Sparkling Secret-Paradigm Shift: There is Always Enough Love

 The World is So Breathtakingly Beautiful.

So awesomely delightful

 We feel our greatest
JOY
when we are
 filled with Love and Awe,

humble
and in a 
State of grace.

But how often do we go thru life's motions, 
certain we are on top of everything- 
that we have everything figured out?  
Then without warning something happens and 

we have a flash of insight that  

knocks us to our knees 
and back to that 
blessed  state of 
humble, 
a bit less of a 
"know it all".

Here is a story about one of those times. 
 I dare you not to have your heart open... even a smidge!

 If you want to know what 
God is Like ...watch a child. 

 We were the only family with children in the restaurant. 

I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his fat baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. 

He wriggled and giggled with glee.

 I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. 

It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat, dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, 

but I was sure he smelled. 

His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists.

 "Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" 

Erik continued to laugh and answer,

 "Hi, hi there."

 Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 

"Do ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo?

 Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." 

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence,

 all except for Erik, 

who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. 

 We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. 

"Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. 

As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before I could stop him,Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. 

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship. 

Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor-gently, so gently, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then 

his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. 

He said in a firm commanding voice, 

 "You take care of this baby."

 Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest-unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said,  

"God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." 

 With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. 

I felt it was God asking 

"Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" 

After all... didn't he share His?

 The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 

 "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children." 

 

Today- instead of avoiding love, howzabout we
Look For It??
Share YOUR Sparkle
Share your LOVE 
It's amazing how little it costs! 
Grow a sparkle Garden today!
Have a Sparkly Day My Friends!

Linking with
White Wednesday 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Time Travel Thursday 
Pink Saturday


Note:  I was sent this story as one of those emails I almost didn't read.  Don't know who wrote it- if you do let me know!!! 

Our First Pink Saturday Giveaway!!!

Happy Pink Saturday my Sparkly Friends!

 Welcome to my new blog- Sparkle Mining!  

It's for when you might be feeling blue, 

                          or in need of some inspiration, 

or would like an idea of something you can do or read 

that may help you feel better.
For me,
PREZZIES
(presents)
always
make me feel better-
so that's why I am having a 
BIG GIVEAWAY!!

The base is a 

Vintage Fenton 

Iridescent Hobnail Vase

All you have to do is
1. Leave me a sparkly comment
2.  Follow me!
The Giveaway will remain open
until I reach 
200 Followers!
BUT WAIT BOB-
THERE'S MORE!!

If you 
BLOG
about Sparkle Mining
(only if you like it)
You will receive
  10 entries
and a chance to be in a 
separate giveaway
for this little lovely
Lilac Birdie Cupcake!
Please make sure to email me and let me know where to see your post!

So how much fun is that??

I want to wish you all a very 

Happy Mother's day

Happy Pink Saturday

And have a 

Pink

Sparkly

Weekend!

Big Sparkly Lovey Hugs,

Tobi and the Pixies

About Fear...Thought for the day

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

 

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. 

 There is nothing enlightened about 

shrinking 

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

 

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

 

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

 Nelson Mandela

The new Share Your Sparkle Party!!

Have you ever broken a small branch
 off of a bush in early spring
 thinking it was dead,
only to find that inside it was green-
Living Green?

Well sometimes I feel a lot like a twig.

Sometimes life and it's challenges
make my leaves shed and take away my sparkle so I feel lifeless.

I KNOW that I am alive,

but the trouble is-

I don't feel very alive.

Instead, I just hide in my daily routines

and "suck it up"

and go thru the motions.

This,

My Sparkly Friends

is a very sad state to be in.

But you know what?

We can DO something about it.

Let's make a pact to

rediscover our

Sparkle

our

JOY de VIVRE!

It can be as simple as finding a beautiful new

Blog,

Or as deep as an online

 Class
that will
Restore your soul...

!

We all have links and favorite blogs that

give us joy and inspiration.

Here is a new kind of

LINK PARTY

The

Share Your Sparkle Party

it is a blog party with a twist-

Instead of linking to YOURSELF

You link to Someone

or something that

Inspires you!

YES!

SEnd them the gift of

Traffic

And new friends!

It can be decorating, gardening, a beautiful blog,

Whatever makes your little heart

SPARKLE

and

Shine!!!

I will do a weekly post featuring

a

Sparkle Worthy New Friend!

 The Sparkle Party
will be held right here at
SPARKLE MINING
Please don't forget to follow!!

Have You Been To The Dump Lately?

Hello My Sparkly Friends!

So one of the surest ways to dull your sparkle

 is to have an overloaded brain. 

 You know, everything is shoved up in there

 like that closet you are scared to open 

cause you know you might get killed by all the junk falling out!

My handy dandy solution to overstuffed brain is 

"The Daily Brain Dump" as I call it!  

Nothing productive can happen in your life 

if you don't sort out your brain, 

and the "DBD" is the way to go.

Squirrels forget because they can't write and empty their brain every morning!

Do YOU know where all of your nuts are??

The "Daily Brain Dump" is actually what Julia Cameron describes in her book 

"The Artist's Way" as "Morning Pages".

If you do nothing else in life for yourself 

other than start a daily habit of "DBD",

 I assure you it will help quite a lot.

S

The term "Dump" for me is also symbolic (albeit not so pretty an image).  Think about a real dump and recycling facility.  There are huge machines that help to separate

 the types of junk and garbage brought in.

Look at this pile of garbage.  Pretty gross, right?

How does it make you feel?

 

Now Looky here.

There is something more calming about this pile... it is separated

 

Finally- look at this: Orderly and Clean and Useful!

Now think about your mind.

When your mind is full of garbage that is unsorted you are kinda

 like a car in the snow without catlitter... 

 Your wheels just keep spinning.

By putting it all out on paper, and physically sorting your thoughts into productive categories,

you will open your mind up for 

living

instead of reacting.

So here's how to do it:

Get a large brand spankin new legal pad and a nice flowy pen that makes you happy to write.

First thing in the morning- take your pen and  

completely empty out ALL thoughts  

as they pop into your head.  The reason I started calling it my "Brain Dump" is it 

reminds me to not "edit" 

 what goes out onto the paper, I just let it all flow.  It doesn't have to make sense or be in order. You can write "I hate my job, I need to get milk, I must fix that cabinet and call mom" You just have to keep writing until nothing is left! 

 The only real rule is to leave one space in between thoughts or paragraphs.  Say as much or as little about each thought as you want.  That's it!  I will tell you why later.

When you are finished, take a scissor and begin cutting the thoughts or paragraphs

and place them into piles:  To do, Rants and Grumblings, To Buy, To Fix, What I really wish...

whatever headings you please.

Now with the pile of rants and grumblings, 

either shred them completely, wet them and mush them- or burn them like I do- anything so that whoever you were writing about can never find and read.

Put the other groups in envelopes or make them into lists.

Now tell me...

How much better do you feel???

Not only will you start your day with a clear head, you will have a list of stuff to get done!

Brilliant!

If you prefer, you can do this at night so you can sleep with a clear mind.

I challenge you to try it for a week- even five days straight.

Tell us how it goes!!!

Just look at you, you sparkly thing!!!