Category Archives: Motherhood

SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH THE WORLD

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Are you “over” the holidays yet? It is a wonderful time of the
year yet it is also harried. Sometimes we are disappointed, either
by schedules or unforeseen circumstances. Or….worst of all,
disappointment in the interactions of our friends or family.

It is almost a catch 22 as this time of the year brings out the
love in families but also the jealousies and resentments. As
humans, we tend to think that others have MORE of what we
wish we had. Either more loving interaction with friends and
family, more glamorous parties to attend, more time to do all
we need to do, more money to buy more presents, more
decorations, more….more….more….

Why do you think that you are not enough…for yourself and
for everyone else. The simplest of celebrations sometimes
can be the most enjoyable. Everyone is relaxed and simply
reveling in what they are experiencing. The Holidays are not
simply one day. one “EVE”, one gift or even one person.

Actually, when do you begin preparing for your Holidays?
I shop all year. My children and most of my grandchildren
are all grown up so I do not purchase one gift for each.
I fill stockings for each. Throughout the year, as I am
going along doing other shopping, I keep an eye out for
small things that I think they would enjoy. Sometimes
it is a funny gift or something I heard them say they would
like or something I am guided to give them.

My children and grandchildren have no idea what is in
their stockings because I “disguise” the gifts. I wrap
each one individually and sometimes I am able to
change the shape or put it in a bigger box than it actually
calls for. Even after the wrapping is off, they are never sure
if the box is empty or if it actually contains what the writing
on the box says is in it. It was so heartwarming to hear
my granddaughter tell her son, my great grandson, that
Memere wraps things in ways or boxes that you can’t
recognize so expect to be surprised.

I have a grandson who has his own car now, so he has
graduated to getting a signature item….a coupon for a
free car wash. My adult children look forward to getting
that each Christmas as they know that their car will at
least get one car wash during the winter with all its mud
and salt. His sister is old enough to have a car but she
hasn’t saved enough for one yet, so I wrapped a $10 bill
in a very small box. Another signature item is a calendar
from my church that is actually like a lottery ticket. Each
calendar has a unique number and there are drawings all
year that give prized from $25 and up. Usually one of my
children will win at least once and then the stub is put
back in for other drawings. Sometimes they get candy, or
even small tools that are so useful in the “junk drawer”. Things
that you only need once in a great while but are so grateful
that you have it when you need it.

When I discussed Christmas with my children as the family
had expanded and I was buying toys for the young
grandchildren, they agreed for me to stop buying gifts for
them but the thing that they wanted to keep most of all was
their stockings. It is exciting to have a lot of gifts to open,
never knowing what it is,even if it is nonsensical.

I have also graduated to using paper shopping gift bags for the
stockings so they each can carry their gifts back home with them.

Would you believe that my little tree is still up and there are bags
(stockings) under it? My oldest son and his family were supposed
to come the day after Christmas. He fell ill while they were in
New York on Christmas Day and was hospitalized . He is still
recovering but at home. We are hoping to celebrate Christmas
tomorrow if he is up to it.

So you see, you can have Christmas even after New Years.
Christmas never actually ends. It is truly a state of mind. I must
say though, that it will be nice to put my tree away and for
things to get back to normal. I am looking forward to
sharing the Christmas spirit with the rest of my family tomorrow.

I sincerely hope that you had the opportunity to listen to
Jennifer McLean’s Predictions Week. It was great and
we did a lot of laughing as well as hearing all the great
things that will happen in 2011.

Jennifer did it again and she came up with the most
fabulous idea of creating a Healing Circle that all
of us can participate in. Just imagine the prayer
energy that we can send to the world as well as
to each other. You can make a difference. I
know I will be registering as I love the opportunity
of joining with all like minded people once a month
and making a difference in my life and the lives of
others.

Check it out here!!! I hope you will join us…

==> http://www.mcleanmasterworks. com/1111PrayerCircle

Love and Light

Mary Grace
www.TheWoundedChalice.com
www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]

PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

MERRY CHRIST MAS

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Beloved,

I wish you a very Merry Christ Mas. The hustle
and bustle is settling down and we are preparing to welcome
the baby Jesus and all of our loved ones. All family and friends
make this a holyday of joy and celebration. Yes, we are busy
but we are busy preparing our gifts to give to each other…. The
gifts of time, love, devotion and also gratitude.

How often do we think of the Holy Family who is quite a symbol
for us of love and devotion to one another. Christ Mas is the first
model of ourselves as a family so this is why family is so important
on this special holiday. Yet, the ones who do not have “family” have
no need to feel left out. Families are a symbol of love which means
that whoever we love IS our family and we have an abundance of
Love which shows up in a myriad of ways and circumstances.

Last week, my granddaughter Holly, her partner Amber and their son
Morgan, my first great grandchild came for a visit. What a priceless
gift they gave me of their presence. They stayed 6 hours while we
ate, opened presents and got caught up on each other’s doings.
Morgan who is nine, brought a friend with him and they both enjoyed
sliding on the edge of the lake which was frozen but still had some
places that were not frozen. The boys can’t wait to come back and
walk and slide over the whole lake. That was my first Christmas
celebration this year.

My youngest son Bruce will come over tomorrow morning, Christ Mas
morning and we will get to chat and open gifts. What a way to start
Christ Mas Day. That is my second Christ Mas celebration.

The next day my oldest son Steve with his wife Angelica, and son Michael
and daughter Victoria will come over for breakfast and a visit. My other
granddaughter Laura needs to work so I will get to visit with her at a later time.

Can you imagine four Christ Mas’, each one different with different
personalities and different ages but each one so special in my heart.
Love for each other is what makes each visit special and also what makes
us a family. There will be calls to friends intermingled with that and I
include my friends as my family too.

Yet…..what truly signifies Christ Mas for me is the welcoming of
the child Jesus at the midnight mass. This year, I feel so privileged
as I was asked to do the readings at this special Mass. I consider
my congregation as my family also as we celebrate Mass each week
as a family. Although I do not know them all personally, we share
the celebration of the Mass each week so there is the energy of
coming together with a common focus.

I feel so blessed that putting my emotions into words this day is
presenting me with a challenge. I wish to thank each and every
one of you for allowing me to come into your home each week
and sharing the tidbits that I hope brings some joy and laughter.

The link below captures for me what Christ Mas is all about.
Notice all the different personalities and yet the common
bond of energy throughout these innocent children. It is in
the eyes of the innocent that truth reveals itself and allows
LOVE to be shared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ki8EcnVbd-Q

Love and Light,

Mary Grace

www.TheWoundedChalice.com

www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog

[email protected]

PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

A VISION AND SWANS ON THE LAKE

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I had an experience which I would dearly love to share with
you. I just do not know that I can put into words what I felt
and saw. Have you ever had a moment that was so profound
you wanted to share it with the world or at least your closest
friends? Were you able to articulate what you felt?

This past week I woke one morning and, as usual, the first thing
I do is open the blinds so I can what kind of a day it is. I did not
notice anything unusual and since it was my day to go to yoga
class, I did not dilly dally along. I did my toiletries and next on
my daily agenda is prayer and meditation. I went into my living
room where my altar and meditation chair are but first I always
raise the shades so I can look out my bow window to see what is
happening on the lake.

I felt like I was pushed back into another time and place. I have
lived here for 14 years and have never seen the lake look like this.
I am used to seeing the lake looking like glass with the sun shining
and the water a mirror for everything around the lake. I love it and
it always stirs my heart when it happens. I would like to say it happens
every morning but in actuality, the sun is not always out or the water is
choppy because of the wind. The lake has a personality that differs from
day to day and moment to moment during the day.

The sun was not out this morning and there was fog so that the furthest
mountains were shielded from view. The water was so still and so was
the air, no movement was perceivable. Not only was the water reflecting
all the homes, docks and everything else around the lake but it was also
reflecting the fog. The mirror image of the fog was surrounding the homes
and mountains reflected on the water. I noticed that the mirror images were
more defined than the actual physicality. The tops of the trees were more
defined in the water than they were just standing there on the shore.

I was transported into an experience I am having a problem describing,
I was IMMERSED in the feeling. I did not use my binoculars as the magic
was in the totality and huge expanse of the whole. I forced myself to
focus on the individual images but could not maintain that focus. I
had to see the whole of what it was to participate in the joy and awe.

Suddenly, I noticed the buoys in the water which were not, of course, on
the land and a big AHA moment came into my being. AS ABOVE, SO
BELOW. I am sure you have heard that expression. Which reality was
real? ABOVE was heaven and BELOW was the earth. Yet the earth was
mirroring heaven except for some glitches in the creation such as the buoys.

Above us (heaven) is the perfection of creation, all is as it is supposed to be.
We humans(earth) are a reflection of that perfection but we have super-
imposed our own ideas of what should be so we have added a human
touch to what was originally perfection. Neither is right nor wrong, it
just is our perception that is different.

As you can see, I am struggling to share my deepest interpretation of
this experience which defies description. I only wish I could share
the enormity of that moment. In fact, as I was preparing to leave
shortly, I had to pull myself away so I could be on time for yoga.
That “enlightment” stayed with me for hours though. I tried to
share it with my yoga instructor. I know she “FELT” what I was
trying to convey even though I just could not totally put it into words.

This morning, I received another gift from the lake. I am so blessed to
now have the time (most of the time) to ponder the messages I am
receiving from above. My sincerest wish is that you have a moment
to ponder the miracles that are there for you to see in every moment. It
might not be a lake, but it could be a tree, flower, bird, plant, person
that wakes you up to the beauty that is there for you to see if you just
take the time to be aware of what is actually in front of you. I still practice
being in the moment as often as I can.

When I opened my blind this morning, I could see a lot of white things out on
the lake but could not see what they were. I went to my bow window and
pulled out my trusty binoculars which are used quite often in this season for
the migratory life that shows up. I could not believe my eyes, the white
things were SWANS, 18 of them. 1+8=9 and 9 is the number of completion.
I took this as a sign that I had completed a phase of my spiritual growth.

In 14 years, there was only one appearance of a swan who stayed for two
weeks. I so loved watching him/her. But 18 of them???? After I enjoyed
watching them for a while, I went to the book Animal-Speak by Ted
Andrews which includes a comprehensive dictionary of animal, bird and
reptile symbolism. A swan’s key note is: Awakening theTrue Beauty and
Power of Self and the cycle of power is: Winter. Wow, Wow, Wow.

The swan is one of the most powerful and ancient of totems(symbols).
This is reflected in its name. It is one of the oldest names in the English
language, and is has come down un-changed since AngloSaxon times.
For those with this totem, the emotions will become more sensitive, and
you will find yourself becoming more sensitive to the emotions of others,
as well.

The neck of the swan is long and graceful. It is one of the swan’s most
distinguishing features. The neck is a bridge area between the head
(higher realms) and the body (lower worlds). In the swan totem, as you
begin to realize your own true beauty, you unfold the ability to bridge to
new realms and new powers. This ability to awaken to the inner beauty
and bridge it to the outer world is part of what swan medicine can
teach. It can show how to see the inner beauty within yourself or in
others, regardless of outer appearances. When we are capable of this,
we become a magnet to others. This is reflected in the familiar story by
Hans Christian Anderssen, “The Ugly Duckling.”

Have you ever felt like an ugly duckling? Have you ever felt so different
from those around you? Know that there is a beautiful swan inside of you
and let it show to all around you. You too can be a bridge!

My wish for you is to see the beautiful swan inside yourself and be
transported to the magic and love for yourself.

Swan Lake, as you have never seen it performed.

Well Worth watching – surprises.

http://www.nzwide.com/ swanlake.htm

Love and Light

Mary Grace
www.TheWoundedChalice.com
www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]