Highly Sensitive Content

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Characteristics of Highly Sensitive Souls

1)extremely intuitive

2)highly aware, keenly observant

3)attuned to the subtleties of the surrounding environment light, noise, sound, temperature, etc.

4)emotionally sensitive and caring, easily affected by the energy and emotions of others

5)often empathic

6)experience emotions with great intensity and depth

7)have a lower tolerance for stimulation than others

8)need adequate rest, nutrition and time alone to feel balanced

9)highly conscientious

10)intense, passionate, emotional

11)able to concentrate deeply with uninterrupted time

12)prefer to work independently

13)process information deeply and from many sources of information

14)often more right-brained, artistic

15)often feel very different than “everyone else”

16)have a rich, complex inner life – often highly imaginative

17)often seen by others as sensitive or shy

18)often introverted, though 30% of HSPs are “socially extroverted” according to Dr. Aron

19)can get extremely engaged with work and ideas

20)often prefer to avoid news and TV

21)have an important role to play in society as advisors, sages or prophets from many sources of information

This is ME! It also seems to describe my closest friends, I believe that these sensitive souls are the ‘mystics’ that the Carmelite spirituality embraces. The St. Therese’s and the St. John of the Cross’s of today. We may not be saints yet…we are still a work in progress…but we can look to them in living our daily lives in the here and now. We are a passionate bunch for sure…maybe even seem a tad on the insane side to the casual observer.

The new direction of this blog is in honor of this newly discovered path. It used to be called ‘stepping aside’ but it no longer describes my calling. The mission that I am now embracing is one of living fully and authentically. Of being all that The Lord wants me to be…it may sound selfish to some…but that couldn’t be further from the truth…extinguishing God’s creation in any form is sinful, even and maybe especially when done to self.

Precious Jewels

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The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

“Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!”

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face.

“A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere–Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess–the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She’s my favorite.”

“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.”

“That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.” And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

“What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”

Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

What are you hanging on to?

— Author Unknown —

This story comes to my mind often, as I’m one that has difficulty letting go. I often think that releasing something into God’s hands equates to a loss and yet nothing could be further from the truth. He wants to give us our heart’s desire in a big way. However, in order for that desire to bring us the greatest fulfillment, it needs to be aligned to His will…and often needs to go through the fire of purification. He can pretty much purify anything. Just LET IT GO…and see what He returns to you.

Being Dory…

nemo-and-dory_1280
So my memory challenges have become legendary by this point. Between that and having a slight tendency towards ADHD…I’m constantly walking around in circles all day and getting very little done. In comes Mac computers. I’ve discovered that with the
Reminder list, I can just jot down that awesome idea that needs to get done EVENTUALLY, without the urgency of having to do it now or I will forget. Because it will be right there for me…in ALL my devices. Ahhh. I love it when technology works for me instead of the other way around. 😉

Rended Hearts

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Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.

If we keep in mind during this Lenten season what it’s main purpose is…detachment from all that is not God and attachment to Him who IS…then it may make things a little easier.

He doesn’t have a need of anything that we choose to give Him, but we do have a need for what is acquired in the giving…detachment.

Worth the Trouble

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Wow! Is this right on or what? I often let things go because ‘it isn’t worth the trouble’. Maybe Lent can be looked at differently…instead of bringing fake sufferings onto myself. Maybe I’ll just embrace the ones that were meant for me…by greeting them head on and dealing!!!

More of Him, Less of Me

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Actually…the biggest lesson to be learned during Lent is that you CAN’T do it on your own. Often people choose small sacrifices so that they can do them perfectly…that’s totally the wrong emphasis. It’s not about pumping yourself up and showing God how great you are…but about bringing yourself down a notch so that He can show you how great He is…so that God can be magnified. More of Him, less of me. 🙂

Renovation Project

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It just occurred to me that God doesn’t allow major shakedowns in our life in order to do us in, but to solidify us in our convictions. He hates ‘warm’ remember? And there is no such thing as ‘good enough’ in the spiritual realm. Sometimes there are severe cracks in the foundation and a bulldozer needs to come in…but it’s all part of the renewal project. He won’t leave us like that…all torn apart and seemingly destroyed…He’s just building a castle where a broken down hut used to be. Will we let him?

Long Spoons

Long Spoons in Heaven and Hell–author unknown

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.” The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell”.

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I don’t understand.” “It is simple,” said the Lord, “it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.” When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you!

Trust

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I just downloaded this free book on to my iPad kindle, and am choosing to encounter God and His will for me through it. Because it is a choice…right? It’s not so much about the ‘tool’, in this case the book…as it is our willingness to be reached.

Lent is two weeks away and I’m very antsy to get started…so who says that you have to wait for a designated time to walk in obedience? Hopefully no one.

So here is day 1!

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Lord help me to not be anxious