The winds of change...

The winds of change are blowing. They do that every so often. These past few months have by no means been easy. I've dealt with a lot of drama, disappointment and uncertainty. It's been the most stressful summer of my short life so far. I've been looking for guidance and happiness and have been trying to decipher the cryptic message God has been sending me about my plan. Luckily, I have not had to go through anything alone. I've been surrounded by loving voices (sometimes they were helping me and sometimes they were confusing me) but the loudest voice has been God's.

I feel like these last few months have been a test. I've been put under fire to see how I would react. I'm happy to report that, though at times I couldn't see it, God has been carrying me the whole way. Big changes are happening in my life right now and they are absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for me and my family. I don't want to disclose just yet what the big changes are but I will let you all know as soon as I feel settled.

I just had to write this because I felt inspired to let those of you who are going through a rough time know that NOTHING IS FOREVER. My cousin has a tattoo in Arabic that essentially says "Change is the only constant" and that is absolutely true. Our lives go in seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall but no season is permanent. Hang in there, keep your eyes fixed on the One who gives ultimate peace, strength and love and you will make it through. Also it's important to remember not to let bad things or negative people change your good heart! Sometimes, out of anger, people may say hurtful things but just remember that you can't change what their heart is like but you can affect your own by choosing not to be like them. We are always so quick to pass judgement on others and to want others to "pay the price" for doing something mean or wrong against us but we are not fit to be judges, we are so flawed ourselves.* Work on making yourself better next time you feel the urge to "fix" someone else.

Remember the rainbow is a symbol that God sent to remind us that He is the ultimate judge.

*This is not to say people shouldn't be put in prison when they commit crimes. We should definitely try and keep away dangerous people from regular functioning society but all I'm trying to say is, things are not so black and white (usually, though there are exceptions to every rule). Exert caution when it comes to arguments and misunderstandings and really think about whether "winning" this argument is really going to make your life and yourself better in the end.

Tata for now lovelies!

Maureen

They call me mellow yellow...

It's funny how our taste in music changes over time. Even from day to day I find myself in the mood for different genres of tunes. I suspect the seasons also have something to do with it. This summer I've been into a lot of soothing mellow classical, jazz and alternative music. The fall and winter months usually inspire more cheery melodies and upbeat types of music. Lately I've been listening to music by Patrick Watson, Cinematic Orchestra, Jeremy Larson and Sleeping at Last. If you've never heard of them I encourage you to check them out. You can listen to my playlist of some of their songs that I like here: Click Here For Soothing Goodness :D

I've also been aching for Europe :( I miss Rome and Venice and Mallorca and Montmartre and London (not so much Geneva lol sorry) I've been missing it so much I went to watch To Rome With Love by myself just to see Rome again.

At least the summer has been beautiful (although undoubtedly a scorcher) and I've had a blast so far.

Leaving you with one of Sleeping At Last's more popular tracks called Turning Page:

Tata for now my lovelies!

Maureen

Little Joys...

Drowsy eyes open on the sun's command
Her soft lashes unshielded to reveal the sparkle in the skies
Her mind awakes from it's dreamy haze
To process the beauty that surrounds her
To allow her senses to absorb
All the intricate pleasures
The wafting scent of a summer breeze
Blowing from the garden trees that surround her
The melodic chirp of the happy birds
That sing praises to their creator
The feel of skin on warm dewy grass
She lays awake in her oasis
Not wanting to disturb this moment of peace
"I love you" the wind calls
She replies with a sigh
The heavens also want to show their love
They drop rain from the sunny skies
Warm and gentle caressing her face, her legs, her hair
She smiles, rises and runs through the meadow
To join the others who dance of joy
For the little things God has given them

A morning in the life....

So I thought I'd just share some typical pics of my morning at work.

That's my view from the window behind me. I'm at reception so I get these big bright windows to let in light. Yay! (notice the red cap on the right, that's my fire marshal hat because I'm the fire marshal for our floor :)

I love to nibble on things while at my desk. 

I have a lot of nervous habits that I use to self soothe like twirling my hair or bouncing around on my yoga ball at work. It's super fun when there's music to bounce to :) Not to mention I can throw in a few quick crunches when no ones around Hee Hee : D

Another fun thing at work is my Tinkerbell cup. My step sister Simone bought it for me for my birthday a few years ago and I still use it. It's my absolute favorite mug.

A few other trinkets at my desk: My bike helmet (I ride the bixi bikes to work from home every morning), some bridal magazines for my beautiful cousin Mireille (which I have yet to give her.. :s sorry Mireille) some generic Tylenol pills, some multivitamins (which I never take because they smell and taste like poo). Some lotion, a little stuffed koala that my boss Andy gave me when he came back from Australia and a little bucket that I sometimes use to eat my cereal (I didn't have a bowl and the shop downstairs didn't sell any bowls but they were selling a kids sandbox kit at the time and I thought, this will do the trick lol.)

Well I hope you guys are having a great week and a beautiful day.

Love you all

Maureen

Mumsies!!!!

This weekend is mother's day!!! God knows mothers are the most precious gift that is given to us. They represent a taste of God's love for us. That unconditional, moving land and sea to make your children happy and healthy, kind of love. Ideally we should make sure our mothers feel appreciated every day but I know that personally I don't do that. - sorry mom :(  However, mother's day is a great reminder of the blessing we all share, mothers! Even if all she did was give birth to you, be grateful for that. So to my mom and all the others, I just want you to know that I really really appreciate you and all the advice and love you give, thank you for believing in me and for being there for me at times when no one else was.

Love you mom to death and beyond!!!!!!

Maureen

What is Beauty?

Thank God beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, sometimes I think there is such a thing as universal beauty. It seems no matter where you go in the world men and women seem to prefer Caucasians, light eyes, long silky hair and smaller features. I definitely see the beauty in that image and I've kind of been thinking that it isn't fair to say that the "barbie" look is fake or unrealistic because there are a significant number of people who actually look like that. However, as I said earlier thank God different people are attracted to different features because it can really do a number on your self esteem if you only believe there is one type of beauty.

Recently I saw this commercial... I believe it was for Victoria Secret and what struck me about it was that the models, although different races, all looked exactly the same except for their skin tone and hair colour. Otherwise their features were similar, their hair texture was similar and their bodies were virtually indistinguishable from each other...I found that very interesting.

I do feel however, that our society is becoming more aware of the limits we put on beauty in the media. There is not just one kind of figure that's beautiful or one kind of face or one kind of hair type. Also, I know it's cliche but it's so true, beauty really is on the inside. How many time have you thought someone was beautiful until they opened their mouths? And the reverse is true as well, how many people did you find average looking at first and as they revealed their beautiful spirit and personality you realized how gorgeous this person really was.

I think the bottom line is beauty is in everyone and everything, sometimes it's just not as obvious. Also, people have no control over what they look like (more or less) but they can control how they behave so they should only get credit for the latter don't you think? It really doesn't matter how beautiful your face or hair or body is if you have an ugly heart.

lots of love

Maureen

The Power of Music

It always amazes me how music moves us so much. It's beyond explanation. The way it evokes such strong emotions. Because of that and because I'm a pretty emotional person naturally I avoid sad or slow music like the plague lol. It depresses me. I know, however that many people love listening to sad music more than happy upbeat music. I can understand the allure, it's soft and emotional and beautiful and often thought provoking. Below are some of my favorite slow/sad songs:

All of these songs move me in one way or another, they are all really beautiful. I don't think it's even possible to listen to them and NOT feel something.

However, as I said earlier, I don't listen to sad/slow music a lot because it's kind of a downer. Instead let me also share some of my favorite upbeat songs. I listen to various genres so here are just a few:

I hope that you guys got introduced to something new and exciting through this post. Music is like food for the soul. :)

Love

Maureen