Friday 29 July 2016

A nice way to remind myself.....

Isn't this a lovely way to remind ourselves to live more peacefully and indeed to live in the moment. I still struggle with this although I am better than I was a couple of years ago. One thing that I find hard nowadays though is coming to terms with getting older. I laugh it off most of the time but in truth it does worry me. I am afraid of dying, even though I have a strong faith. My main fear centres around leaving my family behind but also I am honestly just afraid too of what happens when that day comes. Rather a gloomy post I know but oddly I wasn't even thinking about it until I started to write. So maybe the little picture that led me to writing at all is what I should fill my mind with instead. It inspires me to paint something along those lines. I am midway through a painting of a face which (as often happens) I know reflects my own image but yesterday I had started to surround it with huge flowers. This has resulted in the rather sad face becoming illuminated and the flowers are giving a whole different feel to the picture. I suspect the universe is telling me something, don't you?

Tuesday 26 July 2016

Feeling blessed

I had such a lovely weekend. We went to stay with my youngest son Dan and his partner Sharna and their little boy, our youngest grandson, Jojo. What can I say without listing every moment. It was just perfect and it filled me with gratitude for being who I am.

Thursday 21 July 2016

Ouch ....

I am so sore after my fall. I think it has really shaken me up as I feel very tearful too. Having a gentle day. xx

Tuesday 19 July 2016

Not too well....

I am in agony today after my fall so might be absent for a couple of days. My back, neck and head are all very painful, as is my arm. I am also very nauseous so need to get myself lying down. See you soon. xx

Monday 18 July 2016

Done it again...

I've done it again ..... I fell right down the steps at the front of the building today and really hurt myself. I landed on the base of my spine and my arm. This was worse than last time and I really hurt so just a short note today. See you soon....don't do what I seem to be doing at the moment, stay safe.

Thursday 14 July 2016

Something to remember...

After hiding away for the best part of a week because of my unsightly mosquito bites, it struck me this morning how easily it is for me (and I guess for most of us) to suddenly feel unworthy. The horrible mess of bites on my face has made me feel so self conscious and yes .. also unworthy. I have been feeling afraid of people looking at me and wrinkling up their noses, thinking ugh. How ridiculous of me for just a few mosquito bites that will go in a week or so. Feeling so paranoid about something so trivial is a reason to feel unworthy when so many people in this world suffer real and debilitating disfigurement. But...feeling unworthy simply because of a few bites on my face is certainly not. We are all special in one way or another. I know that I have many special people in my life, family and friends and I could give each one of them their own unique reason for the "specialness". I remember when my children were small I wrote in one of my journals what I thought their main qualities were. It is lovely to read those pages again and see that those are still the beautiful personality traits that shine out from them. I think it is a rather nice idea.....think of the people in your life who really matter to you and then characterise them with one or two words that describe why. It is very revealing of how beautiful people are. I must look out my pages from that old journal and reproduce them here on my blog one day and it the meantime I am going to try out my suggestion above. I think it can only make me even more grateful for the wonderful people I am fortunate enough to have in my life.

Wednesday 13 July 2016

A little and quiet place to just be....

I sort of feverishly "collect" pictures and quotes of all kinds. It is a bit of an obsession with me but I get so much pleasure from it. This is one of my all time favourites, both for the words and the dear little picture that goes with it. This is so so so what I need today so I am really going to try and find it. The update on my mosquito bites is that they still really hurt and are even more horrible to look at, red sore and disgusting. It doesn't help my mood so I am off to my little quiet place for now. :-) xx

Tuesday 12 July 2016

What a few months....

Considering I have dealt with major cancer surgeries four times, I have got a bit run down these past few months with one stupid thing after another. It started with a 6 week virus back in late March that also led to bronchitis. It left me pretty washed out and I had several "toothy" problems after that then another massive upset with my adhesions from my kidney surgery which was horribly painful. I just got over that then went flying in my garden and got bashed from head to toe. Just getting over that a week or so ago, I said to my friend Julie at choir..."I feel really well again at last!" I spoke too soon as last Thursday I got another throat and ear infection and then a nasty little mozzie decided to attack my face. For the last 6 days I have being trying to deal with 7 or 8 really painful bites all around my mouth. A couple went septic and I have got to say, they have really got me down. As well as that I have to say they are pretty unsightly so it is not very nice to have to go out the house! I have tgried everything under the sun to calm them down ... to no avail... I think they might just be beginning to dry a bit today, I really hope so. Not helping my general mood ... how can something like mosquito bites make you cry... but they do and they have. There... I feel a bit better for writing it down. :-)
At least I do that......

Seeking enlightenment......

.....Mmm it really is quite a journey isn't it? :-)

Monday 11 July 2016

For the week ahead .....

I have always really loved the Desiderata, as did my mum and we read it out for her at her funeral. I have copies all over the place, so does my daughter. We have both accumulated them over the years. The words never fail to calm me, comfort me or lift me. These few especially.....
I hope your week ahead is a happy one. I start mine off having been bitten alive by mozzies on my face of all places so feeling a bit ....... can't think of the right word....any ideas? It doesn't do my waning self confidence (that which comes with age) much good I have to say! :-) xx

Sunday 10 July 2016

Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto


How special that the Cherry Blossom symbolises spirituality and beauty.

Friday 8 July 2016

Peace Is Every Step

Peace is every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy. - Thich Nhat Hanh
The weekend always heralds a little time for me to be peacefully pottering around my small garden. Just the thought of being with my lovely flowers and seeing the ones that have just started to bloom, lifts my spirits. When you have a garden that is mostly in containers and also not very large, you really get to know all of your plants and flowers and growing year after year in a container takes a lot of effort for perennials so when I see one returning once more I always go and say "hello, lovely to see you again." Nice feeling. Happy weekend everyone. xx

Thursday 7 July 2016

Wonderful poet, wonderful words

I have always loved Shel Silverstein. I used his poetry such a lot when I was teaching. Children love his poems and he uses them to help children grasp what really matters in life. I am a poetry fan anyway but there is something about children's poetry when it is written to also speak to adults....to our inner children, still resting quietly inside our souls.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Is that the sun I see shining?

A day of sunshine again today....as they are few and far between this year in England I expect most of us feel our spirits lifting a bit. I know I do. I love the colder seasons and often say that summer is my least favourite. That is a bit unfair on summer really as I love to see the sunshine, see people smiling in its warmth and all the beauties of the natural world which can show themselves off to their best. It is the heat I don't like, the heat and the light intensity. Both give me headaches and I have always been that way. That's the only reason really. Having said that I love the winter for its own particular beauty but I think I say I love it also because I love being at home in the late afternoons when the evening draws in, I love candles and fires and drawing the curtains. I loved it when my children were small and I knew they were all safe at home with me. Nowadays I can't know that of course but I try to imagine they and my grandchildren are all safe and warm in their homes. Autumn is glorious to me and that is for her colours and the stirrings of the first chill of winter in the air and despite my grand old age now, I also love the thought that Christmas is coming once the autumn days are with us. Then of course, who cannot love spring. Even me, with my love of winter, feels my heart lift when I hear the birds singing and see the first shoots of spring flowers coming through. I love to see people's spirits lifting when they remind themselves winter is nearly over. Spring always heralds a new beginning and it is a time of hope for us all. But for today....the sun is shining here in England, at least in the bit where I live....and the sunlight is shining down on us all.

Tuesday 5 July 2016

I couldn't wait - Damien Escobar Violin

Oh....I just couldn't wait.....although this wonderful music can move me to tears, it also lifts my spirits so high. I hope you enjoy it. He really is so talented.

A little treat....

During my "calm day" today I listened to my favourite musician Damien Escobar (I shall pop something on here one day soon) who is a wonderful violinist.....and I found one of my favourite poems of all time. I have always loved this little poem, I think it says so much in its few short lines. I hope you enjoy it too.

Finding some calm today....

I want to keep my blog uplifting but have to admit I had a very stressful day yesterday. I had two of my lovely grandchildren with me which helped a lot but a couple of unforeseen problems cropped up (not with them) one of which casued me a lot of anxiety. As always with these things it has left me with a real headache and a feeling of upset so I am determined to find a space to stay calm today. This means just doing things for me I think. Well ... yes ... I have a few things I must do but I am going to keep them to a minimum and allow myself some really quiet time. So this little picture seems rather appropriate for me today, especially as the distressing things of yesterday do not affect people and at the end of the day, how many times do we let inanimate problems cause us upset....I know I do so today is a day of practice for me in getting things into perspective. so I think this is a good start.

Sunday 3 July 2016

A thought for a new week beginning Monday 4th July 2016

Namaste. I first heard about Mooji a few years ago now and it was actually on our website Freeing Your Wings. I still love to read his words and watch his videos and only last week watched one with some of my friends. He has such a calming presence and he reminds me how important it is to find some time to still myself every day. This little video is only a few moments long but it is a beautiful reminder to us all to find moments within our day when we remember that it is "Just for Today". Love and light Lynda x

A sunny day ... what a nice change!

How lovely to be able to see the sun shining through today. I think this summer we need to make the most of every day when the sun manages to break through the clouds don't you? Whatever you are doing, I hope you are having a happy day. I must admit to being rather black, blue, scratched and grazed in places after my spectacular fall in the garden yesterday. I also have four or five vases of flowers around the flat too....the result of all those broken stems when I landed....at least they look very pretty. I am normally loathe to pick my flowers, having such a small garden, so perhaps there was a silver lining. Two of our grandchildren, Stanley and Rose, are coming later today and staying the night as they have an inset day at school tomorrow. So I have a lovely day ahead. I still have a headache from my fall though so I am going to take it a bit easy till they come. Anyway I found this lovely picture and quote below so I hope you like it. See you tomorrow. xx

Saturday 2 July 2016

Whoops - a - daisy!

Good morning everyone....well actually it seems to be afternoon now! My day started off a bit dramatically as I went head over heels in my little garden and hurt myself rather a lot! I was pretty shaken up too so ended up having to lie down for a while. Then I had a bath to wash off all the grit in the bumps and scratches and now I am trying to start off my day again....... I thought I would have done most of it by now and been able to paint today but now I have still to go shopping, do the ironing, tidy up the kitchen and....clear up the mess in the garden!
Well yes....that was the idea at 9 o'clock this morning....perhaps I can just forget the ironing and the tidying, whizz down to Tesco then come back and do this after all! Anyway I can try! Everyone stay safe this weekend....I had better go and clear up the broken flowers and flowerpots first. Actually, if you know me well, you will know I am besotted with my tiny garden so actually it has made me rather sad as well as battered and bruised. Never mind, like the flowers I can heal and look where I am going next time.

Friday 1 July 2016

Namaste

Namaste .. I love this greeting and wish we used it more here in our own country. It is of course a beautiful sentiment but I love the gesture as to me it really represents genuine love and respect when it is given to me or if I give it to another. In my church we have a time in every mass where we wish each other peace in our lives and we do this by holding hands and saying the words "Peace be with you" with as many people as we can reach out to during the moment. It has now also become the custom to look towards those we are not near enough to reach and to raise our hands in the Namaste greeting to each other. I love this, it fills me with such a joy. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the beautiful gesture, the loving greeting but perhaps above all, for me, it represents a universal love between faiths and beliefs. This greeting is now being used widely in the catholic church you see and for me, that is a very wonderful step forward into a more loving, respectful and compassionate society. What a beautiful day I have been fortunate enough to have. Friday morning is Dawn Chorus morning - our choir - and here I have made so many lovely new friends over the past two years, not least of all our wonderful teacher, Julie. Our choir is such a friendly and harmonious group of people which is not always easy to find. There is zero "clickiness" and 100% friendship, laughter and real joy. Singing brings such joy. We have to work hard and Julie pushes us to our limits but when we get there, we are absolutely .... joyous! We are about to sing our annual summer busk next weekend in Shoreham which is preceded by a rehearsal in St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham where the acoustics are wonderful and all of us, without exception, experience that special feeling when we are in a very beautiful spiritual moment. I have no idea which of us have or don't have faiths, or what they may be, but when we sing we reach that moment of transcendence - I know we do. The feeling is palpable in the room but especially so when we sing in a church or a place of worship. Something is happening and that is so beautiful. Anyway after choir I went with two of my friends, Viv and Sue, to buy our annual summer gift for Julie our teacher. We went to a beautiful garden centre and found exactly the most perfect gift (will tell you more another day) then had lunch together. It was so lovely. Two special friends, one I have know for over 40 years and one I met two years ago in the choir but both are close and precious friends. Yes indeed I had a pretty much perfect day. I hope your day was a good one too. Namaste dear friends.