Inspired Day Two

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the first post for what inspires you everyday. 

 Here is mine for day two of seven.

My niece running to me to give me a leaping hug. That leaves me feeling inspired, knowing that I matter to a child!

Children remind us how to dream with open eyes.

Inspired?

How many situations, people, events do we encounter in a day that leaving us feeling awed or inspired?

The truth is that on most days we would most likely say none.

But shouldn't we be able to say many?

I suppose, if we wait for huge monumental events, they would be few and far between.

But consider this, if a co worker, who rarely looks your way, smiles at you, is that not inspiring.

When you drive to work and the warmth of the sun caresses your face, is that not inspiring or better yet when the sun breaks through the clouds, casting rays across the landscape, is that not inspiring.

Your child's hug before school, you puppy licking your face, your husband making you a coffee, a good morning call from your son when he arrives at his office, an invitation to a birthday dinner.......

So I ask you to consider this, each day for the next seven days, find one thing that inspires you and post it in the comment box. Pass the challenge onto your friends and family and watch the seed of inspiring moments grow!

The Sands of Time

This is the sand glass that holds the "time" that is our lives. 

How much sand will be used depends on how we live and how we treat the vessel that is given to us that house our souls. 

When a day is done, 

 a tiny grain drops marking the passage of time. What does that grain hold; our thoughts, feelings, experiences, joys, sorrows, and all the things that defined us on that given day.

And so it goes on, each day another grain falls and lands upon the others that formed the foundation.
These are our memories and we must be grateful for them.

"Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires."
~Charles Caleb Colton

The Miracle of Life

http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1889R-32773

Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born. I loved you. Before you were here an hour, I would die for you. This is the Miracle of Life.~author unknown

There is no greater love than the love we feel for our children. No one said that being a parent would be easy, there are so many challenges and there is no perfect manual to prepare you for the bumps along the way.  But in the end when you watch your children take that leap into the world, the one that tells you they no longer need you but simply love you and then in that perfect moment you think,
"What a journey. I wouldn't change a single tear, not a smile, a scraped knee, or breathless moment."

"Sometimes in the Winds of Change, we find our True Direction."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandralise_photography/7753437120/

~Author Unknown

As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself.  I've become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon?  I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken.  How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?  But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion.  A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.  So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old.  It has set me free.  I like the person I have become.  I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.  And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

~especially if it's apple pie which happens to be my favorite~

A True Love Story Never Ends

http://virtualfunzone.com/touching-love-story-unfortunately-without-happy-ending.html

Some people live together for a life time yet they don't live at all while others share a brief moment filled with more life than a lifetime can hold.

The Burden of a Tear Hangs from My Eye

http://www.123rf.com/photo_12892983_a-fallen-angel-or-child-angel-who-is-sad.html

Every child is a burning light, a gift from above. They do not belong to us, they belong to God entrusted to the world for safe keeping. We love them, nurture them, teach them, share incredible moments and our hearts are filled with the promise of many tomorrows. 

When God calls them home earlier than expected the light dims across the universe and we are left with the burden of tears hanging from our eyes.