I have been spending a lot of time thinking about mothers, and how we have to help mother each other. Then I found the perfect card to support my thoughts and ideas. Let these three minutes inspire you to have power under someone, and lift them to all they can be!
Archive for love
It takes a village
There are many themes that run through my blogs, and one of them is about healing. I believe we are called to be a community to help each other through the tough times, and to stand together in the face of adversity.
I realized this week, that what I do best is not stand up and speak, or write blogs and books (Yes, there are more on the way!) but to be present to those in my life who are in need of support and love.
In my tiny community of women, we mother 9 daughters and 2 sons. Yet anyone we know and interact with makes that circle and group of kids bigger. Lately, we are mothering our children through concussions and illness, the winning of speech contests, getting into the college of choice, and being wait listed and sitting on the fence. We mother them through choices that have led to some low grades in school, or amazing achievements. We worry about the availability of marijuana to young kids, and talk about where to get the best medical help that combines allopathic and alternatives to get as many answers as we can. And when we aren’t mothering our children, we remind each other to mother ourselves. We talk about taking time for our own health, learning to ask for the help we need, and sharing our lives with each other. We talk about the gifts that have come from the struggles our children have- the insights gained and the precious time spent that creates stronger family bonds.
This week, I coached one of our daughters as she moves through a difficult spot to a place of hope. I went to her not because I was called- in fact, she didn’t want me to see her in her vulnerability. But I chose to see her because I love her, and she needed support. She needed someone to process feelings with and come up with a plan that will help her move forward. She needed to know that what she was feeling was normal, she was not alone, and that everything will work out for the best. We talked about focusing on what she can control and let go of what she can’t. Stories of other struggles reminded her that we all face challenges, and we are here to walk with each other.
In the midst of this week, I am grateful for the times I have put aside my busy work to do the real work of living. I am grateful that I have the ability to work from home, and have the freedom to drop what I am doing to come to the aid of a friend.
The lesson for me is this- I am called to be a healing presence in the world. Whether I do that in person, or create presence through my writing, I am being the person I am meant to be. And when I align with my purpose, I feel Divine Love and Joy flow through me. When I stop fighting with my intuition, and do what is real, I am creating the world I want to live in. When I take care of my own self, and mother me, I am better able to create a world with more love and peace, community and friendship. A world like our small community where we raise families together in love. And from this place of peace and love comes an abundance of blessings that can change our lives.
As much as we want to take the stress away from the people we love, all we can do is walk by their side, and speak to them in whatever love language makes sense to them. Struggle becomes opportunity to grow, when we allow the process to happen without us trying to rescue someone from the experience. Listen to this three minute video on the importance of allowing life to unfold.
I TRUST that spring will show itself soon as it ripens under melting layers of snow. I trust in the goodness of people, even when a few are so lost in the darkness of fear and hatred.
I am GRATEFUL for the softening of myself when I move from self- criticism to self- compassion. It is this constant movement, this dance from darkness to light, from past to present, from future to now, that moves through my life, connecting me to all humanity.
I am INSPIRED by others who struggle and yet are walking this same/different journey to Whole-Heartedness. I am inspired by the commitment of first responders, who keep their cool in the midst of death and pain.
When I look with eyes of love, I FIND God showing up in the most surprising ways- in another’s tears, in a song, in the writing of a poem, in healing from a friend, in a cup of hot tea. When I open myself up to Divine Love, I am moved by the ordinary experiences of my life.
What is your TGIF?
I love Holy Week at MPB, because the music is beautiful, the rituals are amazing, and I feel the most vulnerable and accepted at the same time.
Watch this three minute video and then tell me how you experience the dyings and risings in your own life, and how you are going to bloom this spring!
Today, I am thankful for a week of recognizing where I am on my journey, celebrating my accomplishments, knowing I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
I am grateful for sharing my gifts via presentations to high school students and engaged couples- I have life experiences and stories to share that can make a difference. I am excited about speaking to many more groups.
I am inspired by the way God shows up in a song, the voice of a friend, a passage from a book. If we open our eyes and ears to the Divine, we remember that we are never alone.
Friends and family have surrounded me this week. I am honored to be sharing my life with my best friend Tony, and presenting with him reminds me of the deep love we share. I also loved spending time with girlfriends. Everyone has struggles- the end of a relationship, the challenges of raising children, preparing for young adults to leave for college, concerns about health, etc. In our sharing of tears and joys, our bonds of friendship are renewed, and we vow to continue reaching out to one another. Our friends give us the space we need to walk through the darkness, and offer hope of the light to come.
What is your TGIF?
I love this story about sportsmanship, but mostly about how we take care of each other!
TGIF Jan Haas Friday Blog about thankfulness and trust, gratitude, and inspiration
Today, I am trusting in a path I cannot see.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3
I am grateful for the small ways Divine wisdom shows up in my life: through a chat with a friend, a desire to take care of myself physically, and the way an email showed up in my inbox, reminding me that people are reading my blog, and that it does make a difference.
I am inspired by those who are walking this path to awareness with all the courage they can muster. When pain is all you know, it is hard to hope for a better future. We all need someone who believes in us, to remind us that by Divine Nature, we are worthy of love, peace, acceptance, and we don’t have to live in pain. But we do have to open our arms, receive the love around us, and say “Thank you.”
Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives.
Jalaluddin Rumi
Camille and Kabir Helminski’s RUMI: JEWELS OF REMEMBRANCE
Camille and Kabir Helminski’s RUMI: JEWELS OF REMEMBRANCE
Here is a look at a valentine project that is easy, meaningful, and one you can get your whole family involved in. Take a look.
It is easy to get to this time of year and feel like the gas tank is on empty, especially in light of the tragedy in Connecticut. Where do we go from here, when the unthinkable has taken place, and so many people are hurting?
We go to places where we connect with others- to houses, to churches, to synagogues, to communities where we remember that we belong to each other.
On Sunday at church, I was lost in thought about what happened in Newtown, and the tears just flowed. I couldn’t stop them, until at the sign of peace, I shook the hand of a young mother, and her baby boy held out his arms for me to hold him. I gladly picked him up, and while my daughter Sarah explained that I was getting my baby fix to the mom, I felt my tears turn to joy as his smile warmed my heart and his giggle that wiggled his whole body moved into my soul and gave me a big dose of healing. His presence was exactly what I needed in the moment.
It is hard to imagine moms and dads without little children to hold, and so we hold up those moms and dads and family members, reminding them that in the midst of darkness, love still exists and will carry us through.
For me, I was also thinking about my daughter Becca who was sitting in a hotel in Apia, Samoa waiting for a category 3 Hurricane to pass over. She was transitioning from her training site to her placement site and was in the capital when the storm hit. She managed to talk to her training host family, and while they are all okay, the house she stayed in was smashed by a falling tree.
What is amazing to Becca is that even people who have lost everything in the storm have volunteered to move branches, clean up mud, and help others get what they need. There is truly a feeling of family and they know that another storm will come sometime, and they will rebuild again. I imagine that is what the people in the east are doing as well, cleaning up from Sandy.
There is only one thing to do in the face of hatred and pain, and that is to respond in love. Love is the only thing that will save our world – going out of our way to show kindness and compassion sends a ripple of energy through the earth that does make a difference. All you can do is light your little corner of the world with kindness, and in the end, while it may not feel like much, it is enough.
Hello! Happy Thanksgiving! This is my favorite time of year, because I have a day set aside to remember all the blessings in my life, and your friendship and the community we share are things I am grateful for.
You will be hearing more from me in the coming weeks as my Moving Mountains book launches as an E-book. And during the initial launch time, the book will be available free of charge for kindle users! I will need your help spreading the word, so look for more news to come.
In the mean time, the best way to help me is to review my book at Amazon. All the reviews help rank my book, giving it a better chance of being seen. Can you spend five minutes writing a review? I don’t care about the number of stars you give my book, but if you could, I would love for you to use one or more of these key words in your review:
Courage, compassion, connection, vulnerability, gratitude, belonging, love, joy, overcoming illness, peace, community
Once you have written a review, can you please click the Like button on my author page? . Finally, if you have not ordered a copy of my book and are waiting for the e-book version, please add my book to your wishlist.
1) Review my book here. http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mountains-Jan-Haas/product-reviews/0984693300/ref=la_B0077TJ9T0_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
2) Like my author page here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Haas/e/B0077TJ9T0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
3) Like my book here and also add my book to your wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mountains-Jan-Haas/dp/0984693300/ref=la_B0077TJ9T0_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353344820&sr=1-1
Thank you again for your friendship and support. I greatly appreciate it! If you know of someone else who read my book who might be willing to review it for me, please pass this email along.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wise and Witty Women
March 13, 2013
Let’s Celebrate the Women in our Community!
Women who are following their passion.
Women who will share their wisdom.
Women who will make you laugh.
Women who will remind you that we are all connected.
Women who will inspire you to make a difference!
Looking forward to sharing videos with you soon!
