Archive for the ‘Inspirational’ Category

October from Leaves of the Tree of Life

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

OCTOBER

People weary with the world will take time off to go to the mountains for a look at the splendor of autumn leaves.  In every shade of orange they proclaim their glory.

Each species has its own breathtaking pigment and each tree seems more beautiful than the last.  October is for rejoicing in the majesty of tangible beauty.  We smell it, we see it, we roll in the leaves and experience it. There is no practical purpose to the color changes; the trees are playing after the hard work of summer.  This is the season for hayrides and county fairs and silly costumes and pranks.

Play is difficult for Americans and other highly westernized cultures.  We spend huge amounts of money and time working at having fun, but play is a different thing.  Play is squirrels chasing each other on the branches even as they gather winter’s store.  Play is kids wading through mountains of leaves so they can be gathered again, without thought for getting the pieces out of their hair.  Play is ordering ice cream on your pancakes for breakfast.  Learning to play brings back the sweetness to life.

Branches are the frame work on which the seasons unfold, just as our minds form the basis for performing the duties of our lives.  Branches by now have had most of the sap withdrawn from them as the tree prepares to survive the winter.  Bare branches reflect the lack of circulation.  As we limit the circulation of sweetness in our lives, the result can be “bare branches” too, where we become brittle and rigid in strict, joyless, disciplines.  Scrooge wasn’t a bad guy, he was just misguided from years of bitterness and false priorities. The change came as a cheerful countenance and a desire to play.  There was no doubt that he would continue to run his counting house, but we also know he enjoyed his abundance from that time forward.  The adage that “as a man thinketh, so he shall be” sets the parameters for our play and for the degree to which we really enjoy life.  For a variety of reasons, many of us grow up with basic beliefs that finding pleasure is time wasted, that this life is about working and suffering and joy and rewards are for the next, that if you’re not getting ahead you’re getting behind, and life is about getting there first. October reminds us that getting there can be a glorious ride. (more…)

Mom-Stuff Updates

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Your Own Style Yoga Shirt
Add Your Own Style to Your Yoga Shirt   Fold your shirt in half . . . keep reading

Hair Streaks
All you need to add a streak of color to any hair style is a Bobbie Pin and some embroidery floss. . . . keep reading

Tips for Back-to-School Shopping
Tips for Back-to-School Shopping The frenzied back-to-school shopping season is upon us, and more than ever, it’s evident that parents want a new and thrif . . . keep reading

What Can One Person Do?
a donation of $2,000 worth of pet food, and I’ve helped to forge new friends from other countries who all care about the same things I care about. And it all started with a simple posting on Facebook because I wanted to help a local animal shelter. It’s been magical.” . . . keep reading

Scheduling for the REAL Mother

Monday, June 27th, 2011

The following is a nugget of truth that was posted in a Executive Moms group at Linkedin about scheduling our time.  The author, Jamee Tenzer, is a professional certified life and career coach for working mothers and women in the entertainment industry.

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you were just having too much fun? You attended three 8-year-old birthday parties, went to dinner with friends, cheered the Dodgers at a game and hosted a brunch with the extended family – only to wake up Monday morning thrilled at the thought of dragging yourself into the office, to REST. Sometimes we group our “fun activities” in such a way that we are having so much fun, we are too exhausted to enjoy any of it.

In fact, instead of celebrating our time together, we are running from one event to another, doing a quick change in the car between Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah, our Sound of Music matinee and Grandpa’s 80th birthday party. The kids are fighting, no one has managed to eat (even though everywhere we go is piled high with food,) and my husband and I would give our worldly possessions for the chance to take a nap. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Not so much fun as, let’s see, how would I describe it? Oh yes, a living hell! (more…)

I Pray You Enough

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure of the daughter’s flight.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said,

‘I love you, and I pray you enough.’

The daughter replied, ‘Mom, our life together has been more than enough.

Your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough, too, Mom.’

They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, ‘Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?’

Yes, I have,’ I replied. ‘Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?’ (more…)

Love is the Message of June

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

June emerges as a sea of green.  Summer officially starts, and in earlier days trees would have become the heart of the community.  Children would be in them and adults would gather under them to share stories and a cool drink.  Some of the distinction between trees blurs with the passing of the blossoms and we see, instead, a merciful bower and quiet retreat.  The trees are generous with their shade, and we can breathe a little deeper in their presence.

Looking up into the canopy of a spreading tree is a heart-filling experience.  A tree can protect you from rain and yet allow a glimpse of a summer sky.  Looking at the world with the heart may open a similarly uplifting view.  We are sheltered from loneliness as we receive love from people in our lives, and see acts of kindness through seemingly impenetrable barriers.  As we learn to receive and give love we gain the message of June.

Excerpt from  Leaves for the Tree of Life by Kim Welborn and Dianne Murray

Memorial Weekend

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day.

It is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day is a day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought for the things we have.

It is a time when families and friends get together for BBQs  to celebrate the lives lived and sacrificed for our freedom.
My Father served in WWII, My children’s fathers in the Viet Nam war, my son served in the army at the Pentagon and my son-in-law is getting ready so deploy for his second tour in Irac. I AM Proud to be an American and I AM Thankful for the lives given in service so we can enjoy a country with so much opportunity to be all that we can be.
Wishing you a Memorial Weekend with wonderful moments to cherish the freedom we have and to give thanks to the people who sacrifice so much for it. Remember the service men and woman in your prayers and help their families while they are away.



Let Your Burdens Down

Thursday, April 21st, 2011
A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and
explaining stress management to an audience;with a raised glass of
water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question,
‘half empty or half full?’….. she fooled them all…”How heavy is
this glass of water?”, she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how
long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold
it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.  In each case it’s the
same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She
continued, “and that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our
burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes
increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and
rest before holding it again.  When we’re refreshed, we can carry on
with the burden – holding stress longer and better each time
practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your
burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the
night…. pick them up tomorrow. (more…)

Welcome March

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

March is the month of the buds coming forth.  Quietly they have worked for months to develop, and now they are ready to burst.  Most won’t actually open this month, but they are pregnant with promise.  Hope is in the trees and in the birds they are now beginning to welcome to their still-bare branches.  This is a time for watching the pieces come together, for potential.  Life is stirring.  Everything necessary for trees to blossom and leaf out is present, just as it is within us.  The branches are busy now putting effort toward the blooms to come; we can occupy ourselves in similar fashion.  Everyone in March thinks spring will be here any day.  It’s a time inherently full of creative effort: we color eggs and hide them, we make kites and fly them, and the sky plays with new cloud formations. (more…)

Let’s Celebrate February

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Unseen by anyone, though the deepest days of winter are present, the sap begins to rise in the trees in February.  By the end of the month, the maples will be tapped for the sap to begin running, making the syrup that reminds us of the Valentine sweets.  We all have heart-sap running deep, waiting to rise.  When heart and mind work together, we call it intuition.  This is the time to let you feel that process.

Old ideas or habits may keep you from trusting yourself and your ability to perceive your own needs and find your own answers.   Learning to use heart and mind together can be daunting in a society that values scientific proof above most everything.  In the movie “The Karate Kid”, a bonsai master hands a young boy a tree and pruning shears.  Concerned, he asks what he should do, not wanting to damage the tree.  He is told to look at the tree, to focus, and to cut away what doesn’t look like the tree.  Surprisingly, the results are pleasing to him and to the master.  Ours can be likewise.

Anciently, February was celebrated with a feast of purification.  From that tradition came the country custom of cutting fence posts from dead wood, trimming grapevines, and pruning trees during this period.  For us, it’s a great month to focus on finding and eliminating the deadwood in our lives.  Pruning involves evaluation, determining the value of every branch, and foreseeing the potential for productive growth by removing whatever is unnecessary. Too much clutter makes inspiration difficult.  Look at your life and at the shape you’ve decided you want it to take.  What doesn’t “look or feel like” that life?  So often we believe we have a goal or intent, but honest evaluation may show us that we actually spend our life energy in very different directions.  Does what you are doing reflect your knowledge of who you are and where you are going?

February is always associated with Valentine’s Day.  Like the winter holidays, we want someone to share the time with, and may have expectations too great to be fulfilled.  Learning to listen to our hearts is a difficult process.  There is definite sweetness in companionship, but unless there is an inherent capacity for joy within ourselves we can’t form lasting relationships with others.  Maple sap drips slowly into the tapers pail.  We find our sweetness the same way, a drop at time.  Filling our emotional bucket starts deep, rising and filling out slowly as we have the warmth and light of trusting our own feelings. (more…)

Your Life Certificate

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

This is the perfect time of year to take
stock of who we are and where we are going.

To show my appreciation for your support
throughout the year, I’m excited to share
this incredibly motivational short video
with you called “Your Life Certificate.”

Please take a moment to sit back, relax
and enjoy:

Watch NOW

To Your Success In 2011!
Dianne Murray