Silence

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ 1 Comment

Dawn for me came Early. As I sat enjoying the Silence, my thoughts went to my Father. Silence was a big part of his Life. Early Morning you would find him on his patio, in his rocking chair, sitting in Silence. Enjoying the Views of the Okanagan. Or in his recliner, in the Study, Serene and Silent. Being in Dad’s Presence made my heart Still. I felt Safe and Not Judged. He had a Way of Silently Role Modelling Goodness and Integrity. Passion and Hard Work. Words were Few, and Works were in Abundance. Dad is Gone now. But as when he Lived, His Silent Testimony of Light and Goodness continues on. This Morning in the Stillness I’m Grateful for Truly Silent Light.

I Love You Dad.

xoxo

Twilight Of Youth

April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

The Twilight of Youth. The Dawning of Middle Age. Im Forty Three. I’m Enjoying the Sunset on the Horizon of My Youth. It’s Quite Serene to be Truthful. Youthfulness is Wonderful. Truly Something to Be Treasured and Enjoy. But It’s Busy. A lot of Vanity. A lot of Figuring Out. A lot of Seeking and Shedding. A lot of Challenges that Build our Spiritual Muscle. So Imperative as the Sun Sets on Youth that we’ve gained that Spiritual Muscle. We will Spend a third of our lives in Middle Age. Our Best Years in my Opinion. Where we get to Enjoy the Fruit of those Years Of Youth figuring out Who we Are and What we Love. Where Entitlement Ebbs and Gratitude Grows. Self Absorption has Ended and we are Others Focused. We’ve Grown in Wisdom and Understanding of What Brings Joy. There’s a Stillness and a Grounded Feeling to Being Middle Aged. So Here’s to Sprouting Grey Hairs and Skin that Doesn’t Bounce Back Like It Used to….it’s a Small Price to Pay in light of True Liberty.

Here’s to Middle Age Liberation.

I Love You.

xoxo

Salt

April 3, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

“They are the Salt of the Earth”. I can’t tell you how Often My Beautiful Friend says it. Walking along the Boardwalk in Victoria. Speaking of Her Dear Friends. Pam in Particular. Nadia probably has No Idea how it Stayed With Me. How I Pondered it. How it Inspired Me. Again, on Sunday another Dear Friend spoke of Salt. The Ultimate Flavour Enhancer. The Savour of Life.

So how does it Apply to Me, I ask? How can I be Salt to Others? How do I add extra Value to Life for Others? Do I make their Lives have a little extra Oomph? Does Joy seem more Full when I’m in their Life? Is their Step a little Jauntier? Their Smile a little Broader? Does the Sun feel Warmer and Brighter? Are Sorrows a little Easier, seem a little less Daunting? Do I Motivate, Strengthen and Inspire?

But the Biggest Question is, Can I be that without needing to be Noticed? Salt gives of Itself and guess who gets the Kudos? The Cook. The Recipe. The Ambience. The Venue. The Salt never gets the Praise. But Yesterday, I didn’t Salt the Chili properly. I’m telling you, I was sure glad for the Salt Shaker.

So here’s my Chance to Say Thank You. To My Salt People. Nadia, You are My Salt Today. I love you Dear Girl.

Thanks for Being Salt.

xoxo

Peace

April 2, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ 2 Comments

They wanted Pictures of Peace. My Mom reminded me of a Happening the Other Day. There was a Commission put out to Artists around the World to Paint a Picture that Manifested Ultimate Peace. The Paintings were Astounding and Heartwarming. Beautiful. Radiant. Peaceful.

One Painting stood out. The Painting had Brooding Threatening Clouds. Fierce Winds. Sheets of Rain. But High on a Branch a Little Bird’s Nest. And a Little Bird Nestled there Singing.

I’m Thankful this Morning as a New Week Dawns for the Reminder that Peace is Not External. It is a Choice. A Choice to Trust. A Choice to Sing the Songs that are Sweet Melody to Our Hearts. To Brighten the Spirits of those Close Enough to Hear. To Understand our Power against any Storm is To Nestle in Our Warm Little Nests…Knowing Brighter Days Always Dawn. And the Foresight to Know When they Do Finally Come, we will want to Know we Sang in the Storm.

Happy Monday Dear Ones, Thanks for Being Brave Enough to Sing When I So Often Lost My Song.

xoxo

Poor Man’s Fertilizer

March 30, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

That’s what Spring Snow is called by some. Some poor chaps trying to find the Positive as these “Pretty at Christmas” snowflakes fall. From what I understand, the Snow picks up compounds from the atmosphere as it is Falling to Earth and as it falls on the thawed ground it seeps into our soil. A Rich Fertilizer for our Poor Hungry Ground. Producing those little blades of Green Grass that give us a surge of Joy when our eye happen to spot them. That make us turn our faces upward to the Sun, and feel it’s warm welcome Rays.

So as I Consider this, I say “Welcome” to Another Snowfall. I know By Noon, the Sun will peak out and Little Spring Streams of Melting Snow will start to Meander down my Sidewalk. The Little Neighbour Girl will have her Pink Polkadotted Rain Boots on and Her Jacket Open to the Air. Out for a walk with Gramma. And she will Once Again remind me to Be Childlike. And embrace Spring Snow. The Poor Man’s Fertilizer for Our Hungry Ground. We’ll Take It.

Flip Side

March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

There’s always a Flip Side. Another Side to the Coin. A New Perspective.

How often do we Sit in the same old used-to-be-comfy Chair. In the Same Corner of our Minds. Letting the Cobwebs continue to Spread over the Brochures of New Perspectives. Piled in the Corner. Quietly offering us a Doorway into Better Life.

The Price of these Priceless Adventures is Letting Go of our Resentments. Our Inertia. It means Standing Up on our Feeble Knees grown weak from Fear. Grown Stagnant from Lack of Personal Accountabilty. From waiting for a Fairy to wave her Wand and make us Strong. Motivated. Brave.

For Me, Too Often, Too Long. Today, I Dusted Off the Pamphlet. It’s Bold Bright Writing said “Free” ….Offering Today Only

Time and Opportunity to Garner Unlimited JOY …

***only restriction is your own willingness to Show Up

Today I’m On an Adventure. In My Own Everyday Life. For Every Day Should Be Treated with the Same Intensity and Sense of Adventure as we do when we are on Vacation. Let’s Leave that Old Arm Chair in That Dusty Corner of Our Minds. Walk into Our New Perspectives.

Xoxo

Frame Of Mind

March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

In speaking with my Darling Niece this morning, it was mentioned “The Difference is Our Frame of Mind.” How True. We hear the expression “The same water that softens the potato, hardens the egg.” How do we handle Hot Water?

Depends on my Frame of Mind. And everyday, sometimes moment by moment, that can Change. Some would want to make a Mental Illness out of it. But it’s called Daily Building Materials. What are They? What did we Order from the Hardware Store today?

Did a shipment of Entitlement show up? Along with Pride and Self Pity? That’ll be a fun thing to Build with! And what a Dwelling Place to live in! I’ll tell you One Thing, it won’t stop the Rain from Coming In, and the Toxic Black Mould that ensues will Make You Sick.

How about Humility. Gratitude and Hope. Faith and Mercy. Long-suffering and Kindness. How about Joy. Now that is the proper Skeleton to Frame your Mind. That is the Materials for a Sound Mind.

I don’t know how Yesterday went for you, but man, I ordered the Wrong Supplies. So this Mornings Meditations and Help from Dear Sweet Co Builders we Tore that Rotten Structure Down, and Man I’m excited to Build Today.

Thank You to my Community of Master Builders. I love your Quality Craftsmanship.

xoxo

Under Construction

March 26, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

My whole street is blocked off. There’s concrete pump trucks and construction workers. Orange pylons and metal fences. Jackhammers and generators noisily working. For months now. It’s Annoying. Isn’t anything that’s Half Built?

Half Built Dreams. Half Built Education. Half Built Relationships. Half Built Careers.

There’s a Period of Time in anything of Value where it’s Messy. Dirty and Labour Intensive. It looks nothing like the End Product. All you have is a Vision. And lot’s of times it doesn’t come to Fruition very fast. The only thing to keep morale up and motivation strong is Vision. The Desired Outcome.

Every day we need to Tap into Visualization. Visualize your Life where you want it to be. What we Visualize we Become. See yourself as a Failure, and that’s what is Manifested. Keep telling yourself you’re Lazy, Unorganized and Crazy, you will be Disappointed.

Today, tell Yourself you are Under Construction. And Dream of the Outcome.

Happy. Strong. Focused. Ambitious. Brave. And most of all Kind.

Now that’s A Beautiful Building. A Beautiful place to Reside.

Happy Building!

Romance The Dark Out of Everything

March 25, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

I admit, I’m a “Romanticizer“. I Romance the Heck out of Everything.

In My Life. And Yes, In Yours too.

The Rose Coloured glasses are here to Stay. I don’t like Ugly. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the Truth. It just means, I’m going to find a Way to make it Pretty. I firmly believe in the Ultimate Good. Some days it’s a Struggle out here. Sometimes to Breaking Point. Some Days there’s Failure .

I am not a Failure and I don’t see You as a Failure either.

I see Beautiful Humanity. I see the Beautiful Intricacy that makes You, You. Your Handicaps Intrigue Me. Your Frailty Warms Me. Your Struggle makes me want to Battle for You.

But I first had to Learn.

Learn to have my Handicaps not make me feel Shame. I had to Learn to feel Kindness towards my own Infirmity. I had to Learn to Battle Against Myself for Myself. I Learned to Show Up for Myself. And in Learning that I Learned to Show Up for Others.

Some would say maybe I still have a Long Ways To Go. And they’re Right. But I don’t Look at the Distance with Fear, nor do I look at my Progress as Slow. Because I’m busy Smelling Roses on this Journey of Life and Scattering Rose Petals ...

all over my Crazy and Yes, Yours Too.

Love you all. xo

Tension

March 23, 2018 ~ blacklilymusings ~ Leave a comment

There requires a certain amount of Tension on a musical string for Melody to be made. For muscles to grow and maintain their Vigor. This applies to all areas of Life. Tension is Good.

We’re always looking to be Stress Free. And yes, Stress in crazy amounts Kills. No Question. But also so does Stress Free. Our Lives like our muscles and musical strings go Slack. They don’t perform to their best Capacity. We need a little Tension. Without it Passion ebbs, Drive diminishes and Sparkle refuses to Ignite. We’re Wired for Battle. From the Beginning of Time, there has been a need for Survival and even more so to Thrive. To Soar. To Climb.

All these wonderful States require Pressure. Resistance. So Lets Lean In. Feel the Adrenaline. Make a Plan. Rosin the Bow. Put your Runners On. Stack the Weights. Push to Failure. We ALL have the Capability for Amazing. Thanks My Amazing Friends. Thanks for Inspiring Me. I Love You.