BEST GIFT EVER

My heart is filled over and over again. . .

What's the best gift you've ever received?"

I asked my husband recently. I asked him on a few different occasions just to see if his reply would change. It was consistent each time. He said, "The 40 things you love about me list and the jar of happiness."  Homemade gifts. Actually the most simple gifts I've ever given him topped his list. Not the expensive, fancy ones. Not the trendy ones. The gifts that came straight from my heart and reached out to his were the ones he loved the most and still loves - each day.  You see, these gifts truly are the kinds of gifts that keep on giving.

So, I began to think about this more myself. What gifts have I been given that mean the most to me? I began to write them down:

• The letter I received last Christmas from my Dad. (Yes. I’m referring to the one I wrote about a couple weeks ago.)

• The homemade engagement ring Brian made and used as part of his proposal to me

• A Christmas ornament my sister made for me when Brian & I hosted our first family Christmas at our house

• A picture that was passed on to me from a stranger after a show

• A thank you note from the parent of one of my former students

• A hand-drawn picture/quote in frame

• A doll hand-sewn and created by my mom. Her home-made version of a Cabbage Patch Doll using my very own baby clothes when she couldn't afford to get me the one I wanted.

This is in no way a complete list. I have so many favorites and my heart is filled over and over again by them. Not so much because of the physical gift itself, but rather the intentions & energy given along with that gift. It is felt each and every time I see or even think of these gifts. You see these gifts keep giving. They lift me up. They remind me of how I've been loved and what others love about me. And, that's why they are magical, powerful and timeless to me - just like love.

It is with that thought that I offer you the idea of taking the time to create a gift. Not being afraid to give simply this holiday season. A gift that comes straight from your heart and reaches to another. It can be as simple as writing a list out of 3, 5, 20, (the number really doesn't matter) things you love about the person you're making the gift for. Just giving this list would be a great gift. You could decorate it, frame it, or write it out on fancy paper or just keep it plain and simple. If you want to make it even more fun, keep breathing life back into it. Give the person your gifting a copy and keep a copy for yourself. Then on any given day tell this person to pick a number. This is fun to do via text. When they respond you can text back the item you listed that you love about them that is next to the number they chose. This is a super fun way to be playful, thoughtful, stay connected and remind those you love of just how awesome they are on any day - something we could all use more of.  It is my belief that we are put on this planet to love and inspire others. This is one simple way we can begin doing that. And, it is basically how the list of 40 things I love about Brian works and continues to be a heartfelt and fun gift each and everyday. Try it out with someone you love and watch how the love and joy you share with one another grows.

So, in this season of gift giving, free yourself from the hustle of holiday shopping and cozy up with some pen and paper. Write down the reasons you love the ones you do. See what happens. Start by making the list just for you and then see where it goes. Perhaps it'll turn into a gift for your loved one, or maybe it'll just warm your own heart thinking so positively of them. Maybe it'll help you write a card out for them that you can attach to a gift you bought or made. In any case, you'll end up happier and brighter, which is in itself a gift to others.

So, now I want to know...
What have been the best gifts you've received?
Do you have any ides for homemade or simple gifts that you like to give?

Let me know! Share it and this post with others.

We all can use a little help from time to time. And who knows, it just might be the words someone needs to hear today!

Happy holidays & everydays!

Here's to enjoying your life and ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

💔 Mary

P.S. - Instructions for a creating a jar full of happiness will be posted soon.  More ALL GOOD THINGS to come!

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What Do You Believe?

“It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean” - Tony Robbins

What do you believe?

I believe in miracles & love & synchronicity. I also believe when someone we love passes away their soul gets bigger in some way, and they never really leave us.

5 years ago at Christmas I was given a gift that confirmed my faith in miracles, love, synchronicity & the power of our own beliefs. My mother who passed in 2010 spoke to me. How? My dad was given a copy of an essay she wrote in 1991. He was told "The Vine", a publication she used to write for frequently, wanted to republish her essay in this year's Christmas edition. My dad then chose to pass my mother's words on to my siblings & me as a Christmas gift, along with a handwritten letter of his own. This was already special because it was an essay about Christmas from my mother, but it was magical because it was exactly what my heart was wishing for that year. Sadly, my family had lost all of my mom’s writings and teachings over the years. For a long time I didn't think it would be possible for me to ever find her work and finally learn what she had taught so many others. In 1991 I was a young teenager who really didn't pay much attention to my mom's work, at least not the way I should have. 2015 had been a year of allowing myself to believe again. I remember saying to myself just a few short weeks before Christmas "If my mother wants me to have her work she'll find a way. God (the Universe/Source, whatever you choose to call it) always provides us all we want and truly need." I made that wish and said a prayer of thanks. Then at Christmas this gift appeared. It was brought right to me. I didn't even have to go looking for it. The lesson: Miracles do happen. God provides. Synchronicity is not something to be ignored. And, love is definitely the most powerful source in the world if we just allow ourselves to truly BELIEVE. Shared with love and hope that this renews your spirit this Christmas season and allows you to believe with the faith of a child. After all we are all children of God.

Thank you for reliving a part of what felt like my own real life, magical Christmas movie with me. My wish for you is that it touches you somehow in the way it touched me. May you be filled with steadfast hope that every moment of your life is working for you and leading right exactly where you need to be to have the desires of your heart fulfilled in the most magical ways possible.

Wrapping this post up with a one of my favorite quotes:

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." - Roald Dahl

So allow yourself to BELIEVE & receive this season!

Happy Holidays my friends!

Here’s to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS!

❤️ Mary

Be The Light

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

That is my life philosophy. Lately I've been attempting to take that a step further and attempting to become that light. Quite literally in fact. My husband, Brian & I are hosting a yoga+salsa dancing fundraiser this week on Friday, November 3rd.

We will be doing yoga and salsa dancing to raise funds to bring the still much needed life saving supplies and solar lighting to the people of Puerto Rico. Literally lighting up our spirits and helping to bring light into the darkness.

Photo from @alisonthompsonofficial

It is projects like these that have had the ALL GOOD THINGS blog on hiatus. What better way to bring it back! After all, ALL GOOD THINGS was born out of the idea to bring more happiness, health and hope into the world. Why not light, in all it's forms, be part of that too!

Please contact me or leave a comment below if you would like share how you are lighting up the world or if you would like to help support our cause. Together we can help one another and create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

Until next time...

Here's to enjoying your life, spreading the light and ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

With so much love and gratitude,

Mary

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Connect to Your Core

Connect to your core and you’ll find strength, Act from your core and you’ll move mountains. - Gabriella Goddard

Getting to the core of things. That’s been my focus lately. Actually for quite some time now.
Turning inward. Finding & strengthening my center, my core.

Core in every sense of the word - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.

It’s a complex and beautiful journey. At times it can feel like five steps forward, five steps back. Other times it feels great. My spirits soar. I feel so strong and secure I literally, physically can float my feet above my head, or mentally handle anything that comes my way during the day with a peace and equanimity I thought was only possible for monks and those living off the grid, somewhere in the sweet serenity of nature.

I've always found happiness in handstands!

While I ADORE the mountains and will head back to them soon (I’m coming for you Yosemite and Banff) the yoga & meditation practice I have dedicated myself to over the past 2 years has helped me find my core even while living in the ever expanding cement and concrete landscape of my sweet home, Chicago.

When I am through with my practice, whether it’s yoga, meditation (also prayer time for me), or both, I can find my core more easily. That unshakable place inside that speaks the truth to me in all circumstances. This is the internal compass I tap into. The guidance that helps carry me when I begin to feel flustered, frustrated or fearful. Taking this time regularly for myself everyday (in whatever form my body needs that day) is the place I find true strength. MY core. The one that knows when its right to keep pushing through or to pause & take a step back. The one that believes more than doubts. Has faith more than fear, and reminds me that often the strongest action we can take is surrender.

A little core, compass and bday dance for mama in heaven!

My mother, a devout Catholic spiritual director, who would have celebrated her birthday today, used this word surrender so often. I didn’t understand years ago, but I’m beginning to now. Surrender is not weakness. Surrender is finding your center. Knowing who you really are, your true strength and bravely taking actions that match that. Essentially living from your core.

That type of living led my husband and I up to the mountains last year, and will again this year. It’s led me to explore yoga and mediation and work and play in new ways. It’s helped me dream bigger, feel more energized and alive than I ever have been while maintaining a sense of calm happiness all along. It has also led me to change the name of my Sunday yoga class to Core Vinyasa, a blend of yoga goodness intentionally focused on building the qualities of strength and surrender. It has even led me to know that the best thing for this blog at this time is to make it a monthly, rather than a weekly thing. At least for now (new projects are a brewin'). This act of surrender, straight from my core is needed to keep allowing more goodness and growth in.

So now I want to know - What connects you to your core? What actions are your internal compass guiding you toward? Be brave and share your thoughts here! I and all of the ALL GOOD THINGS community are here to help cheer you on!

Until next time. . .

Here's to enjoying your life & ALL GOOD THINGS my friends!

XOXO,

Mary

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