Happy holidays! I know this can be a busy time – last minute everything! Hopefully you’re able to enjoy a few moments of mindfulness in the midst of it all. One way I do this for myself is through reflection and bringing my focus back to what’s really important to me.

What keeps coming up for me is being present, being of service, and the gift of giving.

“For it is in giving that we receive.”   – Saint Francis of Assisi

It’s the beginning of the week which means your checklist might be extra-long. Not to mention it's December which can be busier and more stressful for some. 

Is your monkey mind jumping all over the place? Do you feel annoyed? If ONLY you could be focused and get some peace and quiet in your head. 

Is it just me - or do you ever wake up in the morning, have your day completely planned in your head and it doesn’t turn out that way at all? Happens all of the time, right?

Then what? Do we freak out or choose to go with the flow?

So we hear it all of the time that “Attitude is everything”, right? 

Well, check this out. When you add up the letters of ‘Attitude’ it equals 100.  

That’s kind of cool, don’t you think?

I'd like to share my journey with you in hopes you can relate or find some inspiration....We are all in this together!

I have experienced tremendous personal growth this year - and as a result feel greater self-love and resilience. As I am writing this I am filled with gratitude. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Yes. 100%.

Do you want to try something simple that will brighten your day and someone else's?

Take a moment and imagine the next person you expect to see today.

Can you picture him or her?

The first time I read about the idea that our thoughts create our reality was in my early twenties. It was Louise Hay’s book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’. It blew me away. And although I didn’t necessarily make big changes in my thinking at that time, it did 'plant seeds' which would later grow.

There are some people who have a naturally positive, kind and giving way about them. Do you know anyone like this? I do, my brother-in-law Rob.

Every Sunday, for several months of the year, Rob gives the women in our family a sunflower - just because!  He loves sunflowers. They make him happy and he wants to share his happiness with us. 

I always like to share with you whatever is on my mind or a topic that other people are bringing up. 

So this week I wanted to talk with you about the power of what we speak.

Everything starts in the mind with a thought – and from there we can choose what we do with it.

Ah yes, I love this topic about the ‘perfect meditation’.

Why? Because I know it well.

You know…it’s that picture of someone sitting in a perfect lotus posture looking SO at peace. They clearly have no thoughts and are deep, deep into their meditation.

When I was away at the silent meditation retreat last month I didn’t have access to my cell phone for 10 days. That’s the longest I’ve ever gone without it!

I handed it in when I arrived on day one and by day 10, I had made some really interesting observations around my thoughts and behaviours with my phone and social media use.

I’ve returned from my 10 day silent retreat.  How was it? Well, AMAZING! And I’d like to share some of my experience with you.

The teacher was S.N. Goenka. He called the 10 days, “a surgery on the mind”. We were going in and doing some deep work, meditating for 10 hours a day with teachings every evening. Our day started at 4:30am and ended at 9:00pm.
 

I love hanging out with my great nieces and nephews and children in general. They are so real (no filters), so silly and so much fun! 

They are fully present. They aren’t worried about the past or the future. They express how they feel. When they are sad, they are sad. When they are happy, they are happy. It's so refreshing.
 

It doesn't matter how old I am when September rolls around I still get that 'back to school' feeling. 

I remember being excited about the first day of school - to see all of my friends, having new school supplies and a brand new outfit to wear.

Was I excited about learning? Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. But the learning still happened!

As you are reading this -  I am at a meditation retreat up north and I have been in complete silence for 6 days. Oh how I love my life and my amazing assistant who keeps things rolling. Thank you Dan!

My life is getting better and better all of the time, and it feels great to acknowledge this.

In a few days, I'm heading up north to a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I am very excited!

Yes - complete silence. There is no reading, writing, listening to music. We do long hours of meditation (10 hours or more) and also walking meditations in nature. A bonus - the food is delicious.

We all have stress, right?

Some stress is actually good for us.  

Unfortunately, a lot people are stressed out most of the time.

It has become the norm...It was my norm for years and years.

I experienced a random act of kindness and I wanted to share it with you...it made me smile and I hope it brightens your day as well!

I take a walk along the river almost every day – I just love it. 

This is what I saw on my walk.....