The Jewels In My Mother's Crown #HappyMothersDay #AngelMother

Mother's Day is for me bittersweet as I lost my mother to lung cancer in February of 2014. My wounds are still raw and sore internally, as I continue thru the grieving process. Knowing that she is in heaven with my dad is such comfort to me and this poem I found tonight online was so touching to me. I wanted to share with others that might be grieving the loss of a loved one on the Mother's Day 2015 too.

A Mother’s Crown

Heaven lit up with a mighty presence,
as the Angels all looked down.
Today the Lord was placing the jewels
Into my mother’s crown.

He held up a golden crown,
as my darling mother looked on.
He said in His gentle voice,
‘I will now explain each one.’

‘The first gem,’ He said, ‘is a Ruby,
and it’s for endurance alone,
for all the nights you waited up
for your children to come home.’

‘For all the nights by their bedside,
you stayed till the fever went down.
For nursing every little wound,
I add this ruby to your crown.’

‘An emerald, I’ll place by the ruby,
for leading your child in the right way.
For teaching them the lessons,
That made them who they are today.’

‘For always being right there,
through all life’s important events.
I give you a sapphire stone,
for the time and love you spent.’

‘For untying the strings that held them,
when they grew up and left home.
I give you this one for courage.’
Then the Lord added a garnet stone.

‘I’ll place a stone of amethyst,’ He said.
‘For all the times you spent on your knees,
when you asked if I’d take care of your children,
and then for having faith in Me.’

‘I have a pearl for every little sacrifice
that you made without them knowing.
For all the times you went without,
to keep them happy, healthy and growing.’

‘And last of all I have a diamond,
the greatest one of all,
for sharing unconditional love
whether they were big or small.’

‘It was your love that helped them grow
Feeling safe and happy and proud
A love so strong and pure
It could shift the darkest cloud.’

After the Lord placed the last jewel in,
He said, ‘Your crown is now complete,
You've earned your place in Heaven
With your children at your feet.’

~~Unknown author

God can turn burden's into blessings, let him turn your life around today! 

Ask me about Essential Oils, gifts from the earth that have changed my life! email me for more information leslieblockrn@gmail.com ,Click HERE for ordering info

Criticism vs Cruelty Know The Difference and Encourage A Change

I love this part of an article taken from "Momaquery" talking about Criticism vs Cruelty. As women, bloggers, writers, forum posters, leaders or just plan old social media posting we are confronted daily by negativeness that spawns from some deep dark place inside others. The cruel remarks that are made online to others, cyber bullying to a point is uncalled for. Sometimes it is better to keep your negative feelings to yourself and encourage others instead. Find the good in others and situations and focus on those. It is no wonder so many of our teenagers are committing suicide these days over negative bully type behavior that is reflected online toward them. These kids are learning it from their parents. Help make this planet a better place and stop complaining about it all the time!

Quoted from Glennon Doyle Melton

"I am worried about the next generation of truth-telling sisters who see all the internet cruelty and wonder if truth telling is worth the risk. Anne Lamott once said that the great thing about being a writer is that “they can’t boo you right away.” This was important to her because writers have to make themselves so incredibly vulnerable.  It seems crucial to have a buffer between the writer’s offering to the world and the world’s response to that offering. But it’s different now. In the internet generation, our writers are getting booed right away and that changes some things. It really does. Writers tend to be sensitive souls and many of us can’t withstand the barrage of negativity and anonymous pot shots and judgement. So some of us decide to stay quiet. And in turn, the rest of us miss out on hearing some really important, precious, life-giving voices. I know this for a fact, because I know many writers who've decided to lay low, to stay out of the internet fray by keeping their writing private. I know brilliant women from whom you need to hear but they can’t stand the idea of laying themselves and their families on the internet chopping block. And I get it.

If we keep up the constant attacks on our writers, I’m worried we won’t have any left.

And about this- “If they put themselves out there, they’re asking for it” argument . . . are you sure?

Is my vulnerability your free pass to be cruel? Is my exposure your free pass to abandon all goodness and decency and self control? Are you sure about that?

Because that excuse sounds dangerously close to the courtroom argument that if a woman shows herself, she deserves whatever comes next. Her skirt was too short- I could see her legs- she was asking for it. Her shirt was cut too low- I could see her breasts- she was asking for it. She wrote too truthfully- I could see her heart- she asked for it.

If a woman decides to reveal a part of herself- that is not an excuse for other people to hurt her. And if you do decide to hurt her where she’s vulnerable- if you see a part of her that’s showing and pounce on that part- if you sink your teeth into her exposed flesh – that shows who YOU are, not who she is.

Revealing the truth about who God made me does not release you from your responsibility to be a decent human being.

Be critical, fine, that’s fair. But don’t be cruel. Every damn one of us knows the difference.

If you are not kind on the internet, then you’re not kind.

Love Wins,

Glennon Doyle Melton,  truth teller +hope spreader"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you Glennon for inspiring me tonight to get that off my chest, I want to raise loving compassionate children that can use constructive criticism to grow and learn from, not knock others down. 

Inspirational beauty

Inspiring works from sebastien montaz-rosset a film maker, dad,and video blogger who has captured such wonderful pictures in motion. 

The first video is Summer Feelings:

"A celebration of the beauty of our french and Italian Alps. I filmed and edited what I personally like in the mountain culture: sports, life style, art of living, culture and people."
Enjoy and make sure your speakers are on,the music is incredible!

Summer feelings from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

The second video is a touching view that Sebastien captured of his wife and daughter, much like many mothers and little girls in our lifes, so beautiful!

Mother and daughters from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.


http://www.vimeo.com/chamonix
sebmontaz.com

Enjoy your Sunday!! Inspire someone else today, not just yourself!

Yes I am Invisible, and I am building cathedrals!

Invisible Mother. . . . This was not written by me, but was shared by a friend, and I thought it was worth sharing.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?' 

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating th return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devoured - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. 

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself.

I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

 Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did, it really made my day when I read it, blessings to you and your family today.
Leslie~~