JOY!

 To  be joyful is such a wonderful state of mind, body and spirit.  We become as if  possessed with an inner strength that propels us forward, believing that the World is a wonderful place, and everybody in it is special.

True joy is heartfelt, an inner energy that helps us to stay on the path of love. It  could be regarded as a rebirth of our soul which takes over our whole being and changes us into a spiritually enlighted person.

One example of Joy can be seen through a mother who gives birth to her new-born child.  Of course, before the birth, there is suffering, yet as soon as the mother  holds the baby in her arms, her heart almost explodes with Joy!

This will be the same experience for us when we are overwhelmed by the power of Joy.  It is as if we become re-born as a person, and even our personality changes into one of love and appreciation.  All pain and anxiety disappear and we shine with the spirit of inward Joy.

To attain this transformation requires a deep sense of humility, realising that we are receiving a gift that we could never earn, this wonderful and powerful gift of Joy!

WINTER DELIGHTS

 WINTER DELIGHTS are here, and will stay with us for quite awhile.  Of course, the heavy rain and strong winds are great invitations to stay home and read and write. Such opportunities to put pen to paper and write those wonderful stories and poems that float about in our creative minds.

My first thrill of winter came in late October when the leaves began to fall from the trees, and the delight of walking in the park, through paths of golden leaves. Such colours and brightness, completely different to the bright colours of summer.

Perhaps a shopping spree will be necessary to replenish our thermal extras, and even to dream a little of a colourful scarf or outfit for Christmas. Most important of all, the meeting up of friends, hopefully without the scare of covid. For many, the new adventure of entertaining at home, helping to cut down on expenses, and have time to chat and share and learn from each other.

The highlight for me will be the preparations for Christmas, finding the hidden Crib figures and designing a new and innovative way to make the Winter Delights a way of creating new memories and pathways to welcome Mary and the Infant Child.

VALUE of HONESTY

 The VALUE of HONESTY encompasses the reality of being true to one's self. When we can say, I am honest / I speak the truth, then we are free from any and all pressure.

Pressure comes about when we deny ourselves the freedom to speak openly and truthfully.  It could be based on our fear of being rejected or not accepted.  We wind up trying to please others, and becoming very unhappy.

A spiritual mind will tell us that God is Truth.  If we were to meet God in human form, like meeting Jesus, we would be surprised and delighted to meet someone who we would love to have as a friend. We would meet an honest man.

Honesty is such a valuable commodity, like gold-dust. We would want to become an honest person so we can be like Jesus, and spread the truth of God's love everywhere.

Of course, we may well have this desire, yet it requires work to become an honest person, and this is where most of us could fail / would fail.  Still, no need to be discouraged.  Here we are dealing with the Divine / a world where we are free from the bondage of fear / free from the awkwardness of wanting to be loved and appreciated.

Honesty comes at a price, as we all know, so we can ask ourselves...  Am I willing to pay the price of becoming an honest person?  Do I really, really want to be like Jesus?

VALUE of little things

 In a world where great things happen, it can be both interesting and rewarding to value 'little' things that often go unnoticed.

Awhile ago, I met my sister in Dublin, and we were looking forward to a walk around Stephen's Green.  However, the wind and rain put a damper on our desire. We did eventually have a short walk before going our seperate ways, and enjoyed seeing the grounds covered in leaves, all shades of golden brown. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a lovely blood-red leaf. With raindrops falling, the colour was even more beautiful.  Only one leaf of that colour could be found, yet it was enough to lift our hearts at the wonderful beauty of nature.  

It made me realise, 'little' things happen, often.  Do we notice; are we impressed? All depends on how present we are in each moment, so I wonder, what little things will I notice today. Ah, just wait and see.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

As Dickons said, in one of his great novels, Great Expectations, we can be surprised by the good things that happen to us, and unaware of the sad happenings that afflict others.

Human nature is often based on what we believe is our need, and becoming blind to the truth that it is our true needs that ought to be addressed and not, our imagined needs.

Pope Francis keeps sending out messages to the World at large, to address and examine our wants, versus our needs. Simply put, we have desires that fill us with ideas of needs we do not have.  

Great expectations helps us to reach out to those who would gladly help us out, and in turn, encourage us to reach out to others.  A simple way to come up with answers is to look at what we have, not what we want.

For myself, just looking into my wardrobe helps me to see how far I am from being fulfilled with the joy of expecting gifts, rather than hoarding them. The clothes I have not had the chance to wear this year, could well be put away, and become gifts for others.  That lovely little top I love, yet have a need to lose weight to wear it, belongs to someone else, not me.

I'm beginning to realise the Mind and Love of God,  in how He treats us and guides us to become more honest and loving people.  I want to have great expectation in being loved and surprised by God.  I must let go, and let it happen!

IMAGINATION

 Having a creative mind depends a lot on having a good imagination. It becomes visible when we see the way children play.  The game begins with someone's imagination, and is followed through by those who are interested in being creative.

When I was young, and on holiday in Donegal with my family, we found ourselves in a completely different environment.  My granny's cottage had no running water, so we were given the job of going to the well for water.

There was no toilet or bathroom, so our basic requirements were provided for with a basin of hot water and a bucket with a seat cover on top!  Of course, there was a bog lake nearby where we swam to my poor granny's terror that we would drown.

Without even known it, we were using our skills and imagination to create a new world on a small farm, devoid of cars and street lights, and we were happy to do so.

Imagination teaches us to improvise in new creative ways, and if we are fortunate enough to love literature and writing, then there is no limit to the stories that are hidden in the depths of our hearts.

Of course, there are many ways to use our imagination.  When we discover the hidden talents within, our whole life becomes a magical haven!

INNOVATIVE

 Learning to be innovative is both a challenge and an invitation to bring something new into our lives, a whole new way of thinking outside the box!

The Dictionary says, 'a new process or way of doing things...'  Perhaps a good way to break old habits etc.  Also,  learning to examine our lives and ways of doing things.

For me, being innovative is a good challenge because I love to form habits of doing things / saying things / going places that I feel comfortable with. In truth, I love my comfort zone..  Could this be a bad thing? Maybe yes and maybe no.

To be able to be comfortable in who we are and what we do, is a positive state of mind.  However, there will be times when we are invited, maybe even forced to become a better self, able to move forward with how life is changing for all of us.

My sister was on home leave recently.  One of her difficulties was with her phone. Being able to sent a text, or charge her phone etc. was not easy.  One day, we lost each other in town. I stood in Henry street, helpless.  We discovered afterwards, her phone was not charged.  Basic skills that children have, can be a challenge when one grows older, less bolder to learn new things.

So, being innovative will help to push us forward to become part of this crazy, yet wonderful world of ours!