Julanne's Village Jewels

                                                                                       BOUGANVILLA     REJOICE Sometimes I come across something positively providential ! Today I read something that I feel could be life changing!  This quote is from a COMPASSION card I chose for the day.  "In the morning when you wake up, reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before going to sleep, think over what you have done. If you fulfilled your aspiration, even once,REJOICE in that! If you went against your aspiration, REJOICE that you are able to see what you did and are no longer living in ignorance . This way you will be inspired to go forward with increasing clarity, confidence, and compassion in the days that follow." When I read this, I felt a spark of light inside! It was the first time (that I can remember) reading or letting in a thought about what I can do on a positive note when I feel I have not  'accompl

                                                                                WHISTLING DUCKS                                                                                 RHYTHM Have you ever had a word go through your mind, over and over? I was reading about RHYTHM this week and it stuck. Since then I have NOTICED how much  of LIFE is in RHYTHM! It's everywhere I look! The ripples in the water in the photograph displays a kind of RHYTHM. The way the wind blows the oaks and the spanish moss is in RHYTHM. The way I walk has a RHYTHM to it.  It has made LIFE more interesting to NOTICE my life EBB and FLOW in its own RHYTHM. It makes me practice PATIENCE often because things don't move as fast as I'd like them to at certain times or turn out the way I'd like! What can I do? I have CHOICES, at least 2, either RESIST what's happening or 'go with the flow'! I am CHOOSING the latter more often, I'm happy to say. The point is, I'M NOTICING IT! Today I w

                                                                                        CALLA LILY DIFFICULTIES The very word DIFFICULTIES shines out like a beacon for all of us at one time or another. It also beams a light on POSSIBILITIES. It just means DIFFICULT,  or not so easy to do or perform. That smacks of DO-ABLE. This could apply to anything we are faced with having to do or accomplish. This applies to even mundane, common activities including walking, writing, seeing, hearing, cooking, communicating, etc. Rainier Rilke, the famous author says (about SOLITUDE) "Because SOLITUDE is DIFFICULT, and that a 'thing' is DIFFICULT must be even more of a reason for us to under take it". I definitely have NOTICED that in my life lately. Any action or activity, whether in my mind or body that feels DIFFICULT is a flashing light for me to do it! I feel resistance, to be sure, but then I realize that it is a GIFT to me to break through my resistance. I have a 'rule

                                                                                  BIRD OF PARADISE      WORRY Here is a word that is experienced by all of us at one time or another. It is not a pleasant sensation, I would say for anyone, certainly not for me. As insidious as it may be, there is  help coming our way.  It takes concerted effort on our part but it gives us a positive attitude to take to get us through our maze. WORRY, an extension of FEAR and something we think  (WORRY) about, but we  can NOT change the thing that hasn't even happened yet! Isn't that interesting? What we are WORRYING about is not real, a fantasy of sorts. So we are 'making up' what we don't want  to happen. WORRY is about fear of LOSING CONTROL which we don't have anyway in most circumstances. As we know and have experienced, we are unhappy, anxious, depressed and overwhelmed and many times become ill because of WORRY. I, for one, have experienced all these symptoms when I get '