“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

Me & Miss Karly (my brother's puppy)

Bringing in the New Year for me was crazy, wild, hectic, a blast and … well… upsetting.

The crazy, hectic, fun part was the party that we had for my son and all of his friends that lasted the entire night and into the next day, today. They are a great group of teens with really good hearts who I enjoy having over so that was all good.

So what was upsetting?

Based on the title of this post, yes, I was robbed! Don’t ask me how but I had left my purse at Borders Bookstore the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. It did not show up in the hands of the manager until today, New Year’s Day.

I was relieved to find my new camera that I had gotten for Christmas, all of my debit and credit cards, drivers license, etc. Even the little bit of cash that was readily available was there. But what was missing was the $110 stashed away that I was to give to my mom.

At first it felt like a kick in the gut. I had to work through the feelings of disappointment and such. I kept thinking that I need to be grateful because our bank accounts could have been robbed and more, but they were not.

I also could have gone victim thinking and feeling … “Oh boy! The New Year is starting out lousy already, etc., etc.” But NO! I have been working through that since last night, New Year’s Eve, and finally after it was all said done my thoughts and energy began to shift.

What if whoever took the money really needed that money? What if they needed to buy food for their children? What if they needed the money to keep them out of trouble? What if?

And so I truly have entered into an attitude of gratitude for being robbed that some how I was able to bless someone in one way or another, that I otherwise would not have done. I know that may sound strange to some of you, but I would rather be in this place of gratitude for what was saved and for blessing someone (whether they needed the money or not) rather than being in a place of anger, resentment, and upset.

I do not believe in coincidences. I believe that everything happens for a reason and purpose. So, once again, I am believing and trusting that the money released from me will go to good use and be returned to me ten fold!

Today I am thankful for the flow of abundance and for how God takes care of us all!

By the way, my first blog post of the New Year was going to be on joy-filled focus and joy-filled weight loss! It’s a good one and it is coming so stay tuned!

Here’s to a more joy-filled, grace-filled, peace-filled, abundance-filled, love-filled New Year!

How thankful I am for each moment I had with family, each moment I had to spend time alone, each moment I had making gifts, each moment I spent with favorite family pets, etc.  Each of the different moments filled my cup of joy up in different ways.

What were some of your treasured Christmas moments that filled your cup up with joy to overflow?  I would really enjoy reading about them … please do share in the comment section.

Moving quickly towards the New Year!

~ Shileen

A free scrapbook by Smilebox

~~ Shileen

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie

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.

November is the month that symbolizes gratitude for Americans because we celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday.  As a result my theme for the month is gratitude.  Let’s kick it off by cultivating an attitude of gratitude that will hopefully carry on past November.

“One of the most powerful energies you can ever experience is gratitude.  Feel gratefulness for anything, and you shift the way you feel.  Feel thankful for your life, your lungs, your home, this book; it doesn’t matter.  Once you feel grateful, you are in an energy that can create miracles.” ~ Joe Vitale from The Attractor Factor

So to begin cultivating my own attitude of gratitude towards creating miracles I want to share with you what I am thankful for today.

Yesterday my son and his gang dressed up as Star Wars characters for Halloween.  I just love these kids and I am so thankful for them and the joy they all bring into my life.  As a little way of expressing my love and gratitude, I decided to make them all special treat bags filled with all kinds of snacks and goodies. They were all very grateful, which is nice,  but it filled my cup with love and joy to be able to do that for them.

Remember, that self-nurture isn’t all about the self.  Yes, it is about taking care of “self”, but in a way that allows us to give to others from the point of joy and gratitude.  Cultivating an attitude of gratitude with a self-nurture practice offers you a powerful recipe for miracles!

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!

I almost always follow up with … “Well what brings you joy?”

Sometimes the person can rattle off a few things but often she doesn’t have a clue.  When you’re used to focusing on everyone and everything else and not care for any of your own needs, you tend to lose yourself.

I ask you, “What brings you joy?”

If you aren’t able to answer that question adequately then it’s time to ponder this question.  It’s time to look within and connect with who you are.  I can hear you asking … “How”?

For some, getting still and quiet and having what I call an honest moment with yourself can stir up some ideas.  You might be able to remember things that you used to do that you enjoyed or things that you always wanted to do or even some things you’ve put on the back burner.  Now is the time to explore those things.

If nothing comes to mind then you will have to start exploring the world around you.  The universe is our playground.  Don’t be afraid to explore it in a way that is not threatening to you and without judgment of yourself.  Just have fun going deeper with the things you find that you like and dropping the things you don’t like.

I was telling a friend today the first thing I did when I began self-care activities.  I took a book and journal to Starbucks.  This was before there were Starbucks on every corner so it was a bigger deal, however, I still love to go to Starbucks! ☺  Anyway, I spent time sipping my favorite latte with pen and paper in hand.  It was heaven.  Then I would go browse a favorite store.  I rarely bought anything; I just loved the ambiance of this one particular store.  It made me feel really good being there and I enjoyed nosing around.  Afterwards I felt like a million bucks!

But here’s the key.  You have to be in the moment.  Most of my activities are all very simple but to get the full benefit you have to be in the moment blocking out your to do list, the argument you had with hubby, the kids, etc. and then soak up the moment you are in with total gratitude appreciating yourself and God if He is a part of your life.  When you get “being in the moment” down, you can turn almost anything you do into a self-care, self-nurturing activity making the 15-minute daily commentment with TWWC very easy.

So I ask you, my dear?  What brings you joy?  Please do share in the comment section below.  If you don’t know then share that and/or what you think might bring you joy.  It’s ok.  Dream a little!

In my next post I’ll share more of my own personal self-care activities … how I can turn simple every day things into special moments.

“When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on and complaining about what you don’t have. Your focus is on what you have received, and you always get more of what you focus on. And because the law of attraction states that like attracts like, you will attract more abundance – more to be thankful for – to you. (The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract to be grateful for.) It becomes an upward-spiraling process of ever-increasing abundance that just keeps getting better and better.” ~~ “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield

Negative life stuff happens to all of us. It’s what we do with it that counts. What good does it do to whine and complain and stay in a mode of worry, upset and defeat? It does us no good at all as it will only keep us on a downward-spiraling path attracting more of the same. Who wants that?? I certainly don’t.

The Bible tells us to be thankful in all things for good reason. It also says the following for equally good reason:

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8,9 The Message

Attracting and creating more abundance in our lives is all about changing our mindset. Start by cultivating an attitude of gratitude and let it begin right here.

I invite you to use this post as a place to express your gratitude at any time as many times as you want. Let this be a journal to God and His universe as it creates an “upward-spiraling process of ever-increasing abundance that just keeps getting better and better.” And the glory will be all His!