The seed is planted…

Yesterday, I had a lesson that planted a beautiful seed within me.

When it was happening, I felt like I was wrong.

Like I was weak.

Like I was overly-sensitive, over-emotional, a cry-baby.

(Germinate – 6X6 canvas collage/paint – July 2011)

But you know what ?

As I came, through I realized that I am not weak, over-sensitive or over-emotional.

I have realized that I am compassionate, intensely loving, highly sensitive to the suffering of others, and empathetic.

I am a Sensitive.

Sensitives feel, see and know what others do not. This is your power and your gift to the world.

As a Sensitive you represent the future.

You will teach those who have closed down their hearts and who fight for power over others that there is another way to thrive.

You will teach collaboration as an alternative to competition.

You will demonstrate transparency and authenticity over concealment and deception.

You will embody compassion as an antidote to conflict.

You are the heroes, the teachers, the way-showers.

Your journey starts with self-acceptance, loving yourself exactly as you are and seeing your sensitivity for what it really is; a gift and tool of healing and transformation.

You are a teacher.

Your time is NOW.

You are the potential creator of what this planet is in desperate need of……..LOVE IN ACTION.

(Kimberly Jones – Energy Whisperer)

I am done seeing sensitivity as a weakness, in others or in my Self !

I know the power of Love and Compassion.

I am going to let it Shine, no matter where I am.

If that makes you feel a little uncomfortable, then maybe you need to look inward and examine your Loving Core to find out why.

I am pledging to myself and my world, that I will fiercely put Love into Action

wherever I can in this One Precious Life.

This seed is firmly planted.

Now just watch it grow !

Big, big Love to you, Beautiful Ones !

Big Heart is on the Move...

"Big Heart Walking"

art journal page - detail

When you are a Big Heart Walking Around, sometimes you feel like an antenna for the emotions and experiences of those around you.

I think that is one of the sweetest, yet hardest part of being a big heart... is the empathy you feel for others...

Empathy - definition :

Main Entry: em·pa·thy
Pronunciation: \ˈem-pə-thē\
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek empatheia, literally, passion, from empathēs emotional, from em- + pathos feelings, emotion — more at pathos
Date: 1850
1 : the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it

2 : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for this

Patti Digh has posted some wonderful videos on her blog today with lessons that we can all use and remember. The first one I watched was about offering our neighbors empathy and how valuable it is for our own hearts as well.

I am going to love on my neighbor today, quite literally.

On September 9th, it will be one year since my beautiful neighbor, Katherine, died.

I feel the need to let her husband, Stephen, know how much I am thinking about him and how I am sharing his pain. We haven't talked much in the last few months, just waves across the fence again. But I can't seem to let this anniversary pass without acknowledging it. So I am writing him a note to let him know I am thinking of him and sending prayers his way.

I also want to let him know about the beautiful hydrangea that David and I planted in our backyard this spring in Katherine's honor. It bloomed beautifully this summer in spite of the horrible June and July we had. I like to think Katherine had something to do with that. I like to think that Stephen will feel the same...

This day could go by without me taking action to show my empathy. I could just do what I do most every day and keep my thoughts of sadness and compassion for my neighbor to myself. I could let fear prevent me from offering up some extra loving to someone I am positive needs it.

But you know what ?

Life is too short to worry about feeling awkward. Loving makes the heart feel whole.

Life is too precious to not connect however we can with those around us. We are all in it together after all.

So this Big Heart is off to do some walking this morning...right next door...

Maybe you could keep an eye out for someone in your world that needs some extra loving and empathy today ? How's that for a worthwhile job for this Monday ?