When I was small, I would sit next to my Dad in church and play with his rough, callused hands. I was young enough that I could get away with not paying attention to the service. I was in awe with how much bigger his hands were than mine, and I’d interlace our fingers just for comparison. I’d rub my fingers over the thick areas of skin, and I only appreciated years later the work required in making those hands so rough. As an adult, I still love my Dad’s hands. Of course, retirement living and lots of lotion have made them much smoother. They are still nice to hold, though.

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.Clarence B. Kelland

I am grateful for the present moment. When you untangle your mind from the concerns of twenty minutes ago and the lists of what you have to do tomorrow, the present moment offers such opportunity and peace. When you look closely at the colors and patterns of life happening right in front of you, then simple things like the texture of a dish sponge are miraculous.

Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.” Thich Nhat Hanh

When we yield to discouragement it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future.
St. Therese of Lisieux

I love dog smiles. I know people say they’re not real, but I refuse to believe it.

“When the smile of a lovely dog is seen, the mind is healed.” Author Unknown

I have learned to appreciate suffering. Every time I suffer I transform in ways unimaginable. Although my mind can’t wrap around suffering in a world with an all-loving, all-knowing God, I can’t deny the beautiful transformative nature of suffering.

“Deep unspeakable suffering may well be called a baptism, a regeneration, the initiation into a new state.” George Eliot

I am grateful for uninhibited dance. For the shimmies and shakes you take when you think no one is watching. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could live every moment like that?

“Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.” Maya Angelou

“To dance is to give oneself up to the rhythms of all life” Dr. Maya V. Patel

When I follow my gut, my world falls into place. So often we grow up learning that we should do this and we should do that. We learn to ignore that voice in our head in favor of what it is responsible and expected. Learning to follow our inner instincts, even against the dreaded “should,” is the first step in empowering ourselves to live a more authentic life.

“I feel there are two people inside me — me and my intuition. If I go against her, she’ll screw me every time, and if I follow her, we get along quite nicely.” Kim Basinger

The kid in me  loves watermelons.  There’s no dignified way to eat a watermelon. With juice dripping down the arms and seeds coming out of every corner of the mouth, it reminds me that even adults need to be kids sometimes.

“When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.”
Mark Twain