Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

I look in the mirror

through the eyes of the child that was me.

-- Judy Collins

The child within each of us is fragile, but very much alive, and she interprets our experiences before we are even conscious of them.

It is our child who may fear new places, unfamiliar people, strange situations.

Our child needs nurturing, the kind she may not have received in the past.

We can take her hand, coax her along, let her know she won't be abandoned.

No new place, unfamiliar person, or strange situation need overwhelm her.

It's quite amazing the strength that comes to us when we nurture ourselves, when we acknowledge the scared child within and hold her, making her secure.

We face nothing alone. Together, we can face anything.

Today was like a shadow.

It lurked behind me.

It's now gone forever.

Why is it that time is such a difficult thing to befriend?

-- Mary Casey

Each passing minute is all that we are certain of having. The choice is ever present to relish the moment, reaping fully whatever its benefits, knowing that we are being given just what we need each day of our lives.

We must not pass up what is offered today.

Time accompanies us like a friend, though often a friend denied or ignored. We can't recapture what was offered yesterday. It's gone. All that stands before us is here, now.

We can nurture the moment and know that the pain and pleasures offered us with each moment are our friends, the teachers our inner selves await.

And we can be mindful that this time, this combination of events and people, won't come again.

They are the gift of the present. We can be grateful.

We miss the opportunities the day offers because we don't recognize the experiences as the lesson designed for the next stage of our development.

The moment's offerings are just, necessary, and friendly to our spiritual growth.

With each new day I put away the past

and discover the new beginnings I have been given.

-- Angela L. Wozniak

We can't recapture what is no more. And the minutes or hours we spend dwelling on what was or should have been only steal away from all that presently is. Today stands before us with promise.

The opportunities for growth are guaranteed, as is all the spiritual help we need to handle any situation the day offers.

If today offers us a challenge, we can be grateful. Our challenges are gifts. They mean we are ready to move ahead to a new awareness, to a new sense of our womanhood.

Challenges force us to think creatively; they force us to turn to others; they demand that we change.

Without challenges, we'd stagnate, enjoying life little, offering life nothing.

We each are making a special contribution, one that only we can make, each time we confront a new situation with courage. Each time we dare to open a new door.

What we need to do today is to close the door on yesterday.

Then we can stand ready and willing to go forward.

_______________

02/24/2014

Dividers from Ivy's Graphics (dead link 07/06/2011)