Yesterday I decided to pick up a few gifts of winter.. those things that find their way onto your yard, with the help of the wind, animals, and snowplows.  When I made my way around the north side of the house, I saw color! Yes color!  The first purple crocus in full bloom.  Spring is here!!! It brought a feeling of life to me…a sense of freshness, of growth, of knowing that a lot more color was on the way.  Naturally, I ran in and grabbed my camera to capture that first bloom.  As I lowered myself to grab a macro shot, a bee also found the crocus.  I thought to myself, what perfect timing.. in more than one way.  Perfect that I got a shot of the bee on the crocus, and on a larger scale, perfect that the bloom and the bee were in sync, knowing when to “come out” of hibernation, and to be there to support each other.   This is the time of year to visually witness growth… to see the fruits of nature, the gifts that she’s been preparing for our eyes to feast on.  From baby eaglets being born, leaf buds on the trees, flowers breaking through the winter protection of the ground,  birds returning home from a long journey…all these miraculous gifts that nature abounds.   They are endless…and so is my gratitude, for I normally don’t care much for bees and flies, yet today I found gratitude in seeing them.  Without saying a word, they told me that spring is here.

Becoming more and more aware of the speed of which our thoughts manifest and the utmost importance of trying to stay in the flow and allowing the universe to glide and guide you along your path. Negative thoughts turn into resistance of this flow which can send you spinning outside your course and getting you stuck in your personal snowbank…it’s your choice how quickly you melt it with love and gratitude so you can get back into the flow. The longer you remain there, however, builds an ice block that’s harder to chip away and melt……don’t hesitate. Take action now. Think, believe, and live positively and try to bring love and gratitude to your experiences.

We seem to be drawn to certain people in our lives for whatever the reason may be. We willingly take the time to get to know them, and sometimes we become the greatest friends that could ever be. We make room in our busy lives for them and the friendship that’s created. We sometimes spend lots of time with them, and we learn of each other’s imperfections, and it’s ok. We tolerate the differences without question. We recognize each others strengths and weaknesses and still continue to love them from deep within our hearts. We truly enjoy their company and when we haven’t seen or spoken with them for a while, we miss them. It seems like they become a part of who we are, or at least a part of our existence.

With this being so, why is it that upon meeting a stranger, we seem to notice their imperfections? We can often be critical, and judgmental. Why is it that we don’t open our hearts as if EACH of them were our lifelong friends who we love despite our differences? Why is it that we don’t think of them as being one with us? Is there a door that they have to open first? There shouldn’t be. I will consciously strive to see the beauty in everyone I meet knowing that they have touched my path for a reason. We all have a light that shines within…

Why do we as humans, find it so difficult to be ok with ourselves, JUST AS WE ARE? We are all created perfectly, yet we continue to tell ourselves that we’re “not good enough”, that we need to be ‘more” , that someone else is “better than” me, etc, etc. We know the list can go on and on, as we each have our own way of creating a “lesser me” than what I truly AM.

Why is it so hard for us to truthfully LOVE every bit of who we ARE, acknowledging our perceived weaknesses and strengths? Today a friend Nancy reminded me that our strengths and our weaknesses are often one in the same!

It has taken me years to finally get to a place where I’m beginning, and only beginning, to appreciate myself for who I am… I have spent the last 5 yrs to really look inside, introspectively, at ME. I have come to question many of my own personal “truths.” In the process, I have learned that to honor myself, I need to trust what feels right to me, what resonates with me, and allow THAT to be my truth! I have also learned that my truth doesn’t have to be anyone else’s truth and it’s ok! It’s taken a while to remember and to awaken to myself, and my process continues. My journey has been awesome and rewarding. I continue to let myself out of another closet with each truth revealed! I have no reason to hide who I am…it’s what I was born to be!