I thought that I would share with you today the graduation party that we gave my youngest son last weekend.  Although I kept it simple, I did add little touches of creativity that blessed my socks off.

Note the little tea candle lanterns.  They were so simple to make and inexpensive too.  Creating the lanterns filled my cup and now every time I use them fills my cup as well.  Little things like these tea candle lanterns create so much joy for me!

What simple thing can you create in your world that will fill you up with joy?

“January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons.  Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell:  cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys.  Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly.  All of nature is at peace.  We should be, too.  Draw hearthside.  This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

As I read the above quote over and over sitting inside Panera Breads watching the sunset on a very cold winter’s day with remnants of yesterday’s snow, I am experiencing such a filled cup of joy, love, and gratitude.

Sometimes just being in the moment noticing the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells is all the self-nurturing I need for the day to fill my cup with joy, love, and gratitude … putting me in place of peace.

Oh I am filled to the brim with what I see, hear, and smell.  I wish that I could share it with all of you.  In this moment winter has such a romantic feel to it that I am spellbound and I don’t want the spell to be broken.

Yesterday was not quite as cold so I went for a walk in the snow, which is something I rarely do.  It, too, filled my cup to overflow with all of its winter beauty caressing my cold cheeks.

January gives us a fresh start to our journey.  Winter gives us a time to slow down, to hibernate, and to go within and nurture our hungry souls in warm, snuggly ways.

Allow this time of the year to lay the foundation for your 2011 journey.  It is a fresh start.  It is a time to dream.  It is a time to fully embrace your self-nurture practice in peace and warmth.

Related Posts:  Winter Storm Beauty

This month we celebrate Thanksgiving and here at The Wonder Woman Challenge we are actively cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  Gratitude certainly comes easier to some than others, but regardless, when we are under high levels of stress it is harder to focus on gratitude.  Whatever we are stressing over becomes our focus and I know for me I can go into an obsession mode in my thoughts.

Having said that I believe, though, that we can control our thoughts.  It may not always be easy but, yes, we do have the ability to take control over our minds and our thoughts.

Today I am feeling stressed and I am having a hard time focusing on anything but my stress.  I decided to take my mind captive and in doing say I needed to set the atmosphere for my mind to make the change so that I could work.

I immediately tidied up my work space, made a cup of tea using a pretty tea cup, lit candles, and put on soft music.  Why?

First of all the candles and soft music relax me inside and out.  Secondly, this type of atmosphere is beautiful to me and beauty is a core value that touches my spirit.  It is like a sweet balm to my spirit.  And third, I pulled out Rescue Remedy, a flower essence that I take internally to calm me down.

Just as I have challenged the followers here at The Wonder Woman Challenge to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in a fun creative way,  I am cultivating my own attitude of gratitude by keeping a journal, at least at this point. I do have some other ideas floating in my mind that are not fully developed yet, but for now journaling is what I need.

So after setting the scene, I then got out my gratitude journal and began to jot down things that I am thankful for.  Do you remember the quote by Joe Vitale about gratitude in the last post,” Add Gratitude & Stir”?  Take a look if you don’t remember, but know that gratitude can be a very powerful tool in our lives!

Are you feeling stressed out today?  Are you having trouble focusing on the tasks at hand?  Take a few minutes to bring calmness to your spirit and enter an attitude of gratitude.  It doesn’t have to be anything grand … just something simple.  And, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Remember, 15 minutes a day in a self-nurture activity is all it takes to begin to fill your cup with joy, which is exactly what I did today.

As I sit at the window seat with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket, I am gazing out at the wonders of His hands.  The beauty that bestows me is breathtaking.  There is a peace, a calm that has blanketed the earth.

Yes, I live in an area that has been hit with the winter storm which, left us with two feet of snow.  There are issues and problems at hand to deal with; yet, I have welcomed the storm in all of its beauty.  It has allowed me to step out of the rat race and the norm to be in the moment in order to take care of the simple things of life in which we need to survive.

Being snowed in reminds me to be grateful for all that we have.  Although we have not lost power, we did lose our TV, phones, and Internet for a while.  It was a strange feeling to not be plugged in to the outside world, but it felt good at least for a short time.  I suddenly became so grateful for all of our technology today as it has only been a few short years ago that we all lived unplugged.

In these moments of quiet stillness, I cannot help but be in awe of His beauty.  What I am seeing out of my window is His masterpiece. Who can create such a masterpiece as this?  Truly a reflection of  His glory.  After all, anytime an artist creates a piece of art, that artwork is a reflection of the one who created it.

When I ask, Lord, what parts of you are you reflecting, all I can hear are things like, quietness, peace, stillness, beauty.  And then I hear, “Be still and know that I am God.”

If you have never seen the work of Snowflake Bentley, you are in for a real treat. He has an amazing story that will leave you thinking about the awesomeness of God our creator.  Enjoy!

God/faith  family   security
love   beauty   creativity
joy   peace   serve/service
wealth   order   freedom

The more we know and understand the beauty of core values in our lives and actually live by them, the more fulfilled we live.  And sometimes when we’re faced with a big goal and/or task it is imperative that we link our core values to the project.  Otherwise when the tough gets going we will have a tendency to give up.  We need to know our why – even – the why behind the why.

One of my core values is beauty.  I have learned the importance of having and creating beauty in my life.  Without it life becomes blah and I can become depressed.  Beauty motivates me and inspires me.  It can certainly make me move and groove.  Something beautiful can instantly bring me to tears as it touches my soul, that inner part that makes me me.

I never used to be a tea drinker.  Why do I bring that up?  Because years ago I discovered the beauty of drinking tea.  There’s a real art behind tea time and tea parties … and oh my gosh how I love that art.  It’s so beautiful to me as it appeals to all five of my senses.  It nurtures my soul and brings me incredible joy.

Taking it a step further, when sharing the experience of tea time with others it becomes an act of kindness, an act of service, which is another core value of mine.  A person doesn’t have to like tea to be nurtured by the whole experience.  And don’t think for a minute that the guys don’t enjoy it because they do even if they don’t want to admit it. =)

If you haven’t done something that feeds and nurtures your soul for a while and/or if you’re finding yourself  in a state of low energy maybe even depressed, pick a core value that’s important to you and act on it.  Have fun with it.  And if you want to do something but don’t know what?  Just choose a core value and become playful like a child.  I promise that your spirit will soar – it will leap with joy!

“Playfulness feeds the spirit and soul allowing for awesome moments of inspiration.”

In what ways are you feeding your soul, your spirit?  Learn the beauty of core values!