Morning Rituals 🕉️

My Wish For You.....

Truth~

She Let Go.....

She let go. 

Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, 

She just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.  

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. 

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, 

She just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

Truth~

I Have a Longing....

I-75 North…
You know the spot…
Where the road starts to narrow…
And the trees grow thicker…
There’s an exit sign…
It always tugs at my heart…
A wave of nostalgia washes over me…
A longing for days long past…
Bittersweet memories…
A Melancholy…
Cousins in sleeping bags…
Lying in the back of Grandpa’s pick-up truck…
Looking up at a vast sky…
Full of the brightest stars…
You just don’t see star like that anymore…
Campfire’s, stories, laughter…
Walking barefoot down dirt roads…
Pontoon boats and “fun islands”….
Falling asleep on the beach…
All lined up next to each other…
Pop Kell…
He always had a story to tell…
I can still see his smile…
And his hard working hands…
His white t-shirt and blue jeans…
I can no longer hear his voice…
But if I listen closely…
I can hear it in the sound of the crashing waves…
Or the whispering wind in the trees…
He is all around me….
If I look closely…
I can see him…
In the beautiful shimmering waters…
He is out there…
Just like those vast starry skies…
The one’s that you don’t see anymore…
You know they are still there…
You just can’t see them right now…
I have a longing…
For days long past...

You Must Read This Beautiful Book.....

Loved it!! 

 Get a copy here!

Are You Ready...Let's Go!

O.k...Here we go....

School is out....

Bills are paid...

House is clean....

Car is packed...

We are heading out on a 17 day road-trip....

West...

To Wyoming....

To a big house on an open prairie...

Surrounded by big mountains....

A big river...

And a whole lot of nothing...

Except beauty and mountain air....

As I get older...

I realize how short this life is....

I cherish every moment...

I am so lucky...

Lucky to be able to share this journey with the ones I love the most...

Lucky to be able to follow my gypsy heart...

And boy does my gypsy heart need this....

So come on....

follow me....

Let's go find some beauty.

Letting Go....

I think it was right before Christmas break of last year....

I decided that I needed to let go...

Let go of the over scheduled life I was living...

Let go of saying yes to everyone and everything...

Let go of feeling guilty for saying no....

Let go of toxic relationships...

Let go of drama....

I began asking myself why?

Why was I doing all of this stuff anyway?

Self worth? Validation?

I was trying to make everyone except myself happy...

Sacrificing my truth...

Silencing my voice...

I was putting myself in stressful situations....

I was doing it to myself...

The stress was making me ill...

So I decided to turn it around....

Let it ALL go....

I decided to start focusing on myself and my family....

I decided to slow everything down...

I decided to be present...

I decided to be Mindful...

I decided to return to the things that make me happy...

The things that I am passionate about...

The things that have TRUE meaning....

The things that make a difference...

And what did I gain from letting go?

Peace, Joy, Beauty, Freedom, Happiness, Self Worth,Validation....

It was always there...

I just had to find it again.

Bye Bye Winter Blues....

So...It was a long hard winter here in Michigan...winters are normally hard for me....winter blues...trapped in the house...grey skies etc...Well this winter was an exceptionally tough one to pull out of for me. Our family suffered some very heavy losses and our hearts have been very heavy. About a month ago, I decided that I could not stand feeling like crap anymore. It was time to do something! I got rid of everything "Not Real" in the cupboards. No more "pretend" processed food, sugar etc... I started researching Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Recipes. I was really amazed at what a great fit this was for me. Its all about what is right for YOUR body. You can find this out by taking this little Ayurvedic Dosha Test  Once I figured out my Dosha, I then found this great list of foods that work for me. WOW! It makes so much sense! These are all of the foods that I already love and I also recognized the foods that don't work so well for me and how they have worked against me in the past. So I stared out slowly...juicing every morning...my 11 year old son was no quite on board yet but by the end of the week I could not keep him away from the juicer. At first he was not very happy with his dinner options either but once he realized that "this is what we are having" he seemed to come around and want to help with the cooking and shopping. New things are exciting! So many great things have come from this change in our family diet.... I feel so good, I have so much energy, my house is clean and organized, my brain feels less foggy, I am present, I am mindful, I feel joy again. More time is spent together as a family doing things that are good for our bodies and less "Screen Time" is always a good thing! Here are some great recipes that I had saved on Pinterest.
Go get some Joy!

Listen to your body...it will tell you what you need.

The Benefits of Ghee...

I have been experimenting with an Ayurvedic diet lately...

 I cannot believe how great I feel!

So much energy!

I will be posting some of the recipes as I make them...

Lets start with Ghee...

Its so easy to make...

Here is a Ghee Recipe

Dont forget to Read more about the benefits of Ghee

I am Grateful...

I feel so grateful this morning....

After my sweet husband and son made me breakfast and brought me Mothers day gifts Sunday morning they headed off to Grandmas house to spend the afternoon with her. They allowed me to go to a special evening of Music in Ann Arbor at The Ark to see Willie Watson and Mandolin Orange. I was able to spend a few magical hours with my best friend in the world and just have some Mommy time. When I returned home, I walked into the kitchen to this special little note and gifts on the counter. I thought to myself...How truly lucky I am. Just then, I heard little footsteps and a little face peeking out from the hallway. Jeff was sleeping but Jake had waited...lying awake for me to return home. It was late and I said, 

"Shouldn't you be asleep sweet boy?"

 "Yes but I missed you and I wanted to see you get your gifts"

 "Do you like your Manatea Mom?" 

"Oh my gosh, I LOVE it so much!" 

"And I LOVE YOU so much"

Then I crawled into his bed and listened as he told me about all of his adventures from the day....

The big moon shining through his window, lighting his face...

You know when you have one of those moments that you feel so much love that your heart could just burst?

That was one of those moments.

What a special sweet boy I have been given...

I am grateful....

I am grateful for his sweetness....

I am grateful for his sensitivity...

I am grateful for his innocence...

I am grateful for his compassion...

I am grateful for the rough mornings...

I am grateful for his smiles...

I am grateful for his tears...

I am grateful for everything that he is...

He is my little Buddha and he has taught me so much about life and love.

He heals me.

Thank you my sweet boy.

Oh What A Long Strange Trip Its Been....

A Letter To Mom....

Well we sure have been through a lot together, you and I...

Lots of struggles, lots of laughs, lots of crazy adventures...

It wasn't always easy but I wouldn't change a thing....

Lives become busy...

 And we don't always see each other as much as we should...

Every phone call ends with I love you...

I want you to know deep down in your soul...

 How much I really do love you...

Its because of you that I am...

Strong...

Always Seeking...

Always Searching...

Spiritual...

A Gypsy...

Artistic...

Creative...

Sarcastic..

Compassionate...

And Kick-Ass..

Thank you for that Mom.

Sending you so much Love Today.