“There is always some reason to feel not good enough. And it’s hard at the end of the day. I need some distraction, beautiful release.”

This line in Sara McLachian’s song Angel, expresses exactly how I feel on those days when I wake up not aligned with my spirit. It is on those days that I tend to question my worth more than usual. It takes me more energy to fight the part of my brain that will find any reason to feel not good enough. If you too have days like this, know that you are not alone in your struggle to find your worth.

I hope that you enjoy this song.  

Namaste  

It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.

My son is ten years old, but he is already showing signs of the dreaded teenage years. My coolness status, as of late, has dropped a few rungs on the ladder. This new view of me kind of happen over night and although I knew it was in my future, it still seems shocking that he doesn’t see me as cool as I think I am.

It all started about a month ago, when he had a sleep over with a couple of friends. They were at our house and after they woke up, I offered to make them pancakes. I thought I was being such a good mom, offering the boys pancakes with syrup, a favourite but a treat in our house. My son was quick to answer for the whole group with a resounding “No”. I could see the crushed and starving look in their eyes of his friends but they said no also, only with a little less enthusiasm. I asked again, only to annoy my son further. My son decided to go play outside sans pancakes, if only to get away from his persistent mom .

I did feel like I wasn’t being a “good mom” sending the boys out with no food. What would the other parents think if they knew I was sending the boys out without breakfast? I felt I was breaking one of the cardinal rules of good mothering. I couldn’t let my reputation be so tarnished so I cut up some watermelon, put it on a plate, and marched, like a leader fighting to redeem her honour, to where the boys were playing.

They had made their way to the neighbour’s driveway, about twenty feet away. When my son saw me coming, with the determination of a mother making sure her young are fed, he couldn’t hide his look of disgust. His first words were,  “You walked all the way over here just to give us watermelon?”, acting like I had walked miles balancing the plate on my head. While he couldn’t get past the fact that his mother would do such a mind-blowing and horrific thing, his friends polished off the plate of watermelon. On the other hand, my son choose to withstand the torture of hunger rather than bowing down in defeat and eat, watermelon of all things, from the uncool. I left empty plated and a little smug that his friends let down their guards and took food from the enemy.

Fast forward to today. My son and I were hugging while we were walking to our car from the Chiropractor’s office. Yes he still hugs me in public. It was one of those days where he was still ten, not fifteen. While he was hugging me, he said he loved me. In return I said “even when you think I am uncool?” and while I was saying this I walked right past our car. He said with a smirk “Mom, you just missed our car”. ”Would that be considered uncool?”, I asked. “Yes Mom” he answered smiling, as he hugged me harder. Maybe being uncool isn’t always such a bad thing.

Namaste.

Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.  ~Martin Buxbaum

If a father loves his son this much, imagine the love the Divine has for us. I hope that you find this video just as inspiring as I do.

Namaste

There is such beauty and perfection in this song. It reminds me that every one of us has this type of Divine perfection in us. When we express this perfection in our own unique way, our own type of “music” can be heard. Each one of us was given our own “instrument” to express Divine love. 

The level of vulnerability required to be fully engaged with our spirits may feel intimidating, but it is at this level where the Divine is found. When we are engaged with our spirits, the Divine is expressed through us, and we become one.

I hope that you enjoy this song as much as I do.

Namaste

I am proud to present my first book recommendation on my blog site. I am doubly proud because the book I have chosen is written by my Mom and it is her first book. The title is I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay (thirteen steps to a happier self).

When my Mom was a young mother, juggling the demands of a career and a family, she fell into a deep depression. This was a very painful time for her and it became the catalyst for the many changes she made in her life. As she struggled to find balance in her life, she learned many valuable lessons. This book is full of those lessons and the wisdom my mom was able to gain from such a painful experience.

My Mom had the idea to write this book many moons ago, but it took twenty-five years for the seed of inspiration to come into full bloom. Her greatest desire, and the motive for this book, is that she could in some small way help another person cope with his/her own depression or stressful situations in life.

 It is written with humour, honesty and gentleness. I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay is filled with quotes, anecdotes and sage advice, ready to inspire any person who reads it.  I hope that you do, so that you may enjoy and learn from the valuable lessons and insights my Mom has shared through her writing.

You can find I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay here:

Buy I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay at Amazon.com

Buy I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay at Amazon.ca

Buy I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay at Tate Publishing

Buy I’m Not Perfect and It’s Okay at Barnes and Noble

Namaste

Yesterday, everybody in my house was pretty tired and we were all exhibiting a bad mood to prove it. My patience was being particularly tried by my oldest daughter. She had decided from the moment after she came home from school, that yesterday was a bad day. And she never failed to tell me this every ten minutes until her dad came home at six o’clock. I felt like I was going insane.

I had listened to her crying for an hour and half, when she finally pushed me to my wit’s end. I basically told her that I didn’t want to listen to her voice anymore, and if she had anything important to say, she could speak to her dad. Was this the most mature thing to say? I am not so sure, but in the end it had as much as an effect on her, as freezing weather would on an ice-cube. The more I didn’t want to “hear” her, the more she wanted me to listen.

As I was busying myself with digging a deeper hole called my bad mood, out of the blue she suggested that we go get Chai Tea Lattes (Her favourite, on those rare occasions, treat.), so that we could “calm down” and spend some time together. She is seven years old and she already knows that sometimes the best thing to do in a situation is to leave it and to take a moment to center yourself. How could I argue with such wisdom. We had our lattes and “calmed down”. All is well.

Namaste

I am so inspired by k.d. Lang’s version of the Leonard Cohen song, Hallelujah, that it touches me to the depths of my spirit.  This song is so hauntingly beautiful and it’s vulnerability brings tears to my eyes.

I have learnt in life, that even during those times when our spirit’s innocence may be shaken, God is there. In the centre of those moments, God is there. The inspiration that created the things that bring us the most joy is the exact same Divine energy that can be felt in our most vulnerable moments. I am humbled by the love the Divine has, and will always have, for each one of us.

You are loved.

Namaste

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. 

Author Unknown