Patience and Gratitude

I am participating in the Deepak and Oprah MEDITATION CHALLENGE.  I am not on schedule with the meditation postings, I'm on my own schedule...today's MEDITATION was highlighting gratitude. I'm so grateful for the NOW in my life. My life, right NOW is amazing. I am currently waiting at the airport for a flight back home. I am with my four year old and we've been here since 2:05 pm, it is currently 7:43 pm. I am so proud of his patience, I'm grateful for his focus. We will be getting on flight 302 which leaves here  at 7:55. We've been bypassed thrice already. This flight looks promising. We didn't get home till the evening time and the whole while waiting, my little one was a true pleasure. I'm grateful for the gifts of patience, awareness, love and compassion.

Sharing is caring.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Namaste!

In Possibility,

Julie Jewels

(8.2013)

Light Is Not Lost On Me Dejavu

Organic Jewels was were my last Brainstorm should have been published.

Light is Not Lost on Me <-----Here is the post.

I guess it started as a brainstorm, so everything is right in the world. :)
Namaste!

Sharing is caring.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Namaste!

In Possibility,

Julie Jewels

Nothing. I did nothing.

Every time I pick up my son from school I ask, "Did you have a good day? How was school today? What did you do? Did you learn something new and  fun?"  (It seems like a barrage of questions, I know, but it's purely conversational.)

I think I might be asking the wrong questions as his response is usually always, "Nothing. I didn't do a thing."
I say, "So you didn't play or draw or even have snacks. Okay." He says, "Well, I did have a snack and took a nap." In my head I'm thinking, we don't pay for you to nap and snack and then I think, wait, my middle schooler did the same, minus the napping. Come to think of it my 16 year old niece does the same and she has shared how she wishes she could nap. So I wonder if it's just a general consensus for students to not care to share or even just remember all of the activities they participate in while they are in school. Of course I felt like this was exclusive to just us and then this past week I attended a school meeting where the teacher would be explaining the "Common Core Standards" for our pre-schoolers.

Once the teacher explained the standards, the goals at the school and had a little "Core Standards" Q&A, she opened the floor to general questions.  To my surprise other parents were sharing the concern that their children say they do nothing or all they do is play all day.  Now, if my son was playing all day with the other children I would be fine, as he is 4 and a half in a household where the person closest in age to him is his 23 year old sister.  Play with children his age is exactly what I am interested in for him.  Peer interaction and socialization is pertinent to the healthy development of all human beings, I feel. For the past couple of years we've been home together. I take him out to explore the world and we go on diverse adventures most days it was just us.  The transition to all day school has been a bit challenging for both of us.  We miss each other and last month he would cry when he was at school cause he missed being home with mom.  Pre-school came at the right time for us.

Yesterday when I picked him up from school I asked, "How was your day?" He responded, "It was great!"
I asked, "So would you like to share your rose and thorn?" He said, "School all day was my rose." My response was, "That is awesome, what fun stuff did you do?"  Now, here I think we are making progress, I'm so excited I can't even contain my smile, which he really can't see cause I am driving and he is in the back seat..."Nothing, I didn't really do a thing, mom."

I quickly turn my head to look at his face, he is smiling from ear to ear and there is a twinkle in his eye.  If doing nothing makes him this joyful, he should continue to do nothing every day!

Sharing is caring.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Namaste!

Expansion...

I wrote a post called Women, last year. I checked it out this week and it has truly helped me to focus on folks who inspire my soul and not the things that can have the power to bring me down, if I so choose.  See I am a believer that What I focus on Expands.  These past couple of weeks have been riddled with extreme transitions for me.  I am truly being forced to learn to Expect the Unexpected.  


I started to check out a few photos and this is what has happened.

I have been sitting with many of the blessings I have had and don't always recognize...I have been sharing my love for certain individuals and my gratitude for who they are and what they represent in my life and in my heart.

I recommend it!

It's brought me such joy to sit and think and share about these amazing individuals.

I will share an example:

My friend Carla.

I met my dear sister friend during the spring when I celebrated my 25th birthday. 

We were introduced by a former friend, Cindy. Cindy and I met at work when I was a legal assistant in Forest Hills. Cindy was my ride or die chick back in the mid '90's. 

Well, I was blessed to meet Carla and we instantaneously hit it off. If you know me, you know it takes me a moment or two to warm up to folks. You know I use to have the tendency to judge and me suspicious of anyone new in my circle. It wasn't like this with Carla. I met Carla and immediately felt connected. She gave me the coolest birthday present and card that year and she came to two of the celebrations for that "momentous occasion" ;) . Since that time my sister circle has extended to include my CARLA CONNECTION CREW which I absolutely adore, love, enjoy, miss and appreciate.

Just a note to say Thank you Carla, for being your amazing self. For being my friend and for sharing your friends and family with me. You are a Godsend and I love you!

Sharing is caring is one of my mottos.

I'm thinking if you want to have an awesome love filled experience take out a piece of paper and a writing implement, close your eyes for a moment and envision someone special in your life.  Think of someone who lives in your heart and then write down what makes them special and how you are connected. This practice alone is full of love, peace and joy. If you want to multiply the love, peace and joy then share the thought with that person.  Put it in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it and mail a little love.

Sharing is caring.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Namaste!

In Possibility,

Julie Jewels

A PLEA FOR CHANGE

Aug 1, 2013

Dear Mr. President Barak Obama, 
My name is Adriana Gabriela Gavilanes, and I am 13 years old. My family and I have been through a lot these past couple of days! My half brother just passed away inthe Hialeah shooting. Everyone has been very supportive and helpful and I'm very grateful for that, but still that doesn't mean weare going to get him back. Now the reason why I'm writing this letter is because I need you to do whatever you can to make sure that our generation has none of these problems. The pain that my family is going through nobody should ever go through. I need you to do everything that you can to advocate gun control and stop gun violence. Now, I'm not saying to eliminate guns but please do something whether that means to make a tax or make laws. There are so many examples of gun violence; Connecticut Shooting (Sandy Hook Elementary), Aurora Shooting, Hialeah Shooting, Tucson Shooting, etc. Sadly these are very common in News Papers and New Channels these days. Everyone thinks that if everybody has a gun then everyone is protected, but that isn't the way everyone should think. Instead tHey should think that if nobody has a gun no one needs a gun to defend themselves. I know that you're an advocate for gun control, so I decided that I was going to write this letter to tell you that our new and up coming generation, do care! You need to know thatyou're not only doing this to help your country now, but also you're helping your country for the future. I know that you've tried passing a gun law and the Senate has turned you down, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them on our side. If i need to go to Washington DC and personally talk to each and every member in the US Senate then that is what I will do, and I realize it may not mean anything to them, but it means everything to me. It would make my family and I feel better knowing that my brother died for a reason. My parents taught me that everything happens for a reason and I believe that this was, Carlos, reason. He loved us so much and he had an influence on everyone that he met! He always lit up the room. If every family felt this way about there lost loved ones we should do something about this problem. I can't explain how much everyone misses him and it doesn't feel real, it feels like a movie. I feel as if we can just go to his house and see him again, but we can't. A lot of people came to America for the Americandream, but what all these families are living today is the American Nightmare. 

From, Adriana Gabriela Gavilanes

From the hearts of babes.

I'm not asking what your thoughts are on Gun Control, having a gun, using a gun, or anything having to do with a gun. I am asking you to FEEL for a moment the authentic and unbelievably painful hurt of loosing someone to violence.

The answer is my friends is LOVE. Not pollyanna, let's hug and dance around love, but true, powerful and action oriented LOVE.

My little cousin Adriana is ready to go to Washington and speak to the people in charge. She's ready and full of love to do it.

What are you ready to do?

Namaste!
In Possibility.
Jewels

The Expected and The Unexpected

Yesterday morning my sister called me to tell me our cousin had passed away.  The night before we had all been at the hospital and when I saw him I feared the worst. Well, not the worst, I feared his passing. The first weekend in July I had gone to see him and I thought he would be out soon. I thought they would run some tests, find out what was wrong and then give him the remedy to fix it.  That was twenty days ago.  Today my cousin is no longer with us in the physical world. My cousin is with all of us in spirit. He lives in our hearts.  

Today I get a call from my mother to share with me that my other cousin was killed last night.

Today, my heart can't take it.
None of it makes sense.

Truth be told I only spent time with these two guys when we were celebrating an event. In recent years we only saw each other to share in good times.  Both of these men were family men. My cousin Julio was my cousin Karlla's right hand, he was an uncle, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a friend.  Karlla and Julio, they did everything together, always. My cousin Carlos is a father, a husband, a son, a cousin, an uncle, a friend.

My heart aches for the people in their lives, my family, who will not be graced with their presence in the day to day.

My cousin has to bury his son. I don't think there is greater sadness than having to bury your child.

My articulation skills are impaired today but I felt the need to share their passing.

Both Carlos and Julio were always the life of the occasion. They always had a smile to share, a hug to give, a good word impart.  They were always fun. There was never an occasion that I saw either of them where I didn't laugh so hard that I cackled. They were jokesters. They brought so much joy to everyone who they encountered.  Always young and spirited at heart.  They also both always told it like they perceived it. They were true to the core.

Both of you will be missed so much, by so many.

Thank you for all the joy and laughter you brought to this world with your light spirits.

Your spirits will forever shine in this world.

In love and light.
Julie Jewels

Wrong Doing

I did something wrong today.  
It wasn't a physical act, it was a verbal one.
Words can pierce deeply; more than WHAT I say it's HOW I say it.

Today, I reacted badly and immediately wished I would have taken a deep breathe or three before reacting.

I am sorry.  I apologized already and I acknowledge it was completely inappropriate and even abusive and I am clear that Love is not abuse!   

I hurt someone I love and in turn I've hurt myself and the beautiful relationship we have had.  It was a thoughtless and irresponsible reaction due to that moment, the environment and a few other factors yet it was wrong.  
I acknowledge my wrong doing.

This isn't the first time I forget about My Favorite of the Four Agreements and it might not be the last.  What happened in this situation will NEVER happen again, this I KNOW for SURE!

The person I hurt is someone I truly LOVE, I don't only Love them, I like them. Thankfully the relationship has a strong, healthy and deep foundation. I pray for the Grace of God, they can truly forgive me as I am truly sorry.


Sharing is caring.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Namaste!