Write it on your heart

As the new year (new decade!) approaches holding so much possibility, I thought it worth remembering that every new day, holds the same promise and equal opportunity for new beginnings. The first line of this poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson has been one of my favourite quotes for a long time. I was glad to find the remaining lines this morning and have posted them here for you.

Wishing you a blessed and bountiful 2010!

Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

- ralph waldo emerson -

thoughts on courage

2010 is rapidly approaching. There are only 3 more days before my year of courage begins.

I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks thinking about what courage means and how to muster it. I've read up a bit on it, and searched for its definition and origin. I've played with the word in my mind and with my voice. I do like the sound of it - it has a rich strong sound that seems to come from the back of the throat and then settle on the tip of the tongue between the teeth.
Quietly saying the word seems to bring me to my centre.

Apparently the word courage has its origins in the Latin word cor which means heart.

Thus it seems that living courageously is all about living - being, listening, choosing, doing, speaking, moving - from the heart.

Our fears exist for the most part in our heads. In situations where there is no 'clear and present danger', our imagined threats are what halt us in our tracks.
Our heads swing from yes to no and back again. Our hearts know the truth.
Our heads toss up the pros and cons. Our hearts know what needs to be done.
Our heads doubt our abilities. Our hearts trust that we have all that we need.
Our heads remind us of our past mistakes. Our hearts forgive. Over and over again.
Our heads can generate endless fears. Our hearts are a source of infinite love.

So living with fear or living with courage boils down to a simple choice between listening to the voices in our heads, or following our hearts.

Christmas Greetings

I'd like to share with you this Christmas, an excerpt from Marianne Williamson's Soulful Living website.

"Why does the mystic celebrate Christmas?

Because the birth of Jesus heralds the opportunity for new life on earth, not just for one man but for the entire human race. Christmas represents the spiritual possibility that we will leave behind who we used to be and become who we were created to be. Mary represents the soul, impregnated by the seed of God, giving birth to the highest possibility within us. We emerge as transformed beings, mothered by our humanity and fathered by God, risen at last to our true reality. The star of Christmas, the light that glowed in a darkened sky, is literally the realization that there lies within us such divine potential. Our mystical union with Mary and Jesus illumines not only our understanding, but also the trajectory of our entire lives.

It lifts us into the spiritual vortex of the truth their lives revealed."

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous Christmas!

loss

“i am sorry for your loss” she said
“so very sorry”
but how do i grieve for something that was not yet mine?
only starting
slowly forming
how do i grieve for something that i never knew?
an unexpected gift
silently hoped for

i took some time to believe it
but i held onto a quiet promise: two blue lines
i tossed around visions of a different future
a future where we would be five
already so blessed
i felt greedy for wanting so much joy

then
suddenly gone
taken in a river of blood
tears wash away my pain
leaving a hole where once there was hope
i am empty

yet

overflowing with love

my word for 2010 revisited

A few weeks ago I wrote about choosing a word for 2010...and at the end of my post I suggested that my word for the year might be VITALITY. It seems to sum up how I want my life to be, and how I want to feel each day - full of energy, strength and vibrant health.

Now this is definitely still a goal but I've realised that before I can really live my best, most vital life I need to address some deeper issues around my self image, my doubts and fears, my beliefs about who and what I am capable of being. So I've decide to change my word for 2010 to COURAGE.

This quote from Maya Angelou encapsulates why courage is so very important -

"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."

It takes courage to be true to yourself.

It takes courage to speak up and risk ridicule or rejection.

It takes courage to act when you feel crippled by fear.

It takes courage to take the road less travelled.

It takes courage to let go of old hopes and dreams.

It takes courage to create a new vision for your life.
It takes courage to say No.

It takes courage to say Yes.

It takes courage to walk away.

It takes courage to stay.

It takes courage to trust yourself to choose what is right for you.

It takes courage to stop complaining and accept responsibility.

It takes courage to be happy knowing that sadness is lurking in the shadows.

Where would we be without courage?

What sort of a life are we living if we don't embrace courage as our highest value.

So 2010, here I come, fuelled by COURAGE, ready to reach for my best life.

Thaw by Fiona Robyn

Fiona Robyn is going to blog her next novel, Thaw, starting on the 1st of March next year. The novel follows 32 year old Ruth’s diary over three months as she decides whether or not to carry on living.

To help spread the word she’s organising a Blogsplash, where blogs will publish the first page of Ruth’s diary simultaneously (and a link to the blog).

She’s aiming to get 1000 blogs involved – if you’d be interested in joining in, email her at fiona@fionarobyn.com or find out more information at http://www.fionarobyn.com/thawblogsplash.htm.

I'm really looking forward to being a part of the online release of Thaw! Why don't you join up too?