Women's Well: Let's Discuss All Topics, Hosted by Oiseau

There are many ways and myriad reasons for women to honor and embrace all that they are. And when any individual woman chooses to do so, all women collectively move closer to becoming what they are truly capable of being. By honoring her experience and being willing to share it with others—both male and female—she teaches as she learns. When she can trust herself and her inner voice, she teaches those around her to trust her as well. Clasping hands with family members and friends, coworkers and strangers in a shared walk through the journey of life, she allows all to see the self-respect she possesses and accepts their respect, too, that is offered through look, word, and deed.

When a woman can look back into her past, doing so without regret and instead seeing only lessons that brought her to her current strength and wisdom, she embraces the fullness of her experience. She helps those around her to build upon the past as she does. And when she chooses to create her desires, she places her power in the present and moves forward with life into the future.

Seeing her own divinity, a woman learns to recognize the divinity in all women. She then can see her body as a temple, appreciating its feminine form and function, regardless of what age or stage of life she finds herself. She can enjoy all that it brings to her experience and appreciate other women and their experiences as well. Rather than seeing other women as competition, she can look around her to see the cycle of life reflected in the beauty of her sisters, reminding her of her own radiance should she ever forget. She can then celebrate all the many aspects that make her a being worthy of praise, dancing to express the physical, speaking proudly to express her intellect, sharing her emotions, and leading the way with her spiritual guidance. Embracing her womanhood, she reveals the facets that allow her to shine with the beauty and strength of a diamond to illuminate her world

For more information visit dailyom.com

Spotlight: Stick a dime in the expired parking meter of a stranger's car.

Visit a housebound relative. Compliment a coworker.

Let a harried parent and child check out ahead of you at the supermarket. Help serve dinner at a local soup kitchen.

Give up your seat on the bus.

Write a note of thanks to someone who has had an influence on your life.

Collect bottles and cans for recycling and give the proceeds to charity.

Smile. It's Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Quote: Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. — Mark Twain

with supplication for any particular situation so I will jump in with personal necessities.

Dear Lord, please help me endure pain with less of an edge. I have noticed that my tolerance levels have diminished quite a bit and that I tire of pain killers that don't seem to lessen the acuteness.

By changing my daily practices of participating in un-Christian activity I may then find some solace in Peaceful endurance.

In your Holy Name.........

— or All Saints' Day Eve — is not just for trick or treaters.

The holiday's origins lie in pagan practices, most notably the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the beginning of the Celtic new year.

According to legend, this was the time when the spirits of those who had died during the previous year came to visit, searching for a living body they could possess.

To frighten these spirits away, the living dressed up in costume and roamed the neighborhood, creating noise and mayhem.

Quote: "From ghoulies and ghosties/ And long-leggedy beasties/ And things that go bump in the night/ Good Lord, deliver us!" — Scottish prayer

Offering Comfort

Sometimes it is difficult to see someone we love struggling, in pain, or hurting. When this happens, we might feel like we need to be proactive and do something to ease their troubles. While others may want our help, it is important to keep in mind that we need to be sensitive to what they truly want in the moment, since it can be all too easy to get carried away and say or do more than is really needed. Allowing ourselves to let go and simply exist in the present with another person may actually provide a greater amount of comfort and support than we could ever imagine.

Perhaps we can think back to a time when we were upset and needed a kind word, hug, or listening ear from someone else. As we remember these times, we might think of the gestures of kindness that were the most healing. It may have been gentle words such as “I care about you,” or the soothing presence of someone holding us and not expecting anything that were the most consoling. When we are able to go back to these times it becomes easier for us to keep in mind that giving advice or saying more than is really necessary is not always reassuring. What is truly comforting for another is not having someone try to fix them or their problems, but to just be there for them. Should we begin to feel the urge arise to offer advice or repair a situation, we can take a few deep breaths, let the impulse pass, and bring our attention back to the present. Even though we may want to do more, we do not have to do anything other than this to be a good friend.

The more we are attuned to what our loved ones are feeling, the more capable we are of truly giving what is best for them in their hour of need. Keeping things simple helps us give the part of ourselves that is capable of the greatest amount of compassion—open ears and an understanding heart

For more information visit dailyom.com

Even Mother enjoys them too. I guess were never too old to learn huh ;)

Adapted from Clean Sweep by Denny Sargent (Weiser Books, 2007).

Have you ever been in a fog during a meeting with your boss, or have trouble clearing your head during an important talk with your teenager? Fuzzy thinking can intrude when we least want it!

This simple exercise will clear away those fuzzies when they occur. Learn how to take a quick break, get re-centered, and focused:

SIMPLE SOLUTION:

1. Stretch your whole body while leaning gently left, right, back and forward. Be sure to stretch your toes.

2. Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart and bend your knees slightly.

3. Focus your mental energy on your third eye. Focus on a simple image of a ball of light. Still your mind, think only on this ball. Keep your focus on it until you see the ball of light clearly.

4. While looking straight ahead, bring your hands together, cupping them toward each other without touching, in front of your chest. See the ball of light there between your cupped, parallel hands.

5. Holding the ball of light, move your hands in front of your belly while still standing straight.

6. Slowly move your hands and the ball of light up your body to your forehead/third eye. Inhale deeply as you do so and let the light pervade your mind.

7. Move the ball of light and your hands back down to your belly as you exhale.

8. Repeat this process three times or more.

9. At the last inhalation, release the ball of light. It fills your mind with energy and clarity.

10. Relax. Get to work!

Empowering Feminine Energy

So often in our world we tend to think of strength as a quality that arises from a place of firm determination and a will to succeed no matter the cost. Even though we might want to think of a strong woman as being defined in this way, what really makes a woman confident is her capacity for listening to her true self and being able to call upon her feminine wisdom to any situation that may arise. A woman does not need to step into an assertive role or act like a man in order to be effective at what she does—she simply needs to get in touch with her insight and sense of compassion to truly demonstrate the depth of her strength.

Listening to the feminine side of ourselves may not seem easy at first for this type of energy is something that is often overlooked in many aspects of our everyday lives. If we can connect with this part of who we are, however, we will find that there is an unlimited wellspring of strength available to us. Our capacity to tap into our intuition and listen to our inner guides, to take into account the needs of those around us, and to view a situation with compassion and love are ways that we can show the world the true power that is part of our feminine nature. When we learn to integrate this source of strength into our daily tasks and decision-making, we will find that we can be more flexible and open to the things that happen around us and more receptive to new ideas. Not only will we see the world in a different light, but we will truly start to realize the potential for this form of energy to both empower ourselves and those around us.

As we cultivate our feminine energy we can redefine the meaning of strength. By embracing our feminine power as something that is strong in its own right, we are able to use it with true assurance and determination and draw upon what truly belongs to us

For more information visit dailyom.com

Only the shallow know themselves.
- Oscar Wilde

my 2 hour a day cleaning routine and my 7 hour once a month cleaning.

I dust/polish everything in the house once a week.(Two rooms a day) I vacuum the whole house once a week and use my small floorvac everyday in the kitchen and front entry area. I change my sheets twice a week....do laundry every other day. Never use the dishwasher, and do the dishes by hand. Bathrooms get cleaned twice a week too. It's just mother and I around here, but we are both clean nuts. I'm home 24/7 most of the time and my surroundings make my mood..Guess that's why I enjoy changing my decor and renovate quite often too. Oh and windows in and out of house once a month(one window a day,till done). Almost forgot, I have two outside sitting areas too with couches and rocking chairs etc. I clean them once a week LOL

How many ladies STILL consider keeping up appearances vis-a-vis a super clean house.

Personally, when the children were young you could have eaten off my floors, now I couldn't care less at this stage of my life.

Well, that's not exactly true, when I see dust accumulating I mention it to David that maybe the vacuum needs testing again LOL. I do dust the furniture but not every day........ I can go for a couple of weeks even if no one writes on it. LOL

Always keep several get well cards on the mantel ....

so if unexpected guests arrive, they will think you've been sick and unable to clean.