Aligning with Grace

Journaling has been a part of my life in some format or another for as long as I can remember.  I have a small book shelf with journals going back to my early teens. I have poetry manuscripts. Notebooks of prose. I have scrapbooks of favorite quotes and passages from books. I even have autobiographical collections - journals of spiritual experiences, of dreams, of pregnancy and my son's first year of life. The point is, journaling can take on all different kinds of forms depending on your needs at the time. You can even have several journals running concurrently! A few months ago, as the year was drawing to a close, I decided that I would write as often as possible in my main journal, which is the one in the middle in the picture below. But I also found a need to establish two others. The one on the left is my "health" journal so to speak. I just simply jot down the things I did that day that contributed to greater health of mind, spirit, and body - not to judge m...

A new year has commenced with a super moon, bearing better tidings, I hope. I chose to dispense with my preferred rituals for ushering in a new year and instead record my theme for the coming year in my journal, which came to me from an unexpected gift. Several friends set out to do the Camino in Spain this year. One, brought me a beautiful pendant from the region from where my family originated. It had a beautiful Celtic inscription on one side, with the the following words inscribed in Spanish on the other side: "Renacimiento Entusiasmo Salud" The moment I received it, sometime last fall, I knew that these words would comprise my theme for the coming year. Renacimiento, can be translated literally as "rebirth," or as "renewal." Both of these seem appropriate for this juncture in my life. This word is followed by "enthusiasm," and finally by "health." I noticed that many people chose a word this year as their own th...

A New Year is here.  Another one has been dispatched... We could sit here and talk about how hard it was - or how bad it was. But I will not do that. And neither should you. Let's not give the past anymore energy... I choose to look ahead instead... I am grateful for the many blessings and miracles that I believe are currently unfolding in my life, and in the lives of others... This year, I chose to usher it in differently, and dispelled with my usual rituals. I thought instead, of what I would like to fill this year with. I thought of the new year as a cup, filled with many good things. What would you like to fill your cup and your new year with? What kind of drink warms your body and your heart? Good coffee - tea, or hot cocoa? It really doesn't matter what your pour into your cup. Imagine yourself holding your cup filled with your warm drink of choice. It happens to be very cold where I am at this morning. Feel the warmth of your cup. ...