Rise and sine Miss Iza!

I have MY light.................

and you have Yours..........................

This is my light and it sits on my bureau. I have

painted stones for SOS to look like this candle. It is a

reminder to me to choose my light. It is  

battery operated and I make sure when it starts to

dim I change them. It is mine and no one

can turn it off. If they try to, I can and will protect it. If

somehow they are able to shut it off,

I will turn it back on because it is MINE!

Every single person 

is born with a light.

That light can be nurtured so it grows, 

or that light can be diminished.

When we are small we don't have 

a whole lot of choice who 

 takes care of our light

and sometimes the people 

who should protect our light the most; 

very simply stated, don't.

My light has changed a lot over the years

and I am here to tell you, that

YOU, yes YOU

can be and will be a bright light.........

If that is what YOU choose to be!

Here's the catch; when you get to 

a certain age, YOU are making all your

own choices. You can no longer blame

your past, it is in the past.

You are your present and you are 

your future.

For me, the dimmer my light gets

the harder it is for the world

to see it.

 The more I shine my light,

the lighter I feel.

The lighter I feel,

the brighter I shine.

The brighter I shine, 

the more light there is in the world

Darkness is only the absence of light.

When you begin to protect your light,

you will start to see the darkness disappear

and it will change how you feel.

When someone or something shows up 

and tries to put out your light,

do not let them;

protect it at all costs.

Your light is the only thing 

that no one can take from you

unless you are willing to give it away.

Once again, the choice is yours.

You have the power to shine,

Use it and treasure it or you will lose it!

Please do not give up on 

YOUR LIGHT!

It has always been there.

Please find it and use it to guide

every step you take!

It is a lot easier to find your way 

in the light.

If you are in the dark and can't 

find your way, there are so many

people who have a really bright light, ask

 them to share theirs; I bet they will.

They know their light

 will not be diminished because

it is shining on you. 

It will become brighter.

THAT is the secret that light holds.

You have a choice to leave the dark behind.

One of the names for Jesus

(my personal favorite)

is 'Light of the world'.

We are all called by whomever

or whatever we believe is the

 creator of the light;

to see the light, be the light,

and share the light.

 I have met many people working

their recovery 

over the past several years  

and the most successful 

are those that have 

seen the light 

and are choosing to share

that light with others who 

struggle to find it.

That includes those recovering

from the trauma associated with

caring for a loved one actively using,

the loss of a loved one to addiction,

as well as those who are in the

throws of this disease themselves.

I will leave you this morning at 6:22am

as the darkness of night starts to disappear

 and I head upstairs to greet 

Miss Iza with the same greeting I

give her and I have given

all my children every other morning,

Rise & Shine!

Let there be light,

XOXO, k

Can you climb it?

This photo I took while on retreat last spring. What do you see? What appears to be a large hill to climb, in front of a great expanse of water is merely a teeny tiny sand hill.  Look closely at the grains of sand.

Looking from a distance and this perspective it appears to be a real challenge to get beyond it.

In reality when you get up close you are able to see that it is very small hill around the size of my foot.

Believe me when I say, I am fully aware that facing addiction or any other challenge; either yourself, or dealing with the effects on you because of someone struggling with their own mountains is not quite as simple as this. Anything that is broken down into a single grain of sand is so much less of a challenge.

Today, look at every single second that passes as another grain of sand that has passed through the hourglass of life that YOU single-handedly have survived to see another, and then another, and another grain fall, until you are spending more time looking back at all that you have accomplished instead of all that lies ahead.

It is hard to not to make 'mountains out of mole hills' when you are looking from certain perspectives. Try taking a step back and looking at the big picture, often the mountain is not as big as it first appears.

I will leave you today with lyrics from the Sound of Music which if you have the opportunity, listen to it (loudly of course) and be inspired.

Climb every mountain,

search high and low,

follow every byway,

Every path you know.

Climb every mountain,

ford every stream,

follow every rainbow,

'till you find your dream.

A dream that will need

all the love you can give,

every day of your life

for as long as you live.

-Rogers & Hammerstein

Sound of Music

With peace for the journey,
light for the way,
and strength to climb every mountain

I Love You, K

A gift from Hillary

I love all things Halloween!

The day is inspired by all Hallows Eve & the day of the dead.

There are many traditions associated with this day,

as well as fears and superstitions.

This is a gift I received from Hillary for my birthday

which falls the week before Halloween

Look closely........

what do you see, now look closer..........

What I see is two beings surrounded by a crystal ball,

shielding them from the outside world 

 gently holding each other.

I see the hand holding them as the hand of God.

It supports the couple in what appears to be something soft

that their fragile world rests safely and comfortably on.

The couple appears unaware that the hand is there,

although we, as onlookers know it is.

Divine love is abundant in all things and in all places.

Sometimes where you least expect it (in a Halloween decoration).

It is amazing to me that the artist who created this could capture

the essence of love and kindness.

The photos do not do justice to the feeling

that this piece of art invokes in me.

I presume this is a man holding a woman, however this could represent any relationship.

The man is holding the woman close with his hands on her shoulders

and his chin resting on her head.

She rests her head into his chest

with her arms around his back for added comfort and security.

I cried when I looked closely at this relationship. I cried for the idea that in death there was eternal love. I cried for the gentleness of a caring and compassionate relationship, beyond this life. I cried because so very often in this life we take for granted the love we have here, thinking, there is always tomorrow and I cried because no matter what, the Divine creator of all holds us even when we can't see ourselves and those we love being held.

I will cherish this gift and it will remain in my sacred space throughout the year to remind me; the hand of God is present and this life is the one I will be grateful for. 

Ben's 29th birthday would have been on October 9th.

God held him in this life and I believe when Ben's spirit 

left he was holding the hand of God on his way to

the life everlasting.

Please tell the people you love that they are loved by you

and by the Divine creator of the universe.

Help to remove the cloud of fear and pain from the eyes of all those that suffer

so that the abundant love from Spirit may 

be seen more clearly. 

Peace, k