Tag: holidays

Christmas Poetry

On By thinkcarebelieveIn PoetryLeave a comment 
Wartime Christmas
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

Led by a star, a golden star,
The youngest star, an olden star,
Here the kings and the shepherds are,
Akneeling on the ground.
What did they come to the inn to see?
God in the Highest, and this is He,
A baby asleep on His mother’s knee
And with her kisses crowned.

Now is the earth a dreary place,
A troubled place, a weary place.
Peace has hidden her lovely face
And turned in tears away.
Yet the sun, through the war-cloud, sees
Babies asleep on their mother’s knees.
While there are love and home—and these—
There shall be Christmas Day.
Star of the East
by Eugene Field (1850-1855)

Star of the East, that long ago
Brought wise men on their way
Where, angels singing to and fro,
The Child of Bethlehem lay—
Above that Syrian hill afar
Thou shinest out to-night, O Star!

Star of the East, the night were drear
But for the tender grace
That with thy glory comes to cheer
Earth's loneliest, darkest place;
For by that charity we see
Where there is hope for all and me.

Star of the East! show us the way
In wisdom undefiled
To seek that manger out and lay
Our gifts before the child—
To bring our hearts and offer them
Unto our King in Bethlehem!
Blessed Are You Who Bear The Light
by Jan Richardson (janrichardson.com)

Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.

Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
Love's Lantern
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

Because the road was steep and long
   And through a dark and lonely land,
God set upon my lips a song
   And put a lantern in my hand.

Through miles on weary miles of night
   That stretch relentless in my way
My lantern burns serene and white,
   An unexhausted cup of day.

O golden lights and lights like wine,
   How dim your boasted splendors are.
Behold this little lamp of mind:
   It is more starlike than a star!

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Buds of Promise

On By thinkcarebelieveIn Healing & Empowerment, Inspirational, PoetryLeave a comment

Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree

by George Starbuck

*
O
fury-
bedecked!
O glitter-torn!
Let the wild wind erect
bonbonbonanzas; junipers affect
frostyfreeze turbans; iciclestuff adorn
all cuckolded creation in a madcap crown of horn!
It’s a new day; no scapegrace of a sect
tidying up the ashtrays playing Daughter-in-Law Elect;
bells! bibelots! popsicle cigars! shatter the glassware! a son born
now
now
while ox and ass and infant lie
together as poor creatures will
and tears of her exertion still
cling in the spent girl’s eye
and a great firework in the sky
drifts to the western hill.

If you are in any kind of emotional depression during these holidays, sadness, and I know it is all too common. Feelings of sadness, loneliness, worry and despair are prevalent now particularly with rising inflation and moving toward recession and financial depression. With things the way they are in the world, right now, people are getting more and more anxious and frustrated putting food on their table and gas in their cars. The love that we are feels squashed and strangled.

Self care is still of the utmost importance. Caring for ourselves is also in service to God and the Universe. Personal hygiene is more than washing down in the shower. It is disengaging from the toxins and poisons of the world… physically, mentally and emotionally. Much of the media messages now are so toxic, that we are left emotionally disenfranchised, which leaves us feeling empty and depressed. We’ve got to find our spiritual rock and stand on it again. Detox from all the chaos. Clean yourself out. Get back to the innocence inside that is the you without all that tainted mind chatter. Step back and do what it takes to get out of your head and into your body so you can trust your gut feeling again. Try to go beyond the layers of what you’ve been taught to believe about yourself and get to the point where you can trust your honesty again.

The next thing I will suggest is to reach out to others in service. A choice founded in love can make you feel light, excited, passionate and give you butterflies. When we give from our hearts outwardly, we have to open them. When our hearts are open, the electromagnetic biofield around us magnifies. This creates a wonderful thing to occur. When hearts are in the vicinity of eachother, they go into harmonic resonance. Harmonic resonance is an organizing force that transcends other forces in the physical world, it is how the natural world retains balance. Not only that but it sets off regeneration through a series of nested cymatic signals. You can learn more about harmonic resonance here.

When we reach out to others, in service, we are also giving to ourselves by starting a circular motion of energy of giving out and receiving back. If we can muster the ambition to perform selfless acts of kindness for others, we receive back things of equal or higher energetic value. Soon we are being showered with light.

Be bright, you are worthy. <3

If you are feeling sad or depressed at all, I want you to know there is good reason for it. We are disengaging from the old system and that feels strange and unnerving. We are stretching out of our comfort zone. We can’t take our normal cues from our guidance and it feels like our GPS is off. The reason I am suggesting self care and service to others is because that is where the momentum is traveling toward our bright new world. By being brighter through cleaning out ourselves and raising ourselves up, and then acting in service to others, we will be on the straight path to our better world.

Just like tree buds in winter, we hold the promise of a bright new spring within us, getting ready to explode with magic.

A bud is a flower-to-be. A flower in waiting. Waiting for just the right warmth and care to open up. It’s a little fist of love waiting to unfold and be seen by the world. And that’s you.

-Christopher Paul Curtis

Send a letter to Julian Assange, a journalist who put his life on the line to bring light to the world to make it a safer, more peaceful place.

Bringing the Light in service to mankind.

Being a Holiday Survivor

On By thinkcarebelieveIn Healing & Empowerment, Tools2 Comments

I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple things. I could already see it. The holiday crunch has started. The mothers and grandmothers struggling to think of everything on the lists that they forgot and left at home, the families toting excited children with magic sparkling in their eyes, husbands and single men dodging through crowds because they just want to get what they need and get home. Then something caught my attention. It was a young man obviously disgusted with all the holiday craziness, shaking his head and muttering to himself. I recognized it from experience. My son and PTSD. Looking at it all now from his perspective, it must look like everyone has gone crazy taking pills from a Hallmark Store.

I definitely used to chase that happy dream of creating the perfect holiday season for everyone. Sometimes I wish I still bought into it, but I’ve lost too many. We all have. There’s too many people hurting going into these holidays and I want them to know, it’s okay to do the holidays differently this year if it feels needed.

Those who have experienced trauma have a unique perspective. From my experience, they are more in touch with their hearts and feelings than the average person because they have to be in order to manage and get through the day. Oh yes, there are varying degrees of that, of course, but show me someone who has survived trauma, and I will show you someone who has courageously stared down darkness from deep inside and is a survivor!

I may be saying it in a really clumsy way, but I just want to express that whatever peace and contentment you can find during these holidays, whatever that means for you, I salute you. If you are missing loved ones and just can’t seem to get on track, visit this post Doing Grief Differently by my friend, Sara Kujawa.

If you are in charge of family get togethers and are a little anxious because someone is attending with anxiety, PTSD or depression, or any of those other labels, my sincere suggestion is to avoid creating anxiety over it and just accept them for however they are and wherever they’re at in life. Just love them. Let them know you are just glad they are part of the family.

Here is a previous blogpost from a few years ago with some tips and tools for surviving the holidays.

My friend, who I’m just going to call E wrote this beautiful message and with permission I’m going to share here because I think it needs to be heard and taken to heart. (Thank you my friend<3)

The road we walk is shaped not only by the future we seek and the present we stand in, but by the lives that have touched us along the way.

Many of those lives do not make it to the destiny they were seeking, and so it falls to us; those still living, to keep breathing and keep fighting no matter what. To never let the memory of those who came before us die in vain.

We fight with a purpose that shall never surrender, that will never accept defeat. For we fight, not for glory, or for victory, but for the sake of those we love. To protect them and their futures. To safeguard them here and now.

Our purpose will never be swayed, it is written on the hearts of every man woman and child. We are one humanity and one world, and it is a World worth protecting.

Do not forget those who fall along the way, but rather, burn all the brighter on their behalf.

— E

Holiday Aftermath

On By thinkcarebelieveIn Healing & Empowerment, ToolsLeave a comment

Thanksgiving get togethers can be tricky. Clashes can happen amidst some really wonderful warm happy moments. Those collisions and outbursts indicate unresolved anger, pain, shame, guilt and resentment on someone’s part. Then the memories and uncomfortable feelings that the last couple days may have brought up. We might want to lose ourself in distractions to put as much distance between us and those things that make us squirm. But, if we are willing to face those old ghosts and shadows, we may be able to clear some much needed headspace and free our hearts from chains… and so, we bravely step into it and move through it, like it’s a mirror, emerging out the other side cleansed.

To look at what still gives us twinges in our gut or an ache in our heads. To see things differently and see how strong we are now from what we went through, and be glad for the strength we gained from the experience. To make peace with the realization that we acted with the best intentions and awareness at the time, even if we didn’t get perfect results, unlocks the chains holding bits of us back then and there. To be able to say the things we always wanted to say to clear things up but were too afraid to say them. This enables us to rise above and participate in the higher vibrational aspects of life… or participate in life at a higher vibration.

What about the person who is still carrying a grudge, how can we best help them? We can let them know that they are loved and that we still love them, regardless. Sometimes that’s all it takes. We can also not force them to see or deal with anything for which they are not yet ready. Oh yes, we can plant seeds of little messages that could bring them a lightbulb moment down the line. We can pray for them and call in Angelic assistance. We could even take the tough love route and tell them truth straight up in as non-threatening a way as we can possibly muster. So many choices. One thing I know is that our hearts will be our guide. The energies are so high that anything is possible.

At the dinner table, someone’s fear and hopelessness were probably expressed. How do we assist? We suggest they tap into a strength that comes from a place they carved out from some intense situation they survived a long time ago. We tell them to revisit and reclaim that strength. That strength feeds our faith and hope now. If we let it, hopelessness also motivates us to stand up and be the change we want to see in the world. Sometimes taking action and getting involved is just the thing that those emotions were pointing us toward.

We can use these uncomfortable situations to cleanse ourselves of old resentments that still take up space. We can also help someone else take their first steps toward clearing their own stuff and encourage them to take steps forward. Cleansing the yuck out of our lives feels great, leaving us more alive and ready to take on new challenges. Instead of falling into the same old pitfalls, we can sidestep and leap over them to brighter days.

Perched Up High

On By thinkcarebelieveIn InspirationalLeave a comment

The Harvest Moon

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – 1807-1882

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes
  And roofs of villages, on woodland crests
  And their aerial neighborhoods of nests
  Deserted, on the curtained window-panes
Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes
  And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!
  Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,
  With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!
All things are symbols: the external shows
  Of Nature have their image in the mind,
  As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;
The song-birds leave us at the summer's close,
  Only the empty nests are left behind,
  And pipings of the quail among the sheaves.

Thanksgiving Blessing

May you always hold kindness in your soul, compassion in your heart, gentleness in your actions, truth in your words and wisdom in your thoughts, so that you may be effective and as a shining light wherever you tread.  May the effect of your touch be comforting and a healing to those who have a need.  May you hold goodness of all life in your being, then your journey through life will be worthwhile.

No matter where you are in the world

I give thanks for you

Because if it weren’t for you

I would not be here now

And there is no place I would rather be

Because my heart fills to overflow

For that which we are creating

Together as a family

Love’s surprising power

And the courage of the human heart

Creating magic and the miraculous

It is already so

God is Victory.

If I were a bird, perched up high, I would sing my most beautiful Soul Song, to remind Emmett how much he is loved.

Staying Above Stressors

On By thinkcarebelieveIn The Shift, ToolsLeave a comment

Help For The Holidays: I want to re-post this article written in 2017 by my friend Sara, entitled, Doing Grief Differently. It’s helpful to those of us who have lost loved ones and family members get through the holidays. Sara writes about her ongoing relationship with her son, Adam, after his earthly death. Sara runs a group on facebook called Doing Grief Differently with ADam & Sara discussing many of the topics we cover here. Sara does private coaching by appointment, her website is: https://www.sarakujawa.com/

DOING GRIEF DIFFERENTLY
Blogpost by Sara Kujawa on thriving during the holidays when we’ve lost loved ones.
Woodpecker Tree

What do we do when life throws us curveballs? We keep pecking away at life and stay as grounded in our highest vibrational light as we possibly can. We’ve all had unexpected twists and turns that have knocked our faith. Yet there were times that we were able to keep it in proper perspective and not lose momentum. Can we remember how we did that and pull from that reservoir of strength and wisdom once again?

Yes, things in the world are quite uncertain right now. Stress and worry are all too abundant. These are times that test men and women’s souls. If we realize that, we can apply measures to insure that we look at things with a steady eye and stand firmly on the rock that is our faith.

Going back to my previous post on anxiety, I can suggest a few natural aids to assist in staying steady.

Herbal: Ashwagandha, Chamomile, Gotu Kola, Lemon Balm, and St John’s Wort

Bach Flowers: Aspen, Red Chestnut, Rescue Remedy, Rock Rose and White Chestnut

Homeopathic: Aconitum Napellis, Arsenicum Album, Argentum Nitricum, Kalium Phosphoricum and Gelsemium Sempervirens

Finding the light inside of us and expanding it so that we shine more brightly, feeling the pulsating rhythm of our own energy is comforting and keeps our vibration healthy. When we stay above worry and do not fall into fear, we can navigate life with a calm, steady demeanor. Finding our I AM consciousness right inside us and knowing that we are not alone as we go through these times can be of comfort. Knowing that we have a team of guides, ancestors and Angels around us at all times, who love us and are here to help, allows us to keep moving forward through life with steady steps.

I was reminded this morning to tell everyone that it is okay to do the holidays differently this year. Not sure if there is a specific reason for that, but especially with all the stressors on families the last few years, we may not always see eye to eye but still want to share family holiday time. It’s okay to do things a little differently this year. Why not start the family get-together this year with a group toast with this calming tea. 

Lemon Lavender Holiday Stress Busting Tea

5 Slices Lemon

Lemon Balm leaves

Freshly Grated Ginger

4 Teaspoons Honey

Lavender

4 Cups Boiling Water

Let steep, strain into teacups or mugs and share with family to start the holidays off in a non-stressful way.

I am reminded to convey that this is a time when we might feel out of sorts because our mind and our soul may not be on the same page (see my earlier blogpost here.) Things may look bleak and alarming in our world at the moment, but our soul knows that God has a plan. Let us stay as positive and strong as possible while remaining prepared. We have God inside of us and the ability to co-create, so let’s envision the best future for a peaceful, loving, healthy, abundant world. Meditate on things the make you happy to keep that flavor of emotion at the forefront. To manifest the best possible future, we should keep the feeling we want in our destiny, in our NOW moment. Then we draw that future toward us like magnets.

One day man will realize that his own I AM-ness is the God he has been seeking throughout the ages, and that his own sense of awareness- his consciousness of being- is the one and only reality.

Neville Goddard, Freedom For All

Each of us, as the I AM presence is a powerful creator in our own right, and many of us together are a force to be reckoned with. As we shine our Light out into the night. The darkness has nowhere to run. There is way more light on the planet right now than ever before. We are bathing in unconditional love. Look at how far we have come. There are no limits to our soul’s love. Let’s go beyond the limitations of worry. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Our life experiences have led us to this NOW moment. Let them be the catalyst that leads us to joy and freedom.

Woodpecker Tree 
12/10/2022
Lanterns for Assange
For Julian's Release
From wherever you are.
(find lanterns here)

Surviving the Dysfunction of the Holidays

On By thinkcarebelieveIn Healing & Empowerment, Thought Provoking1 Comment

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Luck has it, that generous people don’t know when to quit.  Harmonious gatherings cancel out news stories spilling impending drama.  To be so lucky to reclaim the lightness of heart that allows us to make silly notations written on windowpanes with gladful fingers.  Happily, joyfully etching geometric lines through translucent frosty crystals.  Winter is fast approaching, and our gardens have begun their slumber here.  Our bodies, wrapped in layers, beg to have a reprieve of sun’s warmth a few more days.  Lavish baking will soon begin.  Hearths spring to fire, as winter changes begin to take effect.  Woodsmoke carries on the wind.  We have watchful eyes for snowflakes first fall.  Holidays knock at our doors.  Hopefully laughter will prevail in all hearts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How do we not only survive the holidays, but retain the ability to remain carefree enough to enjoy the experience?  An increasing feeling of frenzy, hectic driving, frantic errands, commercials telling us we need things, pressure to spend money we shouldn’t… Not to mention, feeling like we have no choice but to be back in the midst of dysfunctional families.

Lifting our heads above the chaos, we need to take the highest vantage point and disconnect from the autopilot that has always taken us through the succession of holidays.  If we look at what is really going on, a good portion of the pressure comes from companies driving consumers from the end of summer/ beginning of fall, to start thinking about making their holidays bigger.  Television commercials gradually become louder and busier to build excitement and get our attention.  Almost as if a giant money sucking machine is trying to plant ideas that we are not complete without buying lots of new things.

If we give ourselves permission to pause and unplug for a few minutes, and ask ourselves what we truly want.  We can examine our expectations and carefully consider the type of experience we really want to have.  If we consciously choose the way we want to live through the holidays, prioritizing what we value most, then we align with the energy of our desired experiences.  By doing this, we give ourselves permission to detach from all else, including those experiences we do not want, and the Law of Attraction will bring us more of what we do want.  Dr. Wayne said in his blogpost, Relative Bliss, “If the focus of your inner dialogue about your family members is on what they’re doing that’s wrong, then that’s precisely how your relationship with them will be experienced. If your inner speech centers on what’s annoying about them, that’s what you’ll notice. But if you’re thinking, I am authentic and peaceful with this relative, then that’s what you’ll experience—even if that relative continues to be exactly the way he or she has always been.”

The key to surviving the holidays at a dysfunctional family gathering is to trust yourself.  When everyone is me, me, me, and not for eachother, boundaries get blurry.  Remembering that we are part of God, and God is within each and every one of us, then it becomes clear that we are so much more than our family circumstances.  We can allow those stories and scripts just fall away and experience things in a new mindful way.

Now comes the esoteric part… Spiritually, everyone in a family made contracts, or agreements, to fulfill their own mission, in order to learn by living through them.  However, everyone has free choice, and some members can go off-path, they don’t follow the group plan.  This can create havoc in a family on a level not everyone is aware of.  It is up to those, or the one, left in the light to scramble and make plan B, C and D.  That family member, the one in the light, now becomes a spiritual catalyst in the family.  By having a higher vibration, being awake and aware, others can see it as threatening.  Because they may already be emotionally laden with unhealed pain and wounding, we may be the tipping point that triggers a spiritual crisis.  Behaviors such as losing cool, acting impulsively, and bringing up long buried emotional conflicts may arise.  If we can recognize this, we can realize they are not seeing us as we really are and begin to set healthy boundaries.  We can feel more confident to project love and forgiveness.

A few suggestions for surviving a holiday gathering with a dysfunctional family:

  • Set healthy boundaries
  • Use diplomatic and compassionate conversation
  • Remember you are Love, but an empathic and loving person is not used as a doormat
  • Be a harmonizing energetic force
  • Use forgiveness
  • Breathe and go within
  • Stay strong, neutral and calm (practice non-violence)
  • Be as honest and transparent as possible
  • Use engaged detachment
  • Remember you are supported by your Higher Self, your Guides and Angels

Dr. Wayne also said in his blogpost, Relative Bliss, ‘The key to having peace in all your family relationships is forgiveness. Your relatives are simply doing what they’ve been taught to do over a lifetime, and the lifetimes of many of their ancestors. Shower them with understanding and forgiveness from your heart. Rather than being in a state of non-peace concerning any family members, say a prayer of gratitude for their presence in your life and all that they have come to teach you.”  Believe me, if you do not see the full value of what they are teaching you now, you will later.  If you trust yourself and your knowing that there is so much more to all this, if you can get clear on these relationships, then there is so much more to come for you.  Rising above the muck and the mire may just be the gift everyone really wants and needs.

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