“A meal, however simple, is a moment of intersection. It is at once the most basic, the most fundamental, of our life’s activities, maintaining the life of our bodies. Shared with others, it can be an occasion of joy and communion, uniting people deeply.” ~ Elise Boulding

When I read this quote today, it made me think back on all of the meals I have shared with others. The memories of some of the really special ones will always be with me. Thanksgiving, comes to mind, as well as Christmas turkey dinners, but the ones that are the most memorable, are the simple ones. The ones that were spontaneous, the ones outside in the garden, the crazy ones in the forest, the ones by the ocean, the ones in the sky, the ones on top of a mountain, the ones with only one other person and the ones with just little old me.

I especially remember the one where I crawled on my belly, on the ice and snow, for a very long time, to get to the picnic table beside the fireplace, in the middle of a campsite, in the winter, where no one else was around, but the two of us. I will never forget that one. We were so cold, we had to burn the picnic basket for wood. However, whenever I think of it, it always brings a smile to my face. It is one of my most cherished memories of perseverance and determination and oh, the food tasted sooo good!

What are some of your delicious memories? Take some time today to remember, savor and delight in once again. And if you find you do not have too many memories yet, go out and make some.

As Auntie Mame used to say,
“Life is a banquet – and most poor suckers are starving to death.”

Take your place at the head table, and enjoy the feast before you.
Have a scrumptious day.
Taste every bite of life!

Love and blessings, Veronica

Follow me On Twitter http://www.veronicaontwitter.com

In January many of us are still getting over the busyness of the holidays. Some of us have made resolutions for the New Year yet by the end of January most of those resolutions have already gone by the wayside. However, February is a great month to pick up those dreams, dust them off and really begin to Focus.

I am sure most of you have already heard that what we focus on expands, but have you really experienced that in your own life? Have you really noticed it, because if you did, you would be very diligent about where you put your attention. Have you been tuning into the new with its stories of doom and gloom or have you decided to create your own news, direct your own show, with you as the star.

I’ll share with you a story here to illustrate the power of “Intention and Focus”.

I was in the grocery store last week and it was very crowed. Every single isle was filled with people and shopping carts. It was very difficult to maneuver my way through this crowd and on top of that there were a few screaming children along the way as well. I began to feel anxious and frustrated. I had to be at an appointment and I could see that this was going to take more time than I thought. And then I remembered the words -Intention and Focus.

So, I stood at the very top of one of the store isles, and I looked straight ahead to the very end of the isle. I focused there. That was where I wanted to go, to the end of that isle in record time, as if there was no one else there but me. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, people started moving their carts out of the way for me to move by. I did this very same thing through the rest of the store, isle by isle. I kept my eyes straight ahead focusing on where I wanted to go. I did not waver. It seemed like there was a shift in energy, the children stopped crying, the carts moved, and in a few minutes there I was, at my destination, groceries quickly bought and paid for. It worked like a charm. It seemed like a miracle to me, but it happened. I finished my shopping with plenty of time to get to my appointment.

So, there you have it, Intention and Focus at its best, in a simple grocery store. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself.

What about you? Have you set your intention for February to be the very best month of your life so far and if you have, then what will you focus on today?

I invite you to share your experiences, ideas and insights here by leaving a comment below. Your words just may help someone else see things in a new way.

My Garden Fairy

These last few days have been for me, a dark night of the soul. Every belief I held, every truth I thought I knew and every answer I had, have all been shattered.

And even though I was surrounded by people, I felt alone, abandoned and afraid.

And yet, through all of it, I also felt higher, as though someone or something were carrying me, lifting me, loving me. And so this time instead of running from the pain, despair and confusion, I embraced it and what happened surprised me. The pain, despair and confusion became my doorway to freedom. All sorts of insights and inspirations flooded into my consciousness. It was as though I had access to a different time and place and was able to see with new eyes.

I have been searching for the truth all of my life in so many places. I thought there was only one truth and that I came here to find that truth and that if I went to enough seminars and took enough courses and read enough books and did enough affirmations that somehow I would find it. Enough, enough, enough already! It was never enough. I was never enough. And now I have found myself in this place and I realized that …

No one can tell you what your truth is or how to get there.

They can only soften the path a little.

But if you are awake and alive, there will come a time when

you will have to examine your own heart.

During this time, I thought often of Mother Teresa and what a powerful woman she was, yet without the arrogance that one often finds in powerful people. She was able to command large amounts of money from everywhere and yet she was so humble. She didn’t need to be the best at anything, she just needed to BE. Simple and profound. She touched countless lives and changed the world one person at a time.

I have an act of kindness section on my website and for the last 7 years have been putting acts of kindness suggestions on one of my daily pages. This morning as I was thinking of Mother Teresa again, I sat down to my computer and these words flowed from my fingertips and onto the screen.

Whatever you do today, remember ONE thing.

That in the end, all that really matters is the LOVE!

Did you seek it? Did you find it?

But most importantly – DID YOU GIVE IT?

Remember the LOVE!

And then I knew that was the truth I was looking for. Remember the LOVE. Often in our quest for bigger and better things, we forget why we came here in the first place. When my father died and I was sitting on his doorstep outside waiting for the limo to arrive to take me to his funeral, this was never more apparent. There stood his beautiful house and car in silence. He would never walk up those stairs and open that door again or sit behind that wheel. But I could feel his presence. He was much bigger than all of those things. His love was there forever. It didn’t die with him. The only thing we take with us when we leave this place is the love and it doesn’t matter if we die with a slim body and a fat bank account. All that matters is the love.

In remembering this, I came to know my truth. Perhaps we don’t come here to learn, perhaps we come here to teach. And the secret to success is in the love. Then I recalled a story I heard about a woman who hated her job and was living a joyless life of struggle. Her heart was closed in pain, anger and resentment. She was working as a cleaning lady. One day the old woman she worked for put on some music on the stereo. It was music that she and her late husband used to dance to. She was missing her mate terribly and longing for the gentle touch of another soul. The old woman asked the cleaning lady if she would dance with her. The cleaning lady was a bit taken aback at first but agreed to do so. And then something miraculous happened. In opening her arms to the old woman, she also opened her heart and the tears and the love began to flow. She let the love in and in that precious moment that love lifted her spirit and transformed her life. Right after this incident the cleaning lady’s business started to take off, she got so many calls she had to hire a huge staff to accommodate everyone and her company grew by leaps and bounds. The struggle disappeared and everything that she had been trying to make happen came to her effortlessly, once her heart had been opened.

In remembering this story, I knew that I had found my truth. The secret to success and the secret to life is in the love. Once I knew that, I knew everything.

© Copyright by Veronica M. Hay – All Rights Reserved.

Stay tuned for more inspirational words to come…

The concept of Agelessness has always both fascinated and perplexed me. I have known people who joyfully, never seemed to age and I have know those who, very sadly, grew old long before their time. And so, in an interview I conducted with Dr. Deepak Chopra, I asked him the following question about Agelessness. What he answered has stayed with me always and served me very well. I hope it does the same for you.

Here is my question: Dr. Chopra, you have stated that if we could effectively trigger the intention not to age, the body would carry it out automatically. Could you explain that?

Dr. Chopra: Yes, because intentions are the triggers for transformation in the body. If you want to wiggle your toes, you do it through intention. There are two components to biological information in the body, one is intention, the other is attention. So to go back to the example I gave you, to wiggle your toes. The first thing that happens is that your attention goes there and the second thing is there is an intention, so this biological information with attention and intention is what biological information is given. Awareness that acts as biological information goes to components, then an informational component, and then there’s a localizing component, and that’s how the body behaves.

If you can wiggle your toes with the mere flicker of an intention, why can’t you reset your biological clock? The reason most people can’t do it is because, first, they never thought of it and secondly, they think that certain things are easier to do than other things. For example, it is easier to wiggle the toes than reset the biological clock, but that is just a belief that is rooted in superstition. If we could understand that the human body is a network of information and energy, then we would see that the same principles apply everywhere in the body.

Veronica: That is just what I was about to say, something as profound as stopping the aging process, or actually reversing the aging process, one would think would have to be implanted at a deep level for it to work.

Dr. Chopra: No, it’s the same mechanism. It’s just that we have been indoctrinated into believing that some things are easier, some things are more difficult. Expectations determine outcome, always!

To read the entire interview click on the following link:
http://www.peopleandpossibilities.com/chopra.html

Enjoy!

When my home is clear, my mind is clear, and so this year I took advantage of the time off during the holidays to clear the clutter out of my life.I spent several days over Christmas and New Year’s Eve going through all of my stuff. I discovered a lot about myself and my things.

I have over 700 books, and some of them I didn’t even know I had. I love books! Just being surrounded by them makes me feel great. As if all that knowledge will seep into my brain, just by being in the same room with them. I find them comforting to read and also just to look at on the shelves.

I have hundreds of cassette tapes and CD’s and DVD’s as well, and this week I found several that I thought were long gone. I discovered items in the cupboards that I had totally forgotten about. I found things I once cherished and felt so happy to see them again, the way you would a long lost friend. I felt compelled to do this de-cluttering.

I am not really sure why. Perhaps because a New Year was right around the corner and I wanted to start it being clear in all areas of my life. When my home is out of balance, I feel the same way myself, and so, I needed to make things right. It feels wonderful to walk around here now. Much more alive and free and easy.

Today, I am going to think about, get clear about, what it is I would like to accomplish in this new year. I am going to think about the things that would bring me joy and a sense of fulfillment. I am not going to make a list of things I must do, should do, have to do. No! I am goint to make a list of only those things I have always truly longed to do.

Last year, I took a class from a woman who is a “doer”. She usually has about 15 projects on the go all the time, and accomplishes almost all of them, one after the other, and while I felt a great deal of admiration for her, I couldn’t help but also feel exhausted just watching her.We live in a world where “doing” is considered much more important than just “being”. We place much more importance on what a person “has to SHOW for themselves”, than what a person IS!

Sometimes, it is fun to get things done, and sometimes, it is not. Sometimes, it just feels right to do NOTHING! When I was sick several months ago, this became so clear to me. I had no choice but to just lie down and rest and do nothing, and turn everything over to a higher power. Part of me felt so relieved. Ironically, things worked out just fine without me being there trying to make something happen.

I guess the point I am trying to make here is: do whatever you feel called to do. If that means cleaning out your cupboards, then do that. If it means setting yourself some significant goals for the New Year, then by all means get out your pen and paper and make your list.You may find yourself listing as one of your goals: time for yourself, time to just sit and daydream, time to listen to the birds sing and watch the flowers grow, time to walk in a forest and hear the message in a babbling brook, time to delight in a beautiful sunrise and mellow in the setting sun, time to be alone and revel in your most cherished memories, time to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of camomile tea.

Dear Heart, my wish for you this New Year is that you take the time to laugh, and dream, and cry, and plan, and sing, and dance, and savor, and devour, and watch, and witness, and meditate, and contemplate, and remember, and forget, and allow, and wish, and just BE, the beautiful, wonderful, resourceful, brilliant, spectacular being, you already are.

Veronica Hay is the author of In a Dream, You Can Do Anything, A Collection of Words, An Extraordinary Collection Of WritingsThat Will Uplift You, Motivate You, Inspire You, And Gently Guide You Along The Inner Path Of Your Life. http://www.insightsandinspirations.com

It is getting close to Christmas now, and so I decided to share  a movie I made of my very popular piece entitled “My Holiday Wish For You” and post it here as one of my Christmas gifts. (more to come) This movie is about what I wish for you to experience this holiday season.

So, if you can find an extra 3 minutes in your day, please enjoy this inspirational message at the following  link:

http://www.insightsandinspirations.com/holidaywish.html

Take care and have a magical day.

Love and blessings, Veronica Email: veronicahay@telus.net

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to see it.

I woke up this morning feeling sad and thinking of all the things I had to do today and how I needed about 10 more hours in the day in order to get it all done.

With this kind of thinking, to tell you the truth, I did not even want to get out of bed. Overwhelm does that to you. It is paralyzing.

So, I decided to have a small chat with myself. What if, I just made the decision to take it easy today?  As usual, I have been working long hours and trying to do too much. It just wears me down after a while.  But, what if today, I made the choice of ease.

Then, I decided to work on only those things that really had to be done, promises I made to customers waiting etc and to do these things in a more gentle way. No rushing, no stress! Simply EASE, as though I really did have all the time in the world.

As soon as I made that choice, I felt so much lighter and things immediately started to improve everywhere.

It feels so much better physically as well, to just work from a light, easy and joyful place, rather than rushing to get things done as fast as possible, moving onto the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing, on our “to do” list, with our body tense, anxious and tight. Nothing good can really come from that healthwise.

I also decided that If I felt like crying, that was fine as well, I didn’t stuff it inside or put it off,  telling myself I was just too busy to cry. I simply cried and it moved right through me, and in a little while I was fine again. I think that crying can be a good thing, a releasing and cleansing experience.

Amazingly, after a while, I began to see all the blessings in my life right where I am NOW, and I was able to really appreciate those things in a much more profound way and SEE them from a fresh and different perspective.

And I had a great insight, the FEELING of EASE and the FEELING of ABUNDANCE are exactly the same thing.  As long as I am feeling light and easy, I am much more likely to have an abundant day and a fulfilling life.

May you be blessed with an amazingly abundant day today. May the clouds…
more at http://tinyurl.com/buhqr5 
2 minute inspirational video.

Enjoy and have an abundant and prosperous day.

Love and blessings, Veronica

Several years ago, I was having a particularly stressful day. My mother had recently passed away and I missed her physical presence terribly. On top of all that, bills were starting to pile up, and I was beginning to wonder if the struggle would ever end. And then, someone called out of the blue and said some very disturbing things to me. After the call, all that I can remember is that I hung up the phone and wept. To this day, I don’t even remember who was on the other end of that phone call, or even what they said to me. I only remember wondering how I would go on.

And then, I did what any self-respecting woman would do, when her life was falling apart. I turned on my answering machine, closed my office door, and I went to the zoo.

The minute I made this decision, I felt better immediately, like a child with a mission, and in under 1/2 hour I was there. I paid my admission fee and walked inside the zoo gates. Instantly, it all came flooding back to me….that feeling. That feeling of aliveness, excitement and wonder, of what lay ahead for me in this delightful place. It was the exact same feeling I had as a child when my father took me to Belmont Park in Montreal. Belmont Park was a very large and magical amusement park and I loved it.

I remember feeling this same feeling right after my dad bought the entrance tickets and we stepped inside together. That feeling of childhood innocence and glee in anticipation of what was to come.

And so, I spent the afternoon re-living those childhood moments once again. I sat with the beautiful, white, polar bears and watched them frolic together with wild abandon, until I was transported back in time to a place I had visited several years ago, called Little Cornwallis Island, in the North West Territories, very close to the North Pole. I was sitting in a red jeep at twilight. Right in front of the engine stood a magnificent, majestic, polar bear. I remember the feeling of absolute dread at being so close to such a potentially dangerous beast as it lumbered towards me, and at the same time, I felt the exhilaration of seeing such a splendid being in the wild, right before my very eyes.

I was jolted back to reality with the sound of a wolf howling, and I scurried over to get a closer look. I sat down on the ground, next to a group of wolves, and watched them very closely and intently as they howled. I had never actually seen a wolf howl before and I was captivated. They raised their heads upwards, as if offering themselves to something higher, and then released the most beautiful sound, as if it were a song, their song, out into the world. It was a truly delightful sight to behold.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just experiencing all the different animals. I was touched by a tiny, baby monkey, nestled inside her mothers breast, and the absolute sweetness of their bonding. I was mesmerized by the deepest and wisest eyes I had ever encountered, in the body of the most beautiful owl I had ever seen. But the “piece de resistance” were the butterflies. I wasn’t prepared for what I was to find there, and when I opened the door and hundreds of glorious, iridescent butterflies descended upon me, tickling my face, I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven.

I returned home from the zoo that evening, a new woman. And a delightful surprise was waiting for me in my mail box. A letter advising me that a cheque for $31,000.00 was on its way. And no, I wasn’t expecting it. All my troubles were over, at least for a little while.

Looking back now all those years ago, I can understand what happened at the time. I was overwhelmed and I just let go. I surrendered to allowing the joy back into my life, and from that place of allowing, a miracle happened.

Where is your joy, your place of allowing? It doesn’t have to be at the zoo. Perhaps for you, it is looking into the eyes of your beautiful, golden retriever, as you caress her soft, fur lined body; or sneaking out to an afternoon matinee and giggling in the back seat, in the dark, with your best friend and a tub of buttered popcorn; or just working in your garden, and letting the sweet smell of the earth transport you, and the flowers caress your soul.

Whatever it is, find it, seek it out if you have to. Capture those feelings of aliveness and exhilaration and let them take you to that place of absolute Joy.

Surrender to the Miracle!