Roots And Wings

Hello, Happy Saturday! I hope your doing well. I am doing great, I'm still loving my new job and all the new friends I'm making. Today is a big day for my family, as Scott will be graduating from High School. I'm sure I'll have eyes full of tears as he walks across the stage, but they will not be all tears of a Mother watching her baby become a man, in what now seems to feel like the time span of a blink of an eye, not 18 yrs. They will also be tears of joy and pride. After I wipe those tears dry, I'm sure I'll smile as I think of all the hope and promise that lies before him. He is now free to begin living his dreams. They say as Parents "We can give our children two things :one is roots, the other is wings” We've given him well grounded roots, so today we will, we will give him his wings.
Thanks for visiting,
Janet :)

Take Heart

Hello, I hope all of you are doing well today, I am doing good. Recently I came across a great website on Buddhism in which I found this beautiful poem. I have always found myself connecting to, or as they say, enlightened by their teachings. It is more of a spiritual practice IMO, you may perceive it differently. It teaches you tools to live your life, and teaches basic humanity 101. As I come to understand it better myself, I will try to simplify it and share what I learn. I have already shared the basic root of their teachings with my loving kindness meditation posts. I feel this poem is teaching us the healthy tools in life we need to help balance our emotions through the difficult times.
Thanks for visiting,
Janet :)



TAKE HEART...
But also
take comfort, healing,
rest and love

Leave Sorrow,
Amongst the rocks and woods
who most of the time are far
stronger & better able to
handle such loads

Take Courage,
But also,take honesty, courtesy,
empathy and patience

Leave Doubt,
Amidst the deep ocean waters
watch it sink there until you
cannot cling to it any longer

Take Faith,
But leave with an open mind,
an open hand, open arms

Take Whatever,
you need to make it
through,
Leave what keeps you
from going on,
Tears only go so far,
Fear only holds so long,
Though your feet may bleed and
your hands tremble,
Take deep compassion for the
suffering of another, and journey on

by Jennifer Edwards

Let The Clouds Pass Over

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing good. I really loved
this loving kindness meditation. Have you ever noticed that
the sky isn't hurt by the clouds that pass by? Weather
the day is gray and bleak, or bright blue with wispy tenfrills
of clouds, the sky remains unchanged. We can learn to be this
way with our own feelings. No matter what's going on around us,
through the cultivation of awareness and mindfulness of the
moments we can establish a place within us that is stable,
unchanging. The next time the world around you is in disarray,
simply say to yourself this loving kindness meditation. "May
I find a place of stability and stillness within myself" If
you stay focused on this intention you will find calm in our
ever changing world.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Accept Yourself

Accept Yourself

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing good, I think this meditation is a critical step on the road to self improvement and spirital growth. I have sturggled with this, although I find as I get older I have become more forgiving towards myself and accepting of my faults. I wake up everyday teachable and hope to stay that way. Weather you take time each day to fully meditate, which would be considered formal meditation or you simply speak these words to yourself informally to change the old tapes in your head, the next time you feel unhappy with yourself for one of your shortcomings that leads you to feel inferior to others and may lead to isolation and a feeling of being seperate from the world, relax take a few breaths and focus on what aspect of yourself you have trouble accepting. Maybe you have trouble making decisions, or you consume to much caffine! When you bring that to your mind try to surround that thought with loving kindness and feel the warmth melt your feelings of aversion and dislike as you begin to accept this part of yourself. Simply say, "May I accept this part of myself", "May I love myself just as I am." Eventually what you thought was so unacceptable about yourself will turn into more self love and a better state of self worth. Thanks for visiting my blog,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Love Travels Like The Wind

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing good. I hope you all have a good
weekend. I wanted to share this loving kindness meditation with you today.

Love travels like the wind

I like how that sounds, love travels like the wind. Gandi referred to love as the "subtlest force in the universe", because like the wind it can travel anywhere. Love is a deep feeling of goodwill that actuaslly has the power to make you and others feel. What would it be like if you were to meet anger with love. What a miracle that would be! It takes strength to chose to love whole-heartedly in
the face of anger. This is a lifelong challange, but in the end the efforts could make a big difference in your daily life. The next time someone acts out in anger towards you, like a co-worker lashing out at you, or the bus driver who rolls his eyes when you pay for your fare with pennies. See if you can send love their way instead of anger. Anger dries your heart out, love moistens it. Think to yourself, "You gave me your anger, I do not accept it. Your anger is still your own." Direct these loving-kindness phrases to this person in your mind. May you be filled with loving-kindness, May you be peaceful and at ease, May you be happy. The greatest happiness you could ever hope for would be to have a loving heart in any and every situation. It may be tough to compassionate at times, but it's certainly worth it. Maybe over time it will become like second nature. I am gonna give it a try, I hope you do too. Thanks for visiting
my blog today,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Melt the Ice

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing good. Today I wanted to share
another loving kindness meditation with you. The next time you can't
stop thinking that you're a terrible person who hasn't contributed
anything of worth to the world. As we often are our own worst enemy
and put many expectations on ourselves. Chose either a informal or
formal way of meditating and notice the painful or uncomfortable
thoughts that are vying for your attention. Let them pass through
your mind like clouds. Begin to think of someone from your past who
loved you. For example a school teacher who recognized you had a gift
for language, or a mentor who helped you develop a craft for art. Picture
that person sitting in front of you smiling. Feel this person extending
love and care to you in the form of radiant light like the rays from the sun.
Let your heart open up to receive this warm light. If your heart feels
blocked imagine this barrier as a thin layer of ice melting to make room
for this love. As you let this warmth from this person into your heart
let it overflow with love and gratitude. Let this feeling flow throughout
your entire body, filling you with the sensation of peace and ease.
After feeling this way for a couple of minutes bring yourself back to
your day. Try to hold on to these feelings and as you go about your
day and share them with the world. You will make it a better place.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Forgive Yourself

Hi Everyone,



Forgive Yourself
We are always so easy to forgive others but not ourselves. Forgiveness is essential to letting go of self hatred and self judgement. When we forgive ourselves, we release deeply held negative feelings and it frees us from the past. You can choose to do this meditation either in a formal meditation by sitting and taking deep breaths or informal by simply saying these phrases to yourself as you go about your day. To start this meditation of self forgiveness think of a situation for which you have not been able to forgive yourself. I know I can think of a few things, as well as all of can because we are our own worst critic. With the same kindness you would extend to a dear friend, repeat this phrase to yourself. "For any hurt I caused myself in this situation, knowingly or unknowingly, I offer myself forgiveness." You can repeat this phrase to yourself as much as you feel you need to. When you feel a gentle wave of kindness wash over you allow yourself to float in this feeling of forgiveness. If feelings of unworthiness come up, breathe gently accept these feelings, and remember the goodness in your wish to forgive yourself. When your done with this meditation, release any guilt you're holding or negative thoughts you have about yourself. Give yourself credit for doing an exercise that may have been difficult for you. Forgiveness can arise from the simple intention to be kinder to yourself, and it can soften the mental pain you may have suffered. I think the most important key in these meditations is to always view yourself and if it was your best friend or a loved one. The more we do that the more we will learn to love ourselves without hesitation. The happier we are with ourselves, the happier we will be with all that is around us.
Thanks for visiting my blog today,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Loving Kindness To Go

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing good. I would like to share with you some loving kindness meditations to help during stressful situations. You know when you get up in the morning and your running late and then you get stuck in traffic and from that point on your day is ruined. Well take kindness for a drive. When you feel the power of anger overcoming you simply take a few deep breaths. Shifting your attention towards your breathing will help you come down from your agitated state. Start to pay attention to your self talk. Are you being critical of yourself for running late. As you breath replace the critical thinking of yourself with May the anger I feel at this moment leave me. May my body be calm. May my mind be peaceful. May I be at ease in this moment. Repeat them to yourself if needed and hopefully sooner than later you will begin to feel calm and move throughout your day in a better state of mind. Another meditation to help bring calm into your day is one of remembering kindness of your family. Often times we spend to much time focusing on what our parents did wrong or siblings. To change these thoughts simply doing a breathing exercise and focus on the acts of kindness your family did for you. If your mom made you a special cake for your birthday. Did your Mom or Dad cook your favorite dinner when you asked. Did your brother or sister willing play games with you that were fun and brought happiness to you at that moment. When you visualize the goodness coming from your family towards you, let yourself feel this love and say to yourself "May I feel the love and care I received as a child". Rest in that feeling for a few moments and enjoy it for the rest of the day.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
Take Care,
Janet

Love Yourself

Hi Everyone,
Hi hope you are all doing well. I am doing good. Another snowy day in New England. It has been a a very snowy season this year and all around is nothing but mounds of snow. It is pretty at first but then after a few days it is just dirty looking and blah.I don't get down though, I like having 4 seasons. Today I want to continue to share with everyone the practice of Loving-Kindness meditation. I have to say I don't always have the time to practice this but now that I have started to, I honestly feel less anxious than I use to. I am truly returning to a state of happiness that I have not felt since my mother had her double stroke in 2006. I endured 17 months of watching her suffer with the effects of a double stroke. I did not feel love or joy for a long time only pain and anxiety. So I recommend this even in small doses for yourself. Thanks for visiting my blog
Take Care,
Janet :)
Discover Your Enormous Potential for Happiness
Everyone want to be happy. You may not realize that happiness comes from within you. Real self-worth is entirely internal. The exercises in this section will give you an opportunity to practice compassion and love for yourself. You may find that you'll experience feelings of joy and contentment not just while you're doing the exercises but long after your practice has ended. The best way to start is to look through these different loving-kindness practices and see which ones resonate with you. Then do the ones you like. You can repeat the same one many times. Give yourself a chance to open your heart as you practice these meditations. Two meditations I will share with you today and more to follow in my next posts on loving-kindness.
Be Your Own Best Friend.
The foundation of loving-kindness is knowing how to be your own best friend. How do you treat your best friend? Is it with care, attention, love, and concern? Here is an exercise that offers you those same deep feelings for others towards yourself. This practice helps you remember your core goodness. I would suggest either informal or formal meditation whichever works best for you. When your in a comfortable place simply breath in and out to relax your body and mind, then say these words to yourself. First remember a time when you felt open and friendly, Like the feeling you get when a child takes your hand, or a dog runs up to greet you, or your sweetheart wraps you up in a warm embrace. As these memories or feelings emerge let yourself feel the warm emotions. Next gently direct these phrases towards yourself. May I be kind to myself, May I rest in this moment, May I be at ease and May I be happy.
Loving-Kindness Towards Your Body. This one may be hard as we all find fault with our bodies. You may hate your thighs but love your eyes. This exercise will help you to direct acceptance of all of your body. Follow the same steps as the one above, what ever works best for you and simply say these words towards all the parts of your body, liked or not liked. Visualize yourself feeling good about the parts of your body you really like. Rest in that feeling for a few moments. Now focus on the parts of your body that you don't like and treat them with kindness, repeat these phrases. May I be kind to my body, May I make friends with my body, May I free from hate, May I be free from fear. Relax and let your breaths comfort you. Slowly bring yourself back to your day.

Learn to Befriend Yourself

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. I am doing good. This post is a continuance of the Loving-Kindness meditation that I have been sharing with you. I hope it helps you to feel good about yourself today and everyday there after.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.
Take Care,
Janet :)

Learn to Befriend Yourself,
If you feel bad about yourself, your sense of self-worth may be low and your self-talk may be quite unfriendly, even mean. You may have thoughts that you're never good enough, that you're never going to meet your goals or have the life you're dreamed of. The negative voices in your head might sound like this: "I'm Stupid and incompetent." "I'm ugly and fat." "Everyone else seems to have it together but me. Why did I do that? I'll never forgive myself. I'm a total failure." "Can you hear the unkindness in those words?" Those are words you would never say to a friend you love and care about. "Imagine what would happen if you looked at yourself, all your parts,even the ones you don't like-with kindness and compassion. You might begin to see how some thoughts bring you pain while others bring you happiness. Loving-kindness meditation can help change negative self-talk. When you befriend yourself, self criticism and self-judging begin to decrease. As you practice compassion toward yourself, you'll find you can make friends with your inner critic. Meeting self-hate with kindness can loosen its grip. Once you begin to free yourself, you start to respect and care for yourself as a good friend. In order for this to happen, you can't just read about loving-kindness meditation-you need to experience it. Actually practicing the meditation is key to removing the old habits. You begin to train your mind in kindness.

Informal Practice of Loving Kindness

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well, I am doing good. The online magazine I write for is back up and running I hope you will visit it and read my weekly articles, and all the great articles there as well. I will put the link to it at the end of this post. There is also a link on my blogs sidebar.
I want to begin the Informal Practice of Loving-Kindness.
Loving-Kindness meditation can be practiced informally. Every day situations present you with many opportunities to shift your old mental habits and learn to treat yourself and the world differently. You will learn to direct kindness to yourself and to others throughout your daily travels, from being stuck at the doctors office, or on a train or stuck in traffic. This practice will also teach you loving kindness towards yourself when you are feeling cranky,or upset or just not in full operational mode. Use this meditation when you can't sleep, are worried about something, and are fearful or angry about a situation. Repeating Loving-Kindness phrases you will reinforce them in yourself and your daily situations. For example, May everyone in this world be safe. May the person in the car next to me be at ease. May all the people in the store be peaceful, May I rest and feel peaceful. Every time you repeat a phrase, you deepen the intention in your mind and heart for your own happiness and the happiness to others. You may begin to see that there's not so much separation between yourself and others. Everyone wishes to feel happiness, it is this wish for happiness that unites us all. This practice allows your to open to the moment. Don't become attached to outcome: your are not trying to control things, but rather to learn to treat the moment with kindness. Just do the best you can and know that your best is good enough.
This is just the beginning of Informal Practice of Loving-Kindness, more posts to follow
Take Care,
Janet :)
http://www.angelsezine.com/

My Little Christmas Angel

Hi Everyone,
Briana now being 14 months old really enjoyed Christmas this year. As soon as she saw the presents under the tree she smiled ear to ear. Being the proud Grandma I had to share them with everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I had a great Christmas,the prime rib I cooked came out perfect, that never happens to me. It truly was a Christmas miracle. Thanks for all the comments on my last post. You helped me get through this first one and helped keep my spirit up. I kept focus on the thought that love transcends death. It made me feel true happiness for the day, thanks pinklady for sharing that with me. I will be posting soon the informal practice of loving kindness. Angelsezine is temporarily down but I am sure it will be back up soon. I hope you will read my articles and all the wonderful articles on the site.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
Take Care,
Janet :)

Final Instructions on Formal Loving Kindness

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. I am doing good. I want to share the rest of the formal loving-kindness meditation with you today. The next practice with be the informal meditation. I hope you find something in this meditation that helps you in your daily life. I am using it to help with the healing process.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Take Care,
Janet :)

If you didn't start to feel kindness to yourself in the beginning of the formal meditation. Your not doing it wrong. Let yourself reflect on a wish to be happy and peaceful. If you still don't feel it, remember that the old mind habits take time to change. Think of it as a opportunity to practice patience toward yourself without judgment or guilt. You can always come back to yourself as often as you like.
After a period of time, let go of yourself and shift the focus to a loved one. For example think of a family member, good friend possibly a mentor or someone who has treated you with kindness and generosity. Someone who has inspired or enriched your life. This should be someone that you can easily extend friendliness and kindness.
Use the phrases from my earlier post or create your own phrases, just replace the I with your loved ones name. Visualize their face as you say the phrases and allow good wishes, kindness and warm feelings in you to flow to this person, wishing them well wherever they are in the world. For example May Sue be healthy, May Sue be happy, May Sue be peaceful, May Sue be safe. After this deep connection with your loved one shift your attention towards a person you feel neutral about, someone you do not know well. Repeat the same phrases. Your gift of wishing kindness is anonymous and offered freely. Your kindness may do a stranger good. Next shift your focus on a difficult person. This is someone you have conflict with, someone you judge or resent. Repeat the phrases again. If opening your heart to someone you don't like seems to challenging, simply return your attention to yourself. The last focus is to shift your attention and repeat the phrases to the rest of the world. To all people, animals, plants, the earth, and all living things. Think of people in other countries who may be in need of loving-kindness. As you extend the feelings of friendship, caring and kindness to all individuals and all forms of life, a sense of boundlessness may arise in you. Recognize and enjoy that feeling.
When you're ready to end your formal practice, bring attention back to yourself. Take a few deep breaths. Gently begin to move your body. You might want to wiggle your fingers and toes. If you have warm feelings inside, just rest with those for a moment. End your practice bye opening your eyes and then, when you're ready, move out of your meditation position. Let the expansiveness and compassion you experienced during meditation follow you throughout your day.

Formal Practice of Loving-Kindness

Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. I am doing good. In my last post about loving-kindness meditation I finished with there are two ways to practice it, formal and informal. Tonight I am going to share with you the formal way. You can practice both of them together or separate, it is all up to you. You will find what brings you the greatest benefit from this meditation to self love and love of all things around you. When you practice the formal practice of Loving-Kindness spend 5 minutes meditating on each group, love towards yourself, a loved one, a person you feel neutral about, a difficult person and all loving things. To begin this practice take a comfortable position and close your eyes. Find a comfortable chair or cushion and sit with your spine straight. If sitting up is uncomfortable, you can lie down. Take a few deep breaths and focus on the breathing. Take a deep breath and feel your chest and abdomen rise, then exhale and relax. If you can't relax visualize when you exhale tension leaving your body. When you begin to relax think of feelings of friendliness and kindness, like how you feel when a child takes your hand, or you see your best friend. Try to remember how it feels to be generous, remember a time you did something to help another. You may begin to feel calm and joy, feel it now vividly as possible. As you access the feelings of friendliness and kindness in yourself gently direct a set of phrases towards yourself. Look over the ones below and if they don't suit you find what works for you. May I be happy, May I be healthy, May I have peace, May I be safe. Repeat these phrases gently as if you were speaking to a friend. It is important to drop into the meaning and feelings behind the words. Let the words be your guide, keeping you on track and anchored in the practice. Every time you repeat and feel these phrases you are training your mind to loving-kindness. There is more to this formal practice of loving-kindness. I will continue on in my next post. I think it is better to take a little in at a time. We simply cannot undue years of whatever we have thought of ourselves. Being raised Catholic myself, I was always feeling like I had to be perfect, if I sinned I would burn in hell. How could that have built self esteem and self love towards myself or any child for that matter. Even though I felt love from my parents, back then they were not so in tune to helping us to build that self esteem. Not to fault them, but they were raised in a certain way and they parented they way that they knew. I have always been a loving person. I feel with this practice I will TRULY become a loving person. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Take Care,
Janet :)