Words from the Heart

Image by tajasel via Flickr "Commit Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty," announced the bumper sticker on a car that passed me on the highway over 20 years ago.  My first reactions was, "Cool!"  My second reaction was, "Ya, easier said than done!" Since that time, I have attempted to give the gift of kindness (randomly, of course) in ways that were not obvious or planned - thus random!  For instance, back when I lived in Maine, I would often pay the toll of the person behind me.   There are many ways to give kindness randomly.  Here are a few: leave flowers at the front door of an elderly neighbor (or have the florist deliver them anonymously) make cookies, brownies or some other simple food for the fire, police, or emergency workers in your town try to shovel out a neighbor's walk before they notice send a note (the kind you write by hand, the old fashioned way) to your favorite teacher, clergy or medical work letting them kno...

Mari L. McCarthy, journaling therapy specialist and author, owns Create Write Now , a website dedicated to all things journaling. The site includes hundreds of journaling prompts, personal journaling stories, interviews, a blog, and many other resources. Mari has published nine books to date; her most recent ebook is Help for the Holidays: 7 Days of Journaling to Ho! Ho! Ho!   Mari is our special guest writer today, sharing with us ideas on how to use the gift of memories through words to create special holiday journals.      Readers are invited to leave a message for an opportunity to win your choice of either an ebook of Dark Chocolate for a Journaler's Soul, a Dark Chocolate T-Shirt, or Mari 's Most Musefull Journaling Tips (8 1/2 x 11 Spiral Bound). Welcome, Mari!  Thanks for sharing your thought with us today.   Special Holiday Journal Ideas When we're looking forward to a ritual or special occasion that's upcoming soon, we may wish for ...

One of the wonderful things about the internet is the ability to connect with people around the world.  Over the past three years, I have "met" many wonderful people, who share my love for writing, social justice, and peace.  Melissa Foster is one of these people. Melissa's new book, Come Back to Me , has just been released.  Like the characters in her previous books, those in Come Back to Me draw you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. Melissa is our guest writer, today.  She is sharing her thoughts on friendship, a gift that is most definitely a mitzvah for both parties - double blessing! Friendship is a theme found in all Melissa's books. Friendships That Stand The Test of Time, by Melissa Foster What would life be like without friends? I, often, wonder about the loneliness that might take over, and how that loneliness might impact other aspects of our lives. Friendships are to be cherished; we’re taught that from a very young age, and for me, that t...

Image via Wikipedia After a month-long look at Giving Thanks, I am taking a month-long look at Gift Giving.  Tis' the season in many cultures around the world.  That being so, I will look at some of the aspects of giving, pondering questions such as, who gives; why do we give; are there rules to giving; what are the traditions around giving; when do we give; are there specific ways to give, etc. To begin, I will share a few lines from a little book (literally) by Dean Walley - Gifts of the Heart . "Giving's receiving, Receiving is giving! That's really the secret That lies behind living. So give something each day And you'll find that it's true... All the gifts of the heart Will be given to you." Giving is receiving and receiving is giving...how does this work?  Each time we do a kindness, we give the gift of our self to another through that kindness (Giving does not need to include the exchange of presents.) In accepting that kindness, the person rece...

Nanilin's oldest pixie, reading! I was close to five when I first read. The book was one of those small, almost square Tell-a-tale books published by Whitman that everyone owned in the 50's. Big Little Kitty interested me far more than Dick and Jane. I loved the tale of a run-away kitten who sees the world. I wanted to be Karen Kay, the pretty blond haired, blue eyed child, owner of Muffin. It was an idyllic story for a child living in an inner city tenement. Of course, Karen Kay's yarn led me to read other books. Soon, I had my own library! Amazingly, we might not have had electricity or coal for heat, but we had books...lots of them! Unlike many children, I never out grew my love for picture books. I still have my original copy of Big Little Kitty, which is held together with tape; the binding long since succumbing to my constant reading. I also have The Night Before Christmas, another Whitman book. To these favorites, copies of many other classic, as well as les...

This is my gift to all my friends and relatives who work tirelessly to create a better world. It is for those of you who take the time to hold someone's hand, comfort a child or speak for those whose voices are silent. This song is a favorite. The theme is not new, nor are the lyrics grand. It is simply an epiphany of hope. May the strength of its harmonies reverberate in your heart and soul. You are loved!

It is the third of February already! If I don't get my act together, I will not get my handmade valentines created in time. Each year, I try to make a simple valentine for my girls and some of my friends. Nothing too fancy. Just a little red paper, a little glitter, a little lace and a lot of Love! This year, because my cyber family has grown in numbers, I thought I would do something a little different. This year, I want to create special valentine posts for those of you who have touched my heart and soul this past year. Your kind words, thought-filled comments and graceful wisdom helped me through some very difficult times. So, as this season of Love descends upon us, check here...you just might find a special valentine created just for you!