Have you been blasted by Jack Frost?

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 119

Jack frost visited last week and our beautiful flowers that looked like this...




Now looks like this...





And our peppers that we were hoping to get that extra warmth to ripen some more that looked like this...




Now looks like this...



The same thing happened with our basil and the squash. We harvested what we could and dug up the plants to use them for compost.

As long as the warm weather remained, they retained their lively appearance. Once Jack Frost hit them, they became lifeless.

Interestingly enough, our Swiss chard, green onions, thyme and carrots stood strong regardless of Jack Frost`s visit. Some of the cut stems of the Swiss chard are even growing leaves again.

How do we fair when the harsh weather of life knocks on our door? When adversity comes, what is our response? Are we happy and cheerful when times are good and the warmth of the sun s beating down on us but when adverse conditions set in do we shrivel and become unresponsive to others?

Adversities show us what we`re really made of. Anybody can be happy when things are going well, but when we`re faced with challenges that`s when we need to dig deep within the roots of our soul and connect with our Source - the warmth of our inner being. As we turn our attention away from our disturbing external conditions, we can bask in the warmth of Unconditional Love, return to a place of peace and joy and receive wisdom to resolve our personal issues.

Have you been blasted by Jack Frost? Look within to the place where there`s always summer, a place of peace and find comfort in the midst of the frost knowing that summer will return once again to your external conditions.

The difference between glance, look and seek

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 118

We have some very interesting conversations with our children and it is amazing the lessons we learn as we teach them.

Our eldest daughter was looking all over the house for one of her books. She kept asking if anyone had seen it. She had left the book in one of the rooms and when she went back to get it, it was gone. One of her sisters had put the book down in a box when she was doing something in the room. Her sister found the book and gave to her. I asked her if she had really looked for the book or if she just glanced around and did not bother to look further than what was on the surface. So I began to explain the difference between glancing, looking and seeking.

See, when you glance at something, you are just taking a quick look. With a glance you take in as much information as you can for that split second put you still miss a lot. When you look, you spend more time paying attention to what you are looking at and take in more details. However, when you seek, you are digging deeper than surface. You are investigating further into what you are looking at. I explained that if you just walked into the room and glanced around, you are not going to find what you are looking for. If you looked and did not find the book, you should have gone deeper, seek further. Instead of just looking around, lift things up; look down in the box, think of other possible places the book could have been placed.

There is a vital lesson to learn from this. Sometimes we treat our spirituality in the same way and fail to find what it is we desire to experience in our relationship with our Source. Instead of seeking, going deeper into the soil of the Spirit, asking questions and waiting for answers, we simply brush on by, take a quick glance. Or, we may decide to pay a little more attention than just giving to the Spirit a quick glance but soon after we stop looking and move on to something else.

But if we decide to search the depth of the Spirit to find the answers we are looking for, without fail, we will find - we will never be disappointed. When we put the time in to digging deeper into the soil of the Spirit, we receive the help we need and the wisdom we need to find what we desire. While we are seeking, digging deeper, it is amazing the other things we may find in the process. Have you ever been looking for something and ended up finding things that you were looking for a long time ago but could not be found?

That is what happens when you seek, when you go further into the realm of your own spirituality. We find things we overlooked many times and learn truths which were hidden from us before.

Position yourself for your season

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 117

Seasons come and seasons go and just as we move through this physical seasonal cycle, we also have a time cycle in our personal lives. There's a time for planting and a time for reaping and we need to recognize when it is time to plant in order to reap our harvest. We need to recognize when our opportunity has come.

Sometimes opportunities show up in unlikely places, people and events and we need the wisdom to seize them when they arrive, relinquish all prejudices and embrace our moment. But how can we embrace something that we've mentally rejected? We defeat our own selves when we set up stipulations of when, where and how, and the very thing that we're looking for or expecting is staring us right in the face.

We position ourselves by being open to which ever channel the Spirit uses to bring our desire. When we stay in tuned with the Spirit, we'll recognize the opportunity as it comes to us because we would have received that inner prompting to look closer and through the eyes of the Spirit. Then our eyes would be opened to see the golden opportunity unveiled in front of us.

When I first met my husband, I didn't recognize that the answer to my prayer was standing right in front of me with a big smile because I had this idea in my head of how things should be. It was only when I let go of my personal petty objections that I could see clearly that my moment had come. When I said, "God, I let go and allow you to do what you think best," is when my miracle occurred, easily and effortlessly. As a result, I was positioned at the right place and the right time when he was passing by again and he asked me out to lunch - we've been together ever since.

Have your desire, release all your hang-ups and allow the Spirit of the Universe to position you for your season of receiving.

Dream your dream

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 116

I was recently having a conversation with our 7 year old daughter. She said that her dream is to go into the city to find her husband when she grows up. I told her that when she got older she may not feel the same way, and besides, we may not be living here at that time. I also said to her, "Dream your dream, but also allow things to unfold as you get older."

Dad was in another room and overheard the conversation and came out and advised her that the beauty of a dream is that you can go anywhere you desire to and be whatever you desire to be and you don't have to settle for re-runs when you can have a new flick - moment by moment.

Whatever you desire to do, know that you have the freedom to do it; the ball is in your court. You just have to decide that this is what you are going to do, start with the inspired thought of what you feel in your heart that you can do and move forward in that direction. You don't have to settle for the re-runs of past failures and disappointments and live them over and over, you can decide to begin again, today.

You never know where your dreams will lead you no matter what age you are. I recall when I was a little bit older that my daughter that I decided that when I grew up I'd like to work in an office, I'd also like to be a teacher and when I had my children, I'd like to work from home. Yes, I've done them all. It's amazing the seeds you can put into your heart and how they grow, blossom and bear fruit and manifest in your physical reality.

So as I said to my daughter - dream your dreams and allow them to unfold in time. But choose carefully and let the Spirit of God organize them and bring them into your life at the right time.

Thank your way through disappointments

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 115

We began uprooting our corn stalks. The corn didn't do very well; they were very small and given the amount that we had planted and how they were growing, we really expected to have a greater and healthier yield. However, in spite of the size, the corns we harvested were very sweet. And for the first time ever, we've tried eating them raw. We've always had cooked corn; either boiled or roasted but never raw, and surprisingly, it was quite tasty. I've actually done a little research after this to see if other people are actually eating it raw and I come across some interesting recipes to try with raw corn as part of a salad.

Despite our disappointment with our corn, we're still thankful; thankful for the opportunity to be able to grow corn in the first place, the valuable lessons learned during this time and the opportunity to discover that we can actually eat them raw. In addition to this, we are very grateful that a lot of our other crops gave a good yield.

We could have continued to focus on our disappointment, but what good would that have done? We can't change the past; it's already done and over with. We're trying to find out why our crop was not a huge success and once we get the information then we'd be prepared for the next time we decide to grow corn again.

We learn from our errors and keep moving on. When we find ourselves dwelling on our disappointment, we shift our conversation and thinking and begin to be thankful for what we have now.

When we put ourselves in the mind frame of thankfulness, we are sending out positive energy to the Universe and we begin to attract that positive energy back to ourselves and open the door for the flow of the goodness of God's Spirit energy to move into and through our lives.

Thanking your way through disappointments causes you to see the good in the adversity and focus on the good that we still have in our lives despite the setbacks.

Turn adversity into a time of thanksgiving

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 114

Today, we harvested the remainder of our cucumbers and uprooted the vines. Some of the cucumbers were still young but we'd rather pick them now before the coolness gets to them further as it did with some of the small ones that began to turn yellow. The soil was turned over and a hole dug for the vines to become compost for next season.

When you begin to see progress in your life and you're faced with adversity, do the best you can with what you have and be thankful for the good times and for what you have left over. When you turn adversity into a time of thanksgiving and focus on the good that you still have in your life these adverse conditions will not be able to yank on your heart strings and keep you from moving forward.

As the seasons of your life change and adversity presents conditions that prevent you from completing what you were doing or continuing to do what you were doing, let gratitude be your mindset. Use the positive memories to prepare and nourish the soil of your heart until the danger of frost has passed and your season comes in again.

Over the winter we may use the garden area as a skating rink for the children.

Be open for creative ideas. Never rest in the valley of despair but look at every changing of the season as an opportunity for new beginnings and greater opportunities.

Let go of the outcome

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 113

As we observed our garden, we took mental note of the plants that did well at harvest time and the ones that didn't do so well. Some plants, like our corn, started off great but didn't produce as well as we expected. They germinated really well but the actual corns were small.

One of the things we observed was that the plants we cared the most about didn't do as well as we had hoped and the ones that we just gave a try, like the Swiss chards, flourished in abundance.

As we compared our physical garden with our life garden, we noted that the things we let go the outcome of seemed to work out with such ease and effortlessly than those things we really desired and wanted badly enough. Only when we released the outcome and didn't hold on to them so much in our minds that we began to see our desires manifested.

When we hold on to things that matter the most as we try to make it work or cause it to happen, we are in control of the helm and we are not releasing it into the hands of God to work things out on our behalf. It is at that moment when we let go of the control and of the outcome that we see the results we desire manifested. When we hold on, we become disappointed when things don't work out as we planned.

We may not know all the different ways things can work out in our favour and we don't always know what is best for us. Therefore as the Spirit is our senior partner, we ask for what we desire, we make our decision and set our intentions but the final outcome and the timing of the outcome we release from our minds and allow the Universe to work on our behalf to bring about the best possible solutions or manifestation. You never know when something better is up ahead.

Get out of your comfort zone!

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 112

As if locked in a trance, both our dogs were fixated on something in one of the apple trees in the yard. We observed a squirrel in the tree attempting to make an escape from the dogs. As it tried to jump to the cedar tree close by, it fell to the ground and both dogs scampered after it. It barely escaped from their grasp as it quickly ran back up the apple tree.

Later today, I saw the squirrel jump the cedar, apple and Rowan berry trees. It climbed down the wooden post and walked along the metal fence which blocked in our dogs and jumped down to the grass in an attempt to make its escape. The dogs chased after it and it scurried up the fence back into the Rowan berry tree and then the cedar tree - trapped once again in its safety zone.

What the squirrel failed to understand was that the dogs couldn't go pass the fence and had it just kept running once it got down on the grass, it would have been completely free to go where ever it wanted to.

Many people remain in their comfort zones afraid to leave because of fear. They stay even though danger lurks and they're afraid. They'd rather take the risk of being scared and remain in their comfort zone than facing the fear head on and move to safety despite the impending danger.

I could see that the squirrel was completely safe, but until it was willing to take the risk to keep moving forward in spite of the dogs, it would remain trapped in the comfort zone of the trees. It was safe there but it was not free - not free to go and come as it pleases. Every attempt the squirrel made to leave was interrupted by the attack of the dogs and as a result of fear it ran back up the tree.

How many times have you attempted to come out of your comfort zone but have been paralyzed by fear only to retreat into your shell? Face the fear, look it square in the face and keep moving forward to safety. For your comfort zone is only there to keep you bound and limited and not experience total freedom but only a facade of safety. In your comfort zone, you cannot truly be you. You are boxed in and before long it will stifle the life out of you.

Once you make the decision to go forward, you'd soon realize that the thing you feared could not hurt you because there was real no real danger in the first place; only a 'shadow of death' trying to hold you hostage.

It takes great courage to get out of the comfort zone but no more than staying in. You are free. Go forward out of your comfort zone and live in freedom.

Are you uprooting your dreams?

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 111

When we first began to sow the seeds in our garden, our 7 year old daughter was so excited she decided to get her own little spot to grow her own garden. She uprooted some flowers from around the yard and transplanted them into her garden.

The next day she uprooted the flowers and planted them into another spot. Every time she planted she'd uproot them and plant them again. This was her way of being active and keep the excitement of gardening alive. She was told that if she keeps uprooting them, how will they get a chance to grow.

She insisted that she wanted to sow some seeds. We decided to give her cucumber and watermelon seeds and made sure that she didn't uproot them. Today, she has a very beautiful garden and had a great yield from the cucumbers. The watermelons started out really well but the coolness started getting to them.

Many times dreams are uprooted when we change our minds from what we initially set out to do. Sometimes impatience has a big part to play when we don't see things going or growing the way we expect them to. Then we uproot our plans in our thoughts, words and actions.

Our daughter did learn that the only way she was going to see her garden grow was by leaving the seeds and plants in the ground and allowing them to grow naturally as she tended them - weeding and watering them.

If we give up and uproot our dreams, we'd never know the harvest we could have had if we just did our part and allow things to turn out naturally.

Thrive in the midst of adversity

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 110

The weather has gotten much cooler now, especially at nights, and its beginning to affect some of our flowers and vegetables. The larger squash are doing very well, but some of the young ones have turned yellow and are falling off the vine. The cucumbers in the main vegetable garden have given a great yield but some of the younger ones are also turning yellow. On the other hand, our 7 year old daughter had started her own cucumber garden and they are doing quite well, even the younger ones are holding up to the cooler weather.

Many of us handle adversity in different ways and our tolerance varies depending on the level of the severity of the adversity. When we face adversity, we begin to show signs of intolerance at our breaking point - frustration, annoyance, fear etc. But when the roots of our inner being are anchored deep in the soil of the Spirit, we become like evergreens; fresh, tall and strong regardless of the external conditions.

As we stay connected to our Source and allow the warmth of love to keep our hearts soft and tender, we begin to see and approach life differently. Whatever situation we encounter, we are not shaken because we know that we will come through. Therefore, we stand strong and patiently await the day when our outward experience has fully aligned itself with the inward favourable conditions of the heart. As a matter of fact, we find rest, peace and joy so that we can truly thrive in the midst of adversity.

Hindrances to coming out of your bud

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 109

The blossoms come before the bud and sometimes many of these buds never make it to the next stage due to varied reasons. One of them is a result of adverse weather conditions and others may be due to improper care or lack of water. Whatever the reason, they never reach their full potential of blossoming.

Similarly, with our lives, we may be faced with many different issues that hinder us from coming into full bloom. But the main issue is usually based on fear which expresses itself in many different ways.

Hindrances to coming out of your bud

1) Fear of Success

Sometimes when faced with the possibility of achieving success fear of success grips the heart - fear of having a lot of money may cripple a person from coming out of their bud. Therefore, they shrink inwardly and stop the emerging process of blossoming from occurring.

2) Fear of Attention

Flowers in full bloom draw attention, not only of insects - bees and butterflies - but also of people; we like to admire and smell these beauties. Some people are afraid of all the attention, sometimes due to an inferiority complex that makes them think that they're not good enough or undeserving of such attention. Ever noticed flowers? They never care whether anyone approve or not or if they deserve to bloom or not. They do what is natural for them - bloom.

3) Fear of being ridiculed

Some people are afraid to succeed because of fear of being ridiculed by their family or friends. "Who do you think you are?" or "Who are you trying to play?" or "You think you're better than us?" or " You can't hold on the all that success because you're nothing but a loser." Flowers, even if they're growing among weeds, still do what they do naturally - bloom.

4) Insecurity

Fear brings insecurity and if a person is insecure, the fear of losing what they have may overwhelm them to the point of making them become afraid of blossoming.

Flowers have no problem displaying their beauty. They're not showing off. It is their nature to allow love to set them free to bloom. It is also in your nature to bloom where you are - in your family, your community and your world.

Flowers bloom right in your back yard and so should you. Bloom where you are and let the bees and butterflies find your sweet nectar and call their friends.

Lay aside your fears and allow your natural beauty to emerge from within and allowing you to shine and in the process, let others share in your beauty, as well.

Allow the natural process of blossoming to occur in your life

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 108

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom - Anais Nin

During the growth stage of plants, before the blossoms come the bud - it is the natural process. There is a time period - the budding stage before the flower emerges - if the flower remains trapped inside the bud, its beauty is withheld, not only from us, but from the flowers and bees that rely on it to open so they can drink the nectar. If the flower does not emerge from the bud, the pollination process cannot begin. The cycle of life is interrupted. The risk, indeed, is more painful to remain as a bud than to blossom.

You must also make the decision and allow the natural process of blossoming to occur in your life with your innate abilities, talents and unique personality. You are needed by the bees and butterflies, those others that rely on you for their survival. Hindering the emerging of your blossoms is not only detrimental to you but also to those around you, and you are withholding that which is vital for your survival and the continuation of the cycle - your part of the cycle of life.

As buds open a little at a time, flowers fully emerge out of them with ease - naturally and effortlessly.

Your natural abilities and personality emerge as you lay aside resistance to allow the world to see you for who you are. When you lay aside all pretenses and remove the mask and walls that keep out the world, you free yourself from all entanglement to enjoy the rays of the sun - the warmth of love, and you allow others to partake of the natural essence, innate flavour and outward beauty of you.

Everything has a season

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 107

The time is now winding down for our garden as we come closer to the fall season. The cucumber vines and leaves are starting to turn yellow. Even though the season for growing our vegetables will soon end some plants are still awaiting their season. Poppies and marigolds bloom in the summer, however, daffodils bloom in later winter, early spring.

Everything has a season and so do we. When we look over our lives, we can see the changes we've gone through over the years. From kindergarten, to elementary school, to high school, to college, to university and out to the work force - all these changes and seasons occurring in our lives one after the other.

We see the different phases of our growth. But even though those times have come and gone, there are still so many phases for us to go and grow. One thing for sure, is that we need to enjoy those moments that we have - enjoy the now. Many times we live our lives looking forward to the next thing and miss the gem in the present moment. We become so wrapped up in a future that's not here now, that once we get to the 'future' that we're anticipating it's not as spectacular as we thought it would have been and then we regret the past and what we missed out on.

While we have our garden, we'll enjoy the work, the lessons, and the fruit. We'll use this time to live in the moment and enjoy this precious time. Not only do we enjoy growing the garden, but the time we spent together with our children, teaching them and sharing our joyful memories when we were kids and also learning with them as we observe nature in all of its changing splendour.

It's great to dream about the future and there's a time for that, as well. But more importantly, the present is all we have right now. Even when we've moved forward in time to what we call the future, which has now become our present, we must find the joy in the present, not at a future date because the future date is now - the present time and opportunity to choose whether we will make the most of it or keep dreaming about what will be.

The present is all we have to create the future through our thinking, so why not enjoy the present, see the joy in right now so that the future which will become the present will be filled with joy in the right now. We could do nothing in the future just as we could do nothing in the past. Our time and our season to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others, is now - in the way we think, now, in the actions we do, now.

Once we do these things now, our future will be brighter because we will be filled with joy and appreciation no matter what. We have learned to accept now as now and live now to the fullest. If now is the only season you have, which it is, how do you think you should spend it?

Nature working in harmony

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 106

Everyday, we enjoy walking through the garden and observing nature at work; the bees and the butterflies doing their thing, easily and effortlessly, while aiding the pollination process. Even though the bees and butterflies are there to suck the nectar for their own purpose, nature has designed it that in going about their affairs, they are helping another fulfill their purpose, as well. The bees and butterflies need the nectar for their own survival and the flowers need to be pollinated for the same reason as well, to reach full maturity to bear fruit.

We were all designed in such a way for everything to work in complete harmony. If we all did what was naturally designed for us to do according to our natural abilities and not what has been drummed into our heads of what others think that we should be doing, we will naturally go about our daily business busying ourselves with our given joyous assignment and meeting the needs of others at the same time. Everyone would have what they needed to live and fulfill their purpose.

Bees and butterflies have very unique ways of extracting the nectar from the flowers. They are skilled in using their bodies to aid them in the process. And although they busy themselves collecting as much nectar as possible, when they're tired they rest right on the petals.

You have also been given the skill set necessary to carry out your own personal assignment to fulfilling your destiny. Everything you need is written within your heart. The blue print lies within you just as it lies within the bees. Whatever help you need to effectively carry out your purpose has already been provided for you. It is for you do decide that you will do your part to live the life you were designed to live, and in so doing, work in harmony with others on the same path to fulfilling their destiny.

Busy yourself like the bees and butterflies in what you were meant to be and as you find joy in your work, you will be working in harmony with others satisfying their needs.

Living life to the fullest

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 105

We've now harvested most of our peas. What we've discovered is that these peas are so fresh they're even tasty when eaten raw. The first set was cooked in coconut oil which added quite a delightful flavour to it. Now, we've skipped the cooking process, just open the pods and enjoy their natural flavour. Some plants have reached their full maturity and began to dry from the roots up. We uprooted these and set them aside for compost for the garden.

Our pea plants have lived and fulfilled their innate life purpose - bearing peas. These peas have nourished us as a healthy addition to our diet. There is no more to do. There work is done. We have pleasant memories of our harvest and we would definitely add peas to our garden again.

When you live your life with purpose, you are an added nourishment to the social diet of society - whether emotional, spiritual, physical or mental - you are a welcome addition to the lives of others. Once you have come to full fruit bearing maturity and it's time for you to pass on, you would have left a legacy behind that others could continue on because of what you have done. The memories of your work are the footprints left behind as compost, nourishing the lives of those you've impacted.

What memories were you designed to leave behind? What unique flavour do you have that's different from others? What would you choose; to let your aroma and essence leave with you when you die or would you allow the world to see what you were put here to do?

Everyone has that 'it' inside of them that makes them sing or dance. You may just have to remove the debris that's blocking you from seeing it. But if you are determined to living life to the fullest that which is your driving force, your energizer will emerge.

Recognize & honour your protectors

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 104

Some of our broccoli leaves has small holes on them, evidence of the presence of caterpillars. We noticed that the broccoli whose leaves were still intact were planted either next to the marigold or had onions planted among them. We decided to transplant some of the green onions next to these eaten broccolis and have noticed that the new leaves that came up were untouched. Marigold and herbs, like green onions and garlic, have a pungent odour that ward off certain pests and are beneficial as protectors to our vegetables.

Some people in your life are your protectors warding off the ones that will only take from you and destroy your talent. Honour your protectors. These invaders, though they like hanging around you, are on a different energy wave or matrix from your protectors and will avoid coming close to you once your protectors are around.

Don't try to change your protectors for it is their natural essence that protects you, creating a special link between you and them.

We all need each other in some way or the other. Some are better suited to together than some because of the unique energy waves between them. When you are around some people, you may feel a sense of what we sometimes call 'bad vibes'. What you are feeling is there energy waves which is the level of consciousness they're at and it's obviously not along the same path as your own.

We can feel each other because we are all interconnected and when a person is heading in the direction of love; you could sense that, if they are heading in the other direction, we could sense that as well. How well we pick up on this inner knowing is in direct relation to how in tuned we are internally. However, we don't condemn or be critical of others just because they are not on the same energy wave as we are. We bless them in our hearts and let them be.

How do you recognize your protectors?

1) You feel safe around them

When you are with your protectors you know that you are safe. They'll never let anything happen to you. They'll come to your rescue whenever you need them.

2) They're supportive of you

Your protectors will support you in achieving your goals. They will encourage you to be the best you can be and give you the freedom to do so.

3) They'll take a stand and defend you

No matter what you face; they will stand and defend you even in the face of danger, if necessary. They're not afraid to open their mouth and speak up on your behalf and they really don't care what other people think of them either.

4) You can be yourself and thrive in their presence

You don't have to pretend around your protectors. They already know who you are and like you. They see your weaknesses and that's why they're there; to protect and help you.

5) They grow right alongside you

As you grow; your protectors continue to grow alongside you. They thrive in the same environment, like our broccoli and green onions grow together, they both live together in harmony.

6) Your so-called friends don't stick around when they're with you

When you are with your protectors, your so-call friends disappear. Your protectors' natural essence wards off your predators.

7) They're not trying to change you

Your protectors accept you for who you are and allow you to be who you are. Imagine the green onions saying to the broccoli, "Listen up here, I'm on the scene now and, you know something, see these caterpillars that are biting up on you, if you just be like me maybe they'll stop bugging you." Funny, huh? That's what we put each other through at times. Be 'the broccoli' that you are and let your protectors, 'green onions', be who they are and let love and togetherness prevail.

Nurture yourself

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 103

As we transplanted our broccoli in spring some of them became so droopy before we could get them in the ground, we thought they wouldn't make it. Some of the stems were broken and lifeless. Nevertheless, we put them in the ground to see what would happen. We didn't give up on them, we watered and nurtured them and now, they are the first to grow the broccoli head even before the healthier looking ones.

There may be people in your life who you might have disregarded because they don't act according to the norm - they may have been labelled the misfits and outcasts. But love heals and if you took the time, gave them a chance, and nurtured them, they can see through your eyes that they have worth until they have come to a place in themselves through which they can see their own worth.

What about you? This may not even apply to someone else. Perhaps you see the worth of others but are unable to see the worth in yourself. Change your mind about who you are because you are worthy. The mere fact that you are here, right at this moment, shows that you are worth more than you think. You are a vital part of this great family - the human race. Take the time to nurture yourself, nurture your inner spirit and grow and allow the person you were created to be emerge from within.

How do you nurture yourself?

Love. Love who you are. You may not be at the place that you feel you should be. Take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I love you." At first it may feel really strange. But keep repeating it over and over every day until your mind stops objecting and agrees with you, "Yes, I love you."

Spend time in quietness and stillness. There is power in silence. As you connect to your Source, your inner entanglements become loosened. It may not happen all at once, just like our broccoli, they did not just stand erect the first day we watered them, but day after day, we consistently cared for them and now they are standing tall and showing signs of bearing fruit. And so will you, if day by day you nurture your heart in the silence of the Spirit and allow the debris of your life to be moved away bit by bit. You begin to feel different and look different. Your life will never be the same.

Open yourself for the warmth of love from the Spirit. Bask in the rays of love and let all your hurt be healed of those issues that have caused you to be bent over in difference and hardened with harshness. Allow the gentleness of the Spirit's embrace soften your heart, break down those walls that you put up to keep the hurt out that are in fact keeping the love out, as well, and melt into true Love.

Learn from the Spirit, your Life Source, how to live; no longer in bondage but in freedom. Learn how to think, learn how to love again, dream again, and truly enjoy living. In you contain the breath of life and the Light Source. Open your life and don't be afraid, for you will shine and shine brightly as this Light illuminates from within your inner being.

Pay attention to the signs

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 102

Sometimes we become so absorbed in our internal conversations that we disconnect from our Spiritual Source and are unable to recognize the signs that were meant to grab our attention to what our Spiritual Source is saying to us. When we make a conscious decision to stay connected to our Source on a regular basis, we begin to pay attention to the signs that are presented to us as we become more in tuned with the Spirit.

One of my daughters recently borrowed a book about tea from the local public library. While I was cleaning up, the book fell off the dresser. I picked up the book and felt that I needed to read this book, a feeling I also had some previous days before. I put the book back on the dresser and continued cleaning. A few days ago, while I doing my workout, one of my other daughters came outside with the same book. My attention was immediately drawn to it even though I was in the middle of doing my workout. The thought came to me again - I need to read that book.

When I finished my workout, my husband and I were looking at one of flowers in our flower garden which had gone through the petal stage. The petals had now fallen off and all that remained were a couple of buds, which one of them was accidentally broken off by one of the children. My husband took the bud and put it aside leaving the other bud still on the stem. The flower was the only one of its kind in the garden and we were not sure what kind of flower it was.

We had taken pictures of it because it was so beautiful and so that we would later on be able identify it. That day, my husband decided to break open the bud exposing the seeds hidden inside. He replanted them in the garden.

While he was doing that, I noticed something on the stairs; yep you guessed it, the tea book placed on the steps, obviously by my daughter. I reached over and picked it up and began to turn the pages. As my husband and I continued in our conversation about the other bud, still admiring its uniqueness and curious about its identity, my fingers flipped the pages of the book onto a picture that was quite similar to the bud we were looking at. I looked at the picture, and then looked at the bud, looked at the picture again, then looked at the bud and said to my husband, "Is it me or is the bud the same as in the picture?" We were both so amazed, it was a poppy and the book gave some information about its history.

When we're in tuned with the Spirit and pay attention to the signs we become in sync and are in a state of readiness at the right time when the opportunity for whatever the purpose of the moment presents itself. Each time I encountered the book was an opportunity for me to pay attention to the signs and an opportunity to prepare for the right moment when the real revelation was about to unfold.

Different signs have different meanings for different purposes in our lives and in paying attention to them, you not only go through the preparatory process for the moment of opportunity, but you become more aligned with the energy flow of the Spirit. You become yielded to the movement of the Spirit as I was moved at the right time to pick up the book my daughter brought out and as I flipped through the pages found the picture of the same bud at the exact moment when we looking at it and asking questions about it.

It is in the same manner, when we yield to the Spirit's guidance that the Universe brings together in synchronicity all persons and events for the main attraction, the final desired outcome. Miracles happen at that moment and lives are blessed.

Respect for others

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 101

We have noticed that just like the four o'clock flowers, the flowers of the squash usually open up when the day is not as hot and closes when it is extremely hot. We have noticed that the poppies remain open all day when the sun is the hottest but closes up as it gets closer to the evening when it begins to get cooler.

Although the poppies and the four o'clocks are growing side by side, they are very different in nature and respond very differently in relation to the rays of the sun. The poppies welcome the heat and fully open their petals to absorb the heat of the sun, later closing up to preserve the heat for the cooler night temperatures. The four o'clocks, on the other hand, closes its petals from too much exposure to the sun's rays and welcome the coolness with open petals.

Many of us respond differently to external temperatures of pressure and we need to have respect for others when they do not respond as we do. Each one of us has a built in mechanism that protects us as we endure adverse conditions. Not because someone responds differently from us mean that they are less than us. Respect them and let them be.

Adversity may cause you to be more open to others, whereas it may cause others to appear closed and introverted. It does not mean that they are not loveable, they maybe going through a process where they need to dig deep within themselves as they go through this time of growth. Once the situation has passed and adverse temperatures have cooled it is safe for them to emerge and open up fully to engage with others outside of themselves.

Make no mistake, that even though these petals are closed, the growth process continues. The four o'clocks are healthy and are growing well, displaying their petals of pink, yellow, orange and white colours.

When you have respect for others, you allow them to be who they are and handle whatever situations come their way in a way that is natural for them. Be a friend, share your experience, show them love, but let them be the ones to make the final decisions on their own accord.

We nurture our four o'clocks just as much as we nurture the poppies. We don't try to change them because, guess what, we can't. We appreciate and admire them both for their unique beauty and respect these flowers for what they are.

How much more should we show respect for others.

Preparing for the harvest - Part 5 - Keep some seeds

Tending the garden of the heart - Day 99

From the seeds of some of the vegetables, like the cucumbers and peppers, we'll keep to sow again next season. We know that we don't have to, we could purchase them again from the store, but we decided that we'll use some of our own seeds to start a new batch next spring.

Fruits have the capacity to propagate themselves. One seed grows and reaches maturity and produces fruit which has seeds in them to start the process all over again. Without seeds in the fruit that would end the circle of it's life - there would be no continuation. A seed gives the gardener the opportunity to sow again and prepare for harvest.

If we were to keep every seed from our cucumbers, we would probably have enough seeds to give to each family within our community. If they in turn sow that seed and tended it to maturity, the vine may bear at least three cucumbers. That's enough cucumber seeds to give a seed to each family in more than one community. If we kept up the same example we would have more than enough seeds to produce food to feed the world.

God has provided more than enough for all of us to live in this earth with more than enough. We need to use our gifts to full capacity and tend them until they reach full maturity. Then when the fruit of our talents have produced seeds, instead of tossing them out, look to see the capacity for them to propagate themselves and share them with others that the world may have seed to sow in their own lives and feed themselves and their loved ones.

If we all were to be mindful in this, we would have no lack of anything. For all of us together has been given talents that can satisfy every desire on the earth in whatever time we are to occupy this space in this era and complement the whole of humanity.

From the seeds of some of the vegetables, like the cucumbers and peppers, we'll keep to sow again next season. We know that we don't have to, we could purchase them again from the store, but we decided that we'll use some of our own seeds to start a new batch next spring.

Fruits have the capacity to propagate themselves. One seed grows and reaches maturity and produces fruit which has seeds in them to start the process all over again. Without seeds in the fruit that would end the circle of its life - there would be no continuation. A seed gives the gardener the opportunity to sow again and prepare for harvest.

If we were to keep every seed from our cucumbers, we would probably have enough seeds to give to each family within our community. If they in turn sow that seed and tended it to maturity, the vine may bear at least three cucumbers. That's enough cucumber seeds to give a seed to each family in more than one community. If we kept up the same example we would have more than enough seeds to produce food to feed the world.

God has provided more than enough for all of us to live in this earth with more than enough. We need to use our gifts to full capacity and tend them until they reach full maturity. Then when the fruit of our talents have produced seeds, instead of tossing them out, look to see the capacity for them to propagate themselves and share them with others that the world may have seed to sow in their own lives and feed themselves and their loved ones.

If we all were to be mindful in this, we would have no lack of anything. For all of us together has been given talents that can satisfy every desire on the earth in whatever time we are to occupy this space in this era and complement the whole of humanity.