The importance of taking pictures

Today's thoughts are a continuation of yesterday's - about living in the present moment.  Life is really a series of present moments.  And while no moment will ever come back once it's gone, we can certainly preserve that moment, with pictures and videos, and even in the olden days people tried to preserve moments through paintings and carvings or whatever means they had available.

I never really thought about this much but after re-reading one of Dr. Tae Yun Kim's books, "The First Elements," it clicked.  Let me share the quote with you:

" During a recent natural disaster, sometimes people had only a few minutes notice to get out of their home.  What do you think was one of the most common items people made sure to escape with?  Not the silver, not the jewelry, but photos!  Memories - irreplaceable pictures of moments of joy, moments of love, of victory, togetherness and so on.  How incredible that those intangible memories of moments were so highly prized.  Those people recognized that their joy could last forever, but that ordinary material possessions could go up in smoke or swept away in floods or buried in earthquakes in a few seconds time."
(The First Element page 32)

Also, moments that we think we'll always remember, can and will fade away, but with the help of pictures we'll be able to remember much more than what you see in the picture!  Ever looked through an old photo album and started to giggle, "oh I remember when aunt so and so got married...and we did.....?

Of course, nowadays the majority of pictures live in the mysterious cloud, just remember to print your most important moments and have something tangible just in case the unspeakable were to ever happen.

Happy picture taking and remembering!

Wednesday Wisdom: There is Always only Now

Today was a perfect example of what Dr. Tae Yun Kim means when she talks about "living in the now."

One moment, it was snowing thick, beautiful snowflakes and it was complete winter wonderland.  Less than an hour later, it was like this:

and a little bit later

and then I found this:

These words, by Dr. Tae Yun Kim, were "stuck in my head" when I realized what was happening and how beautiful it all was!  

"You live in a wonderful time called now.  In this moment, everything true about you is waiting to be recognized  and expressed.  Everything in the past is gone  Tomorrow will never come.  There is always only now.  You can take charge, take action, and create freedom for yourself."

( The Silent Master, page 162)

Each of these moments was beautiful in its own right, and each of these moments were "now" when it happened.  So let's celebrate each and every moment of our lives, because they are never going to come back!

Motivation Monday - thoughts on Rainbows and Nature

I do understand that we can't solve the World's problems by posting pictures of rainbows and flowers and cute animals, but they sure can make one feel better and happier!

I just love this quote from Dr. Tae Yun Kim:

"The elements of nature are free and joyous, expressing and contributing their gifts abundantly.  The sun shines faithfully and warmly no matter what happens on the planet below.  

Rivers flow through their native surroundings  bringing food for life.  And beauty is everywhere.  The clouds, winds, rainbows, butterflies, light filtered through the forest trees - all come together in a beautiful picture of harmony. 

You are a part of all this!  Freedom, beauty and originality for you is exactly the same as for nature's beings and elements.  

You are an original!  An individual, unique and special.  You have your own talents and abilities, and don't have to imitate anyone else, or want what they have.  You have your own special purpose.  You have the power to create your own freedom."  (The Silent Master, page 140)

Yes, life is good, and we have all the basic "wherewithal" to make it a great life!

HE CAN DO, SHE CAN DO, WHY NOT ME!

True love, part 2

Today, let's think more about LOVE.  There is so much to it!  Let's take a look at a verse in the Bible. Dr. Tae Yun Kim's puts it so well -  regardless whether you are religious or not, or even believe in Jesus or not - just read in the Bible and see how it makes you feel.  What do you have to lose?

And here is one of Dr. Kim's favorite quotes of the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 13, which has also become my favorite now.  Just sit back and let this sink in:

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs.

 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails.

How beautiful and how true!  I went outside today into the beautiful garden, and the signs of love are everywhere!  Just look at the first sign of buds opening up! 

Typically we associate roses with the concept of love, and they are indeed beautiful!

Just make sure you open your eyes to ALL the love and beauty life has to offer!  Life is beautiful, life is love, to all of those that seek it! 

True Love, Part 1

Happy Valentine's everyone!

We all love Valentine's Day one way or another, right?  Whether it's to eat all the chocolate and have some champagne, or whether you get treated to dinner at your favorite restaurant, or breakfast in bed, or.....what's not to like about Valentines?

That's all well and good and I too love all of the above.  ALL of it.
But real love is so much more than that.

Dr. Tae Yun Kim, who as you know is my Martial Arts teacher and a Great Grandmaster, wrote the following poem about love, which is my absolute favorite in the world:

"You are who I dreamed of...

And so you came to be.

And you shall be with me beyond time.

I will never leave you,

and 

My love will follow you

As you follow my Light,

Just as the tail of the bird follows the wing."

Dr. Kim also emphasizes the importance of loving oneself first - how can you love someone else, and how can you expect anyone to love you, if you can't even love yourself?  

So rather than looking into the mirror and telling ourselves how ugly, fat, old, etc etc etc we look - let's start by telling ourselves how we love ourselves, and how we appreciate whom we see in that mirror!  

So take today, and treat yourself as who you really are, the most important person in your life!   

And because Love is such a beautiful topic, I will have part 2 for you tomorrow - stay in tune! 

Don't be afraid of change!

Everyone loves rainbows, right?  They are so beautiful, so cheerful and they freely give so much joy on a rainy day!

But first - there is always rain!  When you wake up to this:

it's hard sometimes to "see the light."  No matter how much you logically know we need the rain, when your backyard transforms into a lake you probably wish it would stop!

Dr. Tae Yun Kim, very wisely, puts it this way:

"When you know there are cycles of change, you avoid accepting limited or negative conditions as permanent or final.  No mater where you are in a cycle, the seed for the new condition is there.  

Have an attitude of letting go.  You needn't hold on to positive or negative conditions as though they will last forever; rather, let the flow from yin to yang to yin lead you into harmonious, balanced, progressive change.  Never be afraid of change.  All change should lead you into greater good eventually.  That is the purpose of change, and that is the purpose of life."

(Seven Steps to Inner Power, page 50)

Wow!  With such an attitude, life becomes much less stressful and much more beautiful.  Let's do this!  

The little things that make you happy

What says spring better than the first snowdrops?  What a beautiful sight after all that bitter cold weather!
Just looking at them makes me so happy.  The simple act of snowdrops breaking through and flowering brings intense happiness to me.

They also remind me of Dr. Tae Yun Kim's powerful words:

"You, and you alone, have the power to make yourself free, because taking charge of your life is a choice  You have within you right now your creative Life Force of the universe.  All you need to do is choose to discover it!"  (The Silent Master, page 12)

These lovely messengers of nature sure know about taking charge and remind us of doing the same.  They sure set themselves free and pushed up through the dirt and discovered their life force along the way.

Let 's be like the pretty little flowers and discover our life force and become the best we can be!

The Power of True Love

Some days you just feel the love!  You wake up wanting to give the entire Universe a big hug and you smile all day.  And, as Dr. Tae Yun Kim points out, on those days you don't feel this love, and you are grumpy because you have to get up and go to work when you would rather stay in bed - try the loving approach! Remember, the key is that true love comes from within us, not to us!

Here are the words of Dr. Kim to remember, when the dog bites and the bee stings:

"When you find real Love in your life, you have a special feeling of happiness that is not dependent on anyone or anything in order to be.  That's because it comes from you, not to you from outside sources.  
It's a quiet joy, but also one that expresses great enthusiasm.  When you feel this love, you are glad to be alive, and grateful to wake up every day and live your life.  This love finds beauty everywhere, and appreciates how creative life is, knowing that possibilities exist everywhere to create more joy and more happiness and more freedom.  This Love can't be hurt or destroyed because it is pure energy.  It can be temporarily clouded over, but not destroyed.  When it is clouded over with negative emotions or painful situations, it keeps on loving until harmony is reached again. Because this love is real and true, it is powerful.  It can overcome anything untrue simply by being there, just as the sunlight burns the clouds away." (The Silent Master, page 113)

Can you feel it?  Let's give love a try!

HE CAN DO, SHE CAN DO, WHY NOT ME!