Tag Archives: abundance

Let’s Do the Time Warp Again

Posted on by momentumofjoy

time warpWhere have you gone Jo? I have received this question so so so so many times over the last few months. And the person who has asked this more than anyone else is me. Every time, my answer has been the same. “It has been crazy busy but things are going to slow down after this week.” And then it would move to after the next week. And the next. And and and…

Does this ever happen to you? You get caught up in that swirl of trying to balance what you want to do, what you need to do and what you have to do. Blogging doesn’t seem to fit on the list of “need to do” items, but for me, it has become surprisingly important. There is something very grounding about finding a direction for my thoughts and feelings. The nebulous and unclear suddenly become meaningful opportunities to learn or view life from a new perspective. And between you, me and the internet, I could use a few extra perspective shifts.

But lately (and by lately, I mean the past few months), time seems to be in short supply. My earlier post about daylight savings time made me laugh but it also caused me to notice that I truly have felt the hours disappearing before me. I can’t help but smile at this little snippet of irony as my belief is that time is basically a big honkin’ illusion (this would be the same illusion that I have allowed into the driver’s seat of my life over the past few months).

As of this moment, I am once again under the impression that normality is about to be restored (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – I heart you!). Please keep in mind that I’m not actually sure what “normal” is, but I do sense more quiet moments ready to break up the incessant scheduling. I don’t know. I guess I’ll see what happens after this post. But for now, for this moment, I feel good and I am hopeful.

Big big hugs to all of you. I have missed you tremendously and hope you are doing well. Jo

Question for You

Posted on by momentumofjoy

question-markSo I have a little question for you. If you have a moment, I would love your thoughts on this. If not, that’s okay, too! :)

The quick summary is that I have been offered a lovely opportunity to give a class on the basics of intuition and how to tap into it in your life. I know that the basics may be a thing of the past for some of you, but I imagine that this is not true for many others. I would genuinely appreciate your letting me know what kinds of topics you would want to discuss or questions you might ask given the opportunity. I truly value your noggin and any helpful thoughts it might kick out!

Thank you again dear friends. Have a lovely week! Joanna

Is This a Job or a Calling?

Posted on by momentumofjoy

work-in-progressIs this a job or a calling? A few days ago, I would have responded “If you have to ask, you have your answer – and calling is not it.”

Over the last few months, I have felt like I have been stretched razor-thin in an effort to live two work lives – the job and the calling. As many of you have noticed, I have been M.I.A. from the blogging world for quite a while now. The “job” is what I do from 8-5 every work day, and, lately, it has been anything but 8-5. It gets the bills paid, and I am truly thankful for the work, the company, and most of all the people with whom I work. Then there is the “calling.” This is the part where I get to work with people on an intuitive level and see lives, possibilities, and beliefs change before my eyes. It is hard for me to find words to describe the divine connection that flows in those moments. The spirituality of the sessions is not felt in a light undertone but rather an in your face “holy mackerel Batman!” kinda moment. How can you possibly beat that???

Are these two lives really as different as I have made them out to be? Or does this difference fade if I can shift my perspective, my perception, and, ultimately, my choices in how I move throughout the hours of my day?

A couple of days ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a lecture given by a fabulous speaker and author by the name of Marianne Williamson. I’m sure that her name says it all for some of you, but frankly, I was not familiar with her work. She is a student of “A Course in Miracles.” That would be another item on my list of “Stuff I Don’t Know Anything About Yet But Now Want to Learn.” One of my major takeaways from her incredible talk was that any disconnect in your life reflects a disconnect with God’s Love. I am not referring to a “you are a stinker and therefore are getting what you deserve” kind of disconnect. This is about the way you move through your life and how or maybe the better word is if you allow God’s Love to guide your decisions and reactions.

Where does this fit in with the job vs. calling theme? Well Marianne discussed the job and the calling, and then she said something that absolutely broke my noggin wide open. “Every business is just a front for a church.” If the word “church” eeks you out, change it! Maybe think of it like this… “Every business is an opportunity to have a connection with God and others” or “Every business offers endless moments to grow spiritually as an individual and a community.” I really like that last one because it feels so very true for me.

I realized that I had been feeling so pulled apart because I was stressed about the spiritual roller coaster I was riding throughout my days. Way up high in some moments, and hurtling back down to earth the next. The funny part of that metaphor is that like a roller coaster, you never really get to walk away from spirituality and your connection to God (Source, Love, you pick the word!). Faith doesn’t dissolve because you have left your place of worship, you aren’t currently in heavy prayer, or you aren’t meditating. Angels don’t stop keeping watch over you because it’s lunchtime. It doesn’t ever stop. Never!rubber band ball

So if God’s Love is working 24/7, that tells me that every one of those moments is an opportunity to invite Spirit to live in you, to allow God to speak through you, and to encourage yourself to make a higher more loving choice with every challenge that comes your way. Am I telling you to get in the face of colleagues and preach the good word? Not so much, but please know that I’m not judging that either. I just wasn’t raised with that kind of approach. To me, that’s like trying to get close to a butterfly. If you make too much noise, you scare them off. If that’s your bag baby, go for it and own it with joy! I personally prefer a more gentle method of sharing my faith. This is ironic because I am gentle like a brillo pad with regard to everything else in my life. However when it comes to faith, I believe that people should be allowed to move at the pace they choose. It’s their journey, not mine, and I believe that it is their path to choose and follow. But I’m always ready to talk as soon as the door is opened. :)

Ultimately what I trying to convey is that no matter where you are, no matter what you do, no matter if you have a job or not, you always have the choice to live your calling! Speak genuine truth. Act with kindness and honesty. Listen to your guidance and do the right thing. Deal with rude goofball people who push your buttons with as much patience as you can muster, and ask for forgiveness and spiritual reinforcement when that utterly fails. Send love and light to everyone around you, especially those you would rather throw darts at. Pray for blessings for those in your home but also send love to those in your office, school, and all those you connect with each day (and that includes your postal workers because while many think they are grouchy, I assure you that they take a serious emotional beating from their customers every day – I have seen it and I am sure you have as well). And most of all, when you fall down and choose the exact opposite of God’s Love, know that you can make a better choice the next time. And if that flops, you’ll get another chance. Ask for guidance, pray for divine grace, and just keep moving toward the best you that you can be. Maybe you can’t make the best choice on your own, but the awesome news is that you don’t have to. (Please see God’s 24/7 Love and divine grace.)

Stop listening for your spiritual calling because that phone never really stops ringing! God will update your spiritual inbox and to do list as you go. So is it a job or a calling? It may be a job, but if you choose, it can be a calling, too. So make the change and take the call! :)

I have missed each of you so very much and thank you again for all of your wonderfully caring emails and messages. Big hugs to all of you!! Joanna

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A Christmas Story

Posted on by momentumofjoy

ralphie-bunny-suit-a-christmas-story

I was telling a friend yesterday how my tinsel had been dragging a bit this holiday season.  Much like her, I felt like I was showing up a little later to the holiday spirit than was my normal style.  While growing up, it was a holiday tradition to bug the #@!% out of my parents on Thanksgiving night and drive them to madness until they retrieved all Christmas paraphernalia from the attic.  This was a great game, but it seems that parenting karma has caught up with me via my own daughter who has also mastered the skill.  The turkey isn’t even off my plate before she begins the campaign.  Oh Christmas Past - you have a sly sense of humor.  It’s kind of like how getting mail used to be so exciting, but now it’s just another thing to go through.

How Grinchy did that sound???  To be clear, I LOVE LOVE LOVE CHRISTMAS and the whole holiday season.  It is my absolute favorite time of year.  Perhaps I just felt off because of the 80 degree winter we have going on (welcome to Texas).  Maybe it was the somewhat daunting mile high pile of boxes that looked like I was trying to maintain the stock price for Hobby Lobby.  I don’t know, but I decided it was time to shake it off.

26-Leg-lamp-christmas-storySoooo I popped in the best holiday movie of all time – “A Christmas Story”.  Now I must say that I basically love every holiday movie ever made (with a few notable exceptions to remain unnamed) and force my family to watch them repeatedly throughout November and December.  However nothing can compare to the level of awesome one-liners in “A Christmas Story.”  To put it mildly, it’s freaking hysterical.

The holiday spirit can’t stay amiss for long when you watch this one.  And after that, I decorated the tree with my daughter (the same tree that had been sitting with lights only in our living room for the past week).  I then popped in “It’s A Wonderful Life” and the whole family made gingerbread houses and gingerbread Christmas trees.  Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to say they were gingerbread houses.  They are more like gingerbread tenements.  Am I the only person who feels like the pictures on those boxed sets are slightly (completely and totally) false advertising???  Or are we just Christmas craft losers??  Regardless we made a huge mess and it was quite fun.  I am confident that the holiday spirit will live on via the white and green icing that now covers my table and kitchen.

So if you, too, have been feeling a little under-spirited this holiday season, give the movie a whirl.  It’s not like you will shoot your eye out if you do!  ;)

“Some men are Baptists, others Catholics.  My father was an Oldsmobile man.”  – Ralphie in “A Christmas Story”

double dog dare

When You’re at Your Lowest

Posted on by momentumofjoy

Lowest to Highest

Absolutely spectacular!  I love it!

A Little Moment

Posted on by momentumofjoy

I have been giving a great deal of thought to Louise’s wonderful post entitled “A Compliment Makes a Difference.”  I reblogged it so I am hoping you had the opportunity to read it.  If not, the link is at the bottom of this post and is very much worth the click!  Anyhoo, I have been contemplating the conversation Louise had with the homeless man she talked about in her entry.  It wasn’t an earth shattering moment.  Rather the beauty of it was how sweet and simple it was.  Two people speaking with kindness to each other - that was it.

In thinking about this, I remembered a little moment that I experienced a couple of weeks ago.  Before I go into the scenario, I want to be 10,000% clear that I am NOT sharing this story for hurrahs or pats on the back.  Rather I am just offering a perspective that maybe some people hadn’t considered (just like each of you spectacular people do for me every single day).

So here’s the situation – I DESPISE cleaning bathrooms.  I mean I HAAAAATE it.  Do you know what happens there??  Eww!  I don’t care if I am related to those bodies or not.  I want nothing to do with it.  So keeping that in mind, you can slightly imagine the mini-panic attacks I have when going into a questionable public restroom.  That was too bad for me because me, myself and my issues had to “use the facilities” at a very public restroom – a massive football stadium jam-packed with thousands of crazy potty-using fans.  By the way there are no gross details to this story, so please tell your inner germaphobe to chill out.

  There were ten zillion women filling the countless stalls (yet of course there was still a line), fixing their hair, and trying to get paper towels without touching the knob.  But the restroom was actually surprisingly clean.  As I started to head out of the area, I noticed a little woman hustling all over the place doing everything possible to keep it presentable.  She was efficiently doing her job as everybody else was hurrying along (as much as women can in a restroom) to get back to the game.

I can’t say that she was singing and dancing around the stalls, but she was working so hard.  As someone who flips at cleaning my own children’s bathroom, I cannot comprehend cleaning one that serves 25,000 women (to say nothing of the men’s room).  And at that moment, I realized how genuinely thankful I was for the work she was doing.  So I walked over to her and said “I just want to tell you thank you so much for keeping this restroom so nice and clean.  I really appreciate that.”

I swear this sweet little women looked at me like I offered her the Nobel Potty Prize.  She was absolutely elated.  Her face said it all.  “You see me and what I do matters.  I matter.  I am not invisible.”  It’s hard to describe the shift in her energy and the beauty of the smile that immediately lit up her face.  I felt incredibly humbled by her reaction because it shouldn’t have been a big deal but it was.  I realized right then that she had probably never heard that before.  The absolute beauty of this little moment keeps playing in my head over and over again.

When I read Louise’s story, it reminded me of the importance of each person’s role is in this life – regardless of which side of the conversation you are on.  Every individual is precious.  We may not make choices that change someone’s world each day, but we can certainly change their day.  And in doing so, we may unintentionally change our own lives.

So maybe next time you see someone doing something you wouldn’t want to do or living a life you wouldn’t choose, just send a little extra love their direction.  Maybe you say thank you.  Maybe you say hi.  Or maybe you just say a prayer.  No matter what you choose, always know that a little love goes such a long way.

Blessings, love and light to each of you.  Joanna

http://ayearofmakingadifference.com/2012/11/27/a-compliment-makes-a-difference/

The Soul Always Knows

Posted on by momentumofjoy

Note to self…

Beautiful People

Posted on by momentumofjoy

Lovely.  Absolutely lovely.

Going Topless for Christmas

Posted on by momentumofjoy

Before anyone gets their tinsel in a bunch, please allow me to explain. As is my way, I will sidetrack a bit but just hold your reindeer. I’ll get to the topless part in a moment.

The evening began with my taking my daughter out for a quick tour around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights. It’s one of our little holiday traditions that makes the boys run the other direction. No worries. We are fine being two single babes scoping out the holiday hood.

Well we were driving merrily around until I heard my five-year old shriek “JESUS!!!!” Needless to say I was more than a bit horrified to hear my little girl take the Lord’s name in vain with such force. I hit the brakes and turned around to have a serious talk with her. And of course at that point I noticed the nativity scene out the window. Ah yes. That Jesus. Bad parenting crisis #5,324,112 averted. So we finished the tour and headed back home to start decorating the inside of the house.

My husband had already retrieved the tree and holiday decorations from the attics. (There are three of them, but don’t be impressed. These attics are ridiculously dinky and therefore force us to create intricate mazes of boxes that only Stanley Kubrick could appreciate. Seriously – who are the goofballs who designed this house? That would be my husband and me. Way to go us.)

Correction – I had adamantly insisted on getting the stuff down myself because I HAD to have it right at that moment, dropped (and smashed) a mini tree (that weighed 40 lbs) on his hand and then the garage floor, subsequently realized that I wasn’t strong enough to move (let alone lift) the majority of the boxes, and proceeded to watch my husband handle the rest with an almost broken hand. Fail. Ah yes the holidays are officially here at the MoJo house!

Well I moved all ten thousand garland and ornament boxes inside the house and started to assemble the tree. We don’t have a real tree (but oh how I love them!) as my track record with live trees is questionable at best. I’m not sure how you can kill a tree that is already on its way off the planet, but it’s a magical talent I have. I have officially confirmed that rotten pine is a smell that is indescribably sad and seriously stanky.  True and still unfathomable as to how I got the former tree(s) in such a state.

Consequently for the past few years, we have had a couple of lovely fake trees. They weigh a zillion pounds so they typically come in multiple sections. I put the two large sections together and noticed that the top of the tree was nowhere to be found. And this is where we get to the topless part of the show. What were YOU thinking I meant???

So I proceeded to spend the next hour and a half turning the house upside down looking for this little section of the tree. Eventually I recruited my husband and kids to assist in the hunt. We scoured the attics, trunks, closets, garage, Christmas boxes and anything that was standing still. And then we did it again. It took up the whole evening and soon it was time to put the monkeys to bed. Poor babies but they were really good sports about it all.

I came downstairs to find my husband entering the house after yet another tour of the garage. Still no luck. Sigh. For some crazy reason, he decided to check out the top of the highest assembled section of the tree to see how much was missing. And that would be the moment when he reached up and unfolded the top section of the tree that was actually already attached to the tree. Ah yes. That top section. And the magic just goes on and on. So in the end it turned out that our tree would not be going topless for Christmas after all.

Needless to say I have learned at least two things from this little event. One – it is best to check the entire tree before sending your family on a wild goose chase. Two – if you search for images of topless trees on Google, you will find topless but there will be no trees in sight. My retinas are still burning.

As I have told many of those who know me well, I could build you a television with my bare hands, but I probably couldn’t turn it on. What can I say? I would like to tell you that it is part of my quirky charm. My husband would probably have a few other adjectives to add, but he will need to create his own blog for that. So hopefully my brain is on its way back from vacation, and this is the last shining moment of holiday awesomeness I will have to deal with. And to that, I am certain God is saying “Ho Ho Ho!!!” ;)

It’s Alive!!!

Posted on by momentumofjoy

The very first thing I need to say is yes I am very much okay and absolutely alive!  :)   Next I need to tell you how much I completely love each of you who emailed, called and sent notes checking to verify the status of said okay-ness and alive-ity. I have very much missed you, too.  And last but by no means least, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  For those of you who participated in Thanksgiving festivities, I hope you survived your families and cooking with style.  Now let the shopping on Amazon begin (or wherever you feel the need to brave in person)!

So where have I been?  Well I’ll spare you the snoozy details and just summarize it with the following.  Kids, life, and a new deal at work have been consuming my time like a rat on a cheeto.  It’s all good stuff but I have noticed that my health (and sanity) seem to have taken an early Christmas holiday.  I was hurting a fair amount this evening and realized how disconnected I had become.  Of course I had been missing blogging and bloggers (yeah I’m talking about you!), but I think I had forgotten how much I get from an energetic standpoint whenever I write posts and read the amazing stuff you guys (and gals!) write.

Energetic standpoint – say what?  Well to put it mildly, I mean that I feel better.  Speaking a little more honestly, I mean that I sense a very direct connection with my guidance when I sit down and start pecking away on this keyboard.  It is freeing on every level.  I can breathe, relax, and stop mentally making lists of stuff to do over the coming day.  Nice.

So I plan on finding time for this again.  I have missed you and I have missed feeling connected.  I’m alive and it is so on again baby!  xoxo  Joanna  ;)