The World As a Mirror

"The world is a great mirror.  It reflects back to you what you are." Thomas Dreier

If that is true, then it behooves us to look around and observe our surroundings.  Are we with people who are healthy and positive?  Are we letting money come and go easily in our lives?  Let us see our reflection and change what is needed.

Accepting What Is Not Ours

:The instant that fish accept that they never will have arms, they grow fins." Mark Nepo

Nepo goes on to say "before we can be what we are meant to be, we must accept what we are not."

How true.  How many of us take jobs, relationships, positions because it is something we fantasize we should have, but what about the true yearning of our soul? We must give up things that do not belong to us, to have what is ours.

Interior Journey

"Go on a journey from self to Self." Mathnawi

How does one go on a journey from self to Self?  Some very wise people have said it is by taking the interior journey.  Recognizing, accepting and integrating all aspects of oneself.  

Summer Time

"Summer, the season of light." author

Summer has really arrived where I live.  Hot, dry.  So many hours of light.  As caregivers, make sure you are getting enough rest.

The Flow of Life

"Go with the flow." popular saying

What does it mean to go with the flow?  I think it means to not resist whatever is in front of us, whether we label it good or bad.  To be in a place of nonresistance seems good for our bodies, minds and souls.

Loving Ourselves and Others

"Real lovers serve ardently, hopefully, and in an ecstasy of awe." Rumi

Pretty high expectations.  Perhaps made easier if we aim at loving ourselves first and foremost.  Not in an unhealthy way, but in the way of knowing we are unique creations of a Loving God.

Seasons of the Year

"The Northern hemisphere just had summer solstice and the full moon occur on the same day -- first time since 1948, according to media."  author

I live where summer has just begun, and it is unnaturally hot and dry.  We just had the driest May since weather has been recorded.  Since I live in forest area, there is a concern for fire and for individual water wells going dry.  Perhaps where you live, winter has just begun.  I love the seasons of the year and the variety they bring us.

Life Is Good

"Life is good." slogan on clothing brand

With all the recent atrocities around the globe, it is easy to think of life as less than good, even think of it in negative terms.  We all know people with very significant challenges in their lives, and you - as caregivers - have plenty of those challenges too.  But.  In the scheme of things, when we consider the bigger perspective, which outweighs the other?  Good or negative?  In my life, it most certainly has been the good -- as long as that is what I am oriented toward seeing.

168 Chemicals

"168 chemicals.  That is the number the average woman puts on her face every day." Prevention July 2015

To prevent all this chemical absorption into your system, the article in Prevention Magazine recommends avoiding product with parabens and phthalates and taking off makeup with naatural oils like coconut or argan.  The Environmental Working Group's free Healthy Living app allows a person to scan product bar codes to find out how they rate on a hazard scale.  

Smoothie That May Help Alzheimer's

"Blend one cup blueberries, 3/4 cup  water, 1/2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cut coconut milk, 1 tsp matcha power, and 1/2 tsp turmeric.  Add ice and blend." Prevention July 2015

New research suggests that blueberries help prevent Alzheimer's.  The above recipe is a good way to enjoy them.

Heart-Smart Oil

Olive oil is great, but a new study shows that grapeseed oil might be better." Prevention, July 2015

Grapeseed oil is one of the few food sources of linoleic acid, with about 80%.  Linoleic acid helps decrease body fat around organs and decreases inflammation.  Its nutty flavor is great for stir-fries as well as homemade dressings.  Expeller and cold-pressed oil are the best quality.