Happy Wednesday loves!  Feeling such gratitude for this beautiful being of love and light as she shares her gift of song with the world.  Profound love and admiration for the aliveness of nature.  For the lyrics understood and not understood as they echo blessing and grace.  

"To our love with our love for our love we shall rise above.  
To love with our love for our love we shall rise above."

May we be reminded of our prayers for our Earth.  May we offer love and gratitude for her beauty.  Aho!    

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  I was listening to a pod cast the other day by Tara Brach and she was talking about how our world- both the collective and the individual are in a space of great transitions.  Foundations that once seemed so secure are changing and beliefs that were once cemented are now being blasted open.  As the words rolled off her tongue, she encouraged her audience to pause in the space between stories.  Pause between what was and what is to come.  Pause in the grief and await the relief.  Pause in the joy and await the love.  As I sat digesting her words like a delicious home cooked meal, I found myself savoring this notion of the space between stories.  I paused and peered into my own life and noticed my propensity to take on the next story out of reactivity rather than presence.  To feel so uncomfortable and awkward that I somehow am not able to savor the spaces between.  

It's so easy to fill the spaces with thoughts, with doing, with food, with substances that alter our reality, with people, etc.  It seems that we thrive on run-on stories.  I know all too often I get caught up in stories and then I run off believing them rather than making space for all that is contained between.  Somewhere along the way I adopted the notion of "no space between stories," but as I grow older I have to wonder if there is a better way?  I feel as if the rawness of emotions lives between the stories.  Just think of the galaxies....there is so much going on in between worlds.  

This notion of the space between reminds me of a lesson in one of my coaching classes.  My coach Michael was inquiring about about our values from a recent Needs and Values Assessment that we had completed.  
He began class by asking us what our true North was?  He offered us another question of inquiry:  "What truth/s do you align yourself with?"  When you feel confused can you look to the North Star of your heart and find alignment?  

So my friends, I ask you, what is your true North star?  And how does aligning with this part of yourself help you to enjoy the spaces between your stories?  Can you pause and allow the space to be empty before you take your next breath?  As Viktor Frankl reminds us...."In our response lies our growth and our freedom." 

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  These words of John O'Donahue melt my heart and reinvigorate my travels to and fro.  Wether you are journeying to a far off land, or traveling to work, or back into the arms of a loved one, may you travel with new eyes.  A brand new world is always waiting to take us in.  To have us experience the delicacies of honoring our pilgrimages.   As you begin your week, may you reconnect to the traveler that lives within your heart.  Prepare for a new world my friends:).

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Every time you leave home,
another road takes you
into a world you were never in.
New strangers on other paths await.
new places that have never seen you
will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that you know well
will pretend nothing
changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
alone in a different way,
more attentive now
to the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
you abroad; and how what meets you
touches that part of the heart
that lies low at home:
How you unexpectedly attune
to the timbre in some voice,
opening a conversation
you want to take in
to where your longing
has pressed hard enough
inward, on some unsaid dark,
to create a crystal of insight
you could not have known
you needed 
to illuminate 
your way.

When you travel,
a new silence
goes with you,
and if you listen,
you will hear
what your heart would
love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
make sure, before you go,
to take the time
to bless your going forth,
to free your heart of ballast
so that the compass of your soul
might direct you toward
the territories of spirit
where you will discover
more of your hidden life,
and the urgencies
that deserve to claim you.

May you travel 
in an awakened way,
gathered wisely 
into your inner ground; 
that you may not waste 
the invitations which 
wait along the way 
to transform you.
​
May you travel safely, 
arrive refreshed, 
and live your time away 
to its fullest; 
return home more enriched, 
and free to balance 
the gift of days 
which call you.

~ John O'Donohue 
From: To Bless the Space Between Us

Happy Friday beautiful hearts!  I hope that wherever you are today you are experiencing contentment and happiness- that your hearts may be awakened, and your minds at peace.  A dear friend of mine shared these words with me the other day and they have been inscribed on my heart.  As soon as she finished the last sentence I had full body goosebumps.  I hope that they reach you in your life and that you can feel the profound power of them.  May we all turn our minds, hearts, and hands to Love.  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

​Days Gone By....

I remember the days gone by.
These days were full of homemade aromas
Stuffing and pies...pecans and turkey
Great Aunts and Grandmothers preparing our feasts
Grandfathers and Uncles strategizing over football games.
I trace these moments in my mind, certain that I will never forget.

We played with cousins in anticipation
We nibbled on morsels of love flavored with pumpkin and drowned in gravy
We squeezed into houses not big enough for 4, but overflowing with 25.
We were warmed by the fuel of love and cooled
off with the sashes of windows being thrown open.
We were cozy and content, not needing anything more

We made pilgrimages to and fro
Traveling in the blue minivan 
We watched parades and played Bingo.  
We clipped coupons and played crokinol's
All the while thinking that life would always remain the same.  

Tables would be full of these familiar faces, 
Recipes would be duplicated,
Lives would remain untouched.

Years passed and the configurations of the tables changed.  
Seats dwindled, laughter faded, lights dimmed.  
We all remember, and yet somehow we forget.  
Familiar faces fade away, and new faces take their place.
Laughter quietly roars from the mouths of new babes
Old hearts are re-inspired by these new joys

I sit around a modern table making newfangled memories
Serenely savoring the sweetness of love that I experienced so long ago.
My people are with me.
I can feel it on this day.  
A day of celebration, a day of Thanksgiving.  
I remember these days gone by...

​~Sarah Dickey

For a New Beginning

"Awaken to the mystery of being here
and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to
follow its path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of
soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek
no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven
around the heart of wonder.


~ John O'Donohue 
From: To Bless the Space Between Us

Happy Tuesday beautiful friends!  I was reading Liz Gilbert's book Big Magic the other night and it left my mind swirling with creative thoughts.  As I find myself digesting the chapters of this book, I witness myself assimilating creativity in new ways. I find my body absorbing creativity-my cells feel like they are dancing with excitement. I find myself making space for a date with creativity- I put on a little mood music and sit down to write.  I aspire to know this part of myself in a newfangled way. I discover creativity as a spark of aliveness within me- Every changing and always growing.  The ambiance of my heart is adorned with new levels of self expression.  I feel giddy and excited.  

Pretty much by now as you know I am passionate about writing.  When I think of this craft, I find myself drifting back to being a young child and exploring the stories in my mind on a legal tab of paper.  I always had a storyline running through the center of me, I just didn't always know how to express it.  At times I remember thinking, who thinks about these things at a young age, and at other times doubting what I had to say- so I censored my creativity and drowned it out.  I didn't honor it as a living and breathing part of myself.  Up until now, it was out there and I was in here.  Can you relate?  Have you ever censored your creativity because you wondered what the world would think of your unique way of seeing the constellations of life?  

I'm hopeful that you might feel inclined to reconnect to the living, breathing part of yourself that is fully creative.  I look to kids who are some of the most creative people I know.  They have imaginations as big as The Milky Way, a fashion sense that would put designers to shame, and a sense of Self that commands the room.  You don't have to be a world renowned painter, published author, decorator to the stars, or any other identifying tagline, but you do need an alliance to the creative part of yourself.  This alliance is just as important as the air you breath.  Take a deep breath in....and a long breath out.  Become intentional in how you connect to your creativity.  

Creativity is defined as, "The state of being creative- the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships..."  So my friends your ability to be creative in your lives just got a lot bigger.  Creativity isn't exclusive or limiting, it doesn't know a 'particular type' or stage your life to come alive;  it has been with you all the while. It has been smitten with you since the start. 

I feel blessed to have established a relationship with my creative outlet early on in life.  I remember sheepishly trying to disown this creative part of myself at various points in my life.  When friends would ask me how I expressed my creativity, oftentimes my lack of self esteem would have me hee-haw an answer of 'I don't know.'  To which they would reply, "You are too old not to know.  You have had way too many experiences in your life to not own this part of yourself."

I have various friends who plead their 'I'm not creative' cases to me, but from the above definition, creativity isn't limited to the arts.  Creativity is all encompassing.  How have you transcended traditional ideas, rules, patterns or relationships in your life?  Creativity chooses different vehicles of expression in all of our lives-it simply up to us to maintain this relationship.  Consistency is the key.  Mastering the language of your creative vessel is another key component.  Become fluent in speaking this language that has been exclusively shared with you.  You are the author of your story.  You are the light and the dark.  You are the day and the night.  You have the ability to transcend my friends, and in doing so you might just make a new friend- creativity.  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

 

Happy Friday beautiful hearts!  The words of Henri Nouwen ring throughout my spirit.  As my eyes gaze over the list, I feel like I should be tapping it to my bathroom mirror as a daily reminder.  These questions dig into our deepest resources.  They ask us to remain present and invite us to travel even further into the matters of the heart.  May you begin to live these questions in your daily life....and may we help one another remember to live these as well.  

Everyday we leave our homes and set out into the world to embody the awareness of  dreamers, doers and agents of change.  We dream new realities into existence.  We harness love.  We discover new ways of being bold.  We are modern day superheroes decked out with compassion capes and light wands of truth.  We cut through bullshit.  We disarm terror.  We hold joy in the palms of our hands.  We walk with our fears.  We preserve ourselves through acts of self care.  Our superpowers can dismantle fear, soften anxiety, and tenderly make space for griefs.  Somedays we burst outta bed and other days we longingly stare at a life under the covers.  The walls of our homes offer refuge and recharge.  We continually invite and encourage one another to embody truth, and to stand tall in love.  Some of our grandest tales involve the the landscape of our hearts.  We hold self love and compassion in this chamber.  This is where our kryptonite resides.  The healing balm.  The immortal salve.  The ability to forgive .  The desire for peace.  

When you look in the mirror today, can you see yourself embodying your superpowers?  How would your life change if you lived in this supernatural way?

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  Over the weekend my Yoga community welcomed Happy Yoga Instructor, Steve Ross.  This was my first experience with Steve and I have to say, I can't wait until he returns.  His flow was quietly challenging, his presence joyful, and his humor so appreciated.  He shared so many nuggets of wisdom throughout the weekend, that my mind is swimming with new ways of experiencing this beautiful practice.  I am also curious as to how I will touch my life in a new way?    

This amazing Yogi has left a beautiful footprint on my heart.  I invite you to take in his words from his book, Happy Yoga, 7 Reasons Why There is Nothing to Worry About. "I can't explain how I ended up where I am now other than to say it's pure grace.  It seems like whatever life puts in from of you is imbued with choices.  You make your choices, and it feels like you're controlling your life to a certain extent-choosing your destiny.  But sometimes it doesn't matter which choices you make:  Life will keep reminding you of who you really are and what you're here to do.  The truth is that I can't imagine a way of life for me other than the yogi way.  And wether I chose my destiny or my destiny chose me, I'm grateful beyond measure for the gift that this life is."
​
One of my favorite sharing was from a Yin class yesterday.  As we finished a super yummy 2 hour class, Steve began to lead us through a chakra meditation.  In his very concise explanation of the chakra system, he expressed that one didn't need to believe anything in particular to experience the benefits of brining awareness to the subtle energetic systems of the body.  

He likened this lack of belief to 'not having to believe in gravity for it to be true.'  As he sat in the front of the class he began to share that our belief does not necessarily make something true.  As he circled back to his example of gravity, he said that we didn't have to believe in it, but it he were to take someone up on a roof and push them off wether gravity was real or not was not dependent on a person's belief.   

As I take this analogy back into my everyday life, I find myself excited at the prospect of the 'magic' of life surrounding me.  Life has chosen to express itself through me, and through you.  All of the energetic forces at play in our lives helps us to create, manifest, love, dream, and most of all live.  On those days where perhaps you aren't full of belief, know that there are energetic forces working on your behalf.    

My friends, may you be encouraged to truly dive into your lives.  Feel the grace of this moment and know that it is specifically for you!  Be willing to dive off of the walls of your heart!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah