This is one of my favorite photos of my son. Why? Because I caught him off guard away in thought. He was calm. Something in his mind grabbed his attention and he allowed himself to be taken away by the thoughts that circled him in this brief moment.
How often do you pause in your day? The answer for most is less and less as the demands of life take over. Would you believe me if I told you that was a choice? Just as you choose to get dressed every morning, make your coffee, and eat your breakfast before you start your day we must choose to pause. We must allow ourselves windows into the unknown thoughts within our day. Those moments, those thoughts are healing. They are a foundation of peace that we can come back to daily when the stressors of our life are too much for us to handle. The bottom line is that you have a choice. Remember this when your day becomes too full, too loud, and too much. Pause in thought.
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"I am pieces of all the places I have travelled, the people I have loved and the moments that I have experienced." ~Andrea
This thought process can be hard for many people. Our inclination is to not want to own any of the parts of our journey that may have been dark and filled with pain. Pause for a moment and consider this idea. Every aspect of our life's journey has made us who we are today, the good and bad. These pieces of us add value to every step we take forward. What story has held you back in your life today? What gift can you take from this story? Remember all the pieces of you are worthy of being experienced today and every day. Release. What do you think about when you read this word, release? It can tend to be used quite a bit, but it has merit. We are a society that holds onto so much which does not serve us on any given day. It is hard for us to let go of wounds, emotions or even opinions from others at times. When we hold onto complex emotions; we often can make ourselves sick physically and emotionally. When we own our journey and practice release, we are taking back our lives and our control over how we want to live out our path and goals. Emotions serve a purpose. Some emotions like grief have no end point. So, we must find ways to constantly practice release. By releasing we are not letting any one thing build up creating an overwhelm. Where in your life can you practice release? What will releasing look like for you? When the end of the day comes to a close, ask yourself if you have released all that isn't serving you today. "It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.” ~Wendell Berry
Do you know what it means to be 'awaken' on your journey? Are you listening to the part of you that is challenging you to go towards what is supporting you? Life is a lesson that we are not given directions for when we are born into it. We step lightly at times and stomp loudly at other moments along the way. it is a balancing act of responsibility and allowing us to trust the process. How are you awakening to yourself along the way? How can you be more mindful of the journey that will bring you total enlightenment? Sometimes we need to take a personal inventory of our journey on a regular basis to see what is working and what needs to be weeded out. Take a moment today, to release one thing that isn't serving you and watch how it will help you awaken to that which lifts you up. I spoke about COMPASSION this morning. It is on my mind with the events in the world. I took this picture privately in our church service several years ago. I wanted to wait for some time to pass before posting as the lovely woman to the right had passed shortly afterwards. Sitting next to her is her son. She was struggling, but she loved to sing. Knowing her time was limited, she wanted to sing at church one last time. He was sitting next to me and my kids before I saw a look, a tear in his eyes and he got up and sat in her wheelchair beside her. He put his arm around her and embraced his mama with the love and compassion she has embraced him as a baby, child, young adult and grown man. It spoke to me on so many levels. The flawless beauty and example of compassion and love is one I come back to on my most difficult days. So, I share to encourage you to remember these moments in your life present and past that have molded who you are today. If you haven't done so already, bring those memories to the surface and BE THAT COMPASSION and LOVE to your neighbor. If there is anything I recognize more in our world today is that we need more of this.
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Next Women's Beach Retreat!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. Featured ProductCategories
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