Day 4: I am lost for words on this subject.

Today, I had a friendly chat with a friend that gave me goose bumps to share in my writing...

She said, you know that we all are in the midst of a Spiritual War globally right now?

Omgosh....This makes so much sense to me and gave me more insights since we all have been trying to understand the chaos happening around the world. Covid is the first greatest fear globally.

Not to mention so many more issues that are dividing each other from one another. 

The basic values of "be kind", share love , not hate",  "all lives matter , " etc have become an everyday reminder to us all to simply be kind good human beings. There are so many negative vibrations out there in the world right now.

Can't you feel it? I can feel it in my soul. 

I no longer listen to mainstream news or be a part of the band wagon of negativities.

My soul has been at war, internally from within while seeking for positive lights to make some sense of the world around me.

Am I the only one to feel this way? Do you feel it too?

Each day, I am consciously feeding my mind, spirit and soul with positive soul food with love & light.

I practice being grateful as the medicine that will cure the negative thoughts and send out only positive energy into our Universe. It is my way to do my part. Radiate your own positive energy out to attract other positive energy .

Interesting enough, my husband & I've made a commitment to read the Bible , chronologically every day since January 1, 2021. We have not missed a day. 

This discipline has brought such comfort and soul food to us. Especially to me as I am a sensitive soul to feel other vibrations around me. I am also in a fast track growth mindset with varies studies from coaches.

I am still a newbie to understand everything we read in the Bible but each day I pray to be filled with God's understand and not of my own. 

Another discipline that is helping me. Being grateful and prayers are my cures to counter and/or shake off any negative energy comes to me. It works!

I am so open for God's guidance to lead me to a better place within Him when the world is in chaos.

While I learn from varies coaches and reading many motivational and inspirational books in my growth mode, all messages and books kept leading me back to the only ONE BOOK for me to study.

 The Bible...

We are currently in the Old Testament in the Bible right now. As we read the Bible of many stories from thousands and thousands of years before us, we can't help to see the same evilness and the wicked ways are happening in our world right now.

There are so much FEAR in all the news and HATE among each other.

YES... it is indeed a Spiritual war with "Fear-Based vs Faith-Based " in everything that we do each day.

Will you let FEAR be stronger than your FAITH to seek GOD?

I am lost for words on this subject. No need to say more but to pray more!

I pray that we as individuals, as a nation and as humanity will not let our FEAR be greater than our FAITH in GOD.

May God guide and bless us always,

Hai

Day 3: Simple Joy

 

Hello friends,

Summer is a such busy time for all of us. 

Especially, when your husband has 8 grandkids coming to us to make special memories all summer long. What a blessing!

I looking forward to find a quite moment in the midst of getting ready for 5 more grandkids coming our way. I like having this challenge to take a "pause" for me.

 I never know what my heart wants to write. 

Well... right now it is all about the fun activities in my head to plan for them. There will be 5 grandchildren from age 4 to 9 years old to make memories with. How crazy fun that will be...

I had the simply joy of getting this playhouse ready for them today!

Being around children allow us to be a kid again. 

To dream, to laugh, to be silly and be creative with our imagination. They hold a magic that we wished as adults know how to keep it forever. 

There is a sense of simple pure joy in children!

I never had a "normal" childhood so I get to play again with them and spark that joy again. I just love their pure hearts, honesty and curiosity.  

My dream is for us to create a magical place for them to visit us at our Yellow Cottage Retreat as the grandparents. We adults tend to forget how to dream. But guess what... that kid in all of us will scream back at you ... if you're lucky! I am able to dream again and it feels so good to be living my dream.

My dream is to create a happy charming getaway for families to visit and we will extend it to our airbnb guests in the next few years. I hang on to this sweet childhood dream of mine to keep me inspired.

What keep you inspired?

This dream gives me a compelling future to look forward... not looking back with regrets of the past.  Each day, I am creating a piece at a time to add to that dream. And... the sweetest part is that  I can add to it, adjust it and change it as I would like it on my canvas of life. I am my own artist with my own life.

Living my dream is simply making this sweet heart wreath and getting their playhouse ready to welcome all the grandkids. 

That joy is a part of the journey of my dream today. 

It doesn't have to be big or grand. It just has to touch a happy place in your heart to smile and be grateful for the joy of it. It's in the little things that matter most to the soul. It's definitely not the big house, the fancy car or a pile of money in the bank . 

Remember, you can't take all that "stuff" with you.

So, if it doesn't spark that child inside of you, it's time for you to go find it again!

Have a fun weekend filled with laughter, everyone!

Namaste,

Hai

Day 2: So, one day she said, NO MORE!

Hello friends,

Where have I been? 

I have been in the "desert" for the last 5 years to reach to a happier place in my life today. It hasn't been easy but I realized that only by LIVING through the tough times that you appreciate the good times more.

Today, I am more grateful for more good days. I was struggling through my new stage in life as a woman going through all the changes with hormones as a natural stage of "menopause" concurrently entering into a new phase of my life turning 50. It was and still is a new decade to embrace, accept and celebrate.

Admittedly, I was a slow learner on my own. It has taken me 5 years to balance my life embrace that season of my life and to be able to grow again. I am now in a fast growth mindset to begin to SHIFT what didn't work for me to get here and now. 

I had to reach a painful place the MAKE A CHANGE. I realized only I can make that CHANGE. 

I no longer wait for my husband, wait for my family, wait for the world around me to CHANGE. 

It is ME who has to CHANGE first before anything else can change. Understand this is simple but doing it is not easy when you feel you are all alone with your inner battle no one could possibly understand.

Honestly, it was a false sense of pride, that I was embarrassed to let people see my weaknesses and the images they hold of me to let go of my automatic smiles on my face to cover the pain. 

Being real is a very vulnerable place in this superficial social media world we live in today. While my life seems perfect outwardly in every way, I didn't feel that way at all inside. 

It took 2020 with Covid-19 to awaken me and many others to SLOW DOWN the world, to reflect what's life real meaning for each person.  For me, seeking for inner soul peace to be happy with myself no matter what circumstances in life are happening around me.

I reached out for help with many different forms of support and coaching. I welcomed help from friends, professionals, and others who are kindred spirits into my world to share & support on this similar journey. There are more women and men on the same path than you realize. I didn't feel alone anymore.

I also learned that not everyone is the right support for me and I had to learn to walk away from them to be able to rebuild my inner strength to create the life I would love no matter how I feel each day or , or, or... We all tend to have many excuses to make a change.

With baby steps, I began slowly, allowing myself to play, create, dream, and smile from the inside again...

I had to rebuild my self-esteem from the ground up and... this journey is still ongoing today and for the rest of my life!

Like a garden and I am a gardener to understand this but I need to be reminded! It is a law of nature. 

What you sow, you reap and there are different seasons in the cycle of life to learn to adapt to the constant changes of life, coming to you each day.

Growth happens each day, slowly and surely with little or big progress when we nurture it.

My soul is the only plant that is truly mine and that is my sole responsibility that I must nurture with goodness each day with my positive thoughts and with positive actions to be able to bloom. 

My biggest growth is to be 100% responsible for MY thoughts! ( Negative thoughts)

It's my thoughts, my choices, and my actions to make minor shifts each moment constantly.

Yes, it's hard work and a full-time job to pay attention to your own negative thoughts and your own negative words in your head to make real changes. 

My hardest practice is to give "attention" to noticing my negative thought and change it to positive thoughts immediately first and foremost in my conscious and subconscious minds! 

Yes, you and I will do this at least a zillion times a day with our constant chatter in our minds.

Being mindful is the first practice I had to learn again and again and again each day.

Up until now, my mind was cluttered with old stuff of the past, all the negative thoughts and negative beliefs of myself. I thought negatively, as less than or unworthy and the people around me were uncaring and abusive as my past experiences. 

So, one day I said, NO MORE! 

I took a stand for that scared little orphan girl who was still in my dark attic. 

I, the adult version of myself had to step up to take full responsibility for every negative thought, for every negative feeling from that inner frightened child. I gently and lovingly took her hands in mine to be brave again, trust again and know she has better options and that she no longer has to hide or live a limited life in that dark attic. 

The first step was the hardest. 

There were days, I tend to run back to what is familiar, even back into the most undesirable place than to face her greater fear of the unknown to change.

I didn't realize my own power yet and that I hold the key to unlock it all along!

You hold the key to unlock it and free yourself. No one can do it for you.

Just accept and be OK that it is a lifetime process and take it one day at a time!

You will not be perfect at it at first but allow yourself to practice it, making these little shifts imperfectly to nurture your mindset to be stronger. 

It's a new discipline. Be kind to yourself to practice and don't give up on yourself.

Is your past, old negative self still sentencing you to stay there in the dark attic today? 

So today, if you are still in your own dark attic, be brave and open that door and ask yourself where would you love to go from here? 

What would you love for yourself at this very moment? 

God Bless you always,

Hai

 

Day 1: I am BACK!

Hello Again,

It has been 5 years since my last entry.

Wow! Time flies and much of life has happened since.

I was cleaning up my old computer and found my old blog page " One Day At A Time" again.

With my soul sister, Kathleen, we decided to support each other and to discipline ourselves to get back to writing from the heart again with our 100 days writing challenge to accomplish this together. 

Day 1 is all about a new start for me and to commit to this challenge by "just do it" and take the first step to write. Nothing happens if we don't ACT on it. 

I often remind myself so not to be overwhelmed in any challenges is to take it ...one day at a time. 

I am so grateful I still own this perfect blog name for me since I've been dormant for so long. 

Google still remembers me! :) Thank you, Google.

There is a saying, you are never too old or too late to start a new dream or a new goal. 

Here I am at 55, I am beginning again... And that's OK too. Everyday is a fresh start in any areas of your life you want to improve, grow and change. It only takes YOU to begin with your first step. No one else can do it for you! 

I know the real personal rewards will be amazing as I write down my thoughts on any topics with no restrictions as life comes to me , thru me and as me to share.

It will not only to help me discover who I am each new day as I grow but I pray my words & sharing will help, comfort and inspire others to know they are not alone in this journey of life. We all are connected.

Like you, I am a different person from 5 years ago and even from yesterday. Everyday is a new day and we get to create and/or recreate the person we want to be and live the life we love. It's never too late unless we limit ourselves to believe that.  Remember, 50s is the new 30s so we have many more years of life ahead :)

I am so grateful each morning that God has given me another day to live and love my life. 

Yes, I am still growing, learning and continuously discovering many more dimensions of who I am as you are. Let's never stop growing... together!

What would you love to create in your life TODAY?

God bless you all,

Hai

Happy 2017, Everyone!

It's a New Year to start again... It's never too late to start ANYTHING again!  Start on any day is a good day.  I love the beginning of a new year, full of hopes, dreams and making lists...

First and foremost, I am so grateful for all my 2016 lessons, blessings and my ongoing challenges that I get to try again and/or try something totally new in 2017.

I am talking about New Year's Resolutions, of course! So what's yours?... start write them down.

My list is getting longer by the day and its only 10 days into 2017! So, knowing my ADHD personality, I have to limit to 5 things:

Five in 2017...
1. Embracing being 50 & Fabulous and being grounded.  JUST BE MYSELF. This is a full-time adventure all in itself to refine, to create and to make more JOY in my life in every aspect of my life.
2. Get back to the GYM after a year OFF! Yes, a year! You read it correctly.
3. Starting to BLOG again after 5 years of being absence. I am curious what will be my own thoughts to write about as I am living through my 50s.
4. Working on a successful financial avenue that actually take off this year and earn an income after 15 years of being a supportive, stay at home spouse.
5. Learn how to play the piano!

Lets take #1 today...
For me, embracing being 50 is HUGE! It's a big deal for me since I don't look or feel or ready to be 50 but I have no choice in this matter. Yet, I have experienced life long enough & I've earned the 50 years "badge" to be free, more brave, bold and need no permission to LIVE my life in my next 50 years as I define it. Life is moving too fast so I am taking advantage of being totally liberated to LIVE ON fully! BUT first... I am slowing  down to be kind to myself to simply feel grounded to stay put in one location. This happens to be NC for us. In the past, my husband & I  have been "on the go" so much between 3-4 states for his corporate career that I lost a sense of belonging... belong to a home, to a community, to a group of friends and even to having my own daily routine!
I am today slowing down to speed of my own life tempo!... to write this blog...

We all are at different stages in life so your list should reflect what makes YOU happy! ....with total FREEDOM and without the fear of judgements from your spouse, friends & family and especially not based on the hype or pressure of any social media images to just look good for others and not being true to yourself.

There is a saying:
CHOICE.
CHANCE.
CHANGE.
You MUST make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE or your life will never CHANGE.

You got nothing to lose but to put the three Cs into practice this year with NO self- inflicted stress or pressure on yourself so that you can enjoy the unknown journey in stored for you in 2017.

By the end of 2017, lets see where we land in life!

Namaste my friends,

Christine "Hai"

Hello Again!

Hello again, my friends,

Remember me?
It has been exactly 5 years since my last entry on my blog as of December 2011. Wow! Time flies.
So much life's memories, joy & struggles have been lived since....

I decided to start this discipline again today with no expectations or goals to meet but to just simply put my day's thoughts here. A very poignant year for me to return because it is a turning point in my life as I've reached that magic benchmark age of 50 since April. Yikes!

For some people, it's no big deal. It's just another birthday. It's just a number.
For me, it's has been a "wake up" call and a soul searching opportunity to re-evaluate what has worked and what has NOT worked in my life thus far in all areas of life.

Being ME...an easily bored, require more fun, sometimes crazy & definitely a free-spirited WOMAN!
Marriage ( Our age differences and our years together, approaching 14 years next April)
Family (Defining what's real, what's a loving family and where I belong and feel at "home")
Career ( ...or lack of it because I have been a stay home wife and taking an opportunity to create a creative outlet to have some form of success in this area)
Finance. (My husband's corporate career is ending so our lifestyle will be different and new challenges ahead to be more resourceful)
Health. ( Menopausal stage in life to accept & a new body to learn)
Self-Esteem. ( Happy in my own skin. Defining MYSELF from others (social media) expectations and/or judgements
Total FREEDOM to be YOURSELF!

I will share my thoughts candidly as I blog these areas as each day unfolds.
It's my personal time to be brutally honest to create the life I really what you live.
You will know when it is the right time for you. I hope by sharing that you will know, you are not alone in this journey of life. It's a gift. Lets give it the attention it deserves.

A common question I have been asking myself this past 6 months....
Does this person/relationship or situation brings positive, joy, peace, happiness or negative, drama or  pain in my life?

To change it...Are you willing to learn to walk away from pain & gravitate toward the joy?
Are you willing to learn new disciples?
Of course, some areas will be more challenging than others to change. Learning to walk away from people is the hardest for me but it's a must to reach your peace.

It starts and ends with YOU! It's UP TO YOU. It's YOUR LIFE. Only YOU have the power to change. You can't change people or circumstances around you but you can only change YOU.

We are human. We are still learning...
For me, I can only hope that my next 50 years will be even better when I am open to learn, to share, to express and to explore new disciplines & new perspectives.

This resonates with me today. I hope it does for you too.
One Day At a Time:
This is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone.
Do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come.
Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering. Unknown author.

May we focus on just TODAY... with a grateful heart & with more JOY!
Let's be thankful for whatever God gives us today and make it count.


Namaste,
Hai

Touched by 27 Lil' Angels this Christmas!

This picture is so poignant for me on this Holiday. 

Like you as a parent,  I am just as guilty of easily overindulge our children during this time of the year. 

It's so easy to do that and we can easily lose our "common sense" as we get bombarded with so many sales, advertisements & material things for ourselves. Unless we consciously STOP to reflect the importance of Christmas and "define the necessity" in our lives.  

We can't solve world poverty alone. But isn't there a balance of what we can do to make a difference from where we are? 
Of course, we can. 

I love Christmas traditions and this is my favorite holiday! Tradition is important to have gifts under our Christmas tree for my teenager daughter and for my whole family BUT I prayed for something  EXTRA SPECIAL this year.  

The "Gift of Giving" presented itself to us to add to our Christmas celebration this year.  We adopted 27 local children here in our community, who are living at the homeless shelter.

We became Santa's elves with a long list of children with no names and no faces to us.  

These Angels only have a letter B for boy, G for girl with a number next to it for their ages on our Christmas list.

We were touched by 27 little Angels this Christmas! They gave us an opportunity to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas! 

There are 13 Girls ages from ages 2- 14 and a three month old baby girl along with 13 Boys from ages, 2-11.  Their needs were only the necessities, like socks, underwear, hats & gloves & scarves to keep them warm this winter. 


Thank you Lord for our EXTRA blessing with your "Gift of Giving" this Christmas. 

We pray for each one of the 27 children at the homeless shelter on this Christmas Day. We are so grateful for our EXTRA special gift this year, Lord.

We are so very blessed beyond measures with countless blessings each & everyday. It's more than just what you have or don't have under the Christmas tree when other little ones have so little. As we celebrate and acknowlege the Birth of Christ, may God bless these 27 Angels during His Happy Birthday Party. 


It's a joyful party that EVERYONE is invited to...

 The true Christmas JOY is in the GIVING. And it is so true! 


Merry Christmas, Everyone!


With Love & 27 Angels,


Hai