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There is this wonderful little magazine I get every month called The Daily Word. It has a little affirmation, a few paragraphs of explanation, and a simple, inspiring bible reference. What amazes me about the Daily Word is how often it just addresses every little concern I have almost every day!
This weekend was one of those... you know, challenges. I had been feeling anxious about things, unsettled and distracted. There are a million plans I have for the year and so many things I want to see be a success. But, Monday morning comes, I get my little book out and what do you know... "Satisfied Soul" is my phrase for the day and what a perfect intervention at a perfect time:
"Instead of continually thinking of what I need or want, I give thanks for what I have already been given."
As I was pondering this delightful phrase... "Satisfied Soul" (I feel like the wind is blowing over a great, misty landscape everytime I say it!), I remembered another thought that got me through a particularly difficult time in my life, when I was so anxious for change I was about to burst:
"I have the patience of 10,000 years."
Our minister said this once, when talking about change. It's along the same lines as "Letting Go" and not trying to force things into place. Whenever I say that phrase in my head, I feel a rush of absolute peace, and interestingly enough, a sense of knowing that everything is going to be okay. I don't need to try to fix it now. When the time comes, I will know exactly what to do.
And so, my Satisfied Soul reaches out to other souls who might need a little peace... a little bit of knowing that everything is going to be okay. If you're a praying person, please offer up a prayer for these two lovely ladies. If you're not a praying person, maybe just an affirmation of positive healing energy for them:
BJ at Sweet Nothings for her surgery and 3 other very ill patients that passed her in the hospital
Kat at Just a Beach Kat who is hoping she won't need surgery on her hand
May blessings, peace and satisfaction surround your heart and settle on your soul! May you have the patience of 10,000 years! May you know that everything, yes - everything, is going to be okay...
(P.S. The above picture was taken on a walk we took this weekend. See more on Sunniviews!)
My daughter takes a wonderful clogging class at a little dance studio down the road. This is her second year. When the new season started this fall, we didn't buy her new shoes. I kinda thought she'd be okay for awhile but felt it looming in the distance. It was one of those vague things that hangs around the back of your mind like fog and never really materializes. I just kept forgetting!
Until about 3 weeks ago when she started complaining that her toes hurt. The signs for used clogging shoes had disappeared from the studio walls by then and I had heart palpitations just thinking about the cost of new ones. But I knew we had to do something - my daughter started taking off her shoes in class and was clogging in socks!
So my husband made a several calls and found a discount place south of town. Of course we got lost trying to find the it, making illegal u-turns on dirt roads and frantically getting directions on cell phones. They closed at 5:00 and we got there one minute before.
Fortunately the proprietors were an older couple who didn't mind staying open a little longer for frantic parents of a clogger! They were so nice. For 25 years they had their own clogging team that toured the east coast. With great expertise they fitted her little happy dancing feet. As a bonus, they not only had the clogging taps in stock, but hammered them on for us in the back! We were so relieved and my daughter was hopping around like a jumping bean from excitement (she does that a lot!)
With such a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, I stopped for gas on the way home. As I was standing there enjoying the crisp fall air and watching the sun set in the distance, I happened to notice the sign beneath the gas prices that usually announce the store discounts on sodas and potato chips. Here is what it said...
BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND THOSE WHO MATTER
I took a deep breath of the chilly autumn air and said a prayer of gratitude for such blessings. Not just for the shoes or for the wonderful couple that we just met, but also for the owners of a gas station who choose to inspire rather than promote. And how amazing it was to see such true inspiration at the end of hectic day.
We had the most delightful Thanksgiving day yesterday! When I woke up, the coffee was already made. I slowly poured myself a cup, savoring every moment of this special day. My husband and daughter were playing Lego Star Wars, so I got out my beads and strung a new necklace. I checked on my blogger friends then we went for a walk.
It was a fabulous morning - the sun was shining, it was 69 degrees with a soft breeze. 
Fall leaves were floating down from the sky and spinning lazily in the street. We finally have bright beautiful leaves - golden yellows and rich reds. It was so wonderful and I got some great photos - I'll be loading them onto Sunniviews this week, the series will be called Fall Finale.
After getting ready, we drove over to my aunts house in Chapel Hill for our family get-together. It was wonderful to see everyone! The table was beautifully set for our Thanksgiving feast and the food was scrumptious. 
We had an expert turkey maker and an expert turkey carver along with all the yummy accompanying dishes: buttery mashed potatoes and rich gravy, stuffing, green bean and lima casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, a special family recipe of mac and cheese, homemade cranberry sauce and fresh rolls. Oh my, it was so good. Oh, it was so, so good. We were stuffed.
Afterwards we played cards (UNO and Euchre), told jokes and stories, laughter filled the air. 
We settled our bellies with strong, rich coffee and nibbled on dessert: pumpkin pie and apple crisp with french vanilla ice cream.
Then it was time to say goodbye and make quick plans for Christmas. As we drove home, my daughter sleeping soundly in my lap, the radio playing soft and sentimental music, my husband and mother-in-law talking quietly in the front - I watched the drying fall leaves scuttle in spirals across the highway through the dark. My heart became wide open, expanding beyond my body, beyond my soul, so that I had the most incredible feeling of love and gratitude. I closed my eyes and envisioned myself circling my arms around the whole world in a great loving embrace. And on this Thanksgiving, I was truly thankful.
From the Toymaker's November Newsletter:
Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
-Alan Cohen
And so it is.
Many years ago, I worked with the most interesting fellow. He was a sweet, sincere man from outside of Houston with a heavy Texas drawl and a slow, deliberate way of talking. He ran a national trucking company by himself and was eager to please. After we booked the first truckload with him, he sent me flowers in a beautiful ceramic vase. Initially, I was a bit uncomfortable with getting flowers from someone I hardly knew. But after months of working with him, I realized that he's just a genuinely thoughtful kinda guy - a real cowboy, I suppose.
When the time came for me to resign, he was just about crushed. I could hear it in his voice. Shortly after our call, he sent me an email. It was called "May you be blessed" and had a link to a website.
When I clicked on the link of the email and watched the movie, I thought, oh, geez, here we go... another junk email. But after the first couple of frames, I became entranced. And touched. And then I realized that I was starting to cry - because how wonderful it is that someone actually wishes that you are fully blessed, that everything in your life is absolutely amazing and wonderful and that every dream you've ever had comes true.
I think this is a blessing that we should pass onto everyone we know - even those we don't know. Because it's only right and true that every soul in this world is blessed beyond their dreams. We can only reap the benefits of our friends, family, neighbors and strangers on the street having a happy and fulfilling life.
I don't even think I realized how nice it was to talk with Andy everyday and listen to his slow, southern drawl. He had a way of recognizing and honoring the spirit of everyone he knew.
So - to you... MAY YOU BE BLESSED! Pass it on to all you know.
There is this wonderful little magazine I get every month called The Daily Word. It has a little affirmation, a few paragraphs of explanation, and a simple, inspiring bible reference. What amazes me about the Daily Word is how often it just addresses every little concern I have almost every day!
