Find Joy!

"Since all of us are connected, we affect those around us whether we realize it or not. Our emotions can also affect our children, our pets, and our plants. The best thing we can do for ourselves, everyone else, and the planet, is to find our joy and passion for life, and do what makes us happy. When we are happy, those around us will be happy, and in turn, those around them will also start to feel the same way."

"We always have to start with our self, and the best place to start is to do what makes you feel joyful."-Anita Moorjani

On 2nd February 2006, Anita Moorjani experienced what most of us will never. She experienced what many people spend their lives wondering about.  What is after all this?  Is there an after life?  Anita's book "Dying to Me." tells her story about how she crossed over and came back to share what she learned.

Doctors at the hospital had given Anita just hours to live when she arrived at the hospital that morning, unable to move as a result of the cancer that had ravaged her body for over three years.

Anita shares her experience of entering another dimension and being given a choice of whether to return to life or not. She experienced great clarity and understanding of her life and purpose here on earth.  What's amazing is the simplicity of the message that she was compelled to come back and share.  It is a message of love, living in your own magnificence, living fearlessly and living joyously!

Today I pledge to bring more of the things that make me feel joyful into my life! 

A joyful list

• sipping hot strong coffee outside on warm mornings
• Surprising people with gifts
• loittering in chapters...lol
• going on creative exursions to thrift shops
• polkadots
• stripes
• turquoise
• fresh flowers on my dining room table
• solitude surrounded by nature

 

What is on your joyful list?



You are pregnant...

...."pregnant with possibilities"....Bishop T.d. Jakes

My mom and I manifested one of our life long dreams into reality this week when we were amongst an audience of 8500 to see Oprah's Lifeclass in Toronto.  Not only were we blessed to be in the same space of our long time life coach Oprah Winfrey, we were blessed to hear world renowned speakers Tony Robbins, Iyanla Vanzaant, Deepak Chopra and Bishop Jakes.  When they introduced Oprah out on to the stage, it was mass hysteria but I felt everything in my life up until that point come together in this one magical moment as I was standing on the convention centre chair screaming for my life!  It was transforming.  I thought to myself, this is it, if I go back to my life doing things just as I had always done them after this, I will never change.  In my opinion seeing Oprah was a pivitol life changing moment for me.

 There was so much wisdom to absorb amongst my little girl chatter that kept saying "omg!  I can't believe I'm in the same room as Oprah!!!!!"  A few little nuggets have stood out in my head as being memorable and are helping me as I make "the shift."  The above quote by Bishop T.d. Jakes really resonated with me.  In the past 5 years I have birthed 3 babies into this world and I often wonder once my pregnancies and births are all over, what is next for me?  I see pregnant women and I become envious.  I realized, it's not because I want to be physically pregnant again, carrying all that weight....popping tums for heartburn...tossing and turning all night.  It's not because I think we need another little human being to care for.  It's what pregnancy represents- POSSIBILITY. 

As I continue to nuture and manifest my dreams and passions into reality.  I offer up a suggestion for you to look inside and ask yourself what dream are you pregnant with.  What is your gift you need to share with the world?  Are you listening to what the universe is trying to tell you?  What is your spirit whispering but you push it aside because you have to get back to "real life."  Be still...listen....what are you meant to birth into this world?

Ernest Hemingway Quote

Finding Meaning within Motherhood

As women we grow up believing that our worth is based on how good we are as daughters, and friends.  Those of us that choose to have children then see their value based on how good they are as mothers and then grandmothers.  Mothers who have aspirations outside of motherhood feel guilty because it is not their time to persue their own dreams.  Motherhood is when you are meant to live and breathe your children's every whim and if you are lucky enough to squeeze in a hour here or an afternoon there for yourself you justify it to no end.  The outside world has a set of constructs that are acceptable for women to be guided by. Successful women are criticized for not making the time to make their children number one. I'm not a religious person.  I don't believe that God has to be put in the confines of the definition I grew up as a catholic learning.  I am a spiritual person, I live from spirit and I believe in a power I call God that is greater than myself. I believe spirituality is living with an open heart.   As I move along my spiritual path I am able to see that I have reached  a phase in my life that I have begun to be guided by something greater than myself.  My inner self has been put on a shelf for a while and I am being called.  As a busy mother, most days I find it hard to hear what the calling is, but I know it is there.  I have a deep inner knowing that I am here for a greater purpose and that motherhood is one facet of who I am as a spirit.  Why do mother's feel guilt for that?  Even as I type these words there's still an inner voice of guilt.  Like because I am saying that I believe there is more to my life than being a mother I don't love my children enough.  As a mother, because I derive pleasure from things separate from my kids, I musn't be a very good mother.  Why do we quiet the voice that says within us "I am here."  She is there within all of us, we ignore her.  I have ignored her and I see many of my friends and family do the same. 

In the "morning" of all of our lives as mothers we are striving and working and hoping and crying and carpooling and cooking and cleaning and hovering.  Much much later I have seen women arrive at the "afternoon" of their lives and they look in the mirror and there looking back at them is a person they do not recognize.  For so long they have put the needs of others ahead of their own.  For years they feel guilty for wanting to be alone in quiet solitude.  I am awakening to an idea that it's possible to be a wonderful parent, who is also spiritually connected, living with an open heart and living "on purpose." I have been inspired by the idea that instead of hovering over our childs every move let them develop their own inner self awareness.  What a wonderful gift to our children in fact to see their parents living in a way where they are able to see that anything is possible.  What a blessing to our daughters, to my little girl, to see that although it is in her inherent nature to take care of all the needs of others at the tiny age of 4, it's okay if she is called to shift to "something more."  It does not make her less of a woman, less of mother if she listens to her inner voice a little more and shifts to living a life that has meaning to her.  Being present and living a life of fulfillment is valuable.  In simply living from a place of spirit her life has meaning and she is already good enough just as she is. A little voice is whispering to me that its okay to choose motherhood and to choose "me" too.

New Venture with Epicure Selections

Epicure Selections is a family owned, women-led, Canadian made company that I was introduced to years ago. The products promote a healthy living with low sodium spices and herb blends that also contain no MSG or added colors, flavors, oils, silicone dioxide or sulphites. If you have ever looked at a package of your regular old taco seasoning that we are all guilty for throwing mindlessly in the cart you would be astonished at the amount of sodium in that tiny little packet. Not to say that I live a salt free life but using some deliciious sea salt to season is a far cry from all those thousands of milligrams companies stick in there to preserve the products. Not to mention all those other ingredients they throw in that we can barely pronounce.

A little background on the company: Sylvie Rochette founded the company starting out with four hand-crafted spice blends sold from her station wagon at local markets and consumer trade shows, the products' overwhelming popularity soon prompted the creation of Epicure Selections® This wonderful company follows a party-plan direct sales model to distribute therefore is not found on supermarket shelves. If you can track down a local consultant (like myself) you can order their products directly from the catologue or a consultant like myself will be happy to bring a tasting party to your home. There are tons of benefits for hosting an epicure tasting party which I think is really fantastic. The first party I hosted at my house I earned over $100 worth of product and all I had to provide was a cucumber and some crackers...the consultant did the rest.

I can't say enough good things about this company so I wanted to be a part of it. Partly because of the health benefits but also for the products versatility. Take their pizza seasoning for instance (one of my favourites)Don't let the name fool you, this italian blend is great sprinkled on pizza but I have used it for dips, pasta's and breads. Their lemon dilly dip mix makes a great dip for veggies but I have sprinkled it on salmon, in my potato salad, egg salad and just the other day I made a crab salad (neptune salad) and the lemon dilly mixed with some maynonnaise and sour cream. It was delish!!! I could go on forever so I'll leave it at that for today with hopes that if you aren't familiar with their products you will check them out.

Epicure is available to order in Canada and if you’d like to place an order you can email me at tammysepicure@gmail.com or if you live near London, Ontario I would be happy to come and host a tasting party for you and your friends.

Visit Epicure www.epicureselections.com and tell me what you would love try!