Life is a mix. Our relationships with the world and the people in it are dynamic and ever changing. One minute we are mindful of each other, and the next minute we are unmindful.

​Recently, as I was driving around town, I was amazed at how many people in cars let me go ahead of them or let me enter into a long line that I otherwise would still be waiting to enter. Everyone was so kind that I noticed the loving kindness.

The next day...well, you know.

Life and people -- us people -- are not always consistent, not always present.

As a minor and first world example -- because we each have very big examples of this point -- I went into two craft stores and asked for help from customer service. In store #1 when I asked about their products, the women workers said they had no idea what I was looking for and had never heard of the product. After the manager shrugged her shoulders and walked away, rather than walking out and leaving, I spoke up, "Do you think we could look up the product online? The internet says you have the product." Another worker said, "I'll do it," and added, "but you will have to follow me to another department." She trudged off. 

It took everything in my being not to say "isn't this your job?" 

But I kept thinking of the years of mindfulness training that I have experienced. What a waste if I didn't put all that education into practice. So after the experience of the worker's "not" help of not finding the product and acting irritated throughout our interaction, I said instead, "Thank you so much for taking the time to look that up for me. I really appreciate it."  Of course, I had to make a conscious decision to say this to her. I was teaching myself how to be mindful in that moment, and of course, her attitude shifted.

Store #2, same scenario. Never heard of the product, we don't have that, not moving to help me find it. Well, don't you know, I found that lonesome little product sitting on a shelf. As I approached the check out counter with product in hand there was a long, long line. I was feeling tired and thought about leaving. At that moment, the woman in front of me turned around and offered me a 25% off coupon. I accepted her gift and thanked her.

Life is a mix.

It's difficult, then it's good, then generous, then meager, then surprising, then maddening, then confusing and then joyful. We are mindful and then not mindful.

Here is my prayer around this topic:

Lord, teach me to be patient. Teach me to love even when I don't feel like loving. Teach me to listen when my first reaction is to speak. On the other hand, help me to speak up when that is the mindful action that is needed. Teach me to let the other driver go ahead. Teach me to help, and help me put into practice all that I have learned about being ever mindful of your children here on earth. We are each so very, very Precious. Let us treat each other that way. 

Life is a mix. Let's slow down and be ever mindful of each other.

Have something you would like to add to the conversation? Please share your thoughts in the comments section. We want to hear from yoU!

Love,
Blessed

Whenever I log on to a research data base on my computer, a security network sign shows up on the screen asking me if I want to “BLOCK CHANGE” or “ALLOW CHANGE”. The system wants to make sure that I am choosing to move onto a secure site. 

I always click on “ALLOW CHANGE”, and by doing this, I have access to a gold mine worth of research.



​I was thinking about the correlation to making this decision in our individual lives.

What if every time a change was going to occur in our life, a sign popped up asking us if we wanted to BLOCK or ALLOW change? I wonder how many times we might be tempted to click BLOCK CHANGE. 

As a species, we don’t like change too much. Personally, I can think of, oh, a thousand or more changes that have occurred in my life where I would have liked to have hit BLOCK CHANGE…yes BLOCK, BLOCK, BLOCK.

Yet, change is inevitable.

The good news is that, so often, change is the catalyst needed to usher us into greater abundance. YAY and YES to greater abundance!! If we only could trust more.

In fact, I can think of so many changes that I would have preferred to not happen, and yet as I look back, I realize that I have been so blessed as a result of many of those changes.

An example comes to mind. Years ago, I was house sitting for a couple who was traveling on a year-long trip around the world. Cozily moved into my great temporary home, and two months in, the couple had to move back into their home. This left me without a place to live and uncertainty regarding the months ahead. BLOCK CHANGE. 

The day I had to move out -- the day after Christmas -- I spontaneously got on a plane to Florida, and oh my, what very unexpected blessings were dropped into my life like manna from heaven as a result of that unwanted CHANGE! I stayed for three weeks on the beach, came back home, packed my things, drove out of a very snowy driveway, and moved to Florida! I absolutely felt like I was home there with long daily strolls on the beach, talking with the dolphins, and my "just until my skin turns brown" lifestyle. Yes! ALLOW CHANGE!

It isn’t easy when change shows up at our door. In fact, change can be very, very difficult. But rather than move into fear when change occurs, I am going to try to be more open to clicking “ALLOW CHANGE”. Then I will wait expectantly for a new harvest and abundance as a result of that change. 

What about you? Do you fear change? Are you open to change? Ready to click on the ALLOW CHANGE button in your life and see what happens? Let us know how you feel about change in the comments section, we want to hear from yoU!

Love,
Blessed

(Written by Jane Hart, Copyright 2016) 

​I love tea. I drink it every day.
I make it myself. I order it out.

Tea is instantly available to me throughout the day. I buy it, I have lots of it, I go places that sell it, and they serve it to me.

When I went to China I survived on Jasmine tea and French fries (I was not a fan of the food there). Whenever I ordered tea the waiters would smile and say, "Okay". Clearly they had taken my order and understood that I was ordering tea. 

After ordering, several minutes would pass, and I would begin to wonder where my tea was. I was not in the agitated state yet, just curious. 

Several more minutes would pass, and I would enter the "Where are the waiters, and where have they gone with my tea?" stage.

After about 10 minutes I would reach the agitation stage. I called the waiters over and said, "Could you please bring me my tea?"

Each time I went through this scenario they would look confused, smile, and say, "Tea, yes, tea,". They talked to me as if I was confused. Hahaha.

About 20 minutes after ordering my tea it would finally arrive at my table. Every time...20 minutes.

Funny thing is, I went to an Asian restaurant here in town the other day. The exact same thing happened. I smiled and shared this story with my friends. 

Why are we in such a hurry? Tea drinking is a ceremony in many places. It is to be sipped slowly and enjoyed. 

The Chinese wait staff (lol wait staff) had no awareness that anything was being delayed or that anything was wrong. Of course nothing was wrong. However, during my two week trip across China I saw Americans and Europeans alike flaunting their impatience about the not-so-prompt arrival of their tea or coffee. We all looked pretty silly.

Why are we in such a hurry? Does anyone know why? It's destroying us, and still we hurry.

I hope my tea takes 20 minutes the next time I order and that I sit and take in the marvelous view of this day, this hour, this minute, this place. It will never be repeated in the same way. Ever.

What could you be savoring that you are rushing through instead? Why is it difficult to slow down? What could you do to not rush so much? Please share your thoughts in the comment section, we want to hear from yoU!

Love,
Blessed
​
(Written by Jane Hart, copyright 2016)

The Lilies of the Field is one of my favorite books/movies of all time. I have watched the movie over and over again throughout my life -- often during this time of year. I love the story of faith, reluctance, will, patience and perseverance all tied up in one story.

I see myself in Homer Smith, the main character of the story, played by Sidney Poitier. When charged to build a chapel by a ruthless Mother Superior, Smith is a willing but reluctant participant.

In the story line, Homer repeatedly tries to abandon the building of the chapel. He wants to walk away, run, give up. Difficult people and circumstances as well as personal challenges add to his lack of enthusiasm for the project. Homer, however, gradually becomes changed in his inner life and is persistently cheered on by the spiritual figures around him. Ultimately, he is unable to abandon what he knows he needs to do for his soul. So with help -- and accepting help is a significant part of the story -- he completes the building.

Homer's story is not unlike many of ours where a dream is fulfilled through a calling, collaboration, and agreement. 

The story line tugs on my own heart. I search for what it is that I have started but then abandoned in my life. A relationship, a project, a story, a dream. I want to pick things back up if it is God's will. I believe in the "church" of my life being built and completed. In order to get there, however, I have to face my resistance, fear and bitterness and push past the obstacles in my path. Yet, in order to succeed, I also need to celebrate my well-entrenched discipline, strong faith and willingness to persevere. In fact, we each must sit with the duality of our personhood. Perhaps, that is the good news.

What is life calling you to finish? Have you abandoned or put something down that God would have you pick back up again? Have you put a dream or many dreams on hold? Thinking it can't happen or you don't have the strength? Have you asked for help? Pray to God about what to do next.

In this Season of RENEWAL, may God bless ALL of you (and God is blessing you), and may these next two holy weeks fill your heart and mind with more of God and God's gracious will for your life. 

Love,
Blessed
May all things be renewed in God's bright light.

A few years ago, on a small jet flying from Cleveland to Charlotte, North Carolina, we hit some turbulence that went from minor to not-so-minor. At one point, when our heads nearly hit the compartment above us, the woman sitting next to me grabbed onto my arm and yelled out as loud as possible, "Sweet Jesus we are going down!" It's difficult to describe the grip she had on my arm, I think there are still marks there today.

I'm not sure why, but I spent most of the turbulent time smiling and laughing -- partly at the things the woman next to me was shouting out, "Lord I will forgive him, I will, Just let me live! I need forgiveness, please forgive me!" She would yell and then grasp my arm, pinning it and me to the chair. All the while I was calmly reassuring her that I thought we would be okay.

An interesting thing happened during this event.

Because of my seatmate's conviction that this was the end, I had to contemplate, "Was it?" When I accepted that the possibility of imminent death was real I had the most amazing realization.

As I sat on that bumpy plane, getting tossed around and thinking about dying, the clear, calm thought kept repeating itself in my mind, "I have no regrets".

Now, the reason that this thought was slightly bizarre is because things in my life at that time were far from perfect. Just moments before the plane took off, if you would have asked me how I felt, I would have given you an earful about so many regrets. Still today, I hear the internal chatter letting me know what should be happening, asking why I didn't do this or that with my career or relationships etc. etc. etc. At times, my mind can be filled with regrets.

So to have such a clear feeling that all was well and there were no regrets was, indeed, amazing! I believe it was the real truth. It showed me that the rest of it is habitual thinking. We can be filled with worrying and wishing and regretting and on an on. Our thoughts aren't necessarily representative of our truest convictions, however.

I draw on that "plane going down" energy from time to time. When things get too crazy or I feel down, I remind myself of the truth, and I try to stand in it. I HAVE NO REGRETS.

FANTASTIC!! This means that we can have these messy imperfect lives that actually are just perfect. We can stand in the confidence of all of its imperfect perfection.

After a long while, the turbulence ended, and we landed safely. Upon landing, the woman returned my arm to me. She took some deep breaths then looked me in the eye, and we both laughed and laughed. It was actually fun...the whole thing.

What is the truth in your life? Are you standing in the real truth of your good life no matter what it looks like? Let yourself rest in the part of you that knows that despite what has happened, what has not happened, or what will happen, all is well.

(Written by Jane Hart copyright 2016)

At a painting workshop years ago, I asked my mentor, "How do I know if my painting is finished?" He looked at the painting and said, "It's not finished." I looked at it and said out loud, "It is finished". He said, "It's not finished."

He walked away, and I sat for awhile staring at the painting.

A little later, he came back and said to me, while waving his hands around my painting, "You have to tie the elements together. How does one part connect with the other? Bring some of what is in the center to the periphery and vice versa."

At the time, I really had no idea what he was talking about, so I stared at the painting some more and said out loud again, so that he could hear, "It is finished." It's possible that he then rolled his eyes and walked away further.

In retrospect, I think I was resisting the act of bravery it would take to do the next thing that I wasn't sure how to do. How do I tie the elements together? How do I add more of what I can't see? It would be on blind faith that I moved forward, simply doing what I thought I should do next.

After awhile, I picked up my paint brush and started doing what he told me. It felt unnatural, and I thought I was ruining my painting, however I kept going. I painted a thread from the circle of the mandala out into the periphery.

My mentor saw what I was doing and was ecstatic. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" he said. "That is exactly right. You have to stop thinking, and just do the next thing." He said,"If you think about putting a yellow circle above a black rock just do it! Don't think about it...just do it!"

A few weeks ago I thought about this wisdom and how it applies to painting the picture of our lives. We can think so much about our ideas that we don't act -- afraid to ruin our half-done painting. Afraid we will mess up or that it won't work out.

When I decided to start living out this sage advice recently it really helped open up the flood gates of creativity. By acting on our wholesome and creative ideas, we become a vessel through which God pours out energy. The left brain is suspended, and the result is more complete. We tie the elements together without worrying about the outcome. We trust.

Of course, when I followed through with what he had instructed I could see that in fact, my painting had not been finished and now it was. He agreed.

Stop thinking, and just do the next creative thing that will benefit you and the world. Yes! Yes! Yes! 

Have something you want to say? We want to hear from yoU!

(Written by Jane Hart, copyright 2016)

As we ring in the New Year it is fun to choose a word to live by for 2016! Your word of the year should be one that leads you to more of what you want to focus on and receive. Words that people have chosen in the past include today, here, tribe, explore, initiate, balance, strengthen and many others. Devotion was my word for 2015, and perhaps that is a word for a lifetime! 

My word for 2016 is Generosity. I can feel the flow of this word in my life with what I freely give and freely receive! I entertained several words, however, this word seemed to capture it best for me...GENEROSITY!

Now, we want to hear what your word is! Please share with us and post it in the comments section of this blog below! Say a little something about your word if you would like.

Looking forward to a great year with all of you! Can't wait to hear your words! 

Love,
​Blessed

With each new year I choose a word and several mottos to live by. As I start to contemplate 2016, a motto keeps emerging as important -- "Choose your focus".

With the media attention on so much that is not right, negative and downright bad, I thought I would help put some things in perspective through an unlikely story, which only if you are human will make you smile. Here is the story:

I was at a friend's house for a Christmas lunch and noticed a beautiful nativity on her bureau in the living room. I looked at its glory and splendor and the gold outline and asked my friend, "If I may, where did you get this?" 

"Marcs," she said.

Now, for those of you who don't live in NE Ohio...Marcs is the equivalent of a deeply discounted grocery store that has an additional 10 or 20 aisles of random stuff that no one actually needs, but when you are there you believe you need all of it.

"Marcs?" I said.
"Yes." she confirmed.

With that, I left and headed straight to Marcs. When I arrived I went right to the random stuff aisles. I looked for the nativity set but it was nowhere to be found -- certainly snatched up by other lucky shoppers. 

What I did see, however, was an aisle full of life-sized stuffed animals. Yes, I said it, life-sized stuff animals. As pictured above...

I looked at those animals and wanted every single one of them. Then, I thought, who would buy those? What's wrong with me?

I wanted to put them all around my living room but thought I might be viewed as the equivalent of "cat lady" or hoarder. I discounted my longings and left feeling remorse for not buying one or all of them. 

A few days later, I spoke with a girlfriend, and she said, "Have you been to Marcs lately?" Since I never go to Marcs, I looked around to see if there were cameras. "Yes," I said. She asked, "Did you see those life-sized stuffed animals?" I smiled. "Yes, I did." She said, "Didn't you just want one?" I said, loudly "Yes!!!!!!!" Ahh, I was encouraged, I am not alone.

Now, you may not be fully grasping this story of hope yet, however, when I went back to Marcs a day later, every single one of those animals was gone.

The next week, randomly and synchronously, yet another friend said to me, "I was at a friend's house this week who had these life-sized stuffed animals, and I want one." 

Dear ones....where is the Christmas story in all of this? Where is the encouragement? Here it is:

I love that I live in a world that values fun and whimsy and life-sized stuffed animals. I am thrilled that I live in a world that rushes out to buy other people presents and gift them with fun things. I live in a world where at the Cleveland Orchestra Holiday Concert this year, the adults were leaning forward as eagerly as the children to see Santa come down the aisle. I loved that moment when -- adults -- men and women stood up from their box, dress circle and balcony seats, straining to see Santa below. It makes me cry when I remember it right now.

You see the innocence of our inner child lives on in this world. It truly does.

​It turns out, we still believe. 

No, the Christmas miracle does not lie in a Marc's aisle but in a manger. Yet, there too, the message is in the glory, innocence and hope of the child.

Yup...one of my 2016 mottos will be "Choose your focus."

Cuz I see this awesome world full of the most creative and special souls, and you are most certainly among them. During this holiday season, may you shine your inner child, innocence, creativity, fun and whimsy everywhere you go. May your light shine more brightly than ever before. May we hold tenderly, the suffering in our lives and in others and offer our service and our heartfelt prayers. May you choose conversations and activities that focus on the beauty, the wonder, the good, and all that is right and Spirit-filled. May you still believe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friends...you are very dear to me.

Love,
​Blessed

Have something you want to say? We love to hear from yoU in the comments section.

(Written by Jane Hart, copyright 2015)