“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
― Siddhārtha Gautama
We pray for peace, but peace is here.
Someday at Christmas
I won’t preach, because people who know me personally will tell you I can get quite wound up when I get started. But most of you who follow Espirational know that I believe with all my heart that the world depicited in this beautiful Stevie Wonder song can be “in time for you and me” if we only believe it and live it. Someday can be now!
So preach it Stevie and Andra!
Doing Good and Being Compassionate
“Jesus did not spend a great deal of time discoursing about the trinity or original sin or the incarnation,which have preoccupied later Christians. He went around doing good and being compassionate.” — Karen Armstrong
Hope is Here
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” —Desmond Tutu
The world seeks hope, but hope is here.
What are we Waiting For?
Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. I did not grow up in a tradition that observed advent, but I did later attend churches that did. Advent is a time of expectant waiting for the birth of Jesus. It may be seen as a time of preparation, repentance and fasting. Candles are lit each week to represent hope, peace, joy and love with readings and prayers. A white Christ candle is lit either on Christmas Eve or Christmas day.
This year I wanted to do something for Advent. But as I studied and tried to prepare, these words came to me. “What are we waiting for?”
Hope is here. Peace is here. Joy is here. Love is here. The Christ is here. Right here and now, living in, through and as us. I hope you will join me the next four weeks as we celebrate.
Something to Ponder: How do the presence of hope, peace, joy love and The Christ show up in your life?
Gifts from the Universe
This is American Thanksgiving day. It is a day when many feel anything but thankful. The pressures of the uncoming holiday season can start to set in. Sometimes family gatherings are not pleasant. We can begin to descend into a season of holiday doom and gloom.
But recently a lesson came to me. There is always something to be grateful for.
I had been going through a difficult time. Living in a senior community seeming to be surrounded by sickness and death isn’t always easy. Then one morning I got a surprise gift from the Universe on my morning walk. This is what I posted on Facebook that morning.
Beautiful walk this morniing. Dark clouds but not gloomy or scary. Cool and quiet with no one out but me and a few of my dog friends walking their people. Great way to start the day.
Then again a few days later.
Looking out my studio window at the full moon just above my neighbors house. What a beautiful gift. Thank you God!
Gratitude or giving thanks does not have to be about something really big or spectacular. It also goes beyond the day to day events of life.
If we stay open, sometimes the Universe will surprise us with a gift that makes us go, WOW! Thank you God! And if we let it, it can change us.
The Annual Thanksgiving Flash Mob
It has been tradition for me to post a video (usually a flash mob) on the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving. Over the years these have usually been light and entertaining to give people a break from holiday preparations. This year I have chosen a flash mob performing a song that has become an anthem of sorts for people who feel different, rejected and misunderstood.
So if you fall into this category or support someone who does please join with me in declaring “This is me!” Remember the world need us. Now more than ever. Even if they don’t realize it.
Gratitude can Transform
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward
Gratitude is powerful. It can transform the average and ordinary into blessings. Remember you are what you think as you fill your thoughts with gratitude.
Today is the last day to get a free copy of my holiday e-book, Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday. Please stop by The Amazon Kindle store and claim your copy today.
Holiday Meal Ideas from Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday
I am reposting an oldie but goodie with holiday food ideas. If you need ideas for healthy holiday meal idea that are also gluten free as well as tasty this will get you started.
If you want the full recipes as well as more food and general celebration ideas my book Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday is available FREE (yes, I said FREE) today, tomorrow and Sunday, (November 19 – 21, 2021).
Let me tell you about my typical holiday meal. The recipes in bold print are included in my Kindle book, Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday available from Amazon.com Kindle store.
- I like to begin the meal with a salad like my Vegetable Salad or a light soup such as Simple Sweet Potato Soup to help keep from loading up on the less healthy food later in the meal.
- I cook the turkey in a healthy way without adding extra fat by stuffing the cavity with butter or frying it. I season the bird well and bake in the oven. I do not stuff the bird but make my Corn Bead Dressing in a separate pan.
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce is always on our holiday table. If you can boil water, you can do this. You can control what goes into it by making it yourself, including what you use for a sweetener.
- Lightly steamed fresh green beans with sliced almonds and a good squeeze of lemon juice make people forget “that casserole.”
- I leave the “candy” out of the yams and serve fresh sweet potatoes. There are many ways to do this. First there is baked. You can fancy them up a bit by making them “twice baked” either sweet or savory by what you add to them. You can mash them. You can cook them with apples and spice them up with cinnamon and nutmeg. Our favorite is my Orange Spice Sweet Potatoes.
- Serve a healthy relish tray. This was always included in the holiday meal when I was growing up and is still the best part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for me. Include lots of raw fresh veggies and fruit with a few of your favorite pickles and olives if desired. If you want dip, consider making one without cream cheese or sour cream. This may be done using white beans or mashed cauliflower or try my Spicy Chickpea Dip.
- Did someone say dessert? Bob always asks for my Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake for special occasions, but I also have other dessert recipes for you to try.
Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday includes more information on celebrating a healthier holiday season with more recipes (including holiday goodies and an egg-free/dairy-free nog), ways of celebrating without food, tips for making a healthier holiday dessert and gluten-free baking, giving holiday food gifts, choosing a gluten-free turkey, ways to enjoy the holiday dinner with food restrictions and a couple of craft projects thrown in just for fun. Don’t forget to buy your copy today from Amazon.com/Kindle.
Give Thanks
“When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” —Tecumseh
How often to we take the basic, everyday good gifts and blessings of God for granted? We don’t have to look far to see something to be grateful for. What are you grateful for today?
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