Sunday Sunshine: Cast Your Bright Starlight

Where are you being called to serve? 

Listen carefully for the answer. You have many gifts and talents to make the world a better place.

Do you have time -- just a little bit of time -- to give to something greater than yourself, a cause that resonates with your interests and values, something that could use your abundant talents? If you say yes, you will feel the richness of the experience, and others will benefit from your generosity

So, cast your bright starlight out to your family, your neighborhood, your community and beyond. Be the light of goodness that will attract others to their goodness.

Today, this week: Where are you being called to serve?

Sunday Sunshine: Everyday Miracles

The days fly by. We focus on our phones, our to-do lists, our daily demands. It’s easy to miss the important things when you’re focused on the distractions.

Slow down a moment and open your eyes. Open your eyes to miracle:

The miracle of the magnificence of a brilliant sunrise

The miracle of the jubilant sound of birds singing

The miracle of the gentle snow forming a blanket of white

The miracle of the beauty of a sunset

The miracle of a maple tree wearing its autumn colors

The miracle of the power of a hug

The miracle of a kind smile or word to make your day

The miracle of our senses – to be able to see, hear, smell, taste, feel

You get my drift. Everywhere around you are miracles. Everywhere around you are blessings.

Today, this week: Keep your eyes open for the everyday miracles.

Sunday Sunshine: Seeking Joy? Start by Being Grateful.

It’s November. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us.

When you think about Thanksgiving—both the holiday and the state of being—what can you name right now that you’re thankful for?

When you’re grateful and you see abundance in your life, have you found that your perspective changes and it’s easier to see more and more abundance, that your abundance grows? Do you also notice that your level of joy increases, too?

When your heart is filled with thanksgiving, it will also be filled with joy. Being grateful and being joyful are closely linked. One feeds the other: Gratitude feeds joy and joy feeds gratitude.

Today, this week: Be grateful and watch your joy grow.

Sunday Sunshine: I'm Thankful for All I Have

We have officially entered November today -- that lovely month of Thanksgiving. 

Rather than confine that sense of gratitude to only one day, consider counting your blessings every single day this month.

Reportedly, it takes around 30 days to re-wire your brain to adopt a new habit or shed an old, less-desirable one. Use this month's 30 days to name your blessings every day -- perhaps upon awakening, at meal time or before falling asleep at night.

Name just one blessing in your life each day this month and realize just how very rich you are.

Today, this week: Remember that your life is rich and abundant. Name your blessings. Be grateful for all that you have.

Sunday Sunshine: Slow Down

When the commitments on your calendar seem to increase and overwhelm, slow yourself down.

When the pace feels hectic and the demands fierce, slow yourself down.

Leave the hectic pace for just a while.

Slow. Down.

Slow down enough to pay attention. See the details. Slow down enough to take some deep breaths. Open your eyes – really open them -- and observe the beauty around you.

Each day is a blessing. Don't race through it. Be in a state of thanksgiving every day. Enjoy the joy of being.

Today, this week: Learn the art of slowing down. Enjoy the joy of being.

Sunday Sunshine: In Common

I read about something called the Three Sisters, meaning corn, beans and squash. When the Three Sisters are planted together, they provide support to each other's growth. 

Instead of competing and crowding each other out, they use their diversity and their differences wisely so that all three can flourish.

What a lesson! We spend so much time focusing on our differences these days. We humans could learn from the Three Sisters and from nature, in general.

When we first seek to find common ground, we can then appreciate our diversity and wisely address our differences.

So, be present. Reach out. Listen respectfully. Engage in conversation. Learn. Grow.

Where might you benefit from finding common ground?

Today, this week: Look for the similarities before the differences. 

Sunday Sunshine: Positive Energy

The chatter can feel deafening. We are constantly bombarded by messages, both positive and negative. But it seems that we dwell most on the negative messages, the disturbing stuff that has become equated with the word news. 

Now is a perfect time to clean your internal house. Remove the gossip, the mean-spirited words and the stressful news from your life as much as possible. 

Fill that newly cleaned space with kindness, love, joy, and positive energy and activities. When you choose to think positive thoughts, your days will blossom with happiness and opportunity.

Don’t keep those good energies to yourself, however. Share that love, kindness and joy with others around you. Cast them far and wide.

Let the good energy flow out of you like the blossoming of a flower or the brilliant transformation of a tree as it turns color in the fall. You have the power to bring light and beauty to yourself and to the world.

Today, this week: Rise above the fray in this world. Bloom with love and kindness to everyone around you.