Inspiration

Mother's Day has come and gone. My birthday, our vacation and Father's Day. All gone. We are now on to the beautiful but short summer. Goodness, we are now 1/3 of the way through summer. That makes me so sad. Everything that inspires me, lifts me up and keeps me strong has to do with this time of year. I walk along those quiet paths with my kids on a hot summer day and I smell the beauty around me. I see the green, splashed with color. While in Las Vegas with my family I love to be up before anyone else so that I can see the sunrise. A desert sunrise is better than any other. If there ever was a time when the sky looked to be aglow with fire it's then. When we are in Capistrano I stay up just a bit later than the kids to make sure I see the sunset over the Dana Point Pier. The earth, sky and ocean seem to melt together as the world goes to sleep. Simplicity. There is so much to do, see, be busy with and keep occupied with in today's world that I am with so many when I say we need to go back to basics. Simplicity. One of my favorite times during summer is also one of the simplest times....sitting on the front lawn, kids all around me, sipping a cool drink while they play. Happy noises, cool grass, water play, swinging in the tree, these are things that I love. That's what I miss so much when driving around in the cold winter unable to sit outside and enjoy what I love most.

I have been looking at the world around me as of late. I have been almost seeking inspiration. As much as we pull inspiration from those around us, it ultimately comes from within. There can be the most amazing people around us, but if we aren't open to moving upward and onward it's all but lost. I try to surround myself with people that lift me up. Not just people that I can have fun with, but those that make me want to be a better person. My children are this to me, my husband is this to me, my family. There are so many people that are this to me that I couldn't sit here and list them all, but they are there. I am also inspired greatly by the world around me. I always have been. Nature. The grandeur, the awesomeness, the beauty. I have always given credit for these feelings to my Native American Heritage. I don't think that just because I didn't grow up on a reservation, or learn the customs that I don't have it in me. I do. Always have. This world is a gift, and I have always loved it.

Find what inspires you. What lifts you up and makes you want to be a better you. This has been a very long week. Jon left town last Sunday and has been gone now a whole week. But it seems longer than that just because before he left he worked several days in a row to make up for time he would lose this week. But the inspiration I felt yesterday was to see the look on Skyler's face as he heard his dad's voice on the phone. It was the sweetest thing. I think as parents we sometimes put high expectations on ourselves. We don't need to. What our kids need most from us is our love. Everything else is just icing. Love. Simplicity. Inspirational. After a long week of helping Skyler with his broken leg, sad kids missing their dad, a bad cough again on my part and to top it off a very quiet baby girl in utero (which scares me to death....come on baby, move around for me!) I look for the quiet, soft simple things to keep me calm, soothe the soul.

In a complicated, busy, loud world I think if we stop for a bit, soak in what inspires us and just listen quietly we can keep our souls at peace. Listen, pray, whisper and inspire. Be heard, but listen too. Simplicity. Pull the strength from within, by seeing what's around us and letting it in.