Sarah Sunny's Posts - Awakened Journey2024-03-29T11:54:47ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunnyhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/63913670?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=0tkemfkrgrfcn&xn_auth=noCastles & Lutestag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2014-07-31:2344239:BlogPost:932862014-07-31T04:35:44.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p><span class="font-size-3">Have you ever been attracted to a place but had no idea why? My whole life I've been fascinated with castles, the English countryside, and the music of the 15th century. I don't know much about past lives but what I do know is that sometimes I feel a longing for another time, another place deep in my soul. As a child I often dreamed I lived in a castle, I ran in the green of the English countryside with happiness and there was always this music playing in the…</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Have you ever been attracted to a place but had no idea why? My whole life I've been fascinated with castles, the English countryside, and the music of the 15th century. I don't know much about past lives but what I do know is that sometimes I feel a longing for another time, another place deep in my soul. As a child I often dreamed I lived in a castle, I ran in the green of the English countryside with happiness and there was always this music playing in the background. I could never identify it or what instrument it was all I knew was that it was calming and peaceful.</span></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72943133?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72943133?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"/></a>Maxstock Castle Photo Credit: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maxstoke_Castle#mediaviewer/File:Maxstoke_Castle,_2010.jpg" target="_blank">Steve Wilson</a>: Wikimedia Commons</p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In these dreams I was always so happy. I was surrounded by family, even though I could never see their faces clearly I could feel the 'love.' It was such a strong, beautiful energy and so different from what I felt in real life. As I got older the dreams stopped, but whenever I was feeling down or blue I would remember the castle, the love and the happiness of those dreams. These memories have given me comfort during some of the toughest times in my life. I could faintly recall the music but could never seem to find it outside of my dreams</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">A few days ago I turned on the history channel and there was a show about 15th century music. Lo and behold I heard the music that was so familiar to me on a soul level. The instrument was a lute. Over the years I've seen references to the lute but always thought it was a type of flute and not a string instrument. The music in my dreams was played by a string instrument. I was so excited to finally know what this instrument was. I was able to find some lute music composed in the 15th century. I feel such deep peace, contentment, and happiness when I listen to it.</span> <br/><br/></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">I do believe in past lives and that they can reach into our now to comfort us, to guide us, or point us in a different direction. As a child I didn't grow up in a loving home, but the dreams of the castle and the lute saw me through. The memories of those dreams have provided me with comfort all of my life. Whether it was just a dream or a past life memory I may never know. All I do know is that something outside myself has reached out from the past to provide a sense of love and comfort, to remind me as a child what 'love' is and could be and to comfort me through hard times in my later years.</span></p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KmI06vPfpq4?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p></p>*Ending Cycles*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-08-19:2344239:BlogPost:642972011-08-19T02:32:34.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941092?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941092?profile=original" width="428"></img></a> <font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><br />
</span></font><p><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">I have found that one of the hardest things in life is feeling stuck in a situation I don’t like and want to change. I often have exhausted myself trying to figure out how to make change and have at times given up. Yet, each day offers me an opportunity to renew my resolve…</span></font></p>
<a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941092?profile=original"><img width="428" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941092?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><br />
</span></font><p><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">I have found that one of the hardest things in life is feeling stuck in a situation I don’t like and want to change. I often have exhausted myself trying to figure out how to make change and have at times given up. Yet, each day offers me an opportunity to renew my resolve and declare to the universe that I am ready for change. By saying out loud that I have tried, struggled and have not found a way, but am open and receptive to help is often the remedy for the stagnation I am feeling.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"> </span></font></span></font></p>
<p><font size="2">Even with hindsight it is often difficult to understand, how the choices I have made have created my situation. It is during these times that I have to stop and examine the story I have been telling myself. When I regard myself as having failed, this blocks my ability to allow myself to succeed. I have the power to change the story I tell myself by acknowledging that in the past, I did my best and have had many pleasant moments and learning experiences along the way. These learning experiences can help me with the current choices I have to make today.</font></p>
<p><font size="2"><font size="2"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"> </span></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2">When I work on how I view my past self, I make it possible for the future to be based on a positive self-assessment. The inner shift allows me to get out of the cycle I have been in that keeps me stuck. Now I can declare to the universe my intentions, knowing that I have done the inner work necessary to allow my life to flow, change and grow in the right direction. Now is a time to end cycles and enter into a new way of living, feeling and being.</font></p>*Footprints in the Snow*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-03-03:2344239:BlogPost:559642011-03-03T15:53:54.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941081?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941081?profile=original" width="468"></img></a></p>
<br />
<p>As I grow older I sometimes feel as if the responsibility of adulthood has buried away part of my inner child. When I was a child each new day was full of enchantment, adventures to be had in both playing and learning. Adulthood is a time of embracing a more challenging world of being an adult surviving, stressing at times and wondering about the future. Swing time has…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941081?profile=original"><img width="468" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941081?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<br />
<p>As I grow older I sometimes feel as if the responsibility of adulthood has buried away part of my inner child. When I was a child each new day was full of enchantment, adventures to be had in both playing and learning. Adulthood is a time of embracing a more challenging world of being an adult surviving, stressing at times and wondering about the future. Swing time has now become Pay the bills time. Grand Adventures are often up keeping the home so our castles stay in good shape. Yet, that child within me sparks, it remembers what it was like to be full of fun, mischief and laughter. Today I watched some children walking on their way to school, their laughter and delight in stopping to make snow balls, made me smile. Having fun just for the pure delight of it. I realized that part of having fun is being able to let go and act like a child again. A little fun combats stress and often leads to creative inspiration.</p>
<p>I can feel my inner child stirring in my heart, remembering the excitement of the seasons changing. Watching the snow melt into puddles and then walking through them in rubber boots. I can still feel the cool water and hear the sound of water as I walked through it. Spring would burst forth into long summer days, picking wildflowers, building forts and rafts to sail the small creek in front of our house, beach days and lazy rainy days reading books. Children show that fun doesn’t have to be carefully planned and scheduled into the day. Today my inner child longs to explore just for the fun of it, I want to go for a walk and leave my footprints in the snow, feel the crisp air on my nose. Finding fun in unexpected places is a joy that cannot be taken away. Every day still can be a day of personal celebration, even when things aren’t necessarily going my way. Just the thought lifts my spirit, and the lesson’s to be learned in doing so, can keep me carefree and make me want to laugh everyday…and walk my way into the adventures of spring.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941095?profile=original"><img width="150" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941095?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a></p>*Grandmother's apron*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-03-03:2344239:BlogPost:563132011-03-03T04:18:22.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941108?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941108?profile=original" width="348"></img></a></p>
<blockquote><p align="center"><strong>Grandma's Apron</strong></p>
<p>I don't think our kids know what an apron is.</p>
<p>The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the…</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941108?profile=original"><img width="348" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941108?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<blockquote><p align="center"><strong>Grandma's Apron</strong></p>
<p>I don't think our kids know what an apron is.</p>
<p>The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.</p>
<p>It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears…</p>
<p>From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.</p>
<p>When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.</p>
<p>And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.</p>
<p>Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.</p>
<p>Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.</p>
<p>From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.</p>
<p>After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.</p>
<p>In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.</p>
<p>When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.</p>
<p>When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men-folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.</p>
<p>It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.</p>
<p align="center"><strong>REMEMBER:</strong></p>
<p>Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.</p>
<p>Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.</p>
<p>They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.</p>
<p>I never caught anything from an apron…But Love.</p>
<p>~Author Unkown</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941169?profile=original"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941169?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" class="align-full"/></a></p>
</blockquote>*My Moment*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-02-27:2344239:BlogPost:559422011-02-27T01:00:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p> </p>
<span class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941041?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941041?profile=original" width="499"></img></a> <br></br></span>
<p><span class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">Living in the moment is taking advantage and noticing the things around me. I engage in myself and my surroundings completely. There is nothing in the past and nothing in the future just the present moment, now. It is a time when I let go of my…</span></p>
<p> </p>
<span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941041?profile=original"><img width="499" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941041?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a><br/></span>
<p><span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA">Living in the moment is taking advantage and noticing the things around me. I engage in myself and my surroundings completely. There is nothing in the past and nothing in the future just the present moment, now. It is a time when I let go of my anxieties and pay special attention to the moment at hand. Being fully present in every second of situations, and what I experience in my mind, body and soul allows me to let go of past and present.</span></p>
<p><span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA"> </span></p>
<p><span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA">All it takes to enjoy a moment is to sit still and relax. I breathe in deeply, becoming aware of my breath, the taste, texture and smell of a cup of tea or my favourite drink. . The feel of my hands in water as I wash the dishes, the touch of a good book. The sight of a flower in bloom, a bird flying by or the feel of soft pillows on my back. I pay attention as an observer with all my senses to the things that are going on about me. I don’t judge just let it be as it is, accepting each moment as if it were my choice to do so. There is a beauty and peacefulness that opens my soul to the simple things around me that I may have never noticed before.</span></p>
<p><span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA"> </span></p>
<p><span xml:lang="EN-CA" class="font-size-3" lang="EN-CA">When I stay aware, open and receptive I feel the present moment only. Past and future do not exist. When I am present in this state my mind does not wander. I am focused on what is going on right now, not on what is happening or going to happen next. I may feel a brief lack of control because I am not planning the future or thinking of yesterday. The mind begins to chatter endlessly, but as I focus on the now I slowly release the control and discover that I am flexible, creative, spontaneous and attentive. The more I stay in the moment the more I enjoy life as I am no longer centered on waiting for the future or yearning for the past.</span></p>*Spiritual Friends*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-02-01:2344239:BlogPost:544962011-02-01T15:05:54.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941024?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941024?profile=original" width="500"></img></a></p>
<span class="font-size-3">Then Ananda came to the Lord (Buddha) and said: “Half of the holy life is friendship, association and intimacy with the spiritual.”</span><br></br><span class="font-size-3">Buddha replied “Say not so! It is the whole of the holy life, not half, this friendship, this association, this intimacy with the spiritual.”</span>
<p><span class="font-size-3">-…</span></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941024?profile=original"><img width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72941024?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<span class="font-size-3">Then Ananda came to the Lord (Buddha) and said: “Half of the holy life is friendship, association and intimacy with the spiritual.”</span><br/><span class="font-size-3">Buddha replied “Say not so! It is the whole of the holy life, not half, this friendship, this association, this intimacy with the spiritual.”</span>
<p><span class="font-size-3">- Samyutta Nikaya V:2</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Is not the holy life, the making of spiritual friends, the recognition of them everywhere? A stray dog can be a spiritual friend, so can the breeze, rain and clouds. Friendliness is a feeling of affinity and total spiritual friendship is connecting spiritually with all beings and nature (nature is Truth!). A spiritual person has no enemies. The world is just full of friends and strangers yet to be befriended.</span></p>~Inspiration Zone~tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2011-01-09:2344239:BlogPost:537062011-01-09T14:35:10.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ksO50eVaXDw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="never" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ksO50eVaXDw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="opaque"></embed> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940860?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940860?profile=original" width="500"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940877?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940877?profile=original" width="439"></img></a>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ksO50eVaXDw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed wmode="opaque" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ksO50eVaXDw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="false" width="480" height="385"></embed> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940860?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940860?profile=original" width="500"/></a><br />
<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940877?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940877?profile=original" width="439"/></a>*Doors*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-12-09:2344239:BlogPost:522692010-12-09T15:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/34374633?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door. ~Emily Dickinson</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. ~ Joseph Campbell</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality.” James…</font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/34374633?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door. ~Emily Dickinson</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. ~ Joseph Campbell</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality.” James Womack</font></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><br/><br/></p>
<p></p>*Thankful*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-11-24:2344239:BlogPost:517742010-11-24T15:46:43.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940828?profile=original"/></p>
<a href="http://www.blogthings.com/howthankfulareyouquiz/">http://www.blogthings.com/howthankfulareyouquiz/</a>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940828?profile=original"/></p>
<a href="http://www.blogthings.com/howthankfulareyouquiz/">http://www.blogthings.com/howthankfulareyouquiz/</a>*Take Hold Of Every Moment*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-10-20:2344239:BlogPost:504802010-10-20T12:38:18.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="3"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940503?profile=original"></img></font></p>
<p><font size="3">A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special…</font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="3"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940503?profile=original"/></font></p>
<p><font size="3">A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special occasion.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothings he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".</font></p>
<p><font size="3">I still think those words changed my life. Now I read more and clean less. I sit on the porch without worrying about anything. I spend more time with my family, and less at work. I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if i feel like it. I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come. I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that i wanted to write "One of this days". I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, not times enough at least, how much I love them.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">~Author Unknown~</font></p>
<p></p>*Finding Your Own North Star*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-10-12:2344239:BlogPost:499812010-10-12T12:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/34371933?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart—messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the…
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/34371933?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart—messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you’ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along.<br/><br/>Martha Beck, "Finding Your Own North Star"*Did you know..tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-10-09:2344239:BlogPost:497262010-10-09T14:00:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940453?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<font size="3">"Did you know...that when you walk past a flower, whether it be in somebody's garden or on a vacant hillside, the flower will always smile at you. The most polite way to respond, I've been told, is to cheerfully return the smile."<br/>~Ron Atchison~</font>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940453?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<font size="3">"Did you know...that when you walk past a flower, whether it be in somebody's garden or on a vacant hillside, the flower will always smile at you. The most polite way to respond, I've been told, is to cheerfully return the smile."<br/>~Ron Atchison~</font>*Strength*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-10-07:2344239:BlogPost:491962010-10-07T12:35:28.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940569?profile=original"></img></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="4">I am strong because I am weak I am beautiful because I know my flaws I am a lover because I'm a fighter I am fearless because I have been afraid I am wise because I have been foolish And I can laugh because I've known…</font></div>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940569?profile=original"/></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="4">I am strong because I am weak I am beautiful because I know my flaws I am a lover because I'm a fighter I am fearless because I have been afraid I am wise because I have been foolish And I can laugh because I've known sadness.</font> <br/><br/><br/></div>
<p></p>*Home*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-10-05:2344239:BlogPost:489682010-10-05T21:39:55.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="3">Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, <br></br>Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. <br></br>~John Howard Payne…</font></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="3">Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, <br/>Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. <br/>~John Howard Payne</font></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940548?profile=original"/></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="3">Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need. <br/>~Sarah Ban Breathnach</font></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="3"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940500?profile=original"/></font></p>
<font size="3"><br/></font><div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="3">"Home" is any four walls that enclose the right person. <br/>~Helen Rowland</font></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="3"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940589?profile=original"/></font></p>
<font size="3"><br/></font><br/><font size="4">Happily home.</font><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></div>
</div>
</div>*Standing for What you Believe In*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-09-03:2344239:BlogPost:474932010-09-03T13:43:07.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940043?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">Standing for what you believe in,<br></br>Regardless of the odds against you,<br></br>And the pressure that tears at your resistance,<br></br>…means courage</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Keeping a smile on your face,<br></br>When inside you feel like dying,<br></br>For the sake of supporting others,<br></br>…means strength</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Stopping at nothing,<br></br>And doing what’s in your heart,<br></br>You know is right,<br></br>…means…</font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940043?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">Standing for what you believe in,<br/>Regardless of the odds against you,<br/>And the pressure that tears at your resistance,<br/>…means courage</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Keeping a smile on your face,<br/>When inside you feel like dying,<br/>For the sake of supporting others,<br/>…means strength</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Stopping at nothing,<br/>And doing what’s in your heart,<br/>You know is right,<br/>…means determination</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Doing more than is expected,<br/>To make another’s life a little more bearable,<br/>Without uttering a single complaint,<br/>…means compassion</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Helping a friend in need,<br/>No matter the time or effort,<br/>To the best of your ability,<br/>…means loyalty</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Giving more than you have,<br/>And expecting nothing<br/>But nothing in return,<br/>…means selflessness</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Holding your head high,<br/>And being the best you know you can be<br/>When life seems to fall apart at your feet,<br/>Facing each difficulty with the confidence<br/>That time will bring you better tomorrow’s,<br/>And never giving up,<br/>…means confidence.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">- Author Unknown</font></p>*Have you Noticed?*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-09-01:2344239:BlogPost:473032010-09-01T12:10:57.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939950?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p>Have you noticed?<br></br>+++++++++++++++++++</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Have you noticed how beautiful the world is today? Have you<br></br>seen some of the fresh, new opportunities that are coming to<br></br>life?</p>
<p>Have you remembered today what a unique and wonderful<br></br>blessing it is to be alive? Can you feel the richness that<br></br>lives in this very moment?</p>
<p>Do you understand how truly fortunate you are to be you? Can<br></br>you see the…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939950?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p>Have you noticed?<br/>+++++++++++++++++++</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Have you noticed how beautiful the world is today? Have you<br/>seen some of the fresh, new opportunities that are coming to<br/>life?</p>
<p>Have you remembered today what a unique and wonderful<br/>blessing it is to be alive? Can you feel the richness that<br/>lives in this very moment?</p>
<p>Do you understand how truly fortunate you are to be you? Can<br/>you see the magnificent possibilities that are close enough<br/>to touch?</p>
<p>Do you realize the immense value that your thoughts and<br/>actions are able to create? Do you feel the power of your<br/>own special purpose?</p>
<p>This is not just any day. It is the day that you now have to<br/>work with, and a day in which you can accomplish so very<br/>much.</p>
<p>Open yourself to the best possibilities. This day is now<br/>yours to fulfill.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Ralph Marston</p>*Doors*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-25:2344239:BlogPost:470042010-08-25T14:37:19.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939892?profile=original"></img></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940103?profile=original"></img></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940163?profile=original"></img></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></p>
<center><font size="3"><strong>The doors we open and close each day decide the live we live.</strong></font></center>
<center><font size="3"><strong>~Flora Whittemore</strong></font></center>
<center><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940208?profile=original"></img></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></p>
</center>
<center><center><font size="4">Be an opener of…</font></center>
</center>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939892?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940103?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940163?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></p>
<center><font size="3"><strong>The doors we open and close each day decide the live we live.</strong></font></center>
<center><font size="3"><strong>~Flora Whittemore</strong></font></center>
<center><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940208?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></p>
</center>
<center><center><font size="4">Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.</font></center>
<center><font size="4">~ Ralph Waldo Emerson</font></center>
</center>
<p></p>
<p></p>~Participate~tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-19:2344239:BlogPost:467042010-08-19T13:01:48.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939915?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="4">You have to participate <br></br>relentlessly in the manifestation <br></br>of your own blessings.<br></br>~Elizabeth Gilbert…</font></div>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939915?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><font size="4">You have to participate <br/>relentlessly in the manifestation <br/>of your own blessings.<br/>~Elizabeth Gilbert</font></div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939981?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940040?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940113?profile=original"/></p>
<br/></div>*The Ten Most Important Things*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-15:2344239:BlogPost:465092010-08-15T12:35:31.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940009?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p>The 10 Most Important Things Are…</p>
<p><strong>LOVE</strong></p>
<p>The Special Feeling That Makes You Feel<br></br>All Warm And Wonderful.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>RESPECT</strong></p>
<p>Treating Others As Well<br></br>As You Would Like To Be Treated.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>APPRECIATION</strong></p>
<p>To Be Grateful For All The Good Things<br></br>Life Has To Offer.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>HAPPINESS</strong></p>
<p>The Full…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72940009?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p>The 10 Most Important Things Are…</p>
<p><strong>LOVE</strong></p>
<p>The Special Feeling That Makes You Feel<br/>All Warm And Wonderful.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>RESPECT</strong></p>
<p>Treating Others As Well<br/>As You Would Like To Be Treated.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>APPRECIATION</strong></p>
<p>To Be Grateful For All The Good Things<br/>Life Has To Offer.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>HAPPINESS</strong></p>
<p>The Full Enjoyment Of Each Moment.<br/>A Smiling Face.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>FORGIVENESS</strong></p>
<p>The Ability To Let Things Be<br/>Without Anger.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>SHARING</strong></p>
<p>The Joy Of Giving<br/>Without Thought Of Receiving.</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>HONESTY</strong></p>
<p>The Quality Of Always<br/>Telling The Truth.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>INTEGRITY</strong></p>
<p>The Purity Of Doing What’s Right,<br/>No Matter What.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>COMPASSION</strong></p>
<p>The Essence Of Feeling Another’s Pain,<br/>While Easing Their Hurt.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>PEACE</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Reward</strong> For Living<br/>The 10 Most Important Things.</p>
<p>~Author Unknown~</p>*Tiptoeing Through The Tulips*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-14:2344239:BlogPost:464272010-08-14T00:00:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939952?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p>Today was one of those days where everything went well and humor was abundant. Where laughter greeted me at every corner no matter where I went. I love these kinds of days. My family felt it too and everyone was in a happy, glorious mood to match the warm sunshine. It was one of those days where you felt you were just tiptoeing through the tulips for real.</p>
<p>So real in fact that you just have to stand up right now on your tippy toes…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939952?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p>Today was one of those days where everything went well and humor was abundant. Where laughter greeted me at every corner no matter where I went. I love these kinds of days. My family felt it too and everyone was in a happy, glorious mood to match the warm sunshine. It was one of those days where you felt you were just tiptoeing through the tulips for real.</p>
<p>So real in fact that you just have to stand up right now on your tippy toes turn on this video and 'Tip Toe Through The Tulips With Me."</p>
<p></p>
<p>P.S</p>
<p>Its hard to not laugh trying or just watching this..</p>
<p>Enjoy!!!</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/skU-jBFzXl0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/skU-jBFzXl0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>*Rain Washed*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-12:2344239:BlogPost:461632010-08-12T15:42:56.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939917?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p>A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.</p>
<p>We waited, some patiently, others irritated because…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939917?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p>A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.</p>
<p>We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.</p>
<p>The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.</p>
<p>"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.</p>
<p>"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.</p>
<p>This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let's run through the rain."</p>
<p>"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.</p>
<p>"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.</p>
<p>"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"</p>
<p>"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"</p>
<p>The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.</p>
<p>"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.</p>
<p>Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.</p>
<p>And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.</p>
<p>Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.</p>
<p>I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.</p>*Transformation Movie*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-07:2344239:BlogPost:453632010-08-07T18:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939641?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>“Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.”<br></br>~ Marianne…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939641?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>“Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.”<br/>~ Marianne Williamson</p>
<p></p>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pY1o754EyUI&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pY1o754EyUI&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>*Wishes*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-04:2344239:BlogPost:448382010-08-04T12:00:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939532?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><center>If you wish to be respected, then be ever respectful.</center>
<center>If you wish to be understood, then sincerely understand others.</center>
<center>If you wish to be appreciated, then be ever…</center>
</div>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939532?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><center>If you wish to be respected, then be ever respectful.</center>
<center>If you wish to be understood, then sincerely understand others.</center>
<center>If you wish to be appreciated, then be ever grateful.</center>
<center>If you wish to be loved, then give love in each moment.</center>
<br/><center>☼</center>
<br/><center>If you wish to be wealthy, then act to create real value.</center>
<center>If you wish to learn, then take time to teach.</center>
<center>If you wish to climb higher, then lift others up.</center>
<center>If you wish to be wise, then share what you know.</center>
<br/><center>☼</center>
<br/><center>Whatever you wish, life will surely give it.</center>
<center>What you must do, though, is to truly live it.</center>
<center>There is so much to live for and so much to see.</center>
<center>You will have whatever you are willing to be.</center>
<center>I wish the best for you!</center>
<center><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939542?profile=original"/></p>
<br/></center>
</div>*10 Top Secrets to being Happy*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-08-01:2344239:BlogPost:446262010-08-01T13:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939612?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Top 10 Secrets to Being Happy<br />
by Dr. Philip Humbert<br />
One of my favorite songs is Bobby McFerrin's refrain, "Don't Worry, Be Happy". I recently had the opportunity to observe people's reactions when a highway was closed because of an accident ahead. As we waited, I watched as some listened to radios, a few began tossing a Frisbee, other's seemed to be working or reading, and others opted for a quick nap. But, there were also a handful who…
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939612?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Top 10 Secrets to Being Happy<br />
by Dr. Philip Humbert<br />
One of my favorite songs is Bobby McFerrin's refrain, "Don't Worry, Be Happy". I recently had the opportunity to observe people's reactions when a highway was closed because of an accident ahead. As we waited, I watched as some listened to radios, a few began tossing a Frisbee, other's seemed to be working or reading, and others opted for a quick nap. But, there were also a handful who were clearly agitated and angry. Pacing about, swearing, and upset, they decided that the best response to this event, which none of us could control, was to be very unhappy. I was reminded of Abraham Lincoln's comment that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." The following are my Top 10 Tips to increase happiness in your life:<br />
<br />
1.Decide to be a happy person. As Lincoln observed, most people, most of the time, can choose how stressed or happy, how troubled or relaxed they want to be. Choose to be happy.<br />
<br />
<br />
2.Watch and Read less news. As a recovering news addict, I know this can be difficult because the stock market fluctuates, politicians politic, and sports teams compete. But, most of the time, you don't need the stress. So, just don't watch. I think it was Henry Thoreau who noted that if you've ever read about a train wreck, you understand the principle and don't need to know any more about it.<br />
<br />
<br />
3.Practice the Attitude of Gratitude. We all have so much to be grateful for. Just thanking the many people who assist us, encourage us, teach us and open doors for us could take all day!<br />
<br />
<br />
4.Take Time. My dog has taught me much about loyalty, about noticing the sights, sounds, and smells in the yard, about being relaxed and about play. Eat when you're hungry, nap when you need it. Get your ears scratched whenever possible!<br />
<br />
<br />
5.Laugh everyday. Hear a joke, tell a joke, laugh at yourself, laugh with your friends and family and co-workers. There are very few medicines as powerful as laughter, and I don't think you can over-dose, although it is addicting!<br />
<br />
<br />
6.Love well. Express your affection, appreciation, friendship and warmth to those around you, and they will almost always respond in the most amazing ways! Be generous--it pays great dividends!<br />
<br />
<br />
7.Work hard. This one comes as a bit of a surprise, but there is tremendous satisfaction in being competent, and joy in completing our assigned tasks. One of the great sources of happiness is to do work that is worthy of you, and to do it well.<br />
<br />
<br />
8.Learn something new, everyday. To be happy, most of us must also be growing, expanding, learning and challenging ourselves. Read, listen, adapt and stretch to accommodate new ideas and new information.<br />
<br />
<br />
9.Use your body as it was designed. Walk and run, stretch, throw things, and lift things. Dance! Exercise is good, but so is making love, mixing up a batch of cookies, or exchanging backrubs. You have a body and it can be either a source of joy, or a source of aches and pains. Your choice.<br />
<br />
<br />
10.Avoid toxins. I prefer writing positives (things to do) rather than negatives (things to fear), but reality says there are negative people and there are bad chemicals, stressful noises, and unsafe places. Don't go there! Avoid poisons whenever possible. It seems to work out better that way.<br />
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
By Dr Philip E. Humbert, author, speaker and personal success coach. Dr Humbert has hundreds of tips, tools and articles on his website that you can use for your own success! It's a great resource! Visit him on the web at: <a href="http://www.philiphumbert.com">www.philiphumbert.com</a> And, be sure to sign up for his great newsletter!*Only if Hungry*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-27:2344239:BlogPost:441702010-07-27T12:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><u>The law of the wild says kill only when you are hungry!!!<br></br></u></span><font face="Papyrus" size="4"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya 's Masai Mara in Octoberr, said he was astounded by what he saw<font color="#004080"><span style="COLOR: #004080">:<br></br><br></br>"</span></font>These three brothers (cheetahs) have been living together…</span></font></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><u>The law of the wild says kill only when you are hungry!!!<br/></u></span><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya 's Masai Mara in Octoberr, said he was astounded by what he saw<font color="#004080"><span style="COLOR: #004080">:<br/><br/>"</span></font>These three brothers (cheetahs) have been living together since they left their mother at about 18 months old,' he said. 'On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to play together. 'At one point, they met a group of impala who ran away. But one youngster was not quick enough and the brothers caught it easily'<font color="#004080"><span style="COLOR: #004080">".<br/></span></font><br/>These extraordinary scenes followed.</span></font></p>
<p></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939540?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></span></font><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939659?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939661?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Papyrus; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939757?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></span></font></p>*God Be*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-26:2344239:BlogPost:441032010-07-26T13:25:14.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939447?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">God be in my head<br/>And in my understanding;<br/>God be in mine eyes<br/>And in my looking;<br/>God be in my mouth<br/>And in my speaking;<br/>God be in my</font> <font size="4">heart</font></p>
<p><font size="4">And in my thinking;<br/>God be at my end<br/>And at my departing. <br/><b><i>Sarum Primer</i></b></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939447?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="4">God be in my head<br/>And in my understanding;<br/>God be in mine eyes<br/>And in my looking;<br/>God be in my mouth<br/>And in my speaking;<br/>God be in my</font> <font size="4">heart</font></p>
<p><font size="4">And in my thinking;<br/>God be at my end<br/>And at my departing. <br/><b><i>Sarum Primer</i></b></font></p>*You Decide*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-25:2344239:BlogPost:440432010-07-25T17:07:28.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939608?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939652?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939608?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939652?profile=original"/></p>*Just for Today....*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-19:2344239:BlogPost:433452010-07-19T12:02:22.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939752?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*Just for Today*</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you know that who you really are is a Divine Infinite Being that cannot die.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you understand that each positive action you choose returns back to you multiplied.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you realize that you are a powerful manifesting being who can…</span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939752?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*Just for Today*</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you know that who you really are is a Divine Infinite Being that cannot die.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you understand that each positive action you choose returns back to you multiplied.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you realize that you are a powerful manifesting being who can create anything your heart desires.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you give generously to others from a place of trust and knowing this is an infinite abundant universe.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you radiate your love like the sun with everyone you encounter.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you become a trust-a-holic who can easily let go of any fear that arises.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you experience freedom from ego/mind and whatever thought patterns it is addicted to.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you be filled with gratitude and be truly thankful for the smallest of blessings in your life right now.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you enlighten others with your simple sweet Divine Presence and allow this lightness to radiate to others as laughter, appreciation and love.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" xml:lang="EN-CA">*May you always find a great peace at the center of the cyclone of life…<br/></span></p>*You know your Spiritual when....*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-18:2344239:BlogPost:433022010-07-18T22:34:36.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939434?profile=original"></img></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font color="#EF10A4">You know you're spiritual when...<br></br><br></br>1. you realize a lightworker is not someone who fixes lights and a wayshower is not a traffic attendant<br></br><br></br>2. you realize a 'channeler' is not someone who programs DVD players<br></br><br></br>3. you realize that 'guides' are not necessarily for foreign visitors who can't read maps<br></br><br></br>4. you realize that doing a 'reading' is not telling stories<br></br><br></br>5.…</font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939434?profile=original"/></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><font color="#EF10A4">You know you're spiritual when...<br/><br/>1. you realize a lightworker is not someone who fixes lights and a wayshower is not a traffic attendant<br/><br/>2. you realize a 'channeler' is not someone who programs DVD players<br/><br/>3. you realize that 'guides' are not necessarily for foreign visitors who can't read maps<br/><br/>4. you realize that doing a 'reading' is not telling stories<br/><br/>5. you realize people are not talking about 'Pokemon' when they mention 'power animals'<br/><br/>6. you realize "Yin & Yang" are not names of Asian designers<br/><br/>7. You realize someone who uses 'The Law of Attraction' is not necessarily lusty<br/><br/>8. you call the name 'Michael' more often than the name of your partner<br/><br/>9. watching TV becomes taboo and shameful to mention<br/><br/>10. the media becomes your new enemy<br/><br/>11. you realize someone who says 'Namaste' is not necessarily Indian<br/><br/>12. you know what the word 'Namaste' actually means<br/><br/>13. tea gets on the no.1 spot on your shopping list<br/><br/>14. finding the right toothpaste becomes a life and death issue<br/><br/>15. you discovered you actually had 3!!! astrological signs <br/><br/>16. you flaunt the 3!!! astrological signs <br/><br/>17. you realize 'Service-To-Others' is not a tagline from the airline service industry<br/><br/>18. you start to send/receive lots of colorful pictures on your computer<br/><br/>19. you take on funny avatars like 'RainbowSolarAngel' or 'PhotonicMessenger' for your online profile<br/><br/>20. someone asks you for advice and you immediately close your eyes or take out a stack of cards<br/><br/>21. you have a strange looking object worn over your neck<br/><br/>22. you have to constantly explain about that strange looking object worn over your neck<br/><br/>23. wearing something made of resin seems very fashionable<br/><br/>24. you know the location of every crystal store in town<br/><br/>25. one of your vacation destination now includes visiting a crop field out in the countryside<br/><br/>26. you ask how someone 'feels' and not expect a short answer<br/><br/>27. someone asks how you 'feel' and you can no longer provide a short answer<br/><br/>28. you realize how 'weird' you are and start to show compassion for people who called you 'crazy'<br/><br/>29. the word 'resonate' gets into your vocabulary and you say it 1294857385 times...with gusto every time<br/><br/>30. any sighting of the '11:11' makes you jump for joy and act foolish<br/><br/>31. you begin to think the '11:11' has sibling numbers that can give you more chances to jump for joy and act foolish</font><br/><br/></p>*Never Alone*tag:awakenedrecovery.ning.com,2010-07-16:2344239:BlogPost:430842010-07-16T15:30:00.000ZSarah Sunnyhttp://awakenedrecovery.ning.com/profile/SarahSunny
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939401?profile=original"></img></p>
<p></p>
<div><font class="size10 Helvetica10" color="#000000" size="3"><strong>God and his Angels love me enough to let me go through all the lessons I came here to learn, even the ones that hurt the most. His presence doesn't deny me. It's always there to help me see and understand what I came to this planet to learn.…<br></br></strong></font></div>
<div align="right"></div>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/72939401?profile=original"/></p>
<p></p>
<div><font class="size10 Helvetica10" color="#000000" size="3"><strong>God and his Angels love me enough to let me go through all the lessons I came here to learn, even the ones that hurt the most. His presence doesn't deny me. It's always there to help me see and understand what I came to this planet to learn.<br/></strong></font></div>
<div align="right"><font class="size10 Helvetica10" color="#000000" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><b><font face="Arial">Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"</font></b><br/></font></div>