You Are A Star

My best friend sent me an excerpt from a book that quoted the poet Rumi, "We are stars wrapped in skin. The light you are seeking has always been within."  I hope you will take a moment and let that sink into your soul.  Can you feel your inner star shining through?  I know I can see it in you.  This is because you are the most beautiful bright shining star there ever was in this world.  

In my family, we are blessed to have adopted a dog about 8 years ago.  And every evening between 6 and 8pm, I take her to the front yard for a potty break.  I put her leash on and then I snuggle my feet into my outdoor slide-on shoes.  We walk out to the front yard and, while she paces around to find her spot, I take this opportunity to look up into the night sky.  And where my house sits, I can see a whole universe of stars.  

The beauty of these stars reminds me of the beauty that lies within each and every one of us.  As I walk through life, I can easily see the light inside of others.  It shines so brightly.  I can see it in a simple smile or when someone waves to me.  I see the light through conversations with friends or a hug from a family member.  

Yet this quote reminds me that while I see the light in others, I must also honor the light inside of me.  Sometimes I look elsewhere to find joy, happiness and grace.  Yet when I look in the mirror, I shine back at myself so brightly because there is a star within me, too.  

So today, when you slip on your outdoor shoes to walk your dog, put on your high heels to go to work, or wear your sneakers to the gym, I hope you will pause.  And for a brief moment, I hope you will honor the star that you are in this world.  I hope you will see the light glowing through your skin, knowing full well that there is so much light shining within you and through you for all the world to see.  

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

Be Bold. Be Brave. Be You. Written By My Husband

This week my husband is our guest blogger.  The conversation unfolded first with a question by me and his response was something that I simply could not keep to myself.  Thank you, my darling, for your beautiful words. 


My question to my husband was this: Is it ok to be a stay-at-home mom?  Can I use that language when I talk to people?  Because I am tired of telling people, "I am sick.  I am on disability.  I am not working right now."


His response was written as follows:

Yes you can say you're a full time stay-at-home mom... However you feel is best to put a label on your current role in today’s society.

In my opinion, every person adds value to this world whether they believe they do or not.  It’s in each one of us to find that value and purpose in each day. The way we phrase value or purpose gives meaning to each day or each moment. No one moment needs to be perfect or absolute, it just needs to be yours. You own the moment you own the value and purpose and you celebrate you.


Each day, a new value, a new purpose, a new version of self will evolve and no two days are the same. So just know it’s ok if today’s purpose is self care or rest because each day your needs, your feelings, and your outlook is your own.  And this is unique to you. Live your life for you and not for others because at the end of the day, the person in the mirror is the one you're living with.


The one role, the one person, the one hat you will always have no matter what is a "Mom". You are a mom and that forever is part of your person. So go ahead and shout to the world if you like, "I am the best Mom my daughter can and will ever have and no one can take that from me"! So yes, you are a Mother who indeed does stay at home.  But you also do so much more than you give yourself credit for.


Be bold. Be brave. Be you. You are valued, you are loved, and you are appreciated for just being you. We all must learn to love ourselves and that is a process always under construction.


You don’t need my approval or anyone else's approval but you do need your own approval. So ask yourself, "Do you approve of living for yourself"? If you answered yes, then know you have already won the day, the week, the month and the year. 

Let your actions be your words and proof of self-confidence as who you are in this moment. Never worry about what others think or say.  Because the only person who can judge you is you. Today and everyday be the stay-at-home mom because every day, our daughter will need her mom. 

Let go of the old terms, conditions and labels. Just like bad food, they expired a long time ago. So don’t keep that old rotten piece of fruit any longer.  Toss it in some soil and water it because tomorrow it may blossom into an apple tree.

 

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

A Coffee Shop Hug

If our lives were compared to that of a book, we could easily read the previous chapters and reflect on them.  We would see that some chapters were sad, some were happy and some were very exciting!  We could also read the current chapter knowing that being a part of the book meant that we always had the ability to turn the page.  And, that turning the page, would allow us to have visibility to whatever the next chapter holds.  

I recently met a friend at a coffee shop.  We sat at one end of a long table and a woman sat alone at the other end.  While my friend and I were chatting, the woman was on the phone with someone and noticeably crying.  With the click of a button, she ended the call and the tears continued down her face.  At which point in time, my friend said, "excuse me", got up and went over to the woman.  

I watched the two of them chat for a few minutes and after the exchange of a hug and a piece of paper, my friend came back to sit with me and the woman left the coffee shop.  My friend explained that the woman was a recovering alcoholic and made the decision to come to the coffee shop instead of going the liquor store.  But every part of her felt despair while she sat there alone.  

My friend said that when she gave her a hug, she whispered these words into her ear, "I don't know you but I know I do not want to do life without you.  And for that reason alone, I want you to know that I love you, my friend".  The piece of paper had her phone number on it and she told her to call or text any time.  

I truly believe that my friend helped the woman turn the page in her book.  I do not know what is written on the next page of her story, but I do know that she was not alone while flipping to the next page.  I believe that our lives are interwoven stories and this is simply one example of the profound impact that kindness has on the lives of other people. 

We all Have a Story by Michelle Harverson

We all have a story, a tale to be told

of the joys we've experienced, and the hardships we've known. 

Sometimes we wear them, on our sleeves for all to see

but often they're hidden, as deep as they can be. 

So, let us be kind, for we never truly know

the struggles and the battles, that others undergo.

May empathy and compassion, be the guiding light we share

and may we always remember, that each story deserves care. 

For in our human journey, we all need love and grace

so, let us be kind to one another, and create a better place. 

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.

What If You Fly?

I saw a picture the other day that had a mother bird and a baby bird.  The baby bird was afraid to move off the tree limb.  In the picture, the little bird looked at its mom and said, "What if I fall?" and the response of the mom was, "Oh, but my darling, what if you fly"?  

Sometimes I feel like the baby bird.  I want to sit on my little tree branch, where I am comfortable and confident, and be left alone.  I do not want to move nor change.  And I certainly do not want to leave my tree branch, let alone fly away from it.  

Fear keeps me stagnant but happiness makes me want to fly.  Uncertainty holds me back but happiness makes me want to fly.  Control makes me want to stay in the same place but happiness makes me want to fly.  And today, I wonder what keeps other people on their tree branch.  I wonder what keeps them from flying.  

When I am happy, I feel like the silly little seagull in the picture.  Happiness is my simple reason to fly off my branch, out of my comfort zone and into the world around me.  Happiness makes me vulnerable, yet confidence in who I am and where I have come from gives me strength.  

And you know what else makes me want to fly?  Having someone else believe in me, helping me find confidence in myself, guiding me to fly off the branch.  This is because I know that should my wings not be strong enough to withstand the flight, I will always have a friend or family member right beside me to catch me.  And today, my wish for you is that you have people in your world that would catch you, too.  

"This is my wish for you:

Comfort on difficult days,

smiles when sadness intrudes,

rainbows to follow the clouds,

laughter to kiss your lips,

sunsets to warm heart,

hugs when spirits sag,

beauty for your eyes to see,

friendships to brighten your being,

faith so that you can believe,

confidence for when you doubt,

courage to know yourself,

patience to accept the truth,

Love to complete your life".

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love Note: With all my heart, I genuinely request that due to the content written, please seek the guidance of professional help should you feel you need it.