Anam Nostos House Blog
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Walk along a solitary nature trail listening to the rustling of the leaves, the birds singing in the trees and know earth is speaking to you.
Take a moment to listen in nature today. Pray in nature today. Breathe in and give thanks for the beauty that is given to us each day. Check out more 3 Minute Retreats here!  When some hear the word ‘journal’ the eyes role, the dread mounts their minds, and the questions of ‘why’ flow like a river. Journaling is not an easy task for most and for those who do it easily will tell you they still have to make a time plan in order to make it happen. I have started more journals in my life time than I can count, but I also filled just as many. Some I burned in a ritual ceremony as a rite of passage for my self-preservation at the time, others I scanned onto my computer for future reflections and then special entries made their way into two books I am writing in order to share the gifts I learned and was given in life through such experiences.
I am grateful for having taken the time write my story down, for reflecting on life that has past which allowed me to learn, if I hadn’t already, the lessons from the experiences which at the time felt like their suffocation was something I would never survive. Today, step out of your comfort zone. Buy a notebook. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and find the perfect spot that brings you peace. Put a pen in your hand…and write. Don’t think, don’t stop, don’t question…just write. Your story is waiting to be heard today. Check our more 3 Minute Retreats here!  My dear friend Mike is on a level all his own. Most days we all believe he has one on one's with the big guy for whatever he shares, teaches, or touches is of Grace. He has been living his life in countless ways to list for over 40 years...for others. His heart is so big, none compare. Today he shared one of his inspiring morning posts and I chose to take these three little words out. They are powerful. They are real. They are Mike. And...they are a challenge. How can you 'Be the sermon' today? Walking down the street when you see a homeless person, will you turn your head away or will you 'be the sermon?' When you are tired and worn out thinking there is just no more left in you when your child comes to you with wanting to spend some time, will you 'Be the Sermon?' When you have a choice to help or to hurt, will you choose words to, 'Be the sermon?'
There are so many we can list, but only you know your day. Only you know what's stopping you. Only you can make a choice to 'Be the sermon.' Check out more 3 Minute Retreats here! 
There couldn’t be more truth in this not so simple little meme… I know when I get stuck focusing on the negatives or stress or worry whatever presents itself that it just intensifies like a rolling stone getting faster and faster. It can be so hard to pause, take a step back and choose differently, but when we do, we then choose the course of our path forward. What will you choose to grow today?  Our world is in a state of chaos. There is no denying it. Every direction you turn right now, we are faced with upset, turmoil and often issues that are too big for us to take on alone. One aspect of my work tends to be a total drain psychologically. My work thrives on social media, as a mobile retreat house. There is no way to turn a blind eye to the events going on in the world, as hard as one tries to do so. As I read and hear about the daily news of the world, I ask myself daily, ‘How can I be a positive force in the chaos?’ The answer is simple; lift up, not down. I can’t tell you how many times I will read a status on social media that has only negativity in its statement with no real purpose, other than to be harmful. People post or share without thought. Worse, we are putting information out there with no real sources. There are better ways to make your mark in a difficult situation. Lift up, not down. You can be that voice that voice of positivity. Take a moment every day to counteract the negative that is around you with a positive word, a compliment or just a smile to a stranger passing by. Life up,These days, we attack each other too easily, to make ourselves feel better. Or, worse, we want to be right in a situation that offers many outcomes. We share our opinions, when they are not asked of us, to build our ego. And, we put down the person we don’t know, just because we may disagree with them. Lift up, not down. Why can’t we stand side by side with someone opening the same business and celebrate that each of us took a risk? Why must we compare, criticize and condemn the competitor, neighbor or one that is different? Lift up, not down. It has never been truer today that we must stop the incessant gossip. We must stop talking bad about others. We must stop being the negative voice in the world. Lift up, not down. There is no room for hatred. There is no room for bad talking. There is no room for the person who cannot speak words of kindness, but only of hate. Lift up, not down. I am tired of just standing by and not using my voice to protect the attacked, because of my own fears. I need to take a chance. You need to take a chance. We need to lift up, down. We must be the love. We must be the change. We must come together and change our world for the better. It does no one any good to be a voice of descent. Lift up, not down.
 How good are we to our children if we are only ‘living for them?’ I hear this often, ‘my kids are my everything’ or ‘life just doesn’t exist without my kids.’ I believe we are doing them an injustice with this mentality. I came before my children, and I came to them with quite a journey! A journey that deserves to be honored not just for me, but for my children as well. The journey we walk in life prepares us for each step of the way forward, the journey allows us to take on each challenge with wisdom, faith and more perspective.
Don’t get me wrong, my children come first and into play for all my life decisions. My love for them is indescribable. I just understand that by taking care of myself I am honoring that love to the fullest. I am teaching them invaluable lessons on self-care, honoring one’s stories, and believing in their dreams alongside the journey. We can simultaneously take care of ourselves and those in our lives by living and trusting in an authentic life. Imagine if you will a life where your child watches you grow, thrive, learn and be in an world where anyone and everyone is constantly trying to shoot you down? Imagine them going to school every day and watching other students fighting for the grades everyone strives to achieve and yet choose a different, just as courageous but unique direction. They choose a different path for they saw you, their parents, walk the path less taken! Today and every day I walk the path that everyone says I shouldn’t. People telling me I have no right to take my kids along from move to move, dream to dream and yet….at the end of the day my children are the ones in awe and striving to go forward in their dreams. ‘I can’t wait for the next adventure, mama!’ says my beautiful almost nine year old daughter. Honor the road that was meant for you, honor the path that calls you, honor the voice within and you can’t go wrong for them or for you.  Whether you realize it or not we all walk through trauma in our lives. It doesn’t often feel like it deep down in the darkness, but the choice is ours to walk towards the light and use our trauma for good.  Each person's road through life is guaranteed not to be a boring road. The possibilities are endless from the day we arrive into this world; the predictable shifts, the drastic turns, the complicated mazes, we are always monitoring the calculations and adventures of our own personal daily script. One thing is true, we will continually be 'thrown out of the nest' as Pema states so eloquently. I truly believe we can't walk through one single day without recognizing forgiveness in someone or something for that particular day.
And within the gift of forgiveness, we have to ask daily if we are 'willing to die over and over again.' If we are willing, then we will be able to LIVE FULLY. We will be able to experience the newness of every moment thereafter. Are you able to look at each day and find the one thing you must forgive? Are you willing? |
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Follow USOur YouTube ChannelAuthorAndrea creates, builds, and offers her teachings and hands on life tools based on her journey healing her body image after a 14yr battle and life of trauma. Her vision always is to help others live a full life with the journey they are given. 
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