Tag: gratitude

Changes · gratitude · vision

A Word with My Blog

Joanne4 Comments
Journalling my thoughts

Dear Blog,

Oh, how I have neglected you in recent times! I promise you, I have not forgotten you at all, constantly being aware of your existence, wishing to spend time with you, yet other commitments have seemed far more urgent than visiting you.

Well, at the time, I thought they took priority over contacting you to let you know I cared, assuring you that you were still a significant aspect of my life.

I knew that you were there, patiently awaiting my return. But were you really?

Just this Saturday, spending time in the garden, thinking of you, taking photographs which you may enjoy, missing you, intending to visit with you when I came back indoors….

Where were you, when I came looking for you? Stolen from my grasp. Gone.

Were you lost somewhere in cyberspace? Did they treat you well, the strangers who invaded you, taking you from my reach?

Did you know that the moment I found you were missing, I sent out a search party?

Did you know how I missed you and longed for your return?

We are so lucky to have the friend who returned you to me, seemingly unharmed and fully intact. Adjustments have now been made and I do hope that you are now well and truly out of harms reach.

Not that I could have ever imaged you were in danger to begin with! I thought you were safe, each time I bid you farewell and left you safely accepting visits from our online friends.

How could I have known otherwise?

Not to worry. Now you’re back and I will not neglect you again.

You are still my trusted friend, my special place where I wish to continue recording my thoughts, findings and photographs.

Hopefully, our friends will continue to enjoy visiting us, as you and I build on what we have and grow together, just as we will continue to visit our online friends.

Who knows, perhaps we will find new friends during our continuing journey together!

I have plans for our future. Spending time without you has given me the opportunity to consider what our future will bring, the changes we will make to improve upon what we already have.

Be patient, Dear Blog, ‘til I return, tomorrow.


 

Australia · gratitude · happiness

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Mountains

Joanne2 Comments

The theme for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge for this week is irresistible to me, being “mountains” and it’s the easiest photo ever to come up with, considering my recent trip to the Blue Mountains, where I visited the world-famous “Three Sisters”.

Mountains have the power to move me; to make my soul sing; to bring an overwhelming feeling within my heart that everything is, and always will be, right with the world.

Mountains bring a smile to my face. I lose track of time when I look at a mountain, any mountain, even if it is just a photo of mountains I am looking at.

However, whenever I have the rare and fortunate opportunity to visit “The Three Sisters” all of the above feelings are magnified, one thousand times over.

These massive rocks, the surrounding mountains and the valley below simply take my breath away! 🙂

daughter · gratitude · happiness · Mum · son · traditions

Mother’s Day 2011

Joanne4 Comments
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?

gardening · gratitude · herbs · lemon · mangoes · pecan nuts · summer

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Abundance.

Joanne1 Comment
Abundance

This past week has been a rather hectic one for me, with an abundance of work, mostly paper work, taking up most of my waking hours each day.

As a result I have missed out on posting anything here for quite a few days. I’ve even missed the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge for last week!

Now, where in the rules does it say a photo can’t be posted a couple of days late?… No where?… That’s what I thought!

So here I am with my photo, which represents last week’s theme ~ “abundance”.

This photo was taken last year, when our garden produced a massive abundance of extremely tasty food; tomatoes, lemons, limes, mangoes, pecan nuts, chillies, and a number of my favourite herbs, including rosemary, basil, sage, parsley and thyme.

This time last year, the planets must have aligned perfectly, giving us a bumper crop of absolutely everything we grow! The right amount of rain and just enough sunshine, with the right amount of heat beating down upon the earth.

This summer, however, Mother Nature has not been quite so kind to us. Luckily, I have my photos from last year, showing my garden in all of its lush glory with an abundance of edibles, with which to reminisce, until the perfect weather conditions return again.

And the perfect weather conditions will return. Mother Nature is kind that way. 🙂

advice · gratitude · happiness

Live the Life of Your Own Creation

JoanneLeave a comment

“All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good and out of this situation only good will come. I am safe.” ~ Affirmation, Louise L. Hay.

Back in June of last year, whilst a guest writer at the Calm Space, I wrote an article entitled “The Wondrous Power of Our Thoughts”.

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.

Be patient, while “The Wondrous Power of Our Thoughts” weaves its magic into your life.