Tag Archives: love

My Gifts from the Sea

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

The quote by Anne Morrow Lindbergh reminds me of one of the first Christmases away from my family whilst traveling. Heart sick in Australia, I was missing them terribly, so I went for a walk on a beach at Glenelg, Adelaide to center myself.

I had walked that beach quite a few times before, but there were never more than a sparse few shells. That Christmas Day the beach was covered with them. I’m a huge lover of the ocean, and I walked in bliss for a long time, soaking up the sunshine, immersed in the beauty, and collecting a few shells to takeaway. I felt that some angel had heard my prayers and laid these gifts on the beach to soothe my soul.

My family’s heritage includes Scottish, and I love the stirring sound of the bagpipes. From a balcony high up on one of the apartment buildings overlooking the beach, a lone sentinel dressed formally in kilt, played them for me as I walked under a cloudless azure sky. I can still see and feel all of it.

What were the chances? I suddenly did not feel so bereft; I was clearly cradled by energies watching out over me.

Everything is part of One. Never doubt it for a second…

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

I Am Ocean

Snowflakes
falling softly
tentatively
pure, white
innocent
new life.

I Am one.

Earth
cold hard
dormant
I land here.
I am ice, I am lost.
I wait.

Spring comes
warm sun,
I melt into
playing, trickling
tiny Rivulet.

I am born.

Playful riffles
gently learning
to flow
to maneuver
to be Stream.

Time passing,
stream is good
but I want more,
then suddenly –
rushing, roaring,
swirling, foaming

I become River.

Sometimes sunlight
flowing smoothly,
other times storms,
rocks, gashing
hard, struggling.

Learning
to be with rocks,
trees, sky,
other rivulets,
and streams.

I Am more.

Time passing,
waiting and
wanting,
with a deep
hunger inside
for vast.

And finally,
I let go
of myself
and transform,
to endless, infinite
water ocean.

I die.
I am born.
I Am One.

The poem I Am Ocean is from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life. It’s free to read or download here.

The Angels of Love & Kindness

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Excerpted from Nan’s Angels, which is a children’s story, but the messages are ageless. Especially for Christmas Day, these are the angels that I’d like to share with you:

The Angel of Love

Nan says this one might be her most important angel. It is the Angel of Love.

“Where would our world be without love, Kate? Think of all the people and things you love already, and you are still very young. As you grow up, it will become even more so.

“Your love will bring many good things to you. Everything will become bigger. Love is the magic potion that will make your life grow. Always remember that, Kate.”

The Angel of Kindness

Nan’s favorite angel does not live in the box. She is a stone statue in Nan’s garden. Nan calls her the Angel of Kindness. We go outside to visit her. She is a bit green from moss, and her wings make a giant heart. “Why is she your favorite, Nan?”

“Because, Kate, this angel picked some flowers to give a gift to someone. That’s kindness. Kindness is a way of showing love. The more people are kind, the better the world is.”

“She’s the most beautiful, Nan. I will remember to be kind.”

You will find Nan’s Angels in my ebookstore.

Merry Christmas. May all the joy of life be yours, today and always. Thank you for reading my blog. 🙂

© Susan L Hart 2024

The Power of Love

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Love is the force that draws us inexorably together, the glue that will not allow us to give up on each other. It is our greatest challenge and biggest source of miracles. Infinite love already exists in everything that is alive, including you and me. Our love lessons are about removing the obstacles to love. They teach us out how to access, express, and live it. That is, if we choose to learn.

Do you realize? Your love gives you immense personal power to change the world. The mass media news is too often rife with division, hate, and fear. Some people just wait and hope for an external power or institution to cure the big problems of the world, because the events feel too big and out of their control. They will have a very long wait.

Consider that perhaps the high tension in the world right now is a challenge to each of us to work on unlocking our own love. Together we could collectively unleash a world of love that has never been seen before. It begins with each of us, with one random act of kindness, a single word of compassion, a step upward on the stairway of understanding.

It’s one bit of love at a time. It ripples outward and builds. It comes from you and I, and anyone else who chooses to participate instead of just complaining about how bad things are. It’s what the ancient Greeks called “agape”, a selfless love for humanity, and the world sorely needs more of it.

Adopt a global consciousness. Choose to be a living example of love, compassion, and understanding. Work to bridge the divides you encounter. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Is a genuine smile a form of love we give to someone else? I think so…

Smiles

Smiles have
this way, they
captivate and
illuminate,
they raise up
our energy
and light up
the world,
the ripple
outward and
boomerang
back to us,
they’re a gift
we give to others
and to ourselves,
so just –

Smile.

The Power of Love is an excerpt from my free ebook Becoming Bigger: In a world that wants to keep you small. The premise of this short read book is that when we free ourselves from the limitations that hold us back, we not only create a better life for ourselves, we also create a better world. Please feel free to download a copy here.

Susan L Hart / HartInspirations.com / Find other free ebooks

Living Life with Gratitude

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Do you live each day of your life fully? We know we are mortal and life will sometime end, but we still tend to live as though we’ve been given an endless supply of days. The seconds, minutes, and hours tick away relentlessly. Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Each day is a gift, and the present moment is the only certain one. There is beauty and sacredness to be found in every single day, when we choose to live that way. It’s the small things all around us all the time that give life its true magic.

Intentionally taking notice of life’s beauty makes life feel infinitely richer, and when we express gratitude for it, we also amplify our abundance. That which we focus on expands, so more comes back to us in an upward positive energy spiral of our own making.

Never underestimate the power of gratitude! It is an attitude that shifts everything in its path. Life immediately becomes bigger and full of possibility with gratitude.

If you are not already doing so, there is no time like today to begin fully immersing yourself in life! Don’t miss out on anything that you could enjoy, embrace, love, or learn, every single day from now on. Wring every beautiful moment out of life that you can, because it will fly by faster than you might ever imagine.

You may well ask, “How exactly does this help the world?” People can feel your happiness and the fulfillment of your soul. You will be a conduit of positive energy and inspire others, therefore helping to uplift humanity and create a better world.

This post is an excerpt from Becoming Bigger: In a world that wants to keep you small. It is free to read online or download at this link.

Inspirational Gratitude Quotes:

“Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ~ Maya Angelou

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

And to finish, I send a wish of Happy Thanksgiving to American readers celebrating your big day of gratitude today!

Crimson Reverie

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Friends send word
that it’s a stellar
autumn back home,
punctuated with pics
of unimaginable
flushes of perfect
color, ringing against
deep blue skies,
nudging my heart
to impossible
yearnings…

For long luxurious
walks scented
by Nature’s turning,
the poignant musk of
her full fruition,
apricot and crimson
ablaze with sunlight,
her dazzling glow
embracing me,
bending my mood
and contemplation.

Whoever could feel
tired or defeated
on such days?

I felt naught
but goodness and
rightness on these
halcyon treks,
Nature teaching me
the natural way
of everything –
It is not death,
but a tender
“see you later”,
only to rise up
again, transformed
in sweet green,
bidding me “hello”,
begging me to
walk and talk
of possibilities,
plans, the rebirth
of everything,
including me.

But just for awhile,
how my heart longs
to stroll once again
‘neath that crimson.

Crimson Reverie is an excerpt from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life

Posting Crimson Reverie has become an autumn tradition for me. It’s a nod to home and its beauty, my love of nature and its rhythms, family and friends who I miss deeply, so much that I hold dear in my heart. It’s life.