Thank You 2012

Being up the Sunshine Coast here, resting in our family’s cabin, it is easy to forget the hectic schedule that December delivers. Here, from a cozy chair I can gaze out the window and watch boats sail by, eagles soar and I am easily enveloped by the tranquility that this sacred place offers .

Sharing this peaceful time with my family,  including my husband’s parents has been a beautiful reprieve. It is lovely to hunker down and just be. The children are in their element. There is no place that they love more, or people that they adore more, so being up here has been the perfect medicine for all of us.

My in-laws left today and were only here for a quick overnighter. So it returns as it is each year at this time, there are just the four of us and our dogs up here to say good bye to the year and to welcome in the new one. It gives me great joy to spend this quiet time reflecting on the year and revisiting the lessons and blessings while sending out thoughtful intentions out for the new year.

I usually write out some goals and revisit past ones and do an inventory of the successes and do some reconsidering of the ones that did not come to fruition and then giving a good hard look at why that might be and what lessons came from it. Half the time the lessons of the failures were the whole point rather than the completion of the goal. Besides, you can always have a retry at the goals that were unfulfilled, at least I believe so.

2012 was quite the year. I think that if you read my blog, you know of my blessings and lessons so I need not go into detail here. It’s safe to say that it was a big year of

great things, and of great extremes.  Our family saw great adventure and greater adversity in the way of ailing health and wellness. Please keep my family in your prayers as we head into 2013.

If I were to sum up 2012 I would have to focus on Faith. This year I found that I turned to faith in a bigger way than I ever have before. That will happen to you when someone you love’s health is in jeopardy. You will turn to faith to keep you in the light when the shadows come calling.

I have always enjoyed having that solid belief system in something bigger than me. After several years of losing people that I loved very much, I turned from my faith and began to question all things related. I have always been a spiritual person. But in the face of great loss, and great questions surrounding the why that comes along with it, I have paid little attention to the God in things. I have focused on the light and love more and ignored the source you could say. Losing so many important people in such a small period of time was just too much pain, and I had a hard time believing that there was a God that would orchestrate such darkness. And then with the arrival of my nephew’s illness, I had no where else to turn but to God. The doctors do not have all of the answers and the ones that they do have are not serving my nephew’s health in the way that we need right now.

People always balk at the word God. I am not talking about Jesus or the other prophets that make many people cringe, I am talking about the life source in the world. There are so many questions I have regarding God, but what I do know, is that I have spent dozens of hours praying for my young nephew this year and each time I have finished, I have honestly felt better. There is something to be said for that.

I have high hopes for 2013. I have a long list of hopes and dreams that I plan on meeting along the road to fruition. First and foremost, a cure for my precious nephew and for all those out there fighting for their lives. I have a wish to see my beautiful children grow strong and healthy and to prosper in all they do. I hope that my husband continues to feel loved and to find solace in his work and play. I want my friends and family to love and be loved, to find fortune of heart and spirit where ever they go and to find the peace in spirit as I have this year.

I want to continue to live a generous life where I put others before myself and I want to be a role model to my children that no matter what happens to you in any given day, your happiness is directly linked to your attitude. With a positive attitude and a healthy outlook, anything is possible and nothing is quite that bad.

In 2013 I want to continue 2012’s theme of simplifying. I want to simplify on a grand scale of small things. Everything from the linen closet to the circle of people I share my life with. I want to just bring everything to a cleaner more user friendly state of being that supports a healthy and happy existence for my immediate family and myself and that will further solidify the amazing foundation I have built with my nearest and dearest, including those whom I wish to build one with.

2013 promises to bring many blessings, but this year I don’t have a long wish list of gifts I want to ask of her, I just want more of the same and I want to need less of it.

I feel that I have been so blessed, that I just want to have a quiet, low maintenance year where I find all of my gifts are in the giving. A place and a way of life I have come to have deep appreciation for.

Being up here at the cabin and away from our daily routine, I am offered a clarity that I would not otherwise have. At home there is always a chore list, jewelry to make, friends to call back, where up here, the world stops and the quiet moves in.

There is a stillness here that allows you to catch up with your inner voice and to really stop and listen to what the universe has put in front of you.

Since I have been up here, the word that keeps coming to mind in my head is gratitude. I am just so grateful for a blessed year of life long memories and lessons that will re-gift them selves to me for as long as I live. I have beloved friends and family that make me feel loved and appreciated and I have you, a crew of people that somehow find some value in hearing about my journey through this crazy life.

Thank you for continuing to read my blog, and I continue to hope that you find a small piece that speaks to your heart and that somehow inspires you. I hope that there is a little piece of me that resonates with you and that makes you feel heard, understood or at the very least that there is a kindred spirit out there that is learning some of the same lessons as you.

From my heart to yours,

Happy New Year.

love & light,

t.

'Tis The Season...

As I sit here and type this by the warmth of the fire and with Christmas lights shining on, there is no doubt that I am blessed. I try to live a life of gratitude everyday, but this time of year offers many shocking reminders of just how blessed you and I are.

With the ostentatious nature of the consumerism that so many of us fall into at this time of year, I find it more important than ever to remember those who are less fortunate and unable to partake in the kind of holiday season that they would like to. I am guilty as charged. I am a consumer at this time of year. I cannot imagine not being in a position to give my children the kind of Christmas that all children deserve. Perhaps this is why I fall victim to the consumerism this time of year. I do try to balance the gifts we give our kids equally with merry experiences also, it can be challenging not to over do the presents and beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree.

This year along with several friends and different families, we are sponsoring a few local families that are on hard times. It brings home that sense of community and brings to life the true meaning of Christmas. It is hard to think of our own neighbours in need, but the reality is that it is a neighbour in need and it could just as easily be ourselves one day. There are great teachable moments in lending an anonymous hand to those who need it. Our children are listening and watching, learning that this is how a healthy community functions, and that you give what you can, when you need to.

Today we took our children on the Bright Lights Christmas Train at Stanley Park. The Silver Fox and I surprised the kids and they were delighted by the gorgeous displays of lights and holiday cheer. They were innocently unaware of the huge expense that came along with that experience, but we work hard to afford such luxuries for our family. The heart wrenching part comes when you realize what we spent on that experience could have fed a family at Christmas. This is where the fine balance enters the picture. Where you realize that you do what you can for others with what you have and sacrifice where you need to and still be able to afford such sacred experiences with your own family.

So we took the kids to the train and we skipped the sushi dinner out afterwards. It was our compromise. The money we would have spent on the Sushi dinner for four, we instead have set aside to donate to the North Shore Family Services. It was another great lesson for our kids, and a way to teach them how you can be a good neighbour and live your life in a brilliant way.

We are fortunate in that between the Silver Fox and I  we both know how it feels to have enough and to need. It makes giving that much easier, especially at this time of year. For myself, growing up with a feeling of need sometimes, it has helped me to realize one of the greatest lessons of my life, which is that the gift is always in the giving. My favorite part of Christmas is giving. I love knowing and feeling the joy that someone else is experiencing. I love that.

Recently, a group of people, some I know and some I do not, have come together for 31 days of random acts of kindness. As I have said, I try to live a life of gratitude daily and random acts of kindness plays a big part in that, but to come together with others to spread joy and love like this with the intention of sharing them and inspiring one another, it takes it to another level where the acts become more sought after and deliberate.

I won't go into the acts of random kindness that we have done, given and achieved, that is not as important as the invitation for you to join us. Start tomorrow. It is as easy as giving someone the parking spot you are both after, or letting that elderly person behind you in line, go first. It can also be as grand as giving to the food bank or buying a meal for a person who appears to be in need. You can decide, but I encourage you to join us and for no other reason than it feels good and because you can.

They always say Tis the season... to be jolly? I think not. I think it Tis the season to reach out and give someone the gift of your cheer and generosity at what can be a challenging time of year for so many of us. I know many of us are generous all year long. We give to charities, we ride for cancer, we put ourselves in harms way for the greater good of another... again, all things we do for the greater good, but this Christmas, lets go that extra mile in honour of humanity and the beauty that lies in the loving of another.

Love & Light and a very Merry Christmas. As this is Hanukkah's first night, Happy Hanukkah!

xo t.

www.sparkedkids.com

There is nothing that warms my heart more than when I witness people, women especially, following their hearts.
I am so proud of my best friend Andrea and her business partner and my friend Lara, for doing just that. Together they experienced a void in the children's education and market place and they have filled it. Not only did they see the void, they did something about it, and thus was the birth of www.sparkedkids.com

If you have children or kids in your life, you will want to know about Sparked Kids. I will not be able to do it justice, so I encourage you to go to the website and keep those new mothers, the busy moms and yourself in mind while you browse the site.

I only wish Sparked Kids was around when my children were younger. I am grateful that they are here for me now so that when I gift all of those endless birthday parties and xmas gifts to the 'littles' in my life, that I know I am giving them a personal gift that is fun, educational & entertaining for them, yet affordable for me.
I am so over gifting toys and how many books can one person have? That is not a problem anymore.

Sparked Kids is a product that not only have I purchased and can say with great confidence that the recipient is going to LovE, I can also promise you that the minds and hearts behind this product are just as beautiful and brilliant as the idea itself.

Please go to the site, order a Gift Certificate and feel confident that you are putting your money in a place where the value is over and above just a gift, it is the gift of enjoyment and education, which are two things that every child deserves.

Thank you again! You won't be disappointed.

www.sparkedkids.com

Tell them I sent you! ;)


Get Sparked!

t.

Warmest Winter Wishes

This time of year, while being mighty cold and darker than what I prefer, also brings one of my favorite times of year. Christmas. That's right, I said it! I said it!
C h R i S t M a S...

Let me be clear... Christmas to me is about Santa and Snowflakes and less about religion and consumerism. I love decorating my home ( which I do on November 12th fyi- I pay my respects on November 11th first), I host ornament exchanges, winter teas, xmas parties... I even bake. I love opening my home in all of it's holiday beauty and sharing the bounty of love and light that has been entrusted to me through out the year.

The spirit of the season really is not lost on me. I wait all year to celebrate the magic of believing. Believing in Santa, believing in the spirit that takes over those in a position to reach out and help those in need, believing in the promise that January is yet another fresh start and a chance to get 'it' right one more time. I believe that there is more gratitude at this time of year than at any other. On the heels of Thanksgiving which is also a favorite holiday of mine, which rolls into Remembrance Day and then extends a welcome to winter, all of these events create a warm light of gratitude that just continues to grow and give life to the spirit which to me is the peace that is created by and is Christmas.

I regularly extend light and love in my greetings to people. Some people get it, most don't. Most think of it as an airy fairy token of my spiritual side, but what it actually is, is an extension of my wish of love and peace. We all have spiritual beliefs of some sort, and for some that means no belief at all. We all have a way of thinking of the universe and of where we fit into it. I believe that white light is the greatest gift of healing energy. That is why I send it to people whenever possible. Whatever you need healed in your life, body, spirit, relationships, whatever, I hope that people receive the light and allow the healing to envelope them. I extend my sincere love to people because first and foremost I am a lover and not a fighter and I believe that love is where we all begin and end. I want everyone who crosses my path and I do mean everyone,d to feel love every single day. I am sadly aware that many people go without love on a daily basis and I try to extend what I can.

The spirit of Christmas is in the love and light that I extend, and what I find the most beautiful is that I know that I am not alone. If you are reading this, then I believe that you also share your own light and love in the way that you know how. We all come to this earth with different gifts and generosities. I suppose what I am trying to get at is that it is this time of year that many of us really are able to share this love and light and have it received more easily.

I am well aware that the holidays are very difficult for many, many people. Emotions run high and can present very raw. The holidays for many bring up difficult memories and emotion that are only compounded by this time of year. To those people I find a great deal of compassion for and I try especially hard to share in the goodness of the season. It is not always well received so I try to respectfully allow them to stay where they are at, but I continue to celebrate in a way that is not as outwardly obvious when I am around them. The last thing I would ever want to do is to hurt someone further with my joy.

As we head into the last stretch before Christmas, I am eager with the full on excitement of a 5 & 8 yr old. I can't wait to have my house full of people that I love and want to know better. I can't wait to hang my stockings on the chimney. I can't wait to share what I have with those around me.

I always find the gift is in the giving, and I always find that more people give at this time of year, when others really need it the most. I find that the love and light that I love so much is gifted and received by those who normally reserve these gifts for their chosen few.

My wish for you, is that while the season gains on us, and the world begins to spin faster and our time is feeling lessened, and our chores seem to multiply, that you remember to slow down and feel the joy in the air. I hope that if you experience any sadness at this time of year, that you become open to allowing more joy to take over those spots of sadness and that you allow yourself to welcome the joy that is in the air to take over your spirit and offer you the levity that is light and love to encompass you.

Warmest Winter Wishes,

love & light,

t.

The Creativity Is Flowing...

It has been several months since I had been working on my jewelry. I had turned my focus on my family and our few months abroad. I had missed my work but I did not know how much until I prepared my Fall 2012 line. I have had so much fun getting the line together and the creative rush that has come with it.

Being a creative person,  I am always, easily inspired by my surroundings. Living on the West Coast and in the rain forest that is Beautiful British Columbia, I am inspired on a daily basis. The colours, the textures and the essence that is the West Coast can be found in my latest work.

The past few weeks have been so much fun as I have unveiled my line slowly over social media. The response has been overwhelming and it has been so much fun getting to share in the excitement that jewelry often evokes in people. Male or female, jewelry often gets a response from people whether it is emotional or physical. I know when I look at jewelry, my blood pressure rises and I get excited. I feel the same way when I look at other forms of art, also.

I get excited seeing the people around me being bejewelled in my wares, and it creates a platform for people to share in the creative energy that surrounds my work. Other people start acknowledging their own creative ideas and talents and it is just a beautiful thing.

One of my favourite things about being an artist, is being surrounded by other creative spirits. We all have some sort of creativity within us, even if you think you don't, there is a vein of artistry in you, believe me. We all have something we are good at and it may not be a form of art that we see in the mainstream, but trust me, we all own something unique and creative.

Now that my fall line has been launched, I am now focussing on my gift card line which will be on shelves at Thomas Haas Patisseries as of November 15th. I create a custom line of Holiday Cards for Thomas and his wife Lisa to sell. I will also be selling cards off of my website and at my Trunk Shows in the next two months. I love working with paper and my cards are the greatest expression of that.

To see my latest work, please visit my website: www.buddhaandtheraven.com

With all of this excitement going on, please remember to keep my sweet nephew Sean in your prayers. His personal battle with cancer has been nothing less than challenging. Unfortunately, there have been complications and set backs along his way which has kept him from feeling any relief in this journey. We have come along way but we have a long way to go and we cannot make the trip without the love and prayers from family, friends and strangers alike. We need copious amounts of white light to envelope this young spirit and lift him up while he is too weak to lift himself. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming.

I know that there is never a good time to bring up awkward topics, but I would not be speaking my truth if I did not bring up Amanda Todd. Her story has resonated deeply with me and I think that her loss of life has created a platform in which we can use to have those uncomfortable conversations that surround bullying. I know that our schools are discussing bullying as a result of Amanda, but she also needs to be a reminder that we need to be discussing bullying with our young kids.

There is a way to have the conversation while protecting the innocence of childhood ideologies. Even as adults we forget that gossiping is a form of bullying. It is a daily occurrence that perpetuates a negative energy that eventually costs someone their right to privacy and or peace. If we are not speaking from that authentic place of love and good will, then maybe we should not be speaking in that moment. Amanda's loss has made me recheck myself and where I can be a kinder individual. As some one who has experienced bullying both in my childhood and as an adult, I know that the power of intention when speaking is powerful and needs to be thought of when speaking.

I will leave you with love and light and with the prayer for you that everyone that crosses your path, treats you with more kindness than you expect.

xo t.

Gratitude

September has come and gone. Indeed she followed through with her promise of routine and structure and has left in her wake a month of solid sunshine and warmth that has continued into this glorious October. I have refitted the house with autumn colours and have put away the ocean blue accent pillows for yet another year.

There is something sacred about the ritual of honouring the changing of seasons. It feels slightly tribal. I can find deeper meaning in anything, but when fall rolls around it seems that there is just more meaning in most things and it is easier to find depth in daily life. People slow down again, they stop longer to chat on the street, they pick up the phone and connect again with those that summer somehow kept from us.

There are so many things to be grateful for as we close in on the last few months of 2012. This year has been one of many blessings and many profoundly rich reasons to be humbled in gratitude. If you have read any of my previous blog entries you also know that this year has challenged my family at it's core.

In all of the many blessings and challenges, there is a common thread that binds us into the same boat of grace and gratitude and that, has been our family. Whether I look back at our time in Mexico this spring or fast forward to my nephews diagnosis in June... it is the family bond that has cradled our journey in both the bliss and the blinding reality of a life threatening illness. I am not sure that there is anything more beautiful than the love that comes from the deeply bound family unit that I come from.

Growing up I never felt those ties that bind, but this more than ever I feel them, I sew them and I absolutely tend to them. The past 12 months have brought my own immediate family closer and that of my siblings and I. Don't get me wrong, I have always been close to my siblings, but like I said, when you sit in wait, between life and death, your earth bound connections strengthen in a way that is indescribable. Life changes. Important things become more vital, small things cease to exist, the sky gets bigger and your words become kinder, and you somehow learn to be braver.

I am so grateful for all of the goodness that has come my way this year. I am also grateful for the lessons that have come from the more unfortunate occurrences, for those have taught me the most, and again, at the top of that particular list you will find Cancer. I have a couple of friends and my super, awesome, brave nephew that have been battling that bitch. (forgive my french) I have been watching even closer and have seen first hand what true bravery looks like, what real courages acts like and how true grace carries us when we allow it to.

It's no secret that I am turning forty next year. Growing up, I thought that I would have life figured out by now. Instead, what I now understand is that when people say take one day at a time, it really means that we are to slow down, breathe deeply, love unconditionally and live with passion. "Live each day to it's fullest" is not just some passe quote. It really holds value to our human existence. What I have finally figured out is that there is no figuring life out. It is what it is, and our journey will become what it will, in accordance to how we respond to life on a daily basis.

Everyday is a bounty of blessings if we will just allow ourselves the pleasure of seeing the bright side. It is so easy to find the faults and shortcomings that find us in a day. It is also even easier to choose to reside in the light of each moment that is ours to claim. I am not saying that life is rainbows and butterflies, I know better, I know it is also compromise and acceptance. I also know it is exactly what we make if it.

2012 was filled with beauty. As we approach Thanksgiving, I am profoundly grateful for the love and light that has found it's way into my heart by way of family and precious friendships and I wish the same love and light to find you and yours. I hope you have been as blessed as I, and that next Thanksgiving you will have even more in your heart to be grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In Gratitude,
t. xo

September's Promise

Looking back on what was a fantastic summer filled with friends and family, I deeply appreciate the many memories of connection and exploring. I cherish the time spent with my own children. The Silver Fox and I made a conscience decision to not put our children into summer camps this year, rather, we chose to make the most of each week by spending each day with them. We chose to do this because last summer we didn't have the same opportunity and we missed them. This year the choice was made with the fact that the youngest begins Kindergarten this year and our time together with him will be radically less. I totally support those who choose to summer camp their kids, and I will likely be among then next year, but this year was exactly what we had hoped for and made for the perfect summer for our family.

September is looming and with her she brings the promise of routine and renewed commitment to schedules and bedtimes. Soon the days will not be of my own whim, rather, I will be chained to a bell schedule that demands where my children need to be for 6 hours a day. No longer will I be the one to decide how are days are spent. This is when I have a hard time sharing... when it comes to my kids, I like to have them to myself.

I am not blind to the fact that I am also gaining a gateway into time for myself. What that means for me should be a blissful prospect, but I also acknowledge with it comes a huge responsibility. All of a sudden I am no longer a stay at home mom of 2 small children that are at home with me, it no longer applies. For sure I have my own business, but again, that is home based. I am now a free agent so to speak. I join the ranks of the veteran moms who have both children in school.

What I can say with certainty is that my time will be spent a little selfishly at first. I am going to reclaim my old gym schedule. Oh how we have missed each other. It has been far too long since I have been able to spend that kind of time on myself. I am going to finish the baby books I started for my children, or the one I meant to start for my son. Oops! I am going to connect with the friends I have lovingly ignored while raising my kids into Kindergarten. One of the most exciting prospects is that I will be able to have a  chunk of time in the day where I am not constantly looking at my watch and wondering which Pre-school I need to be at Stat! 3pm is soon to become my new best friend.

The past 8 years since my first child was born has felt like a long time, and as my second child enters to the school system I feel like I am observing a milestone and that I have earned some sort of badge. I really feel like I am about to graduate from this massive chapter in my life. I have been told by a few people that I should go for a massage the first week the kids go back to school in honour of the celebration, but what I really feel like I should be doing is getting on my knees and saying a deeply felt prayer of gratitude to the universe. We made it! All the way to Kindergarten and grade 3 with no major injuries. No major dramas. Always lots of food on the table, the roof over our head and so far no direct need that my kids should be in therapy! Whoo hoo! Success! ;) In all seriousness, I do feel totally grateful for the health and well being of my children and that so far their lives have been the kind that the Silver Fox and I have wished for them. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for our abundance of love and light.

It is hard to believe that Christmas is merely 4 months away. You know what that means...ski season, people!
Just had to throw that in there. It is after all my fav time of the year. It will also mark the end of a remarkable year. September feels like the beginning of a new year also. The newness and refreshing of all that we have let slide for 2 months. I can't wait. Happy September. Happy New Year.

Love & Light,

t.

ps- please keep the prayers coming for Sean. we still really need them. <3