Well, the holidays are upon us and it will be a time of food, family and friends.
Yesterday we were invited to a neighbor’s home that we did not know very well. They were kind in inviting us over for dinner, but when we arrived, we noticed it was a full family affair. They had invited extended family from all over and us (the only non-family attendees). My 13-year-old daughter looked at me & replied, “this is awkward.” I immediately jumped in and started mingling (and believe me I am NOT a mingler, but this was an emergency situation). I smiled and began introducing my family as distant relatives that they had not met yet. wink. wink. I smiled & then reassured them that we really weren’t and that we were just crashing their Thanksgiving dinner. We ate, we shared, we learned about others, we helped their kids, and by the end of the night, we felt we were part of the family & genuinely left feeling lifted by conversations, questions, and learning about others and their stories.
My point. NO matter how awkward family functions may be and there will be moments of silence, awkward pictures & a need of some type of connection. Just smile and dig a little deeper to find some part of you that you can give genuinely to those around you. You will then leave full in spirit as well as food. Seek to find the hidden gifts around those you are with this holiday season. Everyone has a story to tell & there may be a lesson hidden in the details that is especially for you. And your simple smile and listening heart will be a gift to them as well.
We are all connected. Sometimes we just need to find the thread that connects us on a deeper level. Enjoy your holidays and the spirit that is present for all who seek it.
Happy holidays! -H
PERSONALITY TEST(S): So, go to 
SELF CHECK: Give yourself a ‘self check’ Maybe every once in awhile you need to sit down & ask yourself where you have had success and failure on a personal level. Maybe you have shelved some personal goals that you need to pull out of the closet and work on. Maybe you have been hiding out from your deeper self and avoiding a more purposeful path. Maybe you are not taking care of yourself physically. Here are a few questions in various areas of your life to check in on–Maybe stick with the basics–how are you taking care of yourself (physically)? [Are you getting enough sleep? Are you exercising, taking vitamins, eating well, drinking enough water, getting outside, etc] how are you taking care of yourself emotionally? [Are you putting up personal boundaries? Are you sharing feelings? Do you feel heard? How is your self-talk, etc] how are you doing on a spiritual level? [Are you doing something to feel connected to something greater than yourself? Have you found a ritual like meditation or yoga to calm your mind? Are you taking time to restore yourself? Are you taking time in nature? Do you have a religious or spiritual practice?] how are you doing with close relationships? [Are you communicating? Do you feel any resentments or harsh feelings? Can you share your feelings whether they are good or bad? Do you feel lifted and built up by the relationships you have or do they drain you? Do you feel connected?] how are you doing with family? [Are you taking time with your kids? Do you feel like you “know” them to some degree? Do you feel present when you are with them or are you busy on your phone? Do you invest by asking questions, taking time & having special activities you do together? Have you asked them what they need from you? and then truly listen].
LEARN SOMETHING NEW: There is no greater way to get to know yourself even better than trying new things and seeing what lights you up!! Even if you just learned something new each day (a few tiny, fun facts) you will feel like you are growing to some degree. Trust me, I have done this. OR you can give yourself a bigger goal of climbing the tallest mountain in your state or maybe you just want to begin with the indoor rock climbing facility down the street. I think when you open yourself up to trying new, different, challenging, out of your comfort zone type of things, there is only one thing you will feel—growth & challenge. You will be able to look at various things and say, “I love that!” or “I don’t really care for that & I don’t need to try it again.”
LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF: This is often a hard one for all of us, but if you don’t take the time to truly try to go within and find the self love you need, you will always be missing something. Can you look in your bathroom mirror and tell yourself, “I love you.” I did a womens retreat & had small groups of women pass around a mirror and try to say that to themselves. It was overwhelming to see how many women broke down in tears ashamed they could not look in the mirror and say that to themselves. It broke my heart. I think we all have varying levels of self love and sometimes we just need to take baby steps to a higher awareness of the love we have and need within. Begin by finding something you DO love about yourself. Focus on that. Maybe begin to take a fun picture of the style you are wearing or your amazing pedicure. Maybe you love your smile or the way you make others feel. Little steps will help you focus on the little things you like & that will lead to the bigger things that will fill you up with more self love.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY: Here is a great article I came across that has some good personal questions and fun analogies about finding purpose. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-find-your-lifes-purpose-and-make-yourself-better-person.html
We are all ah struck by the childhood fairytales we are told as children. It is the beginning of tales of good vs evil, the wicked step-mother, the beautiful princess, the love story that always ends happily.
Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal, to be known as Maria from here on out. Born in 1729, Maria grew up in a castle in Lohr, Germany. The castle is a museum today, and if you visit, you’ll be able to look into a certain famous mirror. It’s believed that Maria’s father, Prince Philipp Christoph von Erthal, gave the looking glass to his second wife as a gift. Sounding a little familiar? Maria’s outlook under her stepmother wasn’t quite so bleak – there was no huntsman seeking internal organs for proof of Maria’s death – but scholars think it wasn’t an easy existence. “Presumably the hard reality of life for Maria Sophia under this woman was recast as a fairy story by the Brothers Grimm,” Dr. Karlheinz Bartels, a Snow White scholar, has said. Oh, and Maria’s story boasts “dwarves” in a fashion similar to Margarethe’s: it’s said that only smaller-statured men were able to fit in the nearby mine tunnels of Bieber. -Mental Floss.com
One additional, interesting note…the mirror that was gifted to the step-mother said, Amour Propre or “Self-Love” The mirror was likely a gift from Philipp Christoph to Claudia Elisabeth. It was a product of the Lohr Mirror Manufacture (Kurmainzische Spiegelmanufaktur). The mirror “talked” predominantly in 
Rapunzel
Princess Grace Kelly
True True Loves Kiss
PUMPKIN PUNCH BOWL: All you need to make a memorable party punchbowl is dry ice, a very large pumpkin and two large bowls that nest inside one another and are safe to handle dry ice. Hollow out the pumpkin, ensuring the opening is wide enough to hold the bowls. Place the larger of your two bowls in the pumpkin and use tongs to layer the bottom of the bowl with dry ice. Place the second bowl on top of the dry ice and fill the bowl with your punch. Carefully pour hot water into the bottom bowl to activate the dry ice vapors. Replenish the dry ice as needed throughout your party.
YUMMY DEVIL SPIDER EGGS : The usual with chopped olives for decor
SWEET LITTLE BROOM: Recess peanut butter cups stuck in pretzel
HEALTHY LITTLE RELISH TRAY with a cute pumpkin center piece full of dressing
Words are just like leaves that blow off a tree. How do you SHOW your love? This lesson speaks volumes. People can talk and talk, spewing words that have no meaning or no true nature. People can easily trick or manipulate others, but when one has to go deeper than just words there is real feeling & truth.
There are three things that cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. (Buddha) There are always the things that cannot be changed in life. Truly the truth will always be a standard for letting go & finally being free.
“Make peace, show them that you love them, and be truthful.” -Dr Sinja Just LOVE
Sometimes you just need to SHUT UP!! Jack had a friend that had to finally knock him out, tape his mouth shut to truly help save himself. I think we can all relate to this one. Sometimes it is better to shut up, hold your tongue and just listen. In order to truly understand someone else’s needs, we may need to shut up and hear them.
What you send out into the world often comes back to you. There is a point in the movie where Jack decides he is going to remove them problem (the tree) & just chop it down. But, what happens is he ends up physically hurting himself in the process. Life is like that. We often lash out at others or handle things poorly & it comes back to make things worse within our lives.
“You. Me. We. Eternity.” -Jack Life is not worth living without family. Family is the greatest gift we are given. It is what we do with that gift that will matter most.
“I guess you never know if the last time you see someone is going to be the last time you ever see someone.” -Jack Hold the present moment with those you are with. Life has a way of making you take for granted the time you seem to have. Each moment is a gift you are given, so be present with those you surround yourself. You never know when it will be your last.
“Sorry. It’s quite amazing, how many thoughtless words one can speak? Don’t you think?” -Dr Sinja We are told we speak between 60-80,ooo words a day. It is amazing the conversations we have with others and ourselves. What are we truly saying? What are we saying to ourselves? Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. We are saying something in everything we do. What do you put out into the world?
“You need to find the truth about yourself. It’s quite simple Jack. You need to get quiet, not just with your mouth, with your mind. And in that quiet you will hear the truth. Do you have any other unresolved relationships in your life?” -Dr. Sinja Do you spend any time getting quiet? That is a great life lesson you can begin at any time. Just make the time to go within, stop your words and listen. Find peace within yourself.
Dr. Sinja: “You only have a thousand words left…and then…”
This just made me smile, but is so true. What a tragic story that could have had a happy ending if they would have just talked & communicated what was going on in their lives. Everyone is going in different life directions, but if we don’t stop & talk about what we are doing or where we are going…someone is bound to get lost.
Life is like that, one minute you are in a secure job (going with an easy flow), the next minute you are not (you are high centered on a log in the river of life).
I have been in this same situation a few times over the past few years and it doesn’t seem to get any easier. I keep looking to the sky and saying, “What are we suppose to learn from this?” “Okay. I am Forwarding All Issues To Heaven (FAITH).” This time we have gone a step farther and have packed up our entire house incase we have to move because the money is running out! I have looked to the sky and said, “Okay, this is serious. We are REALLY packing up our house!” Living in this energy can get pretty stressful…the wondering, the constant job leads, the interviews, the numerous, “you were in the top 3 out of 200…It is between you and an internal candidate…” BUT telling our one daughter that we may have to move was the hardest point of it all. To make her teeter on her feelings of security, to wonder if she is going to have to leave the school she loves, to move away from her precious cousins…the tears did not stop & she is not one to cry. That was the greatest pain of all. It is in a moment like that you really wonder why you are going through this struggle and what you are suppose to learn from it.
Then, you have one of those moments. One of those quiet moments. I was out walking & noticed a bird flying so high up in the sky. It was a speck in the grand, blue sky. I watched as it whirled and darted through the air. Then there were two, three, five…they all circled and floated with the currents of the wind. I just watched in amazement & had an aha moment. I thought to myself, “those birds could be taken and thrown down by the current & crushed onto the ground in one gust, but they live fearlessly, knowing that they were meant to fly. They know that there is something greater at work and they have the faith that as they go with the flow of life, they will fly higher and higher. They live in the flow, the current and have no fear of falling. They fly with that higher knowing.
Last night I bought a sunflower to put on the windshield of someone I’m smitten with. After some consideration I decided not to since we had only been on one date, the night previous. Don’t want to come off too strong, right? Anyway, I grabbed the flower on my way out this morning with the intention to give it to someone on my way to work so it didn’t die alone. What happened next has left me changed in ways I don’t even have words for yet.
The future of the Titanic: Morgan Robertson, in 1898, wrote “Futility”. It described the maiden voyage of a transatlantic luxury liner named the Titan. Although it was touted as being unsinkable, it strikes an iceberg and sinks with much loss of life. In 1912 the Titanic, a transatlantic luxury liner widely touted as unsinkable strikes an iceberg and sinks with great loss of life on her maiden voyage. In the Book, the Month of the Wreck was April, same as in the real event. There were 3,000 passengers on the book; in reality, 2,207. In the Book, there were 24 Lifeboats; in reality, 20.
The Kennedy/Lincoln Link
Though both men turned out to be bitter political rivals later in their careers (Jefferson was Adams Vice-President until he went on to beat his own boss in the election of 1800) the two men did share their love for country. As such, both men were instrumental in drafting the Declaration of Independence which, as everyone knows, was first signed on July 4, 1776. What most people don’t know, however, is that both men were also to die on the same day, July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years to the day the document was first ratified. How’s that for timing?
I am going through the notes on my phone because usually I use this tool to save anything of interest, quotes to keep, things to remember. It is a great resource of useful tidbits of information from many places. I hope you find something here useful. enjoy.
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