THE GIFT OF TEARS
“I don’t want to make you cry.” What an odd comment to make. One that echoed hollow in my ears over and over again during the weeks and months after my son passed away. My timid response became, “YOU are not making me cry. I cry every day. Let me cry. Cry with me.” I was reminded of this recently as I told a story to a young woman and watched as her eyes overflowed. I reached to wipe her tears away and I heard myself say, “I don’t want to make you cry.” Quickly she pulled back and said, “Let me cry. These are good tears.” She was right. When did tears become a bad thing? Why is the outward flushing of feelings as they flow through our emotions looked at as something that should be stopped, hushed and hidden? Tears are gifts we exchange with others under all kinds of circumstances. I gave mine freely to each of my babies as they came into this world. Over the years they have given theirs to me when they needed guidance, support and comfort. I gave them to all who have supported me at funerals and mixed mine with theirs as our grief blended in comfort. I have spilled them at weddings. I have exploded them in the midst of laughter. I have silently dropped them when the beauty of life has taken my breath away. I have exposed them during times of emotional and physical pain. In the same way a fever has heated my body to boil away the infection of illness tears have drenched the thirst of my pain. Maybe it is time to realize that tears are given to us for a purpose. They are the eye drops of all emotions. They are the flushing of our feelings; the happy ones and the sad ones. The next time someone shares the gift of tears with you, let them cry. Cry with them. Accept – and offer - the gift of tears. ~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: "Tears are the outward flushing of feelings as they flow through our emotions." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to not be afraid of tears- yours and other's. Understand the natural healing that occurs through the cleansing of tears! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
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LET GO OF THE TUPPERWARE I opened the door and the assortment fell on my head. I picked them up off the floor, grabbed the step stool and climbed up to shove them all back into the overflowing cabinet like I had done hundreds of times. As I jostled and pushed the bowls, pitchers and pickle containers back into the black hole of plastic, it occurred to me –WHY don’t I let go of the Tupperware? Thirty years ago Tupperware parties were the acceptable girls-night-out. We all took turns hosting the gatherings where we listened to the sales pitch, ate cake, drank coffee and shared the secrets (okay, gossip) of the day and then ordered the obligatory plastic item. At the time it seemed expensive, but the justification came with the durability of it, the perceived usefulness of it, the cool factor of the new products AND the lifetime guarantee. It was virtually indestructible, but if some major mishap did occur it would be replaced. Along with this came a free add on with every item -- guilt. I am convinced it was molded into each piece during the factory creation. It was an unwritten code that you WOULDkeep it forever. After all – the investment . . . the lifetime guarantee…and someday I will need it! What do you have in your home that you won’t let go of? What ties up the space in your heart and mind that is bound with the guilt of investment and a someday but, never-to-be-used promise or guarantee? Is your closet overflowing with clothes? Is there an unhealthy relationship in your life? Are you in a job you hate? Do you hold a victim story in your heart that you retell over and over? The Tupperware of our lives comes in all forms. We invest in all of them with time, money and energy in the hope of a future pay off. And then there is the elusive guarantee of need –someday, of weight loss – someday, of love –someday, of a promotion – someday and someday this victim story is going to explain why everything happens to me. Maybe it was the 700th time of having a load of hard plastic fall on my head that finally spurred me to make a change. Maybe it was the recognition that it will never wear out so the guarantee doesn't matter. Maybe it was the realization that I will never use it – not even someday. The why doesn't matter, but now it is packed in a box ready to be donated. My cabinet is organized, clean and clear. My guilt is gone. I feel free! When will you let go of your Tupperware? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: "We have things in our closets, hearts and minds that we hold on to in hopes of someday. ~ Let them go!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about what you hold on to when it would be best to let them go. YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! RELAX AND ALLOW THE PROCESS OF LIFE TO OCCUR "Relax and allow the process of life to occur." When I said that to a friend of mine I felt the intensity of her response ripple up her back forcing her to stretch upright and lean forward. "Relax and allow life to occur? What about work, my kids, my husband? We have Little League games on the weekends, ballet practice after school, I volunteer on Wed. nights, my husband is out of town for work this week, and my in-laws arrive for a visit this Sunday. Relax? The next thing you are going to tell me is to sit with my legs crossed and just be. Are you crazy?" I could see she was desperately trying to control the pace and rhythm of her busy life. By doing this the scope of her world was overwhelming her. I know the symptoms of overwhelm, because I see them often and I have felt them. The symptoms are similar-- the tired, drawn look with heavy under eye circles from skimping on sleep; the extra 10 --ok, 15 lbs that are always trying to be lost, yet increase due to eating on the run; the endless checking of emails, texts, and phone calls; the continual list making of tasks and responsibilities required to get through the day and the week; and the quick defensiveness of why all of it is necessary and important causing life to be so crazy and out of control. Sitting with legs crossed is not necessarily the answer, although the just being part is close. This continual out-of - breath pace that life forces us to run is counter to what we are meant to do. When we are out of breath we cannot allow life to occur, let alone relax to the place of enjoyment. Breathing is important but remember the only breath that is significant is this one; the one we are taking right now. The last one is over and the next one has yet to fill our lungs. And it won't unless we successfully inhale and exhale the current one. You see, you can't take more than one breath at a time and the only important one is the one you are breathing right now. If you use this concept in life you will learn to slow down and experience one event at a time. View each event and experience as a breath. Just as you will begin to focus on the breath you are taking, you will also begin to concentrate on the event you are experiencing . . . not the ones on your list for tomorrow or the responsibilities you have to others. It is this breath right now, this experience right now that is important. You may be surprised to find that you CAN relax and allow life to occur. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~ Pennie's Life Lesson- "When you focus on the moment you are in, you can relax and allow life to occur." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to relax. Is your life really that stressful. Stop right now, even if only for 5 minutes and breathe. YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THIS IS A GOOD DAY, SUCH A GOOD DAY! I hugged him, kissed his forehead and said good night. As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm and said, “This is a good day, such good day!” It was a month before he passed away. On a day that was circled with oxygen levels, medication and a sheepskin covered recliner – the things that became his life toward the end—I marveled at those words. I looked at him in amazement and smiled at this incredible man. His mind was bright and clear but, it was as though his body was wilting as the determined disease gained control. Even though heknew he was dying, he continued to be grateful and look at life in a positive way. But that was my Dad, Charlie Hunt. He was a teacher. Every day that he walked into his classroom filled with students he felt he was making a difference in their lives. But, outside of that, I am not sure if he knew he was teaching and making a difference with others in the grander classroom of life. He demonstrated lessons in humility, kindness, dedication, and compassion. Once when I had treated him to a special gift he said, “Oh, I don’t need anything this fancy; you know we are just simple people.” My Dad was teaching even in his last days. The final lesson he taught me was that no matter what life brings your way, always remember to begin and end every day knowing “THIS IS A GOOD DAY, SUCH A GOOD DAY!” Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all live life as simple people who celebrate every day in this way? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson- “No matter what life brings your way, begin and end every day knowing ~ THIS IS A GOOD DAY, SUCH A GOOD DAY!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to enjoy every moment of every day... you never know how many days you will have. Every day IS a good day! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! DON’T WAIT UNTIL 5 O’CLOCK TO BE HAPPY! Are you watching the clock waiting and waiting for the five o’clock bell? When it rings do you jump in delight, running to your car thinking it is happy time? And if it is Friday night--all the better! Do you drag through your week just waiting for the weekend? Why wait until five o’clock to be happy? You have a choice in every minute of your day to be happy or not. Why waste all that time “waiting” to be happy? Create your own personal culture of happiness. The culture of “Always.” No matter what is happening around you, YOU can remain happy. In this second right now, you can be happy and content even if you are at work. You may not like your job and you may not be fond of the people you work with, but you have total control of your feelings and emotions. If you are only happy after 5pm and on weekends you are wasting 50% of your awake hours being unhappy. Look at it this way. Think of your life not in seconds, but in heartbeats. The average heart beats between 60-100 times per minute. On average that means you get approximately 11520 heartbeats per day. Don’t you want every heartbeat to be in a happy rhythm? Life does not begin at 5pm. Life is what happens to you every moment, with every heartbeat. Don’t waste your life waiting to be happy. Never feel stuck in an intolerable situation. If you need to, make a change, but don’t allow your happiness to hinge on a future point. YOU are in control and only YOU make the choice of being happy or not – right now. To me, it’s an easy choice! Don’t waste one precious heartbeat. Don’t wait until 5 o’clock to be happy. Begin your “Always” culture now. YOU are in total control. Make the Happy choice. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Don’t wait for something to change to be happy. Make the choice to Be Happy Now!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to understand that YOU are in full control of your happiness -- every minute. Don't wait! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! RISK FOR LOVE My husband has been called a Stand-Up-Guy. He is grand in stature, grand in his life accomplishments, grand in his thinking and quietly grand in his giving. He has a saying, “If you’re going to risk, risk for love.” We have many opportunities in life to risk- the stock market, gambling, new business ventures. But let’s look at the times we risk for love. When you tell a potential life partner that you love them or ask them to marry you there is a chance for rejection. We risk life as we know it when we bring a child into the world. And once they are here we would risk anything to help them and keep them safe. If you tell a friend you love them there is a risk of shocking them, being uncomfortable or being told you are odd. People are not used to this kind of verbal affection. We risk our emotions when we adopt a pet knowing they will reach in, imprint our hearts and then leave us long before we are ready to see them go. When loving ourselves we are critical and question whether we are good enough or deserving of self-care and self-love. Even when doing acts of loving kindness there is the risk of being misunderstood or having your motives judged. When you love there is risk. Love anyway. Love loud. Love bold. Love in every moment. Love with all the breath you have in your soul. Love until it trembles your very reason for living. My husband is a Stand-Up-Guy. He lives his life in a conservative understated way. He believes in researching, weighing all options and knowing the odds. He rarely takes chances; however at a time when we thought our relationship was over he took the risk. He made the phone call. He began the conversation which led to our happy marriage. He believes in risking for love. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson - “If you’re going to risk, risk for love!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to fill yourself with love and if you are going to risk for anything - make it for love! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! STOP THINKING AND BEGIN THANKING Have you found yourself in a situation where you think and think and think and can’t see a way through? Maybe you need to change your tactic. Maybe you don’t have a THINKING problem… maybe you have a THANKING problem. When you can’t THINK your way through, you need to THANK your way through! We live in a world that values process, procedure, charts, graphs, reports, analysis, logic and hard cold facts. But some situations cannot be logic-ed through! Some situations don’t make sense no matter how many charts you make or ways you look at it. Some situations are out of our control to change. Some situations are so painful that thinking about them becomes unbearable. Some situations you cannot THINK your way through! Yet, you can THANK your way through. Do you want a new job, a new home, a new relationship and you THINK about it all the time, but you don’t move forward. Until you are thankful for what you have you will never have more. Let me repeat that… Until you are thankful for what you have you will never have more. Don’t waste your time THINKING, poor me, I will never get that job, big house or perfect relationship. This kind of stinking thinking just builds resentment, anger and frustration. Instead, be thankful for the job you have now- no matter how bad it is; be thankful for the place you live now – no matter what size or condition it is in; and be thankful for the friends, family and relationships you already have –even if you don’t have that perfect partner right now. Once you begin being thankful for what you have you begin to get more! If you are grieving the loss of a job, relationship, or the passing of someone dear to you, turn any bitterness or anger into gratitude. Be thankful for the time you had with that situation or person. Be thankful for what you learned from them, (good and bad). Be thankful for the love they brought into your life and the love you had the opportunity to express to them – no matter what length of time that you had with them. When you turn THINKING into THANKING the pain of your grief will lighten. Once you begin being thankful for what you had or what you have now, you will begin to see your life in a new way. Change that one little letter in the middle of the word… stop THINKING and begin THANKING! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you can’t THINK your way through, THANK your way through.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to step back from your challenges and look at what you can be grateful for NOW! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! ALL THINGS GROW WITH LOVE It was just a $3 journal. I divided the pages into quarters marked by post-it notes. I wanted my year of writing to fit into one tidy book. A book of love. After writing a brief introduction of what the book was, I began the first entry. January 1, 2014 Today I love you because……. The next day I picked up the special book and wrote: January 2, Today I love you because… Then January 3rd; the 4th; and so it continued. The book became a friend that I looked forward to holding. A personal documentation of my love for him. March 31, and I removed the first post-it note. The days paraded forward and my words filled the lines. Some days a sentence. Some days 2 pages. And I watched him. I watched what he did. How he moved. How he smelled. How he talked. I began delighting in finding new ways I loved him. June 30th, Today I love you because….. and another marker removed. September 30th, and the last post-it note was peeled away. My enthusiasm grew. I was really doing it! I could see the end in sight. I could visualize his face when I handed him this gift and feel what it would mean to him. For a year I wrote. December 31 was a mix of excitement to be done and a feeling of loss for not having tomorrow to pen why I loved him. I wrote: “Well, here it is – the end of a year of writing why I love you. What seemed like a challenge at first became a joy that I am sad to see end. I began this project to show you how much I love and adore you…as a gift to YOU. What I didn’t expect was that it turned out to be a gift to me too! I found this journal stacked in my office – purchased years ago and tucked away with other journals I buy and save for just the right time. I had no idea a $3 purchase would become so important. As the title says, ‘All Things Grow With Love,’ filling this daily in my own writing and my own words has made my love for you grow! The gift intended for you became a gift of love to me. Every day as I watched you, searching for the moments, the reasons, the actions that make me love you, opened my heart to join yours in ways I never expected. The reasons became simple and complicated, old reasons and discovered reasons, logical and crazy fun! I learned that the way you brush my cheek makes me feel cherished. I learned that a big tough 6’5” man that can be brought to his knees by a tiny furball of a dog is more sensitive than anyone I have ever known. I learned that you surprise me every day with your wisdom, logic and humor. I learned that when you hold my hand you give me strength and power. I learned that you show me love in flowers and rings, but also in cleaning the kitchen and loving our grand babies. I learned that on one day- yes, there was one day - when I was challenged to find a loving thought due to frustration, anger or disappointment – I can’t even remember why – but even that one day I found a reason to write why I love you. I learned that no matter what happens, where we are or circumstance we find ourselves that “Us Together” will find a way to work through it. I learned that I’m not perfect and you’re not perfect, but the perfection of love creates a space for patience, understanding and acceptance. I learned that your quirks can make me laugh and your tenderness can bring me to tears. I learned that the little boy inside of you still lives with his insecurities, his fears, his joys and his sorrows and at times his tantrums, but this little boy needs love and shares love. I learned that I love you for more reasons than a one year journal can hold. I realized after this year that every moment you give me reasons to love you more and I only hope I can reach that level of success by touching your heart the way you touch mine. Yes, what began as a gift to you ended as a gift to me. With every moment, day, week and month that I watched you I fell in love with you over and over again. As the title says, “All Things Grow With Love,” --my love for you has grown. I closed the book. My daily companion would now be placed in the hands of the man I love. I wrapped it in white tissue paper and carefully tied the glittery gold bow around it. A bit confused by the unexpected gift, he opened the cover and read the introduction. Flipping pages he read through January before he looked up. No words. No words were needed. I knew what it meant to him. I knew what it meant to me. The gift that in his words, had made him feel more loved than anything else in his life, now sits on his night stand. Every night before he goes to sleep he reads the entry for that day and he is given a daily reminder of why I love him. He reads it out loud to me and I remember how I felt when I wrote it. It was just a $3 journal that became my friend for a year. It was just a $3 journal that became a lifetime treasure. Yes, All Things DO Grow With Love! Pennie's Life Lesson: "Don't wait to tell someone how you love them. Tell them every day!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to tell people why and how you love them! Don't wait!!! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! WE WILL HAVE A PARTY It's his 30th birthday, so we will have a party. A celebration of his creation day. Thirty years ago he arrived with twinkly eyes and an impish smile. And he taught me love. Twenty eight years ago he laid in an emergency room limp from a concussion. And he taught me fear. Twenty five years ago he dressed in a cowboy hat, chaps and boots as he watched the Three Amigos Movie with invisible friends and a rocking horse. And he taught me joy and laughter. He taught me imagination – or was it reality? Twenty one years ago he hit home runs over the fence and danced through the bases. And he taught me possibility and to dance with life. Fifteen years ago he challenged life for the risk of adventure. And he taught me patience. Twelve years ago he sat on the edge of the ocean. And he taught me what being an “artist” really means. Ten years ago he wrote me notes of love. And he taught me compassion. Nine years ago, guitar in hand, he serenaded me with a song about "Mom." And he taught me pride. Eight years ago he opened his heart to receive his newborn daughter as she arrived with twinkly eyes and an impish smile. He opened his arms to share her with me. And he taught me the continuation of love. Seven years ago he traveled on a new adventure leaving his body behind. And through the darkness of despair he taught me grace and gratitude. And then He gently held my hand and powerfully lifted me up. He began life with me in a new way. And he taught me courage and strength. He began whispering to me through thoughts and feelings. And he taught me to listen. He began appearing to me in nature, music and messages. And he taught me awareness. He began visiting me in dreams and visions. And he taught me faith. We will celebrate him! A celebration of his creation day. We will celebrate love and joy; laughter and imagination; possibility, patience and pride. We will celebrate with compassion, courage and strength; with awareness and faith. We will dance for him. We will dance with him. It's his 30th birthday, so we WILL have a party! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Love teaches us to celebrate! Celebrate those you love!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to look at those you love --celebrate them now while they are here...AND celebrate them when they are gone. YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2015 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! GRATITUDE AND LOVE The best gift you can give to someone is the gift of Love and Gratitude. Please take one minute to watch my gift to you! I hope your 2014 has been as magical as mine has. I look forward to the New Year and all the amazing adventures and sparkling surprises it will hold. Thank you for all of your love, kindness and support. May you and your family enjoy a grand holiday and a healthy, happy and loving New Year! Much love, Pennie ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Love is the energy of life. Strengthen your energy by loving more!” ~Pennie Hunt ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to express gratitude and love to those you care about. How can you show love, be love and receive love in these last few days of the year? YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! When it comes to love, Anything Will Help! I turned the corner to head home after doing my weekly errands. I noticed at the street light ahead there was a man holding his cardboard sign that read, “Anything will help.” Pulling up next to him I rolled down my window and handed him one of my coffee shop gift cards that I carry just for occasions like this. I explained to him where the coffee shop was and that he could get something hot to drink and eat on this cold day. After he said, “Thank YOU,” for the third time our eyes met and I believe in that second he felt love. In that moment I felt love. I felt the love being returned from him and I also felt love for myself for showing kindness. Love works that way. If we don’t see love we can’t be love. In the moment he looked at me he understood that the gift card held more than a cup of coffee and a sandwich, it held love. When he looked in my eyes and saw love, he mirrored the love back to me filling me up with love from him and magnifying the love I hold inside of myself. Once we see love, we can BE love. How many times do we have the opportunity to show love for others to see? The answer is constantly! Love is not just for special celebrations or certain holidays. Love is for every moment of every day. The more love we show, the more love others see, the more love they can be filled with and the more love they show to others. This is the pay-it-forward of the heart. We see this mirrored magnification work all the time…. If you show anger, others show anger and it spreads. If you see fear, you become fear and it grows. Why would we want to waste our time on that? Become what you want more of. Become Love. Show love. It’s easy to show it with flowers, gifts and in big ways. It is harder to show it in every moment in small ways. Be the love that others see. Even showing small amounts of love will be mirrored back to you. When it comes to love, Anything Will Help! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “When you become the love that others see love will be mirrored back to you.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !!! CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW! !!! My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about love during this holiday season. How can you show love, be love and receive love in these last few days of the year? YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you!
THREE ABILITIES THAT DETERMINE YOUR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS Are you searching for the secret to happiness? Do you wonder why other people seem to be more successful than you—even if you believe that you work harder than they do? It comes down to three attributes. Here it is 1 – 2 – 3! 1. The ability to accept and adapt to change. 2. The ability to believe you are Good Enough to love and be loved. 3. The ability to express gratitude. Let me break these down for you. I learned as a little girl growing up in a military family to make friends on the playground or stand alone. I learned that I needed to accept the changes that occurred when my father received orders that moved us to a new community and that I needed to adapt to my new environment, make friends and enjoy the new normal. This has served me well through career changes, divorce and grief. While others live in the Who-Moved-My-Cheese stagnation unable to accept that their life has changed and unable to adapt to the new adventures ahead of them, successful, happy people hone the ability to accept and adapt. You may not always like the event that spurred the change, but cultivate the ability to bloom in the space you find yourself – no matter what! We are bombarded with the message that we are Not Good Enough! We all protect that space inside where we believe we are not thin enough, smart enough, rich enough…the list goes on and on. The newest guilt inducers verified by the over 300,000 self-help books on the market are that we are not happy enough, healthy enough or holy enough. Here’s the thing – WE ARE ALL GOOD ENOUGH!! Just by the pure biological chance that we were created proves this –it is no accident! We were all meant to be here! I can tell you this all day, but YOU must do the work on this one. YOU have to believe right down to your inner core that YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH! It doesn't matter what trauma you had as a child or what wrongs you have committed, you must come to a place of knowing that you are Good Enough to love and be loved. If you don’t believe it no one else will believe it of you. Relationships, love, happiness and success will avoid you—after all you are sending off the vibe that you aren't Good Enough and don’t deserve it! Lastly, you must express gratitude. You will never receive more if you are not grateful for what you have. If all you have is a pair of shoes and a burger to eat, be grateful for that! Be grateful for every step, every breath, and every moment you are given and for all that your life is filled with. Don’t just say, “Thank you,” feel gratitude with every cell of your body. Tell others why you are thankful for them. Write thank you notes, make phone calls, journal, pray, sing, dance – whatever moves you to a loving place, do it! You cannot hold on to a negative like hurt, anger or fear when you are filled with gratitude. Practice the ability to express gratitude until it becomes your DNA. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “To be happy and successful cultivate these three attributes: The Ability to accept and adapt to change; The Ability to believe you are Good Enough to love and be loved; and The Ability to express gratitude.” ~ Pennie Hunt ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to practice these three attributes until they become part of your daily living! Monitor how this positively affects your life! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! BOOMERANGS Do you remember playing with a boomerang? You know the concept-- you hurl it into the air believing that you are throwing it far away and in seconds it is coming back aimed straight at you. How does that happen? We all have personal boomerangs; those pesky habits, patterns or cycles that repeat over and over again in our lives. We love our boomerangs. We have a collection of them that we display in our mind’s trophy case. We polish them and engrave them with our favorite story. Imagine a sparkling, bright, red lacquered boomerang with gold embedded words that say, "I have played hokey-pokey with the same 10-15 lbs of weight and just can't seem to keep it off." Can you see the shiny boomerang whooshing through the air as it is thrown with might and determination? The weight goes down. It feels great! Then out of that same clear air this boomerang appears spinning straight back with precision accuracy and hula-hoops around the waist. ((PLUNK!)) There it is again that familiar 10 lbs. How does that happen? The story is verified and the game of hokey - pokey begins again. What does your boomerang say? Is it engraved with words like- "I am always sick," "I will never finish school," "I end up in the same dead end job all the time," "I can't trust any man (or woman) that I'm in a relationship with." Do you see what all of these boomerangs have in common? They are engraved with negative power and thrown with anger and dissatisfaction. We become so attached to these Boomerangs and the stories they carry that we keep polishing them and throwing them again and again. And every time we are surprised when they come targeting right back to us. What if we changed the story? What if we changed the engraving to a positive message? What if we threw our boomerang with love and kindness? It would come back to us - they always do - but this time with the perfect weight, the job of our dreams, or an amazing partner. We will wonder -- how did that happen. Start throwing! Throw love! Throw kindness! Throw hope! Then wait. It will come back. It always does. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "You can throw your life boomerang with love and kindness or anger and dissatisfaction- either way it will come back to you—it always does. The choice is yours!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about how your life boomerangs return to you in the same way you throw them. Are you throwing them with love and kindness? YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below. And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE During this time of thankfulness I ask that we, together, place our hands over our heart center and recognize how different we are –and yet very much the same. Whatever religion you align with or light that you follow –we can all move together toward a common goal of gratitude. As you hold your hands over your heart center, recognize that whatever our talents, our dreams, our backgrounds, or our life situations we can all join in the grace of gratitude. Be grateful for our individuality and also for our common bond; Be grateful for our families and friends who are with us and those who have gone before us; Be grateful for animals, plants and all living things that love, nurture and nourish us; Be grateful for our occupations and the impact our work has on others – and ourselves; Be grateful for the beauty that surrounds us created both by nature and by human hands; Be grateful for the smallest of moments and the grandest of experiences; Be grateful for our bodies that carry us through the lessons we are here to learn; Be grateful for our breath and the rhythmic in and out of our life power; Be grateful for the flow of pure love and the spirit of life that runs through us. May our love be strengthened and our lives be broadened as we move together - in grace - toward a common goal of gratitude. Blessings to us all. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Allow the flow of pure love and the spirit of life that runs through us all to fill you with the Grace of Gratitude.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to think about the differences we all have as well as the similarities we all share--AND to be grateful for all we have! YOUR TURN - Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THE ONLY WAY TO BECOME A BETTER FOOTBALL PLAYER IS TO PRACTICE FOOTBALL Recently, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, “The only way to become a better football player is to practice football.” It doesn't get much simpler than that! Yet for our accomplishments we wait for just the right time, the right situation and for the wind to be blowing in just the right direction before we take action. We wish, we hope, we pray expecting success to fall from the sky into our ever-so-deserving laps. Hmmmm….. how is that working for you? Let’s take this simple formula and fill in our own blanks: The only way to become a better __________________ is to practice _________________. Words like: piano player – piano; salesperson – sales; gardener – gardening; friend and friendship fit easily into this equation. An example for me is, “The only way to become a better writer is to practice writing.” I write every day. My theory is that by writing a little every day I will complete an article or story every week. By the end of a year I will have 52 pieces of writing. Will they all be good? No, probably not. But somewhere in the 52 there will be some that are good and sifting to the top there may even be a few that are great! I’m not the best writer in the world. I use incomplete sentences, my typos come back and slap me after the publish button has been hit, and I couldn't live without my spell checker. But, I believe I have stories to share, ideas to document and people to reach out to. I do this through my writing. I won’t become a better writer by waiting for the perfect words, the perfect thought or the perfect space to write from. I become a better writer by writing. Why make it more difficult than it is. It is just this simple. “The only way to become a better football player is to practice football.” Now fill in your blanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Don’t wait for your accomplishments to come to you – practice your way to success!” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pursue an accomplishment that you believe is out of your reach! YOU are Good Enough to do it!! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! DECISION FATIGUE Are you tired of being in the decision parade? Every day we make decisions about: What clothes to wear; should we walk or bike to work or school; do we stop to get coffee and once there do we want coffee, latte, cappuccino, one shot, two shots, decaf or regular; what meetings do we attend; which project do we work on; which applicants do we hire; which emails do we respond to; which Facebook posts do we read; and should we Tweet? Take a breath. And then. . . After work do we exercise and what does that look like? A walk, Yoga, do we use a home gym, do we join a gym, do we Bow Flex, Crossfit or go straight to Insanity? And then it is time for dinner, but wait! Are we Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Atkins, Paleo, South Beach, or should we be in the Zone? After all that we just want to relax and watch T.V., but how do we decide between the 800+ channels, thousands of movies, and hundreds of shows available at the push of a button. Take another breath. And then... If that doesn't give us decision fatigue, step back and look at the big picture of life decisions: What school to attend; what degree to get; what career path to take; who to date; should we get married or stay single; should we have kids and how many; should we buy a house- which house or should we rent; what car to drive; what friends to associate with; which charity to support; which sport to like and which team to cheer for; how much money to save; and where should we retire? WHEW! No wonder we live with our mind swirling so fast that we need small computers that fit in our hand to keep all of these decisions organized. And yes, we have to decide which one of those smartphone computers will work the best for us! STOP! What if we just stopped! Sit still. Sit quiet. Don't make one decision. Close your eyes. Your body will breathe on its own- no decision necessary. Be at peace for five minutes or an hour. You may just decide to make this part of your day. Give yourself permission to disengage from the decision parade. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Allow yourself to disengage from the decisions of life and breathe in the presence of being here now. ” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to slow down and let your mind rest from the constant questions in life. Relax into a place of quiet where no answers are required. Be here now. Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! USE YOUR WORDS! The toddler was obviously distraught as he cried and thrashed his arms. His mom, calmly said, “I don’t know what is wrong. Tell me what is wrong. Use your words.” This scene echoed in my mind. It wasn't the frustration of a two year old that impacted me. It was the wisdom of the mom to encourage him by saying, “Use your words.” How often do we need to be told to – Use Your Words? How often do we allow anger, fear, impatience, disappointment to bring us to the point of tears and outbursts? We don’t express what is at the core of the problem. We don’t share our experience out loud with others allowing our vulnerability to be shared. Use your words! How often do we see others in the adult version of the toddler’s meltdown and push them away without encouraging them to share their feelings? Use your words! How often do we see something we agree with or enjoy on social media and find it easy just to click an automated button that expresses “like” for us without taking the time to write how much we loved it and how it touched our heart—and why? Use your words! How often do we pass strangers in our day’s journey without acknowledging their space in the world… not a “Hi,” “Hello,” or “Have a wonderful day?” Use your words! How often do we pass the opportunity without telling the ones closest to us that we love and appreciate them and just assume they must know? Use your words! From the moment a baby is born we begin talking to them and telling them we love them. When they are able to say their first word we are filled with pride and joy. We are given voices to interact on the most human level with others. Use your words to acknowledge others. Don’t look at the ground as you walk. Look at the faces of those walking with you. Use your words to express kindness. Use your words to express where your fear and hurt is coming from. Don’t lash out with a violent thrashing temper when you are frustrated or angry. Use your words to tell people how you feel. If you love them, say it! Don’t assume others know how you feel. Don’t sit behind a screen tapping an automated “LIKE” button allowing a machine to express your thoughts. Take the time to use your words! Say them, speak them and write them. Use Your WORDS! Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Don’t allow anger to explode or fear to silence you. Use your words to express your feelings!” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to use your words to express yourself. Don't allow anger or fear to speak for you in violent or silent ways. Express your feelings in kind and loving ways. Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! TURN ON YOUR BLIND SPOT MONITOR My car has a feature called theBlind Spot Monitor. When turned on, this life saving invention warns you when a vehicle is detected in your blind spot. You know, that spot to your side and just over your shoulder that you can’t see. When a vehicle is detected a warning light flashes in the side mirror to indicate a potentially hazardous lane change. The light stays on until the vehicle in the blind spot is safely ahead or behind you leaving you free to change lanes. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had a Blind Spot Monitor? Think about all of the things we don’t see that are hidden in our personal blind spots. You know, that spot to your side and just over your shoulder that you can’t see; OR choose not to. This spot is probably overflowing with items in three categories: actions or failures to act, tolerations and grace. Actions or failures to act. When was the last time you did something, even unintentionally, that caused direct or indirect pain? This is the cause and effect syndrome. Examples of this include: not following through on promises, telling small untruths, or arriving late to an appointment or event. Hidden in our personal blind spot is the hurt we cause others by our broken promises, untruths, and undependability. All of these type of actions that we either take or don’t take fall into this first category. Tolerations. Yes, I may have just created a new word. Definition ala Pennie: Tol-er-a-tions: the people, places, circumstances or things that cause us to participate in the act of tolerating. This could very well put us on the opposite side of the scale from the first category. We permit people to take advantage of us by breaking promises or telling lies. We tolerate laziness, sloppy work products, and misbehavior by ourselves and others by pushing it into our blind spot and telling ourselves it isn’t a big deal. We ignore our own health, fitness and happiness. All of these tolerations fit nicely into our blind spot. Grace. This may be the saddest and most important category of all. The idea that so much love, laughter and goodness in life slips into our blind spot where we don’t appreciate them. They become wasted grace. Close your eyes and feel hugs from your partner, the laughter of a child, the smile from a stranger, the smell of morning coffee and the wag of your dog’s tail. Yes, I said feel because I want to intentionally stir the emotion these examples of love and grace create. How many times does grace go unnoticed in a day and huddle in our blind spot? Now imagine with me what life would be like if we turned on our personalBlind Spot Monitor. It would flash a beacon in our mind to indicate a potential hazard and guide us into the lane of safety. When we came close to not following through on a promise the beacon would spark to warn us to change course. When we tolerated our slipping health or unhappiness the beacon would remind us that loving ourselves is a priority. And most importantly with every act of grace we encountered the loving light would spotlight the event so we wouldn’t miss it. Yes, I believe we all have the capacity of this personal life saving feature. We all have a Blind Spot Monitor. We just need to turn it on and watch for the flashing beacon. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: “Turn on your personal Blind Spot Monitor to enjoy all of life through open eyes.” YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to be aware of all that goes on in your life...little and big. Do not allow your blind spot to cheat you out of the wonderful moments of grace that surround you. Turn ON your blind spot monitor! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THE MEMORY MAKER One hand carried my bucket while the other grasped the largest stick I could find to swish away the foliage and shoo away the bugs. I would follow my grandmother trying to match my small footprints with hers. We were on safari in this land of wilderness. Reaching the creek, we searched for a rocky entry to the water. Stepping in, the mud squished between my toes as my feet and legs quickly became red and numb from the cold. I took deep breaths as the crawdads snapped at my feet and the sunfish brushed their thorned backs against me. We would hike back to her house with treasures in our buckets – magnificent rocks that sparkled in the sun like diamonds and gold; crawdads to watch as they pinched and squirmed; snail shells; and flowers. All were the riches of life and the secrets of nature. Her property bordered a state park. She didn’t take me in her car to the paved parking lot to play on the sand filled playground. She didn’t take me to the groomed pebble lined paths with arrows signaling points of interest. She took me on a quest-- trekking from her yard to the thickly wooded seclusion where trees were curled with the bending of age and the over grown creek bed was the land of nature in full celebration. Even today, I remember the sounds of the crickets, the smell of the muddy creek water and the constant swatting of mosquitoes as we ate our picnic lunches while discussing how the flow of the water smoothed and polished the rocks. Nothing my grandmother did with me was average or normal. It was always an adventure; an artistic creation; a moment of learned love. She was a Memory Maker. Making memories is the experience. The gift of an experience is worth more than any item we can give. The gift of an experience can even make legs covered in mosquito bites a joyful memory! Who can you be a Memory Maker for? Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Give the gift of time and experiences. Be a Memory Maker!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to create those moments in life you AND others will always remember. Be a Memory Maker! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO? Recently, I heard a question that made me ponder: “What do you attribute your place in life, your success, to?” Of course I thought of defining moments in my life, graduations, marriage, and the birth of my children. But this was asked in a deeper sense than that. It is one of those questions that should be given careful thought. For me the answer came swiftly. I was raised in a military family. When the word “ORDERS” was mentioned around my house it meant we would be moving. I remember waiting for my Dad to come home from work and running to see if he was carrying the yellow envelope; the one that held the name of the location of our next home. He would walk in, cocooned in his military green uniform and black shiny boots, whistling and smiling as if he held the secret to the universe in his hand. Once the location was revealed my small bare feet would jump on his shiny boots. He would dance me around the kitchen while the family chattered about dates and logistics of the move. My Mom, a tiny powerhouse of a woman, was a working mom at a time when most moms weren’t. With every new set of orders she orchestrated movers, house sales, school transfers, 3 unhappy children and travel. She was tuff, strong and not afraid to stand up for what she believed in. For me, dancing with my Dad was the only fun part. Orders meant leaving friends and starting over. I thought for sure that this was child abuse. I remember cleaning out my desk at school; walking to the school office with my Mom to fill out separation paperwork; and saying goodbye to teachers and classmates. I can still breathe the smell of the manila paper and packing boxes the movers used to wrap our belongs before loading them into the moving van. I can still feel the place in my stomach where fear boiled as I walked into a new school, met new teachers and filled a new desk. Yes, I was certain this was child abuse. It taught me a valuable lesson--- make friends on the playground or stand alone. I attribute the place I hold in life and any success I have to this lesson. I may not have a best friend who has held my hand from preschool to midlife. I may not have a house to visit where I was raised with a wall chalked with my height measurements as I grew. But, I learned that some lessons come wrapped in pain and discomfort. I learned how to accept change with a whistle and a smile. I learned how to be tuff, strong and not afraid to stand up for what I believe in. I learned how to talk and communicate. I learned how to tell my story. I learned that relationships are important. I learned friend building. Now here is the question for you to ponder: “What do YOU attribute your place in life, your success, to?” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie's Life Lesson: "Make friends on the playground or stand alone." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to remember those moments in life where you learned a defining lesson...one that added to your success in life. Is there someone you need to thank for that lesson? Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! THE SUNRISE IS GONEI am a morning person. I love the magical darkness right before the sun appears to wake up the world. I sit in my office, coffee in hand, watching through my window as the sun opens my day filling it with a slow painting of pink, yellow and orange. My coffee cup warming my hand and the steam teasing my nose as the spectacular painting of color fills my heart and wakes my soul. The painting is different every day. Some days a little more orange, some days a little more pink, but every day I watch the masterpiece unfold. Until now. The sunrise is gone. The building began last fall. First it was one house- then another and another. With each one I adjusted my position to see a different angle of the sunrise. Then I realized I was down to a one small sliver between two homes where I could still see the bright colors of my morning. Now, the last home is being built. The wedge of space which held my morning ritual is filled in. The sunrise is gone. Normally I like change. I love to experience the way life rearranges itself like the furniture in my living room. Every so often the couch looks better under the window than it does in front of the fireplace. My difficulty comes when adapting to the movement of out-of-sight change. Is the sunrise really gone? No. No more than the blue sky is gone on a cloudy day. The sky is still blue behind the clouds. No more than a friend who moved across country has disappeared. They are still there even though they use a different zip code to be located. And I believe no more than a loved one is gone from our life, heart and spirit even though they have passed away. All of these things require an adjustment of the way we see them; the way we enjoy them; and the way we allow them to warm our souls. I don’t think a walk at daybreak is a bad thing. The sunrise waits for me past the new houses at the end of the street. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “The sun rises every morning even if it is hidden from your view.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you notice the areas of life you believe are gone just because they are not in your line of sight. What do you need to adjust in your life to be able to see them clearly? Don't be afraid to do it! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! It seemed like a giant step to the front platform of the church. When the piano began playing it was our cue to begin singing. Each time we visited our grandmother who lived states away, my brother, sister and I sang, This Little Light of Mine, at the Hurricane Baptist Church. When we sang my body swayed back and forth – mostly from nerves. My eyes linked to the glowing face of my grandmother. Her smile encouraged me to sing loud and strong. I loved her and would do anything to make her proud and happy – even overcome the fear I felt standing on a huge stage in front of a crowd to sing the same lyrics year after year. Not long ago I was back in the Hurricane Baptist Church. As I stood in the pew looking at the one small step to the front platform I realized the passing of time had shrunk the size and scale of the space I stood in as a little girl. Decades of events skipped through my mind. This was the church where my parents were married. This was the church where I cried at funerals. And this was the church where I learned the song that I could hear as it circled my memory now. Occasionally, a life lesson is a long time in the learning. Standing in that pew I realized the lesson my grandmother was very intentionally teaching. We could have sung a different song every year, but it was always THAT song. She wanted us to sing it over and over again until we understood the meaning. We all have our own unique spirit inside; a one of a kind light that needs to shine. We must bravely allow our individual personality, our talent and our joy to be seen and shared. We must have the courage to stand up in front of others and hold up our light. And, never allow anyone to smother it. What a bold and bright lesson in one little song. This church was my grandmother’s space; a home where she felt love and joy. This is where HER light shinned. This is where I followed her encouragement and love to take that giant step as a little girl. This is where I held up my little light and allowed it to shine boldly, brightly and bravely. This is where I now understood the power of my spirit and the importance of bringing it out into the open space for others to see. Yes, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Allow your light to shine boldly, brightly and bravely…only then will you know the power of your spirit.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to shine the inner spirit of who you are to the rest of the world. It is in this light you will find fulfillment and happiness. How do you let your light shine? Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! MAGNIFICENT MOMENT OF THE DAYWhat was your golden moment of the day? That moment when just for an instant life is quiet and the spectacular happens. Can you think of one? Magnificent Moments occur all the time -- right in front of us. They happen when we least expect it in soft miniature ways and grand glorious ways. They happen as bold aggressive attention grabbers and as mystical whispers. It may be the unexpected bonus at work; the call from a friend you haven’t heard from in months; or the crisp perfume of morning as you water your garden in the early hours of dawn. It may be the breath of a baby as they lay sleeping on your shoulder; the excitement of your dog’s greeting when you walk in the door; or the sun as it ripples diamonds across the ocean. You see, Magnificent Moments are everywhere and given to everyone. When we are children we live in the time and space of Magnificent Moments where everything seems magical. As we age we are blinded by commitments and responsibilities. We hurry through time and space tripping and stumbling right over the magic. Begin watching for your Magnificent Moment of the day. Catch that one moment when magic moves you to a place of still; a place of awe; a place of wonder. When spectacular happens stop to breathe it in. Savor it and at the end of the day remember how delicious it tasted. When you are on the lookout you will begin to notice that you are surrounded by golden moments. The challenge will become choosing the one that is the mostmagnificent! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Be aware of and grateful for Magnificent Moments.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the Magnificent Moments that happen in your life every day.... and experience the joy they bring you! Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! SYNCHRONICITY AND THE TRAVELING COFFEE MUGHave you experienced an event that seemed like an amazing coincidence? One that you couldn't shake from your mind and you believed there was more to it than mere chance? I believe that when occurrences happen without a direct trail of cause and effect and yet make a profound impact of significant connection that there is more to it than chance, happenstance or accidental association. Carl Jung studied these meaningful coincidences and coined the term “synchronicity.” I watch for these moments in my life and recently one of my readers shared her experience. She wrote: . . . I totally believe in signs and such. Went to my local Goodwill and there was a Pennie Hunt "Good Enough" mug, right there calling to me and reminding me that I AM Good Enough. Thank You for being, well you and sharing your story and message. . . She went on to explain that she took the mug home and interpreted it as a very positive sign during a challenging time in her life. My Good Enough mugs are peppered across the country and some have even traveled across oceans. The idea that this person was a follower of my work, found herself struggling in life and came across one of my mugs with the message that she IS Good Enough at just the time that she needed to hear it is lovely synchronicity! Yes, I did wonder who was giving my mug to the Goodwill, but even that has a magical synchronicity to it. Obviously someone had passed on the mug without knowing it was at just the perfect time for it to become available to the person who needed to hear the message of hope. There was no intentional cause-and-effect in motion, yet it was a trail of simultaneous events with no discernible connection and the outcome was significantly and meaningfully related. I know there are those out there who will bring out their calculators to argue statistics and probability theorems of how this mug traveled to her community and ended up on the shelf at her local Goodwill – I feel compassion for them and the magic of life that they are missing. I believe that our outer world will lie before us what our inner self requires. When this realization is adopted, our job is to listen and pay attention. Pay attention to the magical, meaningful coincidences that become the serendipitous synchronicity that brings life to life. Pennie’s Life Lesson: “Watch for meaningful coincidences that relay messages of significant connection – Synchronicity!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the magical connections that happen right before you in the form of numbers, words, people and things that pop into your life without logical explanation. Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! MIND, BODY AND SOUL FOODIf we are what we eat then today I am oatmeal, blueberries, a turkey sandwich, an apple, salmon, salad and green beans. Oh, and a medium vanilla chia latte and one...okay, two really tasty sugar cookies. Well, I'm not perfect! Think about what else we feed ourselves every day that helps to create who we are. Did you savor the taste of love and joy? or Did you eat a big helping of self-criticism and negative talk? Did you swallow shame and guilt? How much anger and resentment did you chew on today? What about that green smoothie of jealousy you had for a midafternoon snack? And then right before bed did you munch on doubt and insecurity? All of these things blend into one big combo meal of emotions and feelings that feed who we are. Have you heard the expression, "junk in- junk out?" This is exactly what happens to your body and life. In the same way eating high calorie, sugar-filled junk food will show outwardly in the form of weight gain, when you feed yourself negativity then negativity will show outwardly to create a life of anger, depression and pain. Isn't it time to pay attention to what you feed your mind, body and soul? Create a menu of positive self-empowering mind, body and soul food. Begin mixing in healthy amounts of gratitude and self-care into your diet. None of us are perfect and along with the occasional really tasty sugar cookie there will be times that negative self-talk, doubt or shame will sneak into your daily diet. Forgive yourself when you indulge in these and then - move on! If you knew you had the power to create happiness in your life wouldn't you do it? Well, you do! It all starts with being grateful. Begin and end each day in gratitude. Just like weight lifting begins strengthening your body with one work out at a time, exercising your gratitude and self- compassion muscles will reshape your life one thank-you and one act of self-love at a time. Gratitude leads to love, joy and kindness. When you begin fueling your soul with these it will show outwardly bringing happiness to your life. YOU do have the power to become what you eat! Eat wisely. Pennie's Life Lesson: "You are what you eat -- feed love to your mind, body and soul!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ YOUR TURN... My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to your negative self talk and emotions that you consume and replace them with loving self care and gratitude. Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below . And please feel free to email me at: PennieHunt@gmail.com. Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013-2014 Pennie Hunt This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt. Feel free to forward this post. Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission please email: Penniehunt@gmail.com Thank you! |
AuthorThere is a certain magic about where I live both physically and spiritually – on the crossroads of Spirit and Brave. Archives
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