Embracing Positivity

Each month, the host of the Spiritual Journey Thursday community invites others to walk along life's path. When the invitation sent by Bob Hamera, aka arjeha, arrived in my email, I realized that the prompt, attitude, would be an appropriate one for me. Bob asked the Spiritual Journey community to take a look at our attitude and how it affects not only ourselves but also others.

 

As the community knows, I am walking a tightrope since the sudden passing of my husband in April. Each day, I wake praying to find a new avenue that will restore my soul, revive my heart, and renew my life. Unfortunately, at the end of most days, I find myself standing in a vast ocean of unpredictable, swishing waves, realizing that my emotions are scattered across the sea's waters. Another image appears, a remembrance of days at the ocean, watching the tide ebbing and flowing at a rapid pace. My feet sink into the sand, and my body falls into the cold water, unable to rise with balance. . .

After reading Bob's invitation, I realized that a new attitude is exactly what I needed. By chance, I found an interesting quote on the Purposely. podcast, "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it." As in the Bible (Phillippians 2:5), Apostle Paul advocates for a new attitude: "Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus." Paul is speaking about having a humble and selfless mindset like Jesus. These thoughts may have been hiding all along, since I believe in a positive mindset. Now, I am ready once again to spark the fire that filled my heart with positivity. This is a necessity. I need to walk the spiritual journey with hope and faith and not waddle in the darker side of life that interferes with a positive attitude. With a strong mindset, faith, and hope, my goal will be to minimize the grief and anxiety I often feel. 

I am grateful for our Spiritual Journey host and community of faithful writers, and am eager to read each blog post. You can join us here if interested.

Serenity of Snow

"The silence of peaceful slumber blankets the garden." 

Yesterday, as I entered the great room, I noticed a white setting peering at me through the dual fireplace and windows. Were my eyes deceiving me? In my haste to answer that question, I dropped my pillbox and many multi-colored little objects fell across the floor. A magical snow scene caught me by surprise, much like many winter pasts on Long Island, New York. 

Upon a closer look, a snowglobe winter lay before me. Astonished that the weather changed in a day's time from 60ish-degree, springlike temperatures to a freezing chill, I moved to the door and was greeted by a rush of cold breeze sweeping across the patio. Several inches of snow stood tall in the space surrounding the door.

Off of the front door entrance lay a pristine, Hallmark moment. The beauty of nature dusted in white confetti was serene. Appreciation for nature's gift of snow wrapped in winter flowed. I listened in the stillness and breathed in a silent moment of peace.

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"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake,

it is necessary to stand outside in the cold."

-Aristotle

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Winter Morn

I

open

my door to 

winter's magic in 

a domed, snowglobe world.

Glitter etched in untrodden snow, 

blankets earth. Sparkles from leftover

stardust settle like white confetti while flocked

boughs remain still as life wakens from a deep sleep.

I breathe in stilled-serenity,

like doses of medicinal bliss

cleansing my being,  and linger in 

the quiet of gray-sky blessings

to appreciate winter's embrace.

©CV, 2022

🌲

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly  hand, and for talk beside the fireplace: it is a time for home." -Edith Sitwell, British poet

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Gather with me at Two Writing Teachers,

a meeting place for a world of reflective writers who offer their Slice of Life.

One Little Word Becomes My 2015 Mantra

With the New Year comes a fresh start to approach life in a different way. This new pathway we discover becomes a welcomed avenue for a new year.  

New Year resolutions have always been a familiar return to school activity in the beginning of January. They tend to be markers of what needs to be accomplished but these well wishes often fall by the wayside as the months move on. In the past year, an alternate path to the New Year resolution has sprung up in the form of a one little word (OLW). It appears to be the trendy thought in the Twittershpere so why not try it out?

Bloggers use the one little word as a mantra that lights the way. One writer recently spoke of the OLW as a soundtrack for the year (such a splendid image). I found my one little word for 2015 that compliments my 2014 word (openness). My guiding word, LISTEN, will become my mantra. I invite this word to become a part of my vocabulary as I listen intently to what life has to offer and what I can bring to my relationships.

I heard my word call me as I approached winter. You can read about the evolution of my OLW here and here. While I am not a huge fan of cold weather and snowbound times, I decided to take a fresh look at winter this season. To honor my new perspective, I sent out an invitation to all to listen to winter's whisperings. Hence, the Winter Whisperings Gallery of Artistic Expressions came to be from a desire to bring diverse writers from around the states and the globe to write how winter touches their lives. I listened to my one little word, Listen, to turn winter into a magical season of possibilities, despite the chill, snowstorms, and all the issues that arise from extreme weather conditions. You can view to my invitation to write for the gallery here. 

Last week for Poetry Friday, Mary Lee Hahn, a colleague, created an acrostic poem about her one little word, notice. Margaret Simon, another colleague, thought that would be a unique way of publicizing our words so I decided to try one out for size. I listened to my heart and here is what it said. 

Then, I searched for a song that might capture the essence of the one little word concept. While the song I found is not a contemporary one, I felt it was a nostalgic way of portraying the one little word theme. 

I have been thinking about the power of the one little word as way to bring positivity to light so I decided that my message for professional development sessions this January would revolve around the OLW. Below is one slide that I created for a reflective writing exercise with educators. The same type of activity, the creation of a Graffiti Wall of OLWs, can be implemented with students. One little words evolve from a reflective stance and look at the year to come and how the message of positivity can enter and affect your world. 

Now it is time to stroll over Two Writing Teachers where you can find other writers Slices of Life.

To contribute to Margaret Simon's DigiLit Sunday site, I am dedicating my professional development work on OLW as a start on how I will integrate technology into literacy.

 Here is a compilation of one little words gathered from last weekend's Celebrate this Week bloggers, using Tagxedo.

Stepping Back Before Going Forward

Today is a day to pause, step back, and remember what life has offered me before leaping into the new year. It is a time to reflect on my positive moves and the gaps that need to be sorted out. In doing so, an image came to mind: being the chalk board monitor in my elementary school days. I eagerly washed the board each day after school. There was a fluidity to that task, a sense of accomplishment and pride as I prepared the chalk board for a new day.

I have been thinking about that action in preparation for choosing my One Little Word (OLW) for 2015. At the start of 2014, I found the perfect word: openness.  It led me to many new opportunities as a connected colleague, writer, professional development specialist, and thinker. I engaged in new ventures; rekindled my love for quiet spaces through yoga; met many individuals, both virtually and face-to-face. I allowed creativity to flow and with so unveiled four galleries of artistic expressions:

• REFLECT WITH ME  - Bringing Together a Community of Writers To Celebrate Life and Learning
• April Awakenings
• Summer Serenity Gallery
• Finding Fall Gallery

Doors opened and I walked through them, sometimes hesitant, but still moving onward. Did I accomplish what I set out?  -Partially-  Cluttered messes are still to be found in spaces in my home and mind, but they are being sorted out to bring order and balance to life. Are there gaps that need to be tended to?  -Absolutely-  So I must continue on this journey trying to find the right ingredients to mix a new recipe for 2015 to become a vibrant member of my family and community. 

The hustle and bustle events of the past two months have pushed aside reflective practices that bring order to cluttered chaos. Now is the time for me to step back before going forward.  

Thank you to the entire Two Writing Teachers' Team: Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, & Anna for creating a safe haven to write weekly slices on life. Please stroll over to the Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life site to view other writers' views on life this week.