"Never say never. In your life you never know what's going to happen next." ~ Gwen Stefani

Never Say Never. What experiences have you had with this life truism?

I've experienced two sides of it. The "don't give up" aspect and the "don't dismiss possibilities" feature.

I learned not to give up on my mom when she had a stroke and the prognosis first suggested she'll never recover." She did.

When I said, "I would never live in a cerain place," guess what happened? I did.

When my husband and I thought Sanibel would never again be lushly tropical and magical after Hurricane Charley pummeled it, and maybe we would not return, we were mistaken on both counts. It did and we did. One of the stories in The Twelve Gifts from the Gardenis "Never Say Never." 

We're not above making mistakes or being mistaken nor below reaching a star or healing or achieving seemingly-impossible dreams.

As Michael Jordan said: "Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illustion." 

Let's wisely stay open to both the challenges and opportunities life presents to us today. 

With faith, hope, and love.
Charlene
 

THE TENTH GIFT IS WISDOM: Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

"The world needs something more from us now, and we need something more noble from ourselves as well." ~ Stephen Dinan
 

Nobility. It's in us. All of us. "High born" or not. It's our capacity to be strong and courageous, merciful and magnanimous, kind and caring. Sure, we also have the capacity to be bawdy, bashful, boastful, and a host of other qualities. And in the midst of them all there is beauty, hope, faith, joy, and love. There's compassion and dignity. There's nobility. Let's give some to the world today.

With wisdom,
Charlene

THE TENTH GIFT IS WISDOM: Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

"The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them." ~ St. Francis de Sales

Many of us watch birds. Have you ever watched bees? Many of us fear being stung so we avoid them. I often have too. 

But during recent visits to the botanical garden that inspired my new book, The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being, I took time to approach flowers with care and watch bees at work. I found myself awed by the blur of their wings - beating at 230 times a second - by their grace, and by how they give and take without damage. 

Today's let's consider living a bit more like bees, with this motto: Give some. Take some. Take only what you need. 
 

In The Twelve Gifts from The Garden, I write about encounters with bees, butterflies, seeds, roots, leaves, and many varieties of flowers and trees. 

To me, even more significant than the lessons they offer and what this book is about is how it can transport readers to this garden and into a transformative relationship with nature, feeling not apart from it but a part of it. For me this leads to an increased sense of well-being. Peace too.

To glimpse this garden, please visit my brand new today website -  www.CharleneCostanzo.com - and "Enter the Garden." I'd love to hear what you think!

May we all give and take with beauty and grace and remember that we are connected.

In love,
Charlene

P.S. - The Twelve Gifts from the Garden will be released on September 15, little over two weeks from now. If you order it now, which you can do on my website, you will be among the first to receive it. If you wish to receive a signed bookplate for the book, please email me at CharleneCostanzo@gmail.com Thank you!

THE ELEVENTH GIFT IS LOVE. It will grow each time you give it away. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

"Become like little children," ~ Jesus

I wish we had all kept the wonder we had when we were young children. There was a time when we saw different colors as awesome and beautiful, when our developing minds were in alignment with our hearts, when the color of people's skin was as interesting as the colors in a box of crayons, in a meadow of flowers, and in a rainbow. There was also a time when our hearts, so aligned with our souls, were ready and eager to love and be loved in a universal way. 

That love, that wonderment, is still in our essence. Imagine if we were able to remove the layers that built up over the years and covered the best of what's in us, where the likeness of God can be found.

Despite appearances, I believe we can.

With faith, hope, and love,
Charlene

THE TWELFTH GIFT IS FAITH. May you believe. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

“Of course, money is part of personal wealth, but so is love, inner peace, harmony, beauty, joy…” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

These days, many among us are concerned about the money aspect of wealth, what we need to meet expenses. Concern is natural. Fear is natural and understandable too. But fear can keep us from thinking creatively, recognizing opportunities, and responding in the wisest ways. 

Whatever our money situation is now, and at any time, we can increase our inner wealth and use it to diminish fear, face challenges, and triumph. Truly. 

The more we recognize and appreciate our inner wealth, the more it will grow. Our self-worth will too, which leads to greater chances of success in all that we do. Does this make sense to you? So how do we better see and appreciate our inner wealth, expecially if we are feeling poorly and poor?

Here’s one idea. At the start of each day, pick one of The Twelve Gifts and invest in it. Give it attention and interest. I suggest starting with strength. Recall a time when you needed it.

Country singer Loretta Lynn said she found it interesting to pinpoint the first time “you had to reach inside yourself and pull out strength you didn’t know you had.”

Let your memory of that time be a touchstone symbol and reminder for you. You have more strength than you realize. We all do. We all have more of each of these Twelve Gifts:

Strength. Beauty. Courage. Compassion. Hope. Joy. Talent. Imagination. Reverence. Wisdom. Love. Faith

Truly,
Charlene

---

“At the wondrous moment you were born, as you took your first breath, a great celebration was held in the heavens and twelve magnificent gifts were granted to you.” – from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

#innerwealth #well-being #innerpeace #money #wealth #strength #TheTwelveGifts #CharleneCostanzo #Touchstone #gifts #wisdom #courage #self-worth #buildingselfworth  #motivational words  #dailyinspiration

This entry was posted on August 26, 2020, in Beauty, Compassion, Courage, Faith, Gratitude, Hope, Imagination, Inspiration, JOY, Love, Mindfulness, Peace, Reverence, Spirituality, Strength, Talent, Today's Touchstone, Tools, Touchstone, Wisdom and tagged building self-worth, daily inspiration, faith, Hope, imagination, inner strength, inspiration, Using courage, Wisdom.

COURAGE

We generally recognize courage the most when we see someone among us risking their life to save a human being, an animal, or a forest filled with life, or a home or a way of life – something larger than themselves.

But another risk-worthy thing larger than ourselves is ourselves being our true selves, ourselves using our unique mix of abilities and interests, our talent, passions, yearnings and dreams – ourselves following our own path.

But courage deserves to be recognized for all the ways it helps us and be reached for whenever it’s needed. Sometimes it takes courage to say, “Yes.” Sometimes, it’s to say, “No.” And sometimes it takes courage just get out of bed and face the day. 

In this day, let’s give thanks for courage and use it in every way we need it and in every way that matters, which really is in all that we do. 

I’m closing with gratitude for courage, compassion, and all of life’s gifts, including  reverence, which I have for the brave and the beautiful Real You.

Charlene

---

#dailyinspiration #motivationalwords #gifts #lifesgifts

This entry was posted on August 23, 2020, in Beauty, Compassion, Courage, Gratitude, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Reverence, Spirituality, Touchstone and tagged authenticity, Beauty of Life, building self-worth, compassion, courage, daily inspiration, The Twelve Gifts, Using courage.

“Grace finds beauty
In everything
Grace finds goodness in everything.” ~ U2

Beautiful and true.
We can do this too,
find beauty and goodness,
in everything, with grace.Grace can also help us forgive and find peace and joy. And grace may not be listed among the top 50 motivational words, but when we open ourselves to grace, I see us motivated and helped with our outer goals as well as in our souls.

Asking,
Charlene

---

This entry was posted on July 23, 2020, in Beauty, Inspiration, JOY, Mindfulness, Peace, Spirituality, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone and tagged daily inspiration, grace, Hope, Inspirational Quotes, joy, motivational words, outer goals, soul growth, The Twelve Gifts.

Grief can be the garden of compassion.” ~ Rumi 

Rumi goes on to advise us to keep our hearts open through everything. Pain can be our “greatest ally in life’s search for love and wisdom.” 

I wonder Is it true? Our greatest ally? As I ask, memories surface. Visions come. With them I feel a measure of both the pain and the love that were present and poignant in some times of grief

Can you recall such times? I sense we all have them. We at least have the opportunity for them. But sometimes we stifle them.

I’m sharing three of mine here. The last one is about a time I stifled an opportunity.

It’s weeks after my mom died. There was actually beauty and peace in the moment of her death. I was at her side. I had been for hours, witnessing her active dying. I was somewhat prepared, as prepared as one can be for her mother’s final breath. The pain that broke me open happened later, several times. I think this phenomenon happens for many of us. For a moment, we forget our loved one has died. We wake in the morning and for a second or two, we feel a normalcy, as if nothing had changed in our lives. And then we remember: a loved one died!  Grief sears again. Sometimes it happened midday. Suddenly I had the urge to call her. I wanted to talk with her about something or about nothing; I just wanted to talk. For a moment I forgot she was gone. But before reaching for the phone, I remembered. The grief opened pain but held so much love too. Has it happened this way for you?

The second instance happened in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. On the news, in the midst of all the ways it was being covered from various perspectives, there was a segment showing compassionate reactions of people throughout the world. I remember seeing many women weeping, weeping for us and with us. One older woman, kneeling on the ground, somewhere in Europe, especially touched my heart. She was keening, almost howling. Seeing her pain deepened my own and yet brought me through to love. Love for her. Love for all of us. She was not some stranger on the other side of the world. She was a neighbor, a friend, a sister. I think of that woman sometimes, like now. And again I feel hope as well as love. If it happens only now and then, it can happen all the time. Actually, I think such caring happens more often than we think. 

In the third memory, I’m at a funeral mass. The death was caused by a horrific accident that “shouldn’t have happened.” But such accidents do sometimes happen, don’t they?

When I saw the raw tenderness in our grieving group, especially among the men who normally kept their feelings at bay, or at least masked, I felt as if something cracked opened in me. I suddenly felt a strong urge to quickly step over and around everyone in my pew, run outside the church, and run some distance away so that I could not be heard inside the church. A large, loud sound, a wail, wanted to come up and out of me. I think it might have been a howl, or many howls of grief. But it was a tender moment in the service. And I didn’t want to make a scene. So I remained in my seat. I have sometimes wondered what that was, why it was, and what would have happened if I had acted upon that urge? Back then, and now, it seems like it was some huge collective grief that wanted to be expressed and released. It seemed as if it held my every hurt and the hurts of humanity, over time. The painting “The Scream” comes to mind. Perhaps besides not wanting to disturb the funeral, perhaps I was frightened by the strength of whatever it was. And yet, I think it was more likely a breakthrough than a breakdown. And even if it was a breakdown, I believe it would have led to a breakthrough of greater love, compassion, and peace.

I don’t know. But I also believe that so much more love is available to us and for us. Especially in this time of high stress, let’s be fully open to greater love.

With courage,
Charlene

#dailyinspiration #inspirationalquotes #deathanddying #grief #compassion  #9/11

---

This entry was posted on August 17, 2020, in Beauty, Compassion, Courage, Death and Dying, Faith, Grief, Health and Healing, Hope, Inspiration, Love, Mindfulness, Peace, Spirituality, Strength, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone, Wisdom and tagged Building Inner Peace, Hope, inspiration, Mindfulness, Peace, Using courage, Wisdom.

“Miracles happen every day. Change your perspective of what a miracle is, and you’ll see them all around you.” ~ Jon Bon Jovi

I’m remembering moments of holding my infant daughters with speechless awe and a time when a V-formation of migrating geese, honking and shining silver in the sky, brought me to tears.

Sometimes we see the world, see life, this way. With wonder. With reverence. With gratitude and joy.

But too often, in our busyness, we hardly notice. This is true for me. Is it for you? 

Let’s begin to notice. Really notice.

With love,
Charlene

P.S. – Several, actually many, stories in The Twelve Gifts from The Garden are about noticing, experiencing, and celebrating miracles and seeing life with wonderment. Among them are: “Dawn,” “A Hundred Million Miracles,” and “A Tree Grows in Sedona.” I’d love to hear about the miracles in your life. When we share our inspirational stories and motivational words we nurture the gifts in one another and ourselves. The Twelve Gifts from the Garden is the seventh book in The Twelve Gifts collection, the first of its length, and very much a gift for friends, as are the others in the collection, starting with The Twelve Gifts of Birth. 

#dailyinspiration #mindfulness #inspirationalquotes #giftbook #miracles #miraclestories #inspirationalstories #spirituality #giftidea #gift #motivationalwords #giftforfriends

---

This entry was posted on August 16, 2020, in Beauty, Inspiration, JOY, Love, Mindfulness, Reverence, Spirituality, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone, Wonder and tagged Beauty of Life, CULTIVATING REVERENCE, Gratitude for Life, LIFE’S GIFTS, Mindfulness, SPIRITUALITY.

Missing close contact with my just-turned-ten twin grandchildren, I’m reminising, remembering, and reposting about the first time we made bread together. At the terribly terrific age of two, they were so eager to explore everything and help with everything. Some may call me crazy, but I love the so called “terrible twos.”  Here’s that day…

My husband, Frank, and I had assembled the ingredients and let the sister and brother add spoonfuls and scoopfuls. After the sugar, salt, yeast, water, milk, butter, and flour were somewhat properly mixed, we all took turns kneading. Suddenly, I exclaimed, “Oh, Alexis and Anthony. I almost forgot to add the love.”

Although lots of loving had been part of the process, I wanted to add love consciously. And I wanted to speak of love and show love to them in many different ways. So I took a deep breath, smiled broadly, and kneaded a minute longer, while reciting, “Love, love, love…”

“I don’t see the love, Nana,” said Anthony. “Where is it? I want to see it.” 

Alexis looked at her brother and then at me, expectantly. She seemed to agree. She could see the sugar, salt, yeast, water, milk, and flour. But where was the love?

Needless to say, two-year-olds are not fully ready to grasp abstract concepts like love. However, they are beginning to understand them. They know what it’s like to love and be loved. Nevertheless, these two wanted to see love with their eyes.

Don’t we all, at times, want to see and know love better?

Strength. Beauty. Courage. Compassion. Hope. Joy. Talent. Imagination. Reverence. Wisdom. Love. Faith. The Twelve Gifts. We can’t see them with our eyes. We can’t open them like birthday presents. But they are in us, and we can open our hearts to them. We can add them mindfully to everything that we make and everything that we do. It will make a difference too.

#dailyinspiration #inspirationalquotes #lifegifts #mindfulness #consciousparenting #conciousgrandparenting #loveisaverb #loveisadecision #breadmaking #terribletwos #thejoyofcooking #thetwelvegifts

Many of us are looking for tools to help us restore peace, hope, and a sense of order during this confusing time, with challenges we haven’t faced, or even seen, in our lives up until now.

Inspirational quotes are among the many tools in my tool box. The container is large, with room for more, so I’d love to hear about your trusted tools. Your favorite quotes too.

I’ll be showing more tools and quotes in the weeks ahead, but right now I’d like to share a few of my favorite quotes:

“Don’t let the news of the world get you down…

If you think you need LOVE right now, the truth is, LOVE needs you…

LOVE needs you to be your best, your brightest, your loudest, your most colorful…

Don’t give up on equality.

Don’t give up on justice.

Don’t give up on the power and the beauty of diversity.

Don’t give up on helping to relieve the suffering of others…

Don’t give up on LOVE because it’s LOVE that has inspired all that is good in the world…”
-Michael Franti

How does this quote make you feel?

“I believe in the power of the imagination to remake the world…” ~ J. G. BallardMe too. Especially when our vision includes believing in love, seeing love, feeling love, choosing love, and acting with love. Kindness too.

“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” ~ Eleanor RooseveltSo why not light candles of kindness every day? Besides softening fear and hate, the increased light will help more people to experience hope.

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” -Margaret MeadWe can be among them.

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” ~ Ralph MarstonWhat we do today can improve all our tomorrows. Truly.

If a few caring people can change the world, imagine what many caring people can do. And so many people do care now.  We care deeply. Let’s keep our caring strong and sincere by feeding the highest qualities – The Twelve Gifts – in us.

Strength. Beauty. Courage. Compassion. Hope. Joy. Talent. Imagination. Reverence. Wisdom. Love. and Faith.

One way to nurture these gifts is by receiving and reading Today’s Touchstone emailed messages. Another is reading my forthcoming book, The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being. It comes out September 15 and can be pre-ordered right now. https://tinyurl.com/y252grtv

Thank you for all you do to make a difference.

With love,
Charlene

---

This entry was posted on August 7, 2020, in Compassion, Hope, Imagination, Inspiration, Love, Mindfulness, News from The Twelve Gifts, Peace, Spirituality, Today's Touchstone, Tools, Touchstone and tagged building hope, Building Inner Peace, daily inspiration, Garden, garden inspirations, Inner Gifts, Inspirational Quotes, LIFE’S GIFTS, Love, New Books.

“Wow, I get to wake up again? Ok. You have to make good with what you’ve got.” ~ Dave Grohl

How often do you say, WOW?

I think we all felt wows before we spoke the word. It was when we were new in this world and sensed-or knew-the holiness of it all.

What stirs you to say it?

I said WOW when I saw this stunningly beautiful, sacred-looking, albino peacock and this curious, lovable crane who seems to like dancing.

Even if we don’t feel goosebumps and shivers of awe when we wake up each morning, perhaps if we said something like, “Wow, I get to wake up again? I get to experience life today? Human life? MY LIFE?” perhaps we would begin to see more beauty, experience deeper love and compassion, and feel more awe with gratitude and joy.

No matter what’s happening, as Dave Grohl says, “You have to make good with what you’ve got.”

We can.

With reverence,
Charlene

---

THE NINTH GIFT IS REVERENCE. May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation. –  from The Twelve Gifts of Birth                             

This entry was posted on July 27, 2020, in Beauty, Courage, Faith, Hope, Imagination, Inspiration, JOY, Mindfulness, News from The Twelve Gifts, Reverence, Spirituality, Talent and tagged Beauty of Life, building self-worth, CULTIVATING REVERENCE.

“What you manage to do today will be enough.” ~ Kate Allan

This quote reminds me of a lesson I learned from a woman with whom I once shared a car service ride from Sedona, AZ to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.

I like to strike up conversations with so-called strangers and see how long it takes for us to feel the friendship that seems to have always been there for us. Do you know what I mean?*

I learned a lot from that particular woman and think of her often. The main take-away was: Don’t overdo. Don’t put so many things on your To-Do List that you never complete them that day so some are carried over to the next day and the next and the next.

As a result of suffering serious consequences from intense over-doing, she learned to write just one thing in the big box for each day on her desk calendar. She liked seeing space around each To-Do. It made her feel spacious inside herself and outside in her life. She usually did more than that one thing, but the commitment to just one thing each day changed her life and how she lived it, making her healthier and happier.

Maybe you feel you don’t have enough to do now, in the midst of this pandemic.

But I hope we’ll each find our own healthy “enough” while taking good care during this time of uncertainties, changes, and challenges.

If, during this time, you have made an adjustment that’s helped your well-being, I encourage you to share your motivational words in a comment here. Thank you!

In the meantime, take care!

With love,
Charlene

* No matter who you are or where you are, I believe this long-term friendship sensation would happen for us too. It already exists for some of us. If you would like to join a virtual gathering to connect with me and others from this group, watch for posts inviting you to a virtual garden party. More information about gatherings in the garden will follow this.

THE FOURTH GIFT IS COMPASSION. May you be gentle with yourself and others… – from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

This entry was posted on July 25, 2020, in Compassion, Health and Healing, Mindfulness, Peace, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone, Wisdom and tagged balanced living, Building Inner Peace, building self-worth, daily inspiration, Friendship, Mindfulness, motivational words, SELF COMPASSION, Using Wisdom.

“I will not play at tug o’ war.
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs…”   ~ Shel Silverstein

Me too. I’d rather hug. How about you?

I love hugs. Real hugs. For now, I’ll settle for the gestured-from-a-distance-hugs that I exchange with my grandchildren. Actually, it’s not just settling. I welcome them because love fills the safe, social distancing gap between us.

Heart Hugs. The phrase just popped into my mind.

Heart Hugs. What might they be?

While we wait for this time to pass, this time of difficulty achieving meetings of our minds, let’s aim for meetings of our hearts. Heart Hugs. 

Even if we hold very different perspectives on many issues, surely we can find places where our highest visions connect, where the same things make us laugh, and where the same pain makes us cry.

Tugs. Not of war. Tugs that thaw fears and melt hate and heal hurts and lead us to harmony and heart hugs.

Let’s play at those.

With love,
Charlene

THE FOURTH GIFT IS COMPASSION. May you be gentle with yourself and others…  –  from The Twelve Gifts of Birth                             

---

This entry was posted on July 24, 2020, in Compassion, Health and Healing, Hope, Imagination, Inspiration, JOY, Reverence, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone, Wisdom.

“We have to support the beauty, the poetry, of life.” ~ Jonas Mekas

What a difference it would make if we could let nature give us daily inspiration. Surely within us there would be more peace. Among us there would be more harmony if we sauntered along sandy beaches, toured through rich gardens or hiked Red Rock trails, smelled juniper and mesquite, and admired cyan-blue sky. What If we could stroll through sunny meadows or meander through shady forests?

Instead of remaining angry, instead of feeding fear, in some way, let’s let the natural world soothe us, heal us, and guide us toward peace, harmony, and respect for all people and all creation.

We may see a lot that disturbs us, but much more love and hope and courage and compassion is happening in the world now. Let’s look for that. Let’s share news of that. Let’s be a part of that. And if we can’t be near nature in some vast form, let’s bring in a houseplant, watch birds, and smell the freshness of a lemon. Seriously, there is always a way to find a little blossom and connect to it.

With hope,
Charlene

We can also receive daily inspirations from quotes, reflections, and stories about nature.

My forthcoming book, The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being

is filled with them. Arriving September 15, you can pre-order it now,    https://tinyurl.com/yxhoa5tr

If you liked Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Twelve Gifts from the Garden is very similar, with flowers and trees on Sanibel Island stirring the stories instead of shells on Florida’s sister island, Captiva. Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of Anne and Charles Lindbergh and author of Two Lives, says this about The Twelve Gifts from the Garden:

In this lovely, thoughtful series of meditations on what the author calls the “simple-yet-sacred” moments of our lives, Charlene Costanzo calls upon the beauty of the natural world outside ourselves as well as the quiet wisdom that lies within us, offering strength and healing. This book is a gift of peace and comfort for all readers.

Other advance readers agree that this book will have a prominent place among inspirational gifts and best friend gift ideas and say things like:

“There is so much to learn from nature and Charlene ties it all together beautifully .

   I didn’t want the book to end and I know I will read it again and again.” – Adrienne Falzone, author, The Search for the Perfect Shell and other children’s books.

“The Twelve Gifts from the Garden is a joyful read bursting with the beauty of nature and reflections of lessons learned in life.  I have been a fan of Charlene Costanzo’s daily emails and books for many years.  Most mornings reading her reflections give me goosebumps because they are like having a cup of coffee with God.  They are what I would imagine God would be saying to me in that moment because Charlene’s reflections were inline with what I prayed the night before.  This is a wonderful book to gift yourself and others!  – Gina La Benz, author of Anchor Moments:  Hope, Healing, and Forgiveness

“From the very first paragraph, I felt my spirit stirred—like when you don’t know how thirsty you are until that first sip of cool water. Instantly, I was transported to an enchanted island to experience insightful gifts alongside the author. Her prose is as soothing as the scenes she describes. Charlene will renew your wonder and gratitude for our beautiful earth, and the gifts and lessons available to us all when we’re mindfully watching.” – Angela Howell, author of Finding the Gift: Daily Meditations for Mindfulness

“Just as the waves of the sea ebb and flow, so do the currents of our lives. Charlene Costanzo’s The Twelve Gifts from the Garden, with its stunning imagery and poignant recollections, reminds us to savor the pleasures and discoveries of the day, the healing power of nature, and the joy of connection — to oneself and others.” – Maryann Ridini Spencer, award-winning screenwriter and bestselling author of Lady in the Window and The Paradise Table

---

This entry was posted on July 22, 2020, in Beauty, Compassion, Hope, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Peace, Reverence, Spirituality, Today's Touchstone, Touchstone, Wonder and tagged daily inspiration.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new”  – Socrates   

Let’s give our best and do our best to keep ourselves healthy and hopeful and to build a safer, kinder world with respect and harmony among us. 

Love and strength to you and yours, 
Charlene

“A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.” ~ Wangari Maathai

Trees. Let’s learn from them. They give us so much, including life-sustaining oxygen, life-affirming examples, and life-guiding lessons.

One valuable lesson for these confusing times is this:

Potentials are present in every challenge. In fact, great transformation is possible now. We can each help bring healing, compassion, and respect for all people into the world…justice, peace, and reverence for all creation too. We do this by staying rooted deeply in the values we are reaching for. We become like a tree that draws sustenance from its roots for the strengthening of every leaf and opening of every flower. We do this by practicing compassion, courage, reverence…all the highest ideals that are in the essence, the heart, of every person, religion, and culture on earth.

Essentially, we LIVE The Twelve Gifts, especially love.  

Among our Twelve Gifts is talent, or talentry. Like branches on a tree, we all have a special abilities and interests that are expressions of us. Often the things we like to do, the things we care about – our talentry – branches in many directions. In addition to practicing compassion with courage, we can nurture the blossoming our talents and use them to make a difference.

With love,
Charlene

THE SEVENTH GIFT IS TALENT: May you discover your own special abilities and contribute them toward a better world.

This entry was posted on June 9, 2020, in Touchstone.

“Makes no difference who you are…”
– Leigh Harline and Ned Washington

It’s true. It makes no difference.

“Makes no difference who you are,” goes the song, “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Jiminy Cricket sings it in the film, Pinocchio.

The message is meant for all of us. We all deserve to have dreams. And when they come from our hearts, they can come true.

Another true message for all of us is demonstrated by Coco, the kitten in the photo with her security blanket, “Fishie.”

Everyone needs to feel safe and secure. We all deserve to be safe and secure. We all deserve to have dreams and be free to follow them.

Let’s do all we can to assure safety and the freedom to be oneself, for ourselves and for all. This includes fostering respect and reverence within ourselves and cultivating then in our culture. How might we do this?

Here are some ways to consider:

Practice mindfulness and compassion for oneself.

Notice when thoughts about ourselves and others are harsh. Get into the habit of then pausing, taking a few slow, deep breaths, and saying something like, “I forgive myself for judging myself and others as not good enough, bad, worthless, dumb, lazy, weak, stupid, ugly, or whatever negative label we are using.”

Apply love like a healing balm for our hearts. One way to do this is by placing our hands over our hearts, close our eyes, intend to have love flow into our hearts, and stay in this position until subtle or strong warmth is felt.

Avoid all books, films, games, conversations, and situations that celebrate and encourage meanness.

Perform at least one deliberate act of kindness every day.

Smile often.

Another activity to try and possibly make a habit is to remember that every person we see and encounter was an innocent, trusting, playful toddler. Take this further by, as best we can, “seeing” at least one person each day as they sweet child they once were. Imagine getting in touch with the young child we were. Stir love and compassion for the children we were and the child we aim to see in others, in all.

Pray for increased love and respect flowing among us all.

Reach inside for courage and strength every time we feel reluctant, shy, afraid, not important enough, or any other limiting perspective that holds us back from doing the right thing and from following our dreams.

I wish you deep sleep and beautiful dreams, the REM kind and the make-a-difference-in-the-world kind. I wish you peace and hope too.

With love,
Charlene

The eighth gift is IMAGINATION. May it nourish your visions and dreams. – from The Twelve Gifts of Birth

This entry was posted on June 7, 2020, in Compassion, Courage, Hope, Imagination, Inspiration, Love, Mindfulness, Peace, Prayer, Reverence, Spirituality, Strength, Tools, Touchstone.