circles of life, those we have lost are never truly gone

Circles are my favorite.

There is something about the fact that

it continues on and on without end.

I also love that for me,

if you are inside the circle

you are protected from what it outside of it.

I wear a pendant on a chain around my neck

that holds Ben's ashes.

that chain also holds a circle.

Many folks have asked me if it is this or that,

and my response is always the same.

No, it is simply a circle and I love circles.

The circle I wear, represents the never-ending bond

we have with those that have left this life before us.

Although there are many that left this life

sooner than I would have liked,

and there are many that no matter how long they are here

it will never be long enough;

my relationship with them has not ended.

The circle continues on in my heart and in my soul.

I FEEL them when I am reminded by a photo,

a shared story,

a sign or message I believe they have left for me.

I recently had a patient, a widower, who at 98 years old

said, "the older I get the more uncertain I am that there is an afterlife".

I generally do not share my religious beliefs unless I am asked,

however, it was easy to share my spiritual belief.

I told him that for me our energy if this life

is WAY too strong to simply no longer exist.

Your body is only the vessel that houses that energy.

He told me he liked that idea.

I asked him if it would give him comfort knowing

that his spirit would live on and he could be with

the spirit of his wife again.

He said yes, I reminded him that he could choose

what beliefs he wanted to hold onto.

He smiled and said, thank you I like that idea.

We all have choices and believe variations of

spirituality/religion

The choice is yours

For me, I see Ben's presence in our lives just as much today

as it was on this day two years ago when he was still

within the circle of this life.

Sometimes the sadness places a shroud of tears over my eyes,

however they are dried by a hawk, a penny from heaven, a photograph,

a Giants jersey, a smile from the boys who share a part of that spirit, the list goes on.

It is a circle.

This pouch was a gift from a patient who made yo-yo quilts,

they are made out of circles. She had one on her bed and as I admired it,

I told her that I too loved circles

and that it was beautiful. The next day she gave me this and said

I want you to have this because you love circles.

I will not explain the significance of all the varied circles on this pouch,

however suffice it to say that it is one of my most treasured possessions.

MORE CIRCLES!

For those who have lost a loved one

know that you too can share this belief.

I am sharing it because it gives me some peace and comfort

and my prayer is that it will do the same for you.

I am proud to share my circle with all of you

and I am honored to be a part of yours

Peace be with you

Kristyn

begin again

The more I try to find peace the more I see the chaos that can make it hard to find.

I have always wanted to meditate and be good at it because my understanding is that

it truly brings peace to those that have found a way to master it.

I give up a lot and tell myself my mind simply can not do it.

I am like a dog in a park, too many things to see to stay focused.

until now

I finally found a teacher (from a book I listened to) that said MOST folks who try something hard have to practice often to receive the benefit.

You may already know this, however it did not sink in with me until a couple of days ago.

The way to get where you want to be is 'begin again'!

and again and again.......................................................

I have also always struggled with my weight, even at my slimmest

it was never easy to maintain a safe weight.

Everything I wanted to do I would say:

I'll start tomorrow or

I'll start on Monday or

that will be my New Years Resolution

always another time, not now.

Back to meditation

My practice now is whenever I begin

and my mind drifts off

I do not quit

I begin again

right at that very moment.

when I drift again,

and I will

I begin again and I

continue to begin again

and I am finding that focusing on

beginning again and again helps

until I have began again for long enough

to have received the benefit of my efforts

It is working, I also try to either listen to a

repetitive chant/ song

or I say my mantra of choice which is,

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me.

It is working, I tell myself I can do it

and I begin again and again and again...........

The prayer that I send to you today

is that you truly feel the loving energy that I and all

the other folks out there send out to you

for healing.

I took this photo at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford.

This photo brings me joy because it reminds me of simpler

times when I would skate on this pond as a child. You could only get to

the island in the center when it was frozen. It was a thrill for me to

be somewhere that most of the time was out of my reach.

May you find peace and comfort

in your life through

giving and receiving

positive energy

and if that

peace eludes you

begin again,

begin again,

and begin again!

I love you from the place in my soul

that knows no boundaries

Kristyn

Request stones

The holiday season can be even more challenging for families affected by addiction.

If you or someone you loves needs stones
and a little extra loving energy,

please reach out.

Kristyn.stonesinfo@gmail.com

they can be sent anywhere, anytime.

As always there is never a cost,

the latest batch of stones

I only ask that however you are able

please consider sending your prayers

of love and support out

to those we love.

If you have an idea of a word,
simple image
or phrase
let me know and I will add it to the
next batch.

With love
and prayers for peace in your
heart and soul

xoxo Kristyn

7:07AM

Saturday December 10th 2016

5:30 am wake up get out of bed brew a pot of coffee
5:40 am start working on a project for Cameron listening to a spiritual book on my phone
6:25 am start thinking the sun will come up soon
6:30 am think about the man I spoke to that said it IS getting lighter earlier
6:35 am think about Bert asking me where a great place to see the sunrise is
6:37 am think about the overlook across from Elizabeth park in Hartford
6:39 am check the weather channel app and see the sun rises at 7:07 am and it is a clear morning
6:40 am wake up Bert, say get dressed and lets go!
6:45 am on our way

7:07 am enjoy a glorious sunrise with my son

Click on the photo, enlarge and zoom in on the center of the cloud

There's the bird that seems to find it's way into our pics.

especially on special days!

In a half hours time this morning I chose to feed my soul, that choice set the tone for my entire day.

The idea is at any given moment you can make the choice to do something that changes everything.

I feed my soul by thinking, believing, and doing things for myself and others.
The joy I feel at these moments is indescribable.

There was no cost, however that moment in time was priceless.

My prayer for you for today is

that you find a simple way 

to take a deep breath,

and feed your soul.

Let true joy enter your heart & mind

much love, Kristyn

Creating a world you want to live in

A friend shared the idea with me

'Create the world you want to live in'

Over the past week or so I have been trying harder to

create that world.

The only person I can change is me,

the only person I can control is me,

 I am the person who thinks and feels what I tell myself.

Saying 'you made me feel bad, or you made me react that way'

is ultimately not 'you'. It is me.

I choose what I choose.

At times I make good choices and at times I don't.

When someone else makes 'their' choice

and that choice affects me, I choose how I will respond.

Back to this week,

I am choosing to live in a world where

love prevails.

I am choosing to live in a world where

hope prevails.

I am choosing to live in  a world where

kindness prevails.

I am choosing to try every day to create

the world I want to live in.

It is hard to try new things, it is also totally worth it!

Living in someone else's world where

unhappiness prevails is not the choice I

choose to make.

I will not leave behind those that are unhappy,

I will invite them to join me in trying

to move towards peace.

Everyone moves at their own pace

that is freedom.

for me, freedom lies where I can

fall down along my path that is treacherous at times,

and get right back up.

I asked myself, "where do you want to live?"

if the world you live in is NOT where you want to,

MOVE, if you need help moving, ask a friend.

I am a friend as are many others who are part of our community

that shares peace and comfort with others.

There are 'friends' out there who will help you move

even, the 'heavy' stuff.

Much love today and always

your friend, Kristyn

thought for the day

Merciful divine spirit

full of grace

Change is difficult

and at times it is hard

to find the strength

to face another day.

Pour out your compassion over me

so that I may see in myself

what you see in me.

Wash away the regret

and loneliness that my

fear of change has created in me,

and replace it with trust

in your love

so that I may face change

with a renewed spirit.

In the name of all that was, is and will be

the act of kindness

from you, to me

all the days of my life.

thank you and amen