Last night was a Full Moon, for me a time of activation. There is an energy and encouragement I feel as I wake today. I'm in touch with my vulnerabilities. I'm conscious of my emotions. And I'm accepting each aspect of my i'mperfect perfection. Today I will fly! Today I will spread my wings, open my heart, and fully allow who I am to shine.
I'm grateful for this picture of the dragonfly with broken wing. I'm grateful for the beautiful cardinal up in the top of my tree with the first sunlight shining upon it. I'm grateful for the other birds that swoop and fly around. I'm grateful at the joy I feel to face a new day, a new beginning. And I'm grateful to know that I am fully supported as I stretch my own "wings". I'm grateful for a beautiful day!
What beauty do you see today? How do you feel? What action will you take today to inspire joy in your life? May today bless you with a new start. May you fell the support that is all around you. Have a beautiful day and a wonderful weekend!


If you would like to listen to a guided meditation in support of the energy of the moon cycle please visit: http://www.reyofgratitude.com/guided-meditations.html 

Today I let go and let God. This takes effort for me because I have created a habit of watching and reading the signs. And last night as I spoke to two wonderful women in my life about interpreting those signs I realized perhaps I needed a break. Perhaps now is the time for simple trust. So today I will observe what catches my eye and I shall let it be whatever it is without dissection. 
I'm grateful that my phone agreed to turn back on today. I'm grateful for the soft crunching sound coming from the living room as my dog eats her food and the sound of the motorcycle starting up in the garage as my husband leaves for work. I'm grateful for the bag that says "Strong Moms" sitting on my kitchen table full of goodies. I'm grateful for the cushion underneath my bum and the comfort it provides. I'm grateful for my purple pen that makes my notes pretty. And I'm grateful to let go today of my developed attachment to interpret. I'm grateful for a "vacation" of the mind, in that sense. 
Do you have any attachments that seem to be overtaking? What gratitude can you find in the simple things today? What can you release to make today a personal vacation? May today bless you with time and patience. May you find beauty all around you. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes it can be scary to look into new possibilities. To open the doors of the unknown and step into the in between of the security of where you have been and the future beauty that awaits. My mom used to say, "Everything works out in the end, if it's not worked out it's not the end yet." Life has shown me the truth in that statement, though it also seems true that it does not always go as pictured. "Worked out" is not always a match to how we planned. 
I have faced the in between many times in my life. I have boldly taken new directions and faced challenges that I was tempted to ignore. It has gotten me this far and yet there is still some trepidation as I see the in between at my door once again. Sometimes it seems the in between lasts longer than what it is I was working for. And sometimes it feels like these shifts are happening more and more often. But then, this month is in full support of that feeling. There will be a blue moon in a couple days. A blue moon is the second full moon of the month. And full moons support change and actions to move toward our goals. So here I am again, making my intentions for where this new in between will take me. And with the love around me, it will all work out in the end.
I'm grateful for a blue moon this month. I'm grateful to know the timing of the cycles is the same even when it falls differently on our monthly calendar. I'm grateful to know these next goals will bring direction and support. And I'm grateful to allow myself time in this in between stage so I can take my next steps consciously. I'm grateful for all the symbols of promise surrounding me today as I choose my future course. I'm grateful for all the places I have been that have helped bring me to this moment.
What new goals and intentions do you have for yourself this month? What examples do you carry of things working out and what are examples of not reaching the end yet? We all have a mixture of them in our lives. It is what makes us the people we are today. May today bless you with guidance on how to achieve your goals. May you see the light at the tunnel for the things you have been working towards. Have a beautiful day!

As I was turning on my laptop this morning I was trying to think of what deep and meaningful gratitudes I could share today. I'm feeling much lighter than yesterday though still a bit stressed and I thinking of how I could turn that feeling into something to be grateful for, motivation perhaps. But I got distracted by movement outside my window. A little squirrel drinking from the bird bath had caught my eye. As I watched it, it looked up and starred back at me. After a moment it flicked its tail and bounded up a nearby tree. Sometimes the simplest thing can inspire gratitude. Today, this is my gratitude.
Squirrels represent the balance of play and preparation. They store their food for the coming winter while having some fun in the process. They seem to have endless energy and are very social yet also display a resourcefulness and intelligence important to their survival. These are great reminders for me in this moment.
I'm grateful for the squirrel outside my window. I'm grateful for the contentment it seemed to have at drinking some water. I'm grateful for the moment shared as we gazed upon each other. I'm grateful for the symbolism and reminders I found. I'm grateful for this representation of balance both symbolically and physically as it leapt from branch to branch. I'm grateful for it's grace. And I'm grateful to have been present to that moment. 
What animals have you been seeing lately? What symbolism or joy do you find in these sightings? May today bless you with being in the moment and seeing some of the amazing creatures around you. May you find joy in today. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and choices may seem larger than the decisions I want to make. Sometimes going with the flow can feel like a fast rush towards a waterfall. It is ok to feel this way. It is normal to have certain ebbs and flows in the cycles and processes of life. So today I redirect my thoughts to focus on love. I will choose to create my reality by focusing on my blessings. 
You see, it is not that anything "bad" happened this weekend. In fact, it was a pretty great weekend. There are just times when my wandering mind allows me to get caught up in the hows and what ifs and wears on me. Yet today is Monday; a new week! And I can choose to bring my other foot forward by choosing to simply take my own advice. So, what am I grateful for today?
I'm grateful to be so loved by so many! I'm grateful for the friends that reach out in support. I'm grateful for the people in my life that remind me to refocus when I stray from the positive thoughts of love. I'm grateful for my sweet dogs that give me extra snuggles or bring me their toys to bring me joy. I'm grateful to know this "struggle" shall pass and what will remain will be a deeper understanding and gratitude for this lesson. And I'm grateful to know I am supported through all of this transition. I am truly blessed and truly loved. 
What are you grateful for today? Can you think of past struggles that led to gratitude and deeper understanding?  Can you feel support through the ebbs and flows of your life? These are the most beautiful gifts. May today bless you with a joyful heart and a focus on love. Have a beautiful day!

I can hardly believe as I look outside this morning that in the Heartland, in the middle of July, everything is still so green and lush! We have gotten rain every few days since at least May and even with the temperatures rising the grass and trees have stayed their supple Spring colors. This is one of many cycles but after a few years of very little rain, I feel very grateful for this green July.
I'm grateful for the greenery surrounding the house. I'm grateful for the healthy looking forest out my window. I'm even grateful to need to mow the yard more than once a week as it grows so thick and fast right now. I'm grateful for the color of love and the symbol of life that I see in this greenery. And I'm grateful for the supportive rain that has kept it so pretty well past when it usually browns. Such a beautiful World we live in.
What are you grateful for this morning? Can you find the gratitude in the simple everyday things in your life? What can you do today or this weekend to connect to the beauty around you? May today bless you with all the beauty in the World. May you find joy in things sometimes taken for granted. And may you have a blessed and beautiful weekend! Have a wonderful, beautiful day!

Yesterday I took a fall from grace. I found myself facing disappointment and frustration and chose to allow it to take me to a dark place. I am human and even after years of studying, practicing, and teaching how to choose the positive and create my reality, I stumbled. I tell you this because I do not want to be on the pedestal that I used to hold many of my teachers and friends. The principles and practices I teach are just that, practices. They require a choice to be made, a conscious effort. But the beauty in this fall is the reminder that I will bounce. The tools I have and the choices I make allow me the ability to pick myself up even when I do fall. They allow me to process what happened and see ways to make my practice stronger. And most of all it allows me the chance for forgiveness. It offers me the chance to embrace my perfectly i'mperfect self and move forward. And that is what I am doing today. I'm finding gratitude in this forgiveness.
I'm grateful for all those who showed love and support yesterday. I'm grateful for my husband who challenged me to pause and re-direct my thinking. I'm grateful for this very human lesson and for my ability to bounce back from it. I'm grateful to find forgiveness for myself. I'm grateful to allow that grieving process and now to begin to rebuild what seemed lost. I'm grateful to know that this human quality makes me a stronger coach and a stronger person. And I'm grateful to know that I will create beauty out of this experience.
Are you able to forgive yourself for stumbles? Are you able to find the beauty and love in the experience? Are you able to reach out to your support system in times of need? May today bless you with the strength of forgiveness for any past stumbles. May you find love and support at every turn. Have a beautiful day!


If you would like to learn techniques to create a positive, more resilient lifestyle, please visit www.ReyofGratitude.com. There is a free e-book on starting or strengthening your gratitude practice, as well as additional more in depth services. Thank you!

This morning several "hot topics" came up between my husband and I. We've had the vaccine debate before and the fluoride debate. Today's topic was circumcision, after a chat last night I had with a pregnant friend. It was a topic I had honestly not really considered before. It led to an interesting conversation this morning that stretched into pure bred dogs and breed standards like docked tails. (Mostly because this decision will probably present itself sooner that the circumcision one.) 
While I sometimes wish that my husband and I agreed on all these button topics, I will admit it has been good seeing the opposing view. It gives me good insight into which things I am truly passionate about and which things I've picked a side just to pick a side. I'm not really one to debate if the conversation gets heated because I don't enjoy that energy. But I am happy to have a healthy, calm debate about things and I'm happy to have reached a place of confidence and self-esteem that I can handle a debate that ends in disagreement. 
I'm grateful for the friends in my life that provide different views and healthy debates to stretch my mind and make informed decisions. I'm grateful for the internet that can give information on these topics from a variety of sources. I'm grateful to have grown to the place where I can have a healthy debate without just caving or getting angry. And I'm grateful for a husband that allows me my opinions as I allow him his as we work together to make joint decisions. 
Do you recognize patterns in your debate style? Who gives you a sounding board and an opposing view? How do you respond to debate topics? May today bless you with strength in your decisions and love all around you. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes change can challenge us in ways we would not have necessarily chose. Other times change can be just what we needed to take that next step or accomplish our next goal. Today, as my computer asked me if I wanted to install updates, I saw a mirror to my own life. You see, when my computer asks me to run updates, I postpone it as long as possible. After a few unfortunate experiences where updates left my computer unable to perform certain necessary functions, I have grown weary to allow them. Despite all the times that they have updated fine or even to my benefit, I still hold on to that fear from the couple times it didn't. Focusing on the negative and in a sense, resisting change. 
Installing updates is something that happens regularly. It is a way to improve the systems I use. And what is Project JOY but an update for my life. Each month changing one aspect for personal growth and moving toward the goals I have set; I am updating my life. And I readily take on these updates each month even though they require change. So today I am saying "yes" to installing updates. Today I will embrace change. And today I will grow.
I'm grateful for symbolism and mirrors. I'm grateful to recognize this old habit of fear and holding on so that I can move toward healing it with positive energy. I'm grateful for the updates I choose for myself each month that have made my life what it is today. I'm grateful to take the opportunities before me and say "yes" to new possibilities. And I'm grateful that these computer updates continue to support my computer and keep it running its best.
What updates would you like to install in your life? What challenges you when you find yourself facing change? May today support you in the updates you choose and may you fine confidence in those changes. Have a beautiful day!


If you are interested in learning more about Project JOY and how to make positive, sustainable changes in your life, please email me at ReyofGratitude@gmail.com. Thank you!

The rain and storms that kept me up through the night with a terrified dog and loud thunder crashes is the same storm that provided the soothing rain sounds that allowed me to sleep in a little extra this morning. In fact, I would still probably be sleeping if my mind had not woken me with my before work to do list. But this, for me, is proof that nothing is (on its own) good or bad. It is only after we supply context and opinions that we create these labels. And knowing this, I am choosing to see this as a conducive environment for permission to take it slow today.
I'm grateful for the rain allowing me to sleep in a bit. I'm grateful that it will give me permission for a slower commute. I'm grateful that it allows me to take the "rush" out of my morning and go at my own pace. And I'm grateful to have this option on a Monday as I begin a new work week. I'm grateful to know I have the power to supply the labels and those labels will determine the day I create. I'm grateful to release my frustrations and just say thank you for the rain.
How can you re-label today? What is the environment allowing for you? May your day be supported and you find comfort in the power of your choices. Have a beautiful day!