A recent photo of me with my two beautiful daughters, Hayley and Emma.
Mother’s Day comes and goes on one day of every year, year in and year out.
In a perfect world, we would show appreciation to our mothers every single day of the year. I for one didn’t realise the extent of my own mother’s feelings toward me and my sisters until I actually became a mother myself.
When I finally “got it”, (better late than never!) I constantly tried to show my mother the total appreciation, love and gratitude I felt towards her.
The “job” of being a mother isn’t an easy one. If you do not have children yet, and do hope to be a mother one day, if anyone ever tells you it’s easy being a mother ~ they’re lying!
When your new, precious little bundle is placed into your arms for the first time, with the flood of love and emotion you feel for your precious newborn baby, you may be fooled into believing that that’s as good as it gets.
Wrong!
Being a mother of four myself, I have learned that the first love you feel for your baby is only the beginning. The love just grows.
It can sometimes be an overwhelming love, distorting your usual calm and sensible demeanor, reducing you to tears. Other times, your love for your child can rage out of control, as you feel total panick for the well-being of your child, who doesn’t always make decisions for their life which you would regard as well advised decisions!
When your child finally reaches the ripe old age of eighteen years, a time when they are “mature” enough to head out into the world all alone, making their own decisions for themselves, you may be tricked into thinking you can stop worrying about them, finally.
Wrong, again!
Three of my four children have passed their eighteenth birthdays now. Take it from me, you still care, you still worry, you still wish for your child the most wonderful life, filled with amazing people.
To all of the mothers out there, who one day took the giant leap of the ultimate responsibility on earth by becoming a mum, I wish you the happiest of days on this Mother’s Day, 2011.
We all deserve a day to put our feet up and relax, don’t you think?
During January and February, the lovely Káren, editor of the Calm Space, is re-running some of her favourite articles from the past three years and she has given me the honour of again sharing one of my articles.
Thank you so much, Káren! 🙂
The topic of the power of our mind is one that I am rather passionate about. I truly believe that we all actually have control over our lives, through our own thoughts.
If my health fails, I ask myself what is bothering me.
If circumstances in my life are not as I wish them to be, I re-run my thought process of the preceding days.
More and more, I rely on the Universe and my own instincts to guide me through every day.
Why not try it for yourself? Follow your instincts and listen to your heart. Go with the flow and follow whatever journey you find your life leading you towards.
Believe in the strength of the power of intention and suggestion. Allow affirmations to guide you and show gratitude for the miracles you encounter along the way.
Have faith in yourself, believe that your own intuition will guide you towards the right path in life, the one that is just right for you and pay attention to the wonders that will unfold before your eyes.
When learning to mould your life through your own choice and intentions, some changes will become evident immediately, whilst other changes may take a little more time.
WordPress have come up with a brand new challenge which can be incorporated into post a day / post a week.
Each week they will set a theme for a photo idea, and bloggers are invited to interpret said theme in their own individual way.
The very first theme is “Boundaries” which immediately conjured up images of our newest family member, Charlie, who I introduced here last August. The story of how Charlie became part of the family can be read here…
Charlie has made it abundantly clear that he has his own set of boundaries. His cage is his castle. At first we would leave his cage door open, inviting him to come out from behind the bars and join us in our lives of freely roaming around the house.
He wouldn’t have a bar of it! After he lost his footing on his perch a couple of times and accidently fell out of his cage while the door was open, I decided to keep the door closed. He’s happier that way.
I didn’t want to put him through the sheer terror he experienced when he left his safe place.
As much as I would love to hold him, he’s scared of my hands. Spending months in a pet shop, being handled only by rough hands wearing gloves has not given him any confidence in people.
Apparently it takes time to tame a bird that hasn’t been handled gently from a young age. And that’s okay. If he needs time, I can be patient.
Charlie lets me stroke his beak and hand feed him small pieces of food, such as sunflower seeds, through the bars of his cage. He will even hesitantly take larger pieces of food, such as carrot pieces from me when I open the door and offer them to him directly.
Then he scurries away.
He has made it crystal clear where his boundaries lie. And that is apparently just the way he wants things to be.
I guess Charlie isn’t much different to people really. We all have our boundaries, our point of limitation, that invisible line that we never wish to cross over, no matter what.
Charlie just seems to be far more honest about his boundaries than most people usually are.
And whilst living within his boundaries, Charlie leads a very happy existence.
Going back to the beginning of time, for myself at least, I have always been afraid of birds.
Ornithophobia ~ the fear of birds.
As a general rule, ornithophobia is brought about by an unpleasant experience, perhaps as a child, involving birds, such as being attacked in some way or pecked badly when feeding birds at a picnic in a park.
If the fear is left unchecked it can, apparently, lead to fear of leaving the home (agoraphobia). The ornithophobia sufferer could possibly fear an unexpected encounter with their feathered enemies, therefore wishing to stay within the safe confines of their home.
Another theory for the cause of ornithophobia is when a child has lived with a parent who has an extreme fear of birds and this fear is passed onto the child.
Which of the above gave me my own fear of birds?
None of them!
I haven’t even seen the Alfred Hitchcock/Daphne du Maurier movie “The Birds”!
There is not a single bad bird experience in my early life to relate!
And both of my parents loved birds!
The strange thing is, there is no logical reason for my fear.
However I do recall, as a child, having nightmares which had me waking up all a-tremble, in which birds were flapping their feathers around me!
During my teenage years, a friend suggested that my fear may not be of birds, but rather feathers.
Pteronophobia ~ the fear of feathers.
Pteronophobia (please don’t ask me how to pronounce the word!) is believed to have the sufferer in fear of being near feathers, being tickled by feathers and even afraid to use a feather duster!
Um, I’ve always loved collecting feathers, find the gentleness of feathers against my skin very soothing and have never given my feather duster any further thought other than knowing it will dust my furniture successfully!
As a result of my fear….
…I have never owned a bird as a pet.
Never, that is, until August last year, when a pretty little feathered fellow, with the most beautiful personality and expressive eyes, won my heart. You can read the story of the first bird I have ever owned here.
So much for the theories!
I’m afraid that I’m not a typical example of a recovering ornithophobic or pteronophic person. The extreme fear of being around birds was most certainly real, although it has never caused problems in my life. There was no explanation for my fear and I have never felt the need to seek professional advice to overcome my fear.
How is ornithophobia and pteronophobia treated?
It is suggested that the sufferer confronts their fear and is taught some positive self-talk. Relaxation and meditation are recommended to curb their anxiety. Hypnosis and medication may even be recommended.
How did I overcome my fear of birds?
Gradually, unexpectedly, and without even trying!
During the last three years I have spent hours, which have turned into days and even weeks, out in my garden, alone ~ planting, digging, weeding, mulching, watering, pruning ~ with a family of magpies standing nearby, chortling to me and quietly walking so close to me when my back has been turned that I could have reached down and touched them!
They are not afraid of me!
The magpies have talked to me in their own very intelligent bird language. At times, I have been certain that I know exactly what they are telling me!
The adult birds bring their baby birds to me, asking for titbits of food from my kitchen. They are so trusting and tame that I’m sure they would allow me to hand feed them, in the same way I hand feed my own little pet bird, Charlie.
Gratitude for my new friends and their habitat.
Just as surely as nothing in particular, (that I can put my finger on anyway,) gave me the fear of birds, my fear has vanished.
As I have pottered the hours away quietly working in my garden, appreciating every brightly coloured flower and butterfly, the industrious bees and warmth of the sun, I have felt no fear.
My garden is a safe, enjoyable haven.
Perhaps my calm and appreciative demeanour has been evident to the birds, who have happily shared their “home” with me, sensing the happiness I have felt within my surroundings with their own “sixth sense”.
Whatever the reason is for overcoming my fear of birds, I’m just happy that it happened! 🙂
Many months ago, an email arrived in my inbox, one which stood out from the standard “forwards” I regularly receive from my friends.
This email defined friendships; and the words were memorable.
Yesterday, as I contemplated the many topics that I could cover during the month of January, in keeping with the theme of “friends”, the NaBloPoMo theme for the month, I wondered if I still had a copy of the old email.
My wondering soon came to an end, however, when another copy of the same email arrived late last night, not surprisingly from a very dear friend who lives on the other side of the world from me! (That was a case of the Law of Attraction at its best!!)
The email defines the various friends who find us during the journey of our lives, dividing the friendships into three categories ~ those who are there for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.
When Someone is in Your Life for a Reason
When a friend appears in your life for a reason, they are there to meet a need you have at that time, such as to offer their guidance and support throughout the course of a difficulty you may be experiencing.
They seem to be sent by God, to assist you during a physical, emotional or spiritual difficulty.
Then, without warning, something happens to bring the friendship to an end.
They leave your life, perhaps due to an argument you have with them. The reason for them appearing in your life has been fulfilled, your prayers have been answered and it is time for them to move on.
When Someone is in Your Life for a Season
When a friend comes into your life for a season, it is your turn to help, enabling you to share, grow or learn.
This friend is likely to bring peace, happiness and laughter to your life, in huge doses!
Believe in the friendship, it is very real, but only for a season.
Lifetime Friendships
The purpose of lifetime friendships is to teach you lessons which will last a lifetime, lessons to be built upon for a solid emotional foundation.
It is your job to love this friend, accept these lessons and put what you have learned from them to use, in all of the other areas and relationships of your life.
Friendship is a Two-Way Street
As I read through the email, it occurred to me that friendship is most definitely a two-way street. Friends are not in your life to only satisfy your needs and to help you grow.
To be classified as a genuine friendship you also must share with your friend your love, support, encouragement and loyalty.
Only then will you fully appreciate and realise the full extent of genuine friendship, no matter whether the person is in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
In My World 