what's your connection?

What do you feel connected to?

 I feel powerfully connected to the sky.

The sun, moon, stars and clouds.  

Years ago I received a blessing which eluded to the fact that it was in my best interest to pay attention to nature.  At the time I was taken back a bit because I was not the "tree hugger" type, so what could that mean?  I pondered it a lot, so much so that it became a little bit of an obsession.  So I began to read articles and watch videos or tv specials specifically about the elements of nature.  I turned to learning a little bit about earth sciences and started truly noticing all the little things around me when I would go for walks, hikes or drives.  In 2011, on vacation to the Teton Valley, it became very clear...I got it!  I knew what my blessing meant and how interested and invested I already was with it!  The elements of nature have a divine and significant meaning.

I came to believe that everyones spirit connects to an earthly element.  For example - My Sadoe Potato connects to the trees, she feels a comfort in them.  She also loves the water, she claims it makes her feel peaceful.  My Momma Cait's heart is always open to animals, she loves and cares for them intensely.  My Handsome Man is very much a kin to the earth, he is addicted to and thrives on outdoor adventure.  After many inquiries I have found people who love dirt, people who love rocks and people who are drawn to rivers.  When people understand what I am asking them, and are willing to answer me, they become very detailed and speak with a sense of excited reverence about their particular connection.  It's very cool.

Genesis 2:7 describes man was made from the earth itself.  So why wouldn't we feel a connection to it?  I believe ALL that the earth and heavens provide are specifically designed for our use and learning.  Just as we are blessed with unique talents and wisdom, I can't help but believe we are also blessed with very individual connections to God's beautiful earthly creations.

So, on days which I lay on my lawn and gaze into the big blue sky...or sit on my porch in the middle of the night just to see the stars, I will SMILE and say thank you for the blessing of my connection to it.  When I travel back to the Teton Valley (as I try to do every single summer), I will be humbled by the blessings of it's overwhelming magnitude...and then I will SMILE and be grateful for it all!

What are you connected to?  Don't take it for granted, don't think it's silly.  It's a blessing!  Immerse yourself in it, smile and be grateful for the connection.

Keep your sunny side up!
Lisa Lucille

i'm worth a million bucks!

When you start seeing your worth,

you'll find it harder to stay around people who don't.

have you ever seen a happier picture?

I'm worth $1,143,000.00.  An online quiz told me so.  I was also informed that your worth does not increase if you donate to charity or have any skills in education or art.  So, being worth over one million dollars isn't that great.  My biggest money earner was my age...really?  With age comes wisdom?

In reality I am, and you are, of infinite worth!  How our DNA fits together in creating our physical bodies, matters not...it's the worth of our soul that holds the most value!  Scripture tells us that "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." Our souls were divinely and intimately made by the very master of the universe.  The same God that created the heavens also crafted your precious soul.  So, I think, it's safe to say that our souls shine brighter than the stars and radiate more beams than the sun.  Overstated?  I don't even think so!

My advice is to invest well.  Take your "worth" and invest it into everything that empowers you.  Your value will ever increase.  I will strive to do the same.  We are all in this together, so let's notice the more lovely things about one another and encourage one another.  After all, your worth will rise when you rise to encourage, love and support another!  

Keep your sunny side up!

Lisa Lucille :]

a child smiles 400 times a day

Mother Teresa said, "I will never understand all the good that a smile can accomplish."  A woman who reigns supreme over sharing compassion and joy couldn't even comprehend the power of a simple smile.  A smile is certainly a phenomenal thing.

Little Pineapple and Momma Cait
photo credit Laura McBride

Above is my Precious Pineapple and her momma Cait.  Pineapple has a smile that consumes her face.  Her eye's squint, her nose crinkles and her cheeks are pushed to their very limits. It's an adorable thing, a true treasure.  And every child has that same charm!   One can not resist the infection of a child's smile, it's contagious...you WILL catch it.  In all my years of serving children and watching them grow, it's their smiles that catch me off guard the most.  They are pure and sincere.

As we grow, life blesses us with challenges that test our purest and most sincere of smiles.  We get used to "fake" smiling just to appease another.  Our laughter becomes more gratuitous and our giggles fade into sinister chuckles.  This makes me sad, which is the opposite of happy, which means I'm not smiling right now.  So, I studied up...yep, I studied the science of a smile.  And it's real stuff, scientifically proven stuff!

Ron Gutman is legit.  He graduated from Stanford University and is the CEO and founder of Health Tap (an interactive health company), so he knows his stuff.  I specifically studied his research because he wasn't boring to listen to and he is super motivated.  There are a few of his findings I would like to share...
*  babies smile in the womb - it can be seen on ultra sound imaging!
*  smiling rewards your senses more than any other 'thing' can (i.e..chocolate, ice cream, new shoes).
*  smiling makes you healthier...reduces cortisol and increases endorphins.
*  when you smile you appear to be confident (great advice for job interviews)
*  SMALL CHILDREN SMILE MORE THAN 400 TIMES PER DAY!  (that's my favorite!)
For more uplifting smile information, look up Ron Gutman: the hidden power of smiling.  I can't seem to copy a link to this blog...so google him!

Sharing a smile is a valid act of service.  Though we may not have 400 smiles a day in us anymore, we can certainly try for 100.  We would have the ability to infect 100 people a day with smile, what a divine infection!  More over, a glorious cure!  Someday, I pray, we will all smile more.  Let the children be our example and let us be thankful for every smile they gift us.

What puts the smile on your face???  Go ahead...let me know, comment below :]

Keep your sunny side up!
Lisa Lucille