On the cusp of Spring, I thought I’d share these neat photos with you.

Look inside each raindrop. Aren’t these incredible?

Ah! The wonder and magic of nature.

Hope these beauties add some inspiration to your day.

At this time of year when folks sometimes get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season —  the decorations, shopping, parties, the endless to-do list — I invite you to take a moment to breathe, connect with the true meaning of the holiday you celebrate, and reflect on what it is that you truly wish to gift to others.

A simple act of kindness can change a life forever.

Make kindness a habit. It’s the most important gift of all.

Wishing you joy this holiday and every day.

Happiness Revealed is a gorgeous video with a beautiful and inspiring message created by nature photographer Louis Schwartzberg. A brief introduction to the artist and his work is followed by the video itself.

This message is a wonderful reminder that every day is a good day to be grateful and that cultivating gratitude in our lives is a blessing for all.

Click here to be directed to the link.   Enjoy!

I am grateful for you in my life and I wish you many blessings! What are you grateful for today?

“In a full heart there is room for everything and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.” — Antonio Porchia, poet

This quote is a powerful reminder that anything is possible when we live in gratitude and love with our heart open to receiving the infinite gifts from the Universe. If we close ourselves off to these gifts, life can feel pretty empty and lonely. Fortunately, we get to choose. Full heart or empty heart. Which do you choose for yourself today?

This is a beautiful prayer that reminds us to humbly honor all life as sacred. When we are open to receiving the messages from animals and nature, there is much we can learn. We need only to be quiet and listen. Enjoy!

Teach Us And Show Us The Way
by Chinook (Anonymous)

We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights,
its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the mountains, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers,
the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams,
that fall upon our gardens and fields and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields,
the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots
and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer,
the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphin, who share our home, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the Universe, to be with us to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

At this time of year which is full of renewal and new beginnings, I wanted to share this touching and inspiring story from one of my clients. Please enjoy Lyna and Gizi’s story.

Heartfelt Lessons From My Cat

About 10 months after I moved into my cottage across from the Blue Ridge Parkway; I was walking from my back door to my workshop, when this young Tortoiseshell cat came out of nowhere, jumped into my arms and started licking me all over.

Wow- how unusual! My own 4 spoiled fur kids don’t even do that.

Needless to say, Gizi became my outdoor cat. I built a mudroom off my back door so she’d have shelter, yet could come and go as she pleased.

Well almost.

You see, all my cats through the years have stayed inside so I would always know they were safe. So when Gizi came in for her evening meal, I would lock her cat door so she’d be in for the night where the raccoons, foxes and other night wanderers couldn’t harm her.

But Gizi had other plans. She stopped coming home in the evenings and I was forced to go to bed and ”trust” that she knew what she was doing.

About a week later, I was surprised to see her back in her room, asking for her evening meal.

“Gotcha tonight” I exclaimed as I bent down to lock the cat door.

Incredible—the lock was broken—had Gizi found a way to do this?

I began to realize that this little cat had come to me to teach me, not only to trust, but to let go of control.

It’s been 8 years since Gizi became a part of my life and the bond we have is amazing. She sends me pictures of where she is when she is accidentally locked up or stuck somewhere, and has even come to me in the dreamtime, when she was missing for 4 days. Gizi has been a warrior that protects her property from other animals and has left me gifts of rodents she’s killed.

Seven months ago Gizi was shot and had to have her leg amputated.

I can’t imagine living without a leg- how will she handle this?

To my surprise, she found her balance pretty quickly and as she got stronger, she not only ran around the house, but I saw her throw her toy up in the air and jump on her 3 legs to catch it!

Very entertaining!

This amazing, beautiful creature has taught me to get balance in my life and to learn to adapt to whatever life throws my way. Although no longer a warrior, Gizi is doing just that as she is enjoying her new role as Princess of the house.

This is an extraordinary video of a chance encounter with a troop of wild mountain gorillas, filmed near Bwindi National Park, Uganda. Enjoy!

http://www.coolestone.com/media/2874/Touched-by-a-Wild-Mountain-Gorilla—HD/

Merlin, Feb. 2011

My sweet, beloved cat Merlin crossed over to the spiritual realm yesterday.

Merlin had only shown signs of being sick over the past few weeks. He was about 13. He had slowed down somewhat in the past year or so. But, all in all, he was his big, handsome, adorable self. And then two days ago, an ultrasound showed cancer in several organs. We took him home that night. Yesterday, he was very clear in communicating that he was ready to leave his body and our vet came to our home to assist him. Merlin passed easily and peacefully, with dignity, and in a ceremonial way that was honoring of him.  

Merlin was a Buddah; a Zen kitty; a Yogi master; calm, peaceful, serene. He adored being a cat; he loved being in his body and he was a skilled and avid hunter. Merlin would sometimes position his body in the most unusual cat-yoga positions and ‘meditate’. He was gentle, kind, patient and loving to everyone. On the rare occassion when someone who was not a ‘cat person’ would visit, they fell in love with Merlin. Everyone loved Merlin. He was the embodiment of grace and compassion; a true teacher in every sense of the word. I have many stories and teachings from Merlin that I will write about in the coming weeks and months to share his medicine and wisdom with you.

For today, I share some of my favorite photos of Merlin and my gratitude for the opportunity to have been blessed to live with such an enlightened being for 12 years.

Mitch

Here’s a sweet one minute video from the folks at Little Pearls, tiny films that open hearts and minds.

I love the last line: “When your heart is broken, let it break open…. to even more love.”

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pycMJ5iKv5c&feature=player_detailpage

A friend shared this inspirational message with me recently and I thought it was a nice reminder of gratitude, something that seems appropriate to reflect upon during this season of rebirth and renewal. Of course, every day is a good day to be grateful. And, by the way, it’s a blast dancing in the rain!

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
it’s about learning how to dance in the rain!”

I thought…that’s it! We all face adversity in our life. However, it’s not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our life. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves or can we, with gratitude…learn how to dance in the rain?

It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word…gratitude, can change your attitude and thus your life, forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best…

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present….we experience heaven on earth.”