got me wondering about my posts. It seems to me that I get most inspired when I write where motherhood and spirituality intersect.

To keep my cup full, I invite three friends over each day. They are not real friends, but virtual friends who remind me to stay connected to the parts of me that are most important. Their good advice keeps me balanced and calm and they have become my touchstones.

A Note from the Universe arrives in my inbox with a message on how to better connect with myself.

Just Add Light and Stir inspires me to be a better mother to my children.

Daily Marriage Moats connects me to my love for Graham and his love for me.

I smile every time I receive one. Each email is a gift that reminds me to live in the present moment and helps my spirit grow.

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p.s. Gisele's surgery went well and she was fantastic.

2010!

I received this happy note from the universe right before we left for a little winter holiday with friends:

I've got a feeling, Rippy, that 2010 is going to be your kind of year. That you'll be happier than you've ever been, laughing harder, smiling wider, standing taller, walking lighter, dancing crazier, hugging longer, living grander, loving louder, and if you want, selling the pictures to a tabloid to raise money for your new charity.
Can you feel it, too?
The Universe


It's going to be an amazing year. The Universe told me so.

Woohoo!!!

Giving Chi of Love to fear

This is my vision board. It helps me to remember who I am when I feel fear set in. A few weeks ago I noticed Gisele's eye turning inward in the mornings. Her eye would always correct itself after an hour or so, but then last month she had a few days where it stayed inward for most of the day. I love my children so much and want them to be happy and healthy and any time visits to the hospital are required, I tend to despair. The doctor diagnosed her with strabismus and informed us that she would most likely need surgery. 

Quite a few days after this were spent with me being paralyzed with fear of the unknown. But then one evening I asked Graham to make a vision book with me. We put pictures of all of us in the book and wrote down all the words you see above. It gave me great comfort and strength. I have been praying a lot, meditating, breathing, trying to stay in the now. I have been reconnecting with Sikhism and falling in love with my beautiful religion all over again. 

I feel like Graham and I are on a journey where we are growing, expanding, and connecting more to who we truly are. It is a beautiful journey and our children are often the catalyst. 

When I fall back into my old way of being - where I can think of little else than fear, I have been giving chi of love to that fear. At first I tried to be present with my fears in my thoughts and let them know that I loved them. It did not really work for me. All I felt was more fear. So I decided to talk out loud to my fears and said that I loved them and that I respected that they were trying to protect me, but I would be listening to some of my other emotions as well. And then I felt a shift happening, my energy changing, feeling more love. I feel braver, less inclined to hide and more inclined to really live life and trust the universe.

By the way, I've decided to get labels for the children's clothing: Chi of Love Dusseldorp. I'm in awe that osmosis works with words. All those times when I was studying for an exam and I would put the book on my head, it was working on some level. I knew it!