Inspirational Music on Monday

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!


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I am a mother of a seven year old autistic boy. Since his diagnosis four years ago, life has really taken turns I never imagined. I'll admit there are days when I'd like to wish all the difficulties away. Going places like the mall, or a movie theater, and even a restaurant are at times impossible. The stares and comments about my "misbehaved" child almost seem too much to bear.

I have no doubt that I was given this child directly from God. He is the most amazing individual I have ever met. Who do you know, at such a young age, could be given so many obstacles to overcome and to do it with so much enthusiasm? He is one of the most admired people in my life. If he didn't have this disability I don't believe I would have the honor to truly know this fantastic little boy. What was impossible yesterday is a reality today. That makes me happy. It tells me that he's going to be the best he can be.

I feel I am blessed with the ability to see the strength in happiness. It allows me to focus on the little things that will add up to the fulfilling life that I desire. I am reminded of the movie The Lion King. In it, one of the characters said, "you can either run from it, or learn from it". My son is my greatest teacher.

-Siobhan Arnott

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Have you noticed that the world is engulfed in this blanket of negativity and a doomsday attitude? Everywhere you look there is something horrible. The news is one bad thing after another, television shows are filled with cheating, stealing, lying, killing, and hatred. Even the funny shows have children that are disrespectful and irresponsible.

Albert Einstein once said that the most important decision you'll ever make is to decide whether you live in a supportive universe or a universe that is hostile. The power is this statement comes from our perception. When we believe the universe is out to get us, we see things in a negative way and we respond accordingly. This is the media's model of the universe.

When we see the universe as supportive and friendly,we begin to see the little events that occur, like someone holding the door open for a woman with her hands full or a shining employee that has a smile and a kind word for every customer. This shift in perspective uplifts us and bring us joy and in turn we begin to radiate that attitude out to those around us. This is the model of the world I am striving for.

When the above Thankful Thursday contribution came in, I was so moved that Siobhan would share her beautiful thoughts with me and all of you. It reinforced my belief of a supportive universe and inspired me to keep sharing these moments of gratitude with you so that you may experience life from this place of gratitude if only for a moment out of your day.

So my gratitude goes out to all of you who have contributed to these Thankful Thursday posts and who have read it. I invite you to share the energy of this supportive universe with you friends and family today. And don't forget to send me your thoughts for next weeks post.

Simply Rhubarb

When I was a kid I remember taking a bus trip with my grandma from Chicago to Rockford to visit one of her friends. I don't remember too much about the trip but I have one vivid memory and that was seeing rhubarb growing in the garden for the first time.

You see, I've always been a color freak. I love color and seeing those deep red stalks (my favorite color) peeking out from behind those large green leaves took my breath away. I had to know what that was.

Sensing my intrigue, my grandma and her friend let me cut the stalks, chop them up and put them into a pot with some sugar. Let me tell you, I was in heaven! I've been a fan ever since.

Rhubarb is actually in season now and I found it in the store yesterday. I really didn't know what I could do with it since I am on a pretty strict elimination diet right now...no grains, no sugar, no nuts etc. But I didn't let that stop me. I bought 4 stalks and a bunch of strawberries and headed home excited at the prospect tasting that distinct combination.

I cut everything up, threw it in a pot with some water and stevia and let it cook. By the time the kids got home it was a beautiful sauce and they were lined up to dig their spoons in. We just ate it like that. Nothing else. And it was beautiful.

Simplicity at its best!

Sugar Free Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

4 stalks rhubarb

1 pint strawberries

10 drops stevia*

1/4 cup water

Put everything into a saucepan and stir. Cover and cook over medium high heat until strawberries and rhubarb are soft.

You can serve this over some ice cream for a refreshing spring treat.

*I used liquid stevia. The sweetness varies with each individual brand and type of stevia so experiement with the amount needed to give you your desired sweetness.

Create Your Dream Board

Vision Boards, Dream Boards, whatever you call them, can be a great way to get you focused on what you want in life and propel you to get it.

Now Oprah has come out with a new program called Dream Boards. You can go online and create your own Dream board with photos and text. You can choose the size, the background and the layout. You can use their pictures or download your own.

You can print it out or share it through email, Facebook, Twitter, or My Space. You can even export it and save it on your computer.

Check it out and have some fun creating your dreams!

Inspirational Music on Monday

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
Till it's to late, it's not too late

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you,
What would you wish you would've done

Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbye
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution,
There'll no one on the line, yeah

Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

You never know a good thing till it's gone
You never see a crash till it's head on
Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong
You never know a good thing till it's gone

Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!
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This week I am so thankful for all of the learning opportunities I have on the internet. It is so amazing to me how easy it is to connect with so many people from all over the world and to gain their knowledge and insight.

I have been learning about spirituality, forgiveness, healing, self hypnosis, law of attraction, the power of the mind in relation to weight loss, shadow work, compression and expansion, and so much more. All of this in one week! Some of these things I resonate with and others I do not. But the amazing thing is I have access to it at the click of a mouse. So cool!

Through these connections I have been able to do some real healing this week and to feel inspired to continue to create the life I desire. It has been so inspirational and I encourage all of you to search out your group of people to connect with. If you like art, stamp collecting, gardening, or Elvis, there are people just like you!

For you women out there you might want to check out the Inspiring Women Summit. It has already started but once you register you can listen to the pre recorded calls and even download them for free.

To be honest, I haven't listened to any of them yet because I've been busy listening to calls that have a time limit on them. I have downloaded them for future enjoyment though. The topics range from leadership, spirituality, sensuality, empowerment and relationships. I expect to find some nuggets of wisdom in these.

Searching for Happiness

You’ve got to love kids! This morning I was driving my teenager to school and I had my 2 youngest sons in the car with me and we were chatting. My 9 year old says, “Mom, next year I will be closer to having a new school.” I laughed because here he is in third grade and he is already thinking about getting into sixth grade.

We talked a bit about the next two years in his elementary school and then I told him, “Well Liam, just enjoy your time in this school because once you get out, you can never go back.” I went on to say that it is important to focus on every moment that you are living because when you do that, it makes that moment the best ever.

Do you know what his answer was? It’s really so funny. He said, “So this moment, sitting in the car is the best moment of my life?” I smiled to myself about the simplicity and honesty of children and then I replied, “Well, yes, actually. We are alive, we have a car to sit in, it’s a nice day, and we love each other. What could be better than that right?”

At that point he let out a big sigh and said in his truly happy voice, “Yeah Mommy!”

How often do we sit and wish for something more, for something better? It seems we are always chasing happiness, looking for the perfect moment when we will finally achieve that happiness. I have been guilty of this myself and I know that there will never be a perfect moment or perfect circumstances. Every moment has the potential to be perfect depending on your perception.

This was proven to me recently when I was in Miami for a conference. I had set aside a half of a day to be by myself and I sat on the beach for a while just soaking in the sun and then I decided to go for a walk. I walked about a mile on the beach and enjoyed seeing the sights and listening to the waves.

I knew I had to get back so I could make my plane so I decided to walk along the boardwalk on the way back. It wasn’t as nice as walking on the beach but it was more practical. As I walked along I was looking around and kind of wishing I was back on the beach. It was so much nicer there.

But then I shifted my perspective and I started feeling how the warm sun felt on my body. I zeroed in on all the sounds that were around me and I really saw the people and the things that surrounded me. I took a deep breath and got a full sense of the smells that were wafting around me. I got in touch with my senses and I fully immersed myself in the moment.

Do you know that it was like a surreal moment? It was almost as if time stopped. It was the most amazing experience, one that I haven’t even shared with anyone because I wasn’t sure I could explain it and do it justice. In that moment I was filled with the most amazing gratitude for that exact moment and tears began streaming down my face. It only lasted for a brief moment but it was powerful and showed me the power of living in the moment.

As Eckhart Tolle says in his book, A New Earth, “How to be at peace now? By making peace with the present moment. The present moment is the field on which the game of life happens. It cannot happen anywhere else. Once you have made peace with the present moment, see what happens, what you can do or choose to do, or rather what life does through you.”

I encourage you to practice living in each and every moment of your life and see how it changes things. Leave me a comment below to tell me how the experiment goes for you.