Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Peeling It Back

....there are growth spurts in sobriety. I am going through one. Everyone has a limit. It's a new year. I'm embarrassed when I awake to find that I still have problems I was dealing with years ago, even a year ago before I got sober. I care more who I surround myself with. I find now that I would rather be alone, than have friendships or relationships that are not only less than one deserves, but disrupt the peace in my life. My peace is valuable now. I guard it, I work for it, it can mean the difference between two paths for me. It's time to cultivate better relationships, associations and friendships. It's time to be patient until that happens. My people are out there. They are like me. Trying to live daily for a better life, to be a better person. Working at it. Why settle any longer. I do not settle in life anymore. I deserve better than this. It's time for some peace. It's time for positive places, people and things.

It does not matter to me who is right, who is wrong. If I understand you or you understand me. I just want peace. Better to just leave some things well enough alone.

“He keeps his road well enough who gets rid of bad company”
Proverb quotes

“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
George Washington

Thursday, December 22, 2011

My List

There are things that make me feel better. If I tell myself them enough, I feel like a new person.

1. everything happens for a reason. we may never know why until further down the line, or even during this lifetime. but there is a reason.

2. you can't control other people.

3. sometimes you have to love people from a distance to maintain your own quality of life.

4. everything passes.

5. most of the time it is we who make ourselves crazy, or allow others to affect us to that level (see #3)

6. there is always a way out and a solution.

7. you are allowed to change your mind at any time.

8. don't just accept yourself the way you are, relish in it, embrace and use it.

9. we all have our own purposes and places in life, I don't have to or want to do yours, you don't have to or want to do mine.

10. when things get too overwhelming it always helps to give them to God, as many times as you need to each day.

11. life...is short, find your happiness, and your peaceful place and don't ever let anyone take that from you.

that's it for now.

~Jenny

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The March of Time

Let us honor
the marching of the times
autumn came and went
with beautiful smokey music
deep colors and warm scents
hearts at rest breathing deeply
in the decay of the old
the blank slate of the trees
the quietness to come

Winter
with her billowing
cold, snows and wind
a million lights upon the earth
a million fires within the hearts
of men and women
a quiet time to
for listening, remembering
giving

The Spring will come
with cool breezes
fresh grass
and easy afternoons
slowly warming the earth
and our hearts
back to life
it is louder
it is gentler
it is the neutral time

Summer
with her juicy melons
sandy beaches
sometimes scorching heat
a time to hold on
or a time to run wild
and to rest
and to laze about
with her sounds of water
laughter
as the sun crackles and spews
from above

The times march on
there will always be more
and never less
If there is no more
there will still be
different

~Jenny

Friday, December 9, 2011

Christmas With You

Christmas is decorated at my place
this year there is simplicity
in what was put out
crystal glass candle holders
each unique that were received
as gifts by two very special people

Selected ornaments from my youth
wonderful Wintery scents
just enough sparkling white lights
just enough nostalgia and glitter

Each piece placed with thought and care
nothing complicated
nothing un-enjoyed in the doing
nothing silly
it is just enough

My memories fade this year
finally
of Christmases past
and I relish this very year
season and life
I have with you

This is our home
this is our cat
these are our decorations now
this is my heart
this is your heart
all sparkling and beautiful
just enough

~Jenny
"My beloved child, break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.
You stop feeding on love which is the wellspring of your vitality."

"The time has come,
Your time to live.
To celebrate and see the goodness that you are."

"You, my child, are divine.
You are pure.
You are sublimely free.
You are God in disguise and you are always perfectly safe."

"Do not fight the dark,
Just turn on the light.
Let go and breathe into the goodness that you are."
~by Swami Kripalvanandji

Monday, November 28, 2011

Affirmation & Proclaimation

I am thankful for my life exactly as it is today.
Everything is exactly as it should be at this moment.
I feel free when I release control, and trust
in God's plan for my life.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. The people who get on in this world are they who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."
- George Bernard Shaw

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Are you letting the moods of others control you? (by Karen Casey)

"It’s far too easy to get pulled off course, I think. The myriad moods of the many people we encounter on a daily basis, if allowed to control how we feel in the moment, will keep us unsettled and unfulfilled for most of the day. It’s no fun to live in this kind of turmoil. But the habit is hard to break.

For many, it begins in childhood. Perhaps a very demanding parent prevented you from having an identity that was separate, in some respects, from the family. What dad believed, every one had to believe. Or you had a teacher or a boss that belittled you for your “imagined” inadequacies.

What we seldom knew, then, was that how others treated us was a reflection of how they felt about themselves. It didn’t define us. That is, unless we let it define us. It’s never too late to be fully in charge of our own moods, our own behavior, our own attitudes, our own goals for the future. And the empowerment we feel when we do step up to the plate is beyond explanation.

We will never feel the same, or even look the same, once we take control of our own course, our own direction in life. If this seems farfetched, try it. You will feel the inner excitement the first time you walk away from some one else’s definition of you. This will be the “carrot” that invites you to walk away again and again."

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

What progress, you ask, have I made?
I have begun to be a friend to myself.
~Hecato, Greek philosopher

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Paint By Number

I was recently in an office that had a collection of paint by numbers tastefully hung, nearly covering one wall,with a few others scattered here and there. I asked if they were painted by herself, "oh no, she said, I scour thrift stores for old 1950's paint by numbers." They were all in different frames, and there was something I loved about it.


I read up on the 1950's paint by number craze. It's very interesting, there is actually an on-line paint by number museum.
http://www.paintbynumbermuseum.com/lobby 1950's critics proclaimed this was not art, but people were proudly displaying them in their homes.






I just love how they make me feel. I've looked up modern paint by number kits, and found some I really like. I just may give it a shot at covering one of my own walls with several of these. They even have "masterpieces" you can paint!




and this...this is simply beautiful to me~(The Avenue of Trees in the rain below)



thinking of ordering the kit from
http://www.goodpaintbynumber.com/

I think I've found a new hobby, and I hope I've introduced you to something new too!

~Jennifer

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Letting It Go

The word is release. It's a wonderful word, for so many things. I was just reading an article about a spiritual woman who helps people loose weight by getting in touch with the real issues. At the bottom she has a picture of herself that was taken after, she says, she "released" 50 pounds, not LOST, RELEASED! I love it. I have a few pounds to RELEASE. I RELEASE YOU pounds, your free!

Seriously, if you really look at it, the things we need to "stop" doing in our lives, do not need to be seen as some sort of confinement or giving up of something or going without. We can simply look at it as releasing the things that make us feel bad or hold us back, or cost us our happiness.

This is my new Mantra. I want to release myself from some weight, I want to release the weight and the issues that are a part of it. I want to release people, resentments, judgments. It sounds so much more beautiful that way, and much more of a happy, loving endeavor~to set these things FREE. To set yourself FREE.

~Jennifer

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Adaption

The bad news: a human being can get used to anything.

The good news: a human being can get used to anything.

~Jennifer

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

~Dylan Thomas

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

"Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him." ~Faulkner

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

“To serve a meaningful work of art is almost like adoring the Master of the Universe in prayer.” ~Madeleine L’Engle, bestselling writer and author of A Wrinkle in Time

Monday, October 10, 2011

Halloween Spirit

We are getting into the Halloween Spirit around here. I made a pumpkin out of a book this weekend.



It took longer than I thought, but I'm pretty happy with the results. Some variations are to glue a stick in the middle for a stem and then tie a ribbon around it, and stain the edges with tea for a more rustic look. I also of course contemplated putting silver or orange glitter on the stem or around the edges, but I think I'm liking the nice simple clean look. My crafty sister would be so proud
= )

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Blog County Fair 2011

Here is my mixed media entry for the Blog County Fair. I call it Buddha Art. It's a mix of collage using acrylics, mixed media images and beads. Some of the supplies were recently gifted to me by my sister. I thought it would be nice to create something with them.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Jewels by William James

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

“Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.”

“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.”

“Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not.”
(Yes, I whole heartedly believe in this = )

“How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure.”

“If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.”

“If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.”

“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”

“Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case.”

(All quotes by William James)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Resilence

“You can get sympathy or you can get better but you can’t get both. You can be in your comfort zone or you can have growth, but you can’t have both. You can be interested or you can be sold-out-committed, but you can’t entertain both. You can have excuses or have results, but you can’t do both. Choose the path that develops your visceral fortitude.”
~Mario Cortes

“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
~H. Jackson Brown

“Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the top of a mountain. So are many things learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of.”
~Charles Spurgeon

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself and come have a cigarette and a cup of coffee.”
~Jennifer Miller

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

On Loyalty

“A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.”
~Joyce Maynard

“Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.”
~Ayn Rand

“Confidentiality is a virtue of the loyal, as loyalty is the virtue of faithfulness.”
~Edwin Louis Cole

“For above all things Love means sweetness, and truth, and measure; yea, loyalty to the loved one and to your word. And because of this I dare not meddle with so high a matter.”
~Marie de France

“No more duty can be urged upon those who are entering the great theater of life than simple loyalty to their best convictions.”
~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

Monday, August 29, 2011

A Jimmy Buffet Kind of Monday

“Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”

“If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane, If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane, If we weren't all crazy we would go insane”

“Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.”

“Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.”

“Indecision may or may not be my problem.”

(all quotes by Jimmy Buffet)

Happy Monday = )
(warning this statement is an oxymoron)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Diligence (something to strive for)

"Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know."
~Charles Kingsley

"Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes."
~Miguel de Cervantes

"I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time."
~Charles Dickens

"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
~Samuel Johnson

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Gratitude

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Praise the bridge that carried you over. ~George Colman

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus

We thank Thee, O Father of all, for... all the soul-help that sad souls understand. ~Will Carleton

Friday, August 19, 2011

Today's Gifts

"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."
(I found this on Facebook. I'm not sure who wrote it, but it is beautiful and worth sharing)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Goals

"Goals in writting are dreams with deadlines."
Brian Tracy

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives.Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
Jim Rohn

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break."
Rick Hansen

"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures."
Charles C. Noble

"It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world."
Og Mandino

"If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings."
Brian Tracy

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."
H. L. Hungt

"Setting goals for your game is an art. The trick is in setting them at the right level neither too low nor too high."
Greg Norman

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Your~Self

“You must decide and define who you are. Not others, not past experiences or old perceptions. Until you define who you are by your own inner standards, you will not know freedom. Decide who you are and be it, and know freedom in all things.”
~Jennifer Miller

Monday, August 15, 2011

Acceptance

"At the heart of personality is the need to feel a sense of being lovable without having to qualify for that acceptance."
~Paul Tournier

"Bad humor is an evasion of reality; good humor is an acceptance of it."
~Malcolm Muggeridge

"Happiness can exist only in acceptance."
~George Orwell

"I'm not wise, but the beginning of wisdom is there; it's like relaxing into - and an acceptance of - things."
~Tina Turner

"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not
mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary it means accepting
it as it comes. . . . To accept is to say yes to life in its entirety."
~Paul Tournier

Friday, August 12, 2011

All Living Things Need Love,
& Attention.

~Jennifer Miller

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Happy 8-11-11

11 is the number of angels. 11 is the number of awakening. 11 is the number of "we are with you right now." 11 is the number of divine love. 11 is a secret~when paired with another 11, 11:11, a code we had forgotten. Do you see 11:11 often? On clocks or anywhere else? I often see 11:11 corresponding to a spiritual thought or realization in life. I feel the angels near and often see a spark of light to accompany this. Sometimes it is blue, sometimes it is white. 11:11 may be our destiny, and when it comes time, we may perfectly understand it's meaning and reason. It is a loving and flashing reminder of who we really are, and why we are really here.

~Jennifer Miller

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Life Is Short

"Mindfulness is a love affair~
with life, with reality and imagination, with the beauty of your own being, with your heart and body and mind, and with the world."
~Jon Kabat-Zinn

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Stay In The Present Moment

"The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody’s life really consists of small things. Greatness is a mental abstraction and a favorite fantasy of the ego. The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness." ~from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

On Letting Go

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse

“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” – Unknown

“Every breath is an opportunity to receive and let go. I receive love and I let go of pain.” – Brenda MacIntyre

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

“The Tao Te Ching says, When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need. Have you ever struggled to find work or love, only to find them after you have given up? This is the paradox of letting go. Let go, in order to achieve. Letting go is God’s law.” – Mary Manin Morrissey

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Affirmation #2

"I glide through my day with ease. Something good will happen today and I await it with openness and excitement. I will recognize it when it comes.
I accept wherever I am today as my now."
~Jennifer Miller

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

je ne sais quoi

We shouldn't worry so much about what we look like. If we have the perfect skin, clothes, hair, are thin enough, fit enough etc. A healthy look and vibe is a good start. Even with age if we do the best we can do for our bodies health and outlook, it's enough. You could have everything you ever wanted on the outside and more, but not radiate a glow of health, happiness or love~and thus it would not matter.

What kind of energy do you carry within you? Do you shy away from talking to people because you feel less than or inadequate? What qualities do you find in others that you feel drawn to and make you want to be around that person? Certainly not the clothes they wear, or their hairstyle, or if they've had plastic surgery. There is an undeniable gift in each of us called our je ne sais quoi. In French this means An intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.

If you met yourself today, what would you like about you, what would be special about just you? We each have a light inside of us. Often we don't let it shine because we think it will not be accepted, well received, liked. The right moths will be drawn to your flame.
~Jennifer Miller

Friday, July 22, 2011

Ultimate Optimism

Optimism is the foundation of courage.  ~Nicholas Murray Butler

Of course I look at the glass half full.  The only time I would look at it half empty is when I think about how good the first half tasted.  ~Drew Deyoung

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought. ~Peace Pilgrim

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~Helen Keller

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Lesson of the Day

"Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face.  The legendary French aviation pioneer and author Anotoine de Saint-Exupery wrote: "I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes.  What matters is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself.  Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime."
from: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

(sometimes we teach what we need to learn~)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Happy Place: "When you come upon a path that brings benefit and...

A Happy Place: "When you come upon a path that brings benefit and...: "'When you come upon a path that brings benefit and happiness to all, follow this course as the moon journeys through the stars.' Buddha"
"When you come upon a path that brings benefit and happiness to all, follow this course as the moon journeys through the stars." Buddha

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Affirmation #1

"Life is manageable today. Answers come easily in their own time. You feel relaxed and your mind is gentle and quiet. You have patience and faith for the future and rest in the moment regardless of what is going on around you." ~Jennifer Miller 

Friday, July 15, 2011

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." ~Gandhi