Windridge Reflections

A friend and I were talking about depression a few days ago. You know, that draining, gnawing, energy zapping feeling that nothing is going right and you are seemingly powerlessness to change any of your circumstances or mindset. And the most depressing part—you can’t put your finger on “why.” In the course of our conversation, I commented that I have so many things to be grateful for…starting with the smallest, I am breathing after all! Then this morning I ran across this, “If we pull down the shades in every room in a house, that house will be in darkness, and is likely to become damp and unhealthy as well, no matter how brightly the sun may be shining outside.” — Emmet Fox I don’t know about you, but I do not want to live my life in a dark, damp, dusty, musty house. It’s time to pull open the shades, let the sun light warm this house, and find strength in all that is good. There is too much of life out there to be lived! *If you suffer with severe depression, seek profe...

"Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us. Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and suppose that they are grateful for their joy. But the reverse is true: their joy springs from gratefulness. If one has all the good luck in the world, but takes it for granted, it will not give one joy. Yet even bad luck will give joy to those who manage to be grateful for it. We hold the key to lasting happiness in our own hands. For it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful." From Gratefulness, The Heart of Prayer by Brother David Steindl-Rast. Thanks to Brené Brown, Ph.D. for originally posting this on her Ordinary Courage blog.   Image: istockphoto

“She could never go back and make some of the details pretty. All she could do was move forward and make the whole beautiful.” — Terri St. Cloud Sometimes we can’t go back; the die is cast, the deed is done…but that does not mean that we can’t move forward with grace and confidence. We all make mistakes, we all say things we shouldn’t, do things we are embarrassed by, and have days when “some of the details are not pretty.” Thank goodness we are not frozen here in time, there is hope! Resilience is the ability to problem solve, connect with others for support and sometimes simply cope, knowing that tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. “It is the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It is the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It is the one who won’t be taken who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.” — Amanda McBroom Image: istockphoto

“If I could only turn back time to the place we left behind – I’d find you there...”  Happy and sad—bitter and sweet… Birthdays and days of passing—weddings and funerals… Public festivities where extended friends abound—private retreats where only close friends, family or Time spent in solitary reflection, enough to fill one’s soul. This weekend is the anniversary of my mother’s passing 26 (short) years ago. When I think of all the things she’s missed: Her granddaughter’s growing up. Getting to know her two grandsons-in-law. Watching her two great-grandsons’ and one granddaughter's lives expand. Traveling around the world to see them and be a part of their lives. She is also missing: Tea with me and the adult conversations we would now be able to have; when she passed away, I was 32 and in the middle of caring for young children, raising horses and taking care of the farm.  We could now sit, two women, expanding our relationship deeper and farther than ...

"Let us make up our minds that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet arrived. But today can be filled with wonder if we know that we stand on the threshold of that which is wonderful and new." Ernest Holmes Image: istockphoto

“ If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life.” Thich Nhat Hanh (1926 – ) Take pen in hand and list ten things, large or small, you are grateful for today. My list: Good health A warm house My husband - who just brought me a vanilla latte! My two daughters, their wonderful husbands and beautiful children Close friends Etc.... “Each day unfolds as a gift. We build daily on a solid foundation of appreciation. Comparing ourselves to ourselves alone, we track a gentle and steady improvement.” Julia Cameron Photo credit: http://www.istockphoto.com/

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today. William Allen White Every once in a while someone will comment to me on how wonderful my life must be and I have to admit, yes, I love everything I’m doing now, and that said, I appreciate all that has gone before.... Now in saying this, make no mistake, I have had my share of heartaches and I, like everyone else, have a long list of worries, wishes, sorrows, hurts, regrets, aches and pains. Life is what it is and I’m convinced that there is no way around those sometimes nagging worries or real/unreal fears we all experience. I remember years ago going through an incredibly difficult time. For some reason (um–stress) I landed flat-on-my-back in bed for three weeks, and then spent at least two years struggling to even go to the grocery store by myself. This inability to get out and about was irrational, frustrating, and scary as I had absolutely no idea what was “wrong” with me. During th...

Aging is at times emotionally and physically challenging..... On the other hand, I would not trade all that I have now, the people, experiences and maturity, to go back.

“The year rotates through the seasons like a wheel of fortune. Being present in each one, possessing its bounty and taking its inconveniences in stride, means living to the fullest every day of the life you get.” —Victoria Moran Life is lived in seasons, and I am slowly learning to appreciate and live fully in each season. Too much time spent reminiscing about what has passed, or waiting for what is to come is squandered time that doesn’t yield a positive outcome. Can you imagine spending your summer moping around and wishing for winter, or spending the beauty of spring worrying about fall? Granted, brief moments of: “I can’t wait to go skiing” or “The beach next summer is going to be wonderful,” are normal but living in a season one isn’t in at the expense of where you are is a sad waste of time. Honestly, each season has its golden moments, and I’m learning to notice those moments as well as enjoy them. This concept is always brought home to me after I spend time with family. Ou...

Recently I read a post by Alan Weiss that perfectly describes the way I feel when The Fog of Life clouds my vision. I'm looking toward the breakers about 200 yards away. But I can’t see the beach or even the water because of the fog. Last night on the boardwalk at Wildwood you couldn’t see the top of the ferris wheel or the roller coaster.  The fog is caused by atmospheric conditions. Water droplets are formed when cool air is over warmer ground in most cases of fog on the surface (unlike a cloud). It can be quite opaque or at best translucent.The fog is caused by atmospheric conditions. Water droplets are formed when cool air is over warmer ground in most cases of fog on the surface (unlike a cloud). It can be quite opaque or at best translucent.  But I know the beach is there. I know the roller coaster is still on its track. And if I move forward, the fog disperses and I can begin to see those things closest to me all the better. There is fog in all of our lives at ...