Once in a while, a message comes to my awareness that stays with me for days, sometimes weeks and even months.  Spontaneous occurrences like these hold more significance than I initially realize.  Through the unfolding moments of life, I come to discover the hidden lesson my soul wants me to learn.  This is the case when I stumbled across three sentences while perusing a used book store. A small book titled ‘Handbook for the Soul’ captured my attention.  It is a compilation of writings by renowned authors, psychologists, scientists, and leaders in the human motivation and personal development fields. Philosopher, Robert Fulghum is one of the contributing writers.

Robert states “One final thought on nourishing the soul. I try to make sure that I see the real news of the world that’s right in front of me, not just the recitation of disasters that passes for news on television. The real news, the knowledge of what’s going on in my immediate world and immediate life, sustains life.”  These words have stayed with me since I first read them.

What I eventually came to realize is that quality of life can be very simple.  We do not need to regularly fill our minds with world events in order to experience more richness in daily life. We need only pay attention to our immediate surroundings. What if we all switched from a daily dose of news to a daily dose of humour?  How different would our world be?  Robert Fulghum ends each day by reading something funny, which makes the bed shake and then annoys his wife!  He then shares the humour with her and together they laugh.  This is the perfect example of how simple it can be to experience richness in daily life!

Heaven touched earth early Sunday morning.  The sun shone brilliantly, flowers opened gracefully, and the sweet sounds of song birds echoed through the warm morning air.  Amidst this botanical garden, a celebration of life took place to honour a woman who had lived 98 years.

Mollie was born in 1917, the same year that John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Ferdinand Marcos and Raymond Burr were born.  Like these icons, Mollie lived a full and accomplished life.  She blazed her own trail, having survived childhood illness, the Great Depression and World War II.  Despite immense hurdles, she graduated university, earned the role of a grade school teacher and a sergeant during the war.  She became a wife, a bookkeeper, a crossword puzzle expert, a challenging scrabble partner and a master bridge player.  Within her family, she was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  As her life evolved, she continually reinvented herself.  Mollie thrived throughout, revealing amazing artistic talents in the last few years which are now a part of her legacy.

Among the many friends and family who attended the celebration were her youngest sister, Ann.  At age 91, Ann is a bright elder and a sheer delight to converse with.  Also present was 103 year old Phyllis who was equally bright and delightful.  These remarkable women flowed seamlessly with the group.  They participated fully to the end, where everyone enjoyed a piece of celebration cake, honouring the sweetness Mollie had imparted on so many peoples’ lives.

Life can be immensely challenging at times and also wonderfully joyous.  It is important not to lose focus of the joys and sweetness life offers.  How sweet it was for everyone to come together to celebrate Mollie’s life!  Sweetness and delightful camaraderie are vital ingredients of a life well-lived!

A beautiful Hibiscus plant, with vibrant red-orange flowers measuring about 5″ in diameter fully opened, is my glorious new companion.  ‘She’ was gifted to me yesterday morning, quite by surprise.  I had not expected this and felt deeply grateful to the person who bestowed this majestic plant upon me.  What had I done?  Nothing out of the ordinary from my perspective.  Only what I love to do and that is to teach and create a safe place for people to share, learn and grow together.  It is true, kindness is contagious.  One kind deed can ‘indeed’ change the world.  Remember that although you may only be one person in this world, you may be the world to that person.

Unbeknownst to either of us, the hibiscus (pictured below) has many hidden messages which synchronistically tie into our lessons over the past month.  The flower itself is a sign of rebirth and youthfulness.  The blooms sometimes only last a day, reminding us to appreciate beauty in the moment.  Similarly, we all have the ability to create anew by tapping into our inner source of power for spiritual enlightenment.  To our delight, by the end of the session, a leaf that shielded a young bud had shifted away to allow the bud to open up to its own true magnificence! There is always so much more than what the eye beholds.  Heaven in a hibiscus is proof of that!

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Spring is in full bloom at Deer Lake.  Giant rhododendron trees the size of houses are covered with large balls of flowers.  A walk through the gardens reveals a collage of colours dotted over massive canvases of luscious green leaves.  The sheer sight of these giants is breathtakingly beautiful as their looming presence leaves you in awe.

Stepping closer, one can admire the beauty of a single flower.  From its early bud stage to full bloom, these magnificent flower clusters resemble families growing up together.  The bud can be likened to a swaddled baby and those in full bloom, adults revealing their gifts for the world to see!  Then there are those flowers that are starting to brown and wilt at their edges.  These are the elders, still lovely in their own unique way.

Japanese wisdom teaches that the wilting flower is the most beautiful and not the ones that are seemingly perfect in full coloured bloom.  This philosophy reminds us of the value of all stages in life.  Each is to be cherished and appreciated.  Even the entire ball of individual flowers is to be appreciated as they are the family we are born with.  This family ball is with us for our entire lifetime and each supports one another in ways that we may not always see or realize.  Step back and admire the beauty of the entire tree and you may see something you never noticed before!  Beauty is in the mind of the beholder!

Pierre Auguste Renoir, an accomplished artist from the early 20th century, was famous for his impressionist paintings of Paris.  His work spanned over five decades and during his last few years of life, he developed severe arthritis but this did not stop him.  He continued to paint with a brush tied to his wrist and developed a more bold and fluid style.

Art critics condemn the bold style of his later works while budding art students admire it.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The world of art is subjective and there really is no right or wrong, good or bad.  Art is art, an expression of the heart and soul.

So where do critics fit in all of this?  Perhaps they are like lemons, adding zing and a zesty tartness to life.  Their perspectives may make some people pucker and cringe while others taste nothing at all.  We always have a choice.  Renoir followed his heart and was true to himself.  He held nothing back when being authentic in his later works and courageously revealed his soul for the world to ‘see’.