simply timeless

With every breath we inhale the present. With every exhale we breath out the past. Present. Past. At war with one another For the past is a distant memory of what was. Its sound echos all around trying to distract, trying to drown out the present. Breath in. For the past is only as powerful as you allow it to be. A choice. To make peace with our past. In the beautiful exchange our past becomes what was. And what is... becomes the choice we enter into. A new rhythm. A new sound. From strength to strength we grow and we change. Peace with one another. Peace with God. Peace with ourselves. For His peace that passes understanding guards our heart and minds. (Philippians 4:7)  Or...will we be victims of our past, for life, prisoners to disappointment and pain? Viewing it as the enemy we will battle until we draw our last breath? All the while missing out on the life we have in the present where the past cannot touch it, unless we allow it to, robbing us of an

Photos taken by  Kelly   in partnership with  APA   http://www.memorycake.co.uk/ Not what you typically expect to see with the words, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." To be honest, I hoped you would notice the contrast. Click. And read. Okay. Maybe it is a rather manipulative approach. Or is it...? It's the most wonderful time of year... For some of us. But for many in the world that's not the case. Difficult. Painful. Lonely. Afraid. Rejected. Hungry. Homeless. Abused. Sick. Living without. No access to clean water. This is a horrendous reality. It's just wrong.  None of us would accept it.  We would fight for our right. Demand it. Because we can.  But what if you could literally do nothing to change your reality. Whose responsibility is it then?  In the land of plenty (yes that is where you and I find ourselves) We take this time of year to give and bless...and recei

I ate salmon. Yes, earth shattering news. In the midst of so much going on. This is truly insignificant and meaningless. Or is it. Here is the thing. Change, relative to each individual and their world. But... it means the difference between growing or staying the same. Fish, makes me sick. I had a bad experience. (We won't get into it) I vowed to never, ever , eat it ever again. These sorts of decisions are limitations. Simple declarations. But give it time, and they gain a powerful hold on our mind, Change can't just be desired. It has to be experienced. And generally that means a breaking of something... Of behaviours, barriers, limitation, decisions, fears... Which can be physically or psychologically painful. Like the build up to putting a fork full of pasta filled with salmon past my lips. It literally forced me to a place that caused so much fear. I was so convinced for so long about it being one thing. I didn't like challenging it. I w

Simplicity: The quality of being simple; freedom from complexity; absence of pretentiousness What travel is teaching me... Life becomes complicated far to easily.  How quickly we can become slaves to things we never intended to be enslaved to.  We can be taken in so easily by an 'ideal life', career, relationship, consumed by the desire for possessions & titles. Only to find ourselves in the midst of something we never fully intended to be in. Suddenly asking the question, 'How did I get here?' Lost in the cycle. Meeting people, hearing their stories and listening to the wisdom from those who have chosen to learn & grow from the things that happened in their life. These people, their stories, their friendship has truly been one of the greatest gifts in my life. I am inspired, encouraged, challenged and overwhelmed. Life is a teacher if we are willing to be a student, admitting 'I don't know it all.' With open heart and mind, the wisdom and

Breathe in. Breathe out. Ensuring that the moment experienced is real. The Present. The Past.  The beauty of creation is a constant reminder that life is moving forward.  The present is fleeting and soon to become the past.  With each season’s arrival and departure, an opportunity to grow, to change, too become...  Change isn't always evident. It is not always able to be measured with precise accuracy. Rather, it often can be revealed when one is placed back into a situation or particular environment. The response becomes the evidence.  And you discover, the past is no longer. Change can be both frightening and liberating. But rest assured, you are no longer who you were.  You are the present. You are the evidence of the grace you have allowed to work in you. The beautiful exchange of what was, for what could be. What could be… ...if only you risked, if only you tried, if only you laid aside your fears and insecurities and al

Legacy This word has been on my heart as of late. dictionary.com noun (pl) -cies 1.a gift by will, esp of money or personal property 2.something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor I am reminded of another legacy. Not just a legacy of earthly goods. But a legacy of who we were. Of what we lived for, how we loved others, and how we chose to give of what we had. Sometimes this idea is both inspiring and frightening. A friend and mentor of mine a few years back shared this very important line of truth 'Comparison is the beginning of inferiority' When I am tempted by the game of comparison, I hear him say those words. It is truly a ridiculous thing to look around to gain our value and standard for life by what 'others' are doing and the timing in which they are doing them. Who are 'they'? And why do 'they' matter so much? I am reminded of my first responsibility. To love the Lord our God wit

Confession time. Reading the headlines. Hearing the stories of people without food. Seeing the photos of war-torn countries. Seeing the faces in the photographs of displaced individuals.  Knowing that right now, young girls and boys are being forced into sex trafficking. Looking at my products, clothing and household items and wondering where it is sourced? Whose hands have made these things and worked hard to source the material? People.  Of equal value to you and I.  People  Whose stories may never be told. Their daily lives are filled with pain, uncertainty, fear, and despair. Children who know, not the love and safety of a parent or guardian but the unprotection of adults. Used and abused as their innocence is stolen in the most disturbing inhuman ways. Once oblivious and ignorant. Until made known Overwhelmed Feeling helpless.  Inadequate to make a difference in such vast needs. A drop in the bucket it seems. I feel things deeply. And I confe

Tonight, the last pages of a book started 6 years ago, were read. Although it took a long time, tonight an accomplishment was made. Jane Eyre 2011 this book was opened and the first words read. (Although having seen the movie, in many adaptations thanks to my aunt who was a fan) Not truly understanding what was to come in the months that followed the starting of this novel, the book was already speaking into the wounds of my heart of the loss of friends. The words on the pages scolding the anger, and bitterness that was trying so desperately to take up residence in my heart. Jane's friend Helen at boarding school, who was still a young girl, spoke to Jane saying, "Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs." As I read those words upon the beach of Lake Huron in the company of a good friend (who left me soon after with a lovely journal so I would remember always the words I read) it moved me and started something inside I couldn&