What Is Happiness?

"It is inevitable when one has a great need of something, one finds it. What you need you attract like a lover"

~Gertrude Stein

Leaving for our son's Make A Wish trip, Summer 2010.

 

 

Have you ever asked yourself what you truly need to be happy?

Is it a bigger house?

More money?

A second vehicle?

 

I used to think it was those things...
Until my son was diagnosed with cancer just before Thanksgiving in 2009.
That really makes you stop and evaluate what makes you happy...
 

If we just had more money to meet the bills and have some "mad money"...

If we had a couple hundred more square feet on house then everyone will have room to pursue their passions...

If we had a second vehicle then I could go to run errands and visit with people and volunteer more and....

 

The truth is: those things don't really matter.
 

The bigger house? More to clean and less time spent together as a family.

More money? The bills just get bigger or the hobbies more expensive.

A second vehicle? More time spent away from the family. And that extra money? There it goes.

 

 

I challenge you to ask yourself... What do I truly need to be happy?

Not happy the way society and the media portray happiness... But happy in your soul?

 

To be fully content.

 

You might surprise yourself.

 

This is my list.

 

TIME:

With my Savior, learning to be the servant of my world.

With myself, to check in and make sure that I am nurtured and balanced in my pursuits.

With my family, developing deep, loving relationships that will ground my children in the security of a family identity.

 

FREEDOM:

From the doubt that I have listened to that still small voice and am walking the path already laid for me... no matter how rocky it is.

 

SPACE:

To garden, not acres and acres but enough to spend a little time each day nurturing beautiful and growing things.

To sew, beautiful and practical items that make my home more inviting

To cook, and nurture food as not just necessary for living but also as a time to savor the small things; like red velvet cupcakes in colorful wrappers with the perfect cream cheese frosting swirled just so.

To heal, and practice the art of holistic healing and leading those that come to me in their own healing journey.

To live, life as I see it.

 

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

The Stage

 

 

 

"When you perform...you are out of yourself - larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly."

~Agnes DeMille

 

My first identity... from the time I stepped into my first class at the age of three... a dancer.





No matter where else life has taken me; wife... mother... student...
Dance has been an undercurrent of it all. It is rare that I hear a song on the radio and am not choreographing it in my mind.

I have been privileged to meet some truly amazing people... I have formed friendships that span the distance of life paths and reconnect when I least expect them to. 

 Dance has taken me on amazing journeys... places I never thought I would go.



 

No matter what comes in life I am thankful that God has allowed me to have the experiences that dance has given me.

 

Even though right now I can't fill my life with dance... it is still there. It infuses everything I do.

 

This morning I set aside some time to get back to the basics. I gave myself permission to follow my heart and spent some quality time with music and ballet...in my kitchen

 

Yes, I said my kitchen...

 

See, I have been telling myself that I can't dance because I don't have the space... I can't afford to take class...basically I was having a pity party.

 

But then I realized that I have the space I need! All I need is something to hold on to...about 4 feet of space on three sides...and some inspiring music... I did a simple ballet barre routine standing at the counter in my kitchen.

I broke a sweat.. I was out of breath... my muscles burned and my legs turned to jello...

It was glorious!

 

The quote at the beginning of this post does not just apply to those who are performers in the classic sense.

We are all performers in our own lives. The question is... What kind of performance are you putting on? Are you just going through the motions or are you taking every moment to give all you have? Are you holding back or are you leaving it all on the stage?

 

I know I intend to embrace all of my passions. By doing so I am better equipped to be the best wife and mother I can be.

By making sure my soul is fed I can be open to allow God to work through me as I learn to aid in the healing of those I will encounter at school and eventually in my own practice.

You Only Live Once

This phrase is so often taken to the extreme:

 

Life is short, this is the only one there is. So let's do something stupid and crazy because who really wants to grow old anyway?

 

Really?

 

Since I have started looking inward and getting in deeper connection with my Creator I have a different view.

 

The heartache of the last month has made me aware...

 

We only have one life...

 

Enjoy that cup of tea.

Read a book with your daughter.

Star gaze with your son.

Wake up early and watch the sun rise.

Hold the hand of your love.

Read or maybe even write that novel.

Grab a canvas and a paintbrush and see what happens.

Listen to a cat purr.

Throw a ball for your dog.

Take that walk.

Really listen to that music...take it in.

Smell that rose.

Color...in a coloring book...with crayons. Preferably with a 3 year old at your side.

 

Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them because you never know when it will be for the last time.

 

Yes, we only have one life, shouldn't that be enough?

 

I intend to enjoy every minute of it...even the small things.

 

Because if you are fully enjoying life.. the small things aren't really small at all...they may just be some of the most profound moments of your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Beginning

"There are years the ask questions and years that answer."

~ Zora Neale Hurston

Walking beside Central Park

I have this book. I have had it for almost exactly two years. It is a book that I had heard about many years before.

I remember the day I discovered it in a second-hand store while shopping with my mom and the children...

My life was turbulent to say the least.

I felt lost and disconnected with myself and those who are most precious to me. 

Then I found the book. 

                                    Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

I was ecstatic!  It was only $2... a blessing for me at the time.

I brought it home and dove in, determining to start at January 1 and catch up to the current date...

But this book isn't meant to be powered through... as I quickly discovered. My heart and soul didn't want to be quickly changed. As much as I wanted to find my "authentic self" as the author describes, It can't be done in a couple days. 

Or a couple weeks. 

So I set it reluctantly aside and determined to start it on January 1... which is how the book is written.

Since then I have made several attempts to start the book "right". I will read for a couple days and then miss some so then I have to read a couple extra passages to catch up... Or, like this year, it got packed up because of circumstances beyond my control and I only recently unearthed it.

So I have decided that I am not going to stress about catching up, I am not going to just jump in to the middle either and ignore all the lessons that came before...

I am going to start right now, with January 1. 

Who says my new year has to be with the calendar? All sorts of celebrations mark their beginning at different times of the year. Birthdays, anniversaries, quitting a destructive addiction... 

They all mark a new year.

So this is my new year.

I am starting with January 1.

I can't wait to see where it takes me....

"And now let us welcome the New Year

Full of things that have never been."

~Rainer Maria Rilke

Why I Started My Journey

I am passionate about my family. I want only what is best for them. I started my Melaleuca journey because I am concerned about the products that I use to clean my home. I cannot use many commercial cleaners and do not feel they are safe for my family or the environment.

That is what first caught my attention. Then I heard about the business... I can share these wonderful products, and in sharing I can build something that will improve the lives of those I contact. 

I do not share Melaleuca t make money, that is not my goal. I share Melaleuca because I care about people and their health. I am in school for holistic healthcare because I care about people and their health.

Melaleuca also offers a way for me to provide for my family and remove some of the stress of financial responsibility from my hard working husband. 

I am willing to share Melaleuca with whoever will listen. I do not believe in a "sales pitch". I am never any good with them. 

Watch the video.

 Check out this link.  

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Make an informed decision, just because it is right for me doesn't mean it is right for you. But you owe it to yourself to at least check it out.

Blessings

What Is On My Radar Today?

Sometimes life is crazy... Anyone else feel that way?

I started a new 8 week block of classes this week, it is VBS at our church, I started a business, my husband and I are taking the first steps to clean up our finances...

CRAZY!

But, I am holding tight, doing what i must to keep the plates spinning for the good of my family and our future. 

The school will eventually end and I can start a career guiding people through their healing path.

Vacation Bible School is 4 days. My children will make friends and receive valuable tools that will carry them through the rest of their lives. 

With hard work and diligence I will build a lasting financial foundation that will carry my future generations to impact the world for good and hopefully improve the lives of those they touch.

Isn't that what we all really want? To make an impact on our world... leave our mark? 

On my radar today? 

First and formost I am staying in touch with my Creator and listening for His direction.

Laundry...and lots of it!

Reading with and generally enjoying the blessings that are my three children. Each one is unique and a delight!

Being the support and help that my husband needs by "holding down the fort". I keep his castle running smoothly so he doesn't have to worry while he is out conquering the world.

Build relationships in my business that will be lasting, not only financially but relationally as well. I am not looking to get rich... I am looking to help people achieve their goals in their health and the health of their families in whatever form that is for them.

Buy doing so, I know that in my small way I will leave a mark on the world. Even something as humble as laundry and clean dishes makes a mark. If you leave a lasting and comforting impression on those closest to you, your family, how much stronger are they to go out and leave their mark on the world?   

Just some thoughts as I get ready to go forth and conquer my day.

Blessings

The Vitamins I Use And Why

This video was posted on Melaleuca's YouTube Page almost 4 years ago. It is a news clip about the launch of the patented Oligo delivery system that Melaleuca uses in their vitamins.

I have an issue absorbing the necessary nutrients I need from the foods I eat. In order to supplement with vitamins from the drug store or even the health food store I typically have to take 2-3x what the bottle says I need! The only supplement brand I have ever used successfully was during my teen years and was supplied through the holistic doctor I was seeing at the time. 

Since then I have "made do" with whatever I could afford, knowing that they really weren't doing me any good but hoping anyway.

Then I discovered Melaleuca's Vitality Pack with the patented Oligo delivery system! These vitamins have made all the difference for me.

Why are vitamins and minerals called "essential"? 

Because they:

! Build the skeleton and all soft tissue!

!Regulate the body including heartbeats, blood clotting, nerve response and more!

!Are critical links for thousands of functions in your body!

!They are the components of antioxidant enzymes that neutralize the damage of free redicals!

 Some my ask...

 "Can't I just get my vitamins from my food? I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables."

Here's the truth:

Most produce you buy in the store has been picked while still green, before it can finish developing all the vitamins it should contain.

It has been stored and transported... sometimes thousands of miles to get to the store.

If it is processed, most of the nutrients have been destroyed before it even gets to you!  

But I take vitamins already...

  The minerals in traditional multivitamins are isolated, which makes them difficult for your body to absorb. Not only that, but isolated minerals cause an increase in free radicals. Those free radicals use up the vitamins in your supplement before you even have a chance to absorb it!!

The Oligo delivery system that Melaleuca uses keeps the mineral bound in a protective coating of proteins and fiber, just like it in nature. This system keeps the minerals soluble so your body can absorb them, which in turn makes it easier to absorb the vitamins because they aren't getting destroyed by free radicals from the minerals.

 

 

Oligo Technology Protects Antioxidant Vitamins up to 5 times better than Store Brands!

Vitamins and minerals are essential for a vibrant life, better health and more energy.

I know for me, when I take just the basic Vitality Pack, which is the multivitamin and calcium supplements, I have the energy and focus to get done all that is demanded of me in a day. When I miss a day... I can feel it!

I am a mom to three high energy children, I am a wife, I have a home to run. That alone is a full time job... but I am also a student in school 3 nights a week and most weekends working on a degree in holistic healthcare. And I am a budding business owner.

My days are full! My nights are even fuller!! 

Taking the vitamins and other supplements that Melaleuca offers makes all the difference for me.

If you are curious click here and explore. If you have any questions you can either click on the contact tab at the top of the site or e-mail me directly at theashlandmanor@gmail.com.

I hope I have sparked your  interest and gotten you thinking about your health.

Blessings