Your light

 From Ladies Pass It On

THE GREYS, THE DIMPLES, THE ROLLS, THE WRINKLES

The greys, the dimples, the rolls, the wrinkles,

Don't strip you of your grace.

The lines, the weight, the clothes that pinch,

Don't steal light from your face.

If you could see what I could see,

Your world would open wide.

The way your smile lights up the sky,

The soul you have inside.

The greys, the dimples, the rolls, the wrinkles,

Don't wash you of your wonder.

The lines, the weight, the clothes that pinch,

Aren't worthy of your anger.

If you could see what I see now,

Such beauty carved through time.

You'd grieve the years you missed that joy,

The tears and wasted time.

The greys, the dimples, the rolls, the wrinkles,

Don't steal away your light.

But the way you talk down to yourself,

Those harmful thoughts, just might.

~Donna Ashworth

A big ask

Loving yourself is a big ask. To some it may as

well be a mountain covered in treacherous

ice. Start by showing yourself some slack

every now and again. Move into a healthy

mutual respect and then maybe gravitate to

treating yourself as you would a good

friend. Laugh at your own jokes, compliment

your outfit choice and be forgiving when

you've made mistakes. It's the least you would

give to another so it shouldn't be too far a

stretch. Loving yourself is a big ask, start 

with letting yourself off the hook

sometimes, the rest will come.

~Donna Ashworth

More

From 3 am Thoughts

Hard lesson learned...

When there are more tears than smiles, leave.

When there are more fights than jokes, leave.

When it hurts more than it feels good, leave.

They don't have the right to destroy you just because you love them.

And loving them doesn't mean you have to stay.

Energy reciprocated

How someone makes me

feel emotionally and mentally is

way more important than what they

can do for me materialistically and

physically. I'll always choose love,

affection, and emotional support

over being showered with gifts.

All I want is my energy 

reciprocated.

Glad to be alive

 From Ladies Pass It On

Whatever makes you glad to be alive,

do that,

whenever you can.

Whatever gives your soul that lift and elevates you to a 

level of harmony, peace and contentment, chase it and

grab it tight.

Stop seeing your life as a chore to be dealt with everyday

and start searching for gaps to put in blissful moments

of joy.

Nobody said life had to be this hard. Nobody made you

sign up for a daily grind so punishing you couldn't find

the energy to do what makes you HAPPY.

This life is short my friend and each of us don't know

how long they have, so let's not waste another moment of'

another day feeling like a prop in our own show.

We are the stars.

We are the show.

Get out there and love your life and if you can't, make it 

more loveable.

Change things around. It's your life.

Do whatever you need to do to get any kind of good

feeling, every day.

And start now,

Right this minute.

The future is promised to no one, what are you waiting for?

~Donna Ashworth

Life's only opponent

 From Life Of Pi

I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread.

Fear next turns fully to your body, which is already aware that something terribly wrong is going on. Already your lungs have flown away like a bird and your guts have slithered away like a snake. Now your tongue drops dead like an opossum, while your jaw begins to gallop on the spot. Your ears go deaf. Your muscles begin to shiver as if they had malaria and your knees to shake as though they were dancing. Your heart strains too hard, while your sphincter relaxes too much. And so with the rest of your body. Every part of you, in the manner most entitled to it, falls apart. Only your eyes work well. They always pay proper attention to fear.

Quickly you make rash decisions. You dismiss your last allies: hope and trust. There, you've defeated yourself. Fear, which is but an impression, has triumphed over you.

The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don't, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.

Perfect people

 From Ladies Pass It On

When I see the perfect people,

perfect is no longer what I see...

I see pressure,

I see stress,

I see strict regimes and unforgiving schedules.

I see fear of failure.

I see hunger.

I see missed fun, empty plates and lives too full with

punishing conformity.

Most of all I see a very sad inner child who never

imagined a life of living up to everyone else's

expectations.

When I see perfect people now, I mostly hope that one

day they will get to enjoy the freedom that a life without

containment can bring. The joy of removing those

shackles and letting go of what other people may think

of us.

These days, I find my perfect in the real, the flawed, the

fearless and the raw.

For the people who can freely share that part of

themselves with others, have found something we all 

chase.

Peace.

~Donna Ashworth

Split in two

 From Ladies Pass It On

Somewhere along the way, the world split you in two.

And you keep one half tucked away from eyes that may

judge.

The other half is presented every day like a mannequin, a 

puppet, a pawn.

Going through the motions.

And somewhere along the way you decided that this half

of you was the one the world wanted.

Maybe because the other half seemed to incite a 

reaction in others that you feared.

Well, now you are strong enough little one.

And wise enough to know that what you see is not

disapproval in those eyes, it's awe, envy, admiration - all

in disguise.

Let the other side of you out.

She is the one who will take your journey to the final

destination,

she is the compass your soul needs,

she is your North Star,

she's your wild.

Without her you are simply surviving,

now it's time to live.

Somewhere along the way, the world split you in two.

Let's put you back together again.

~Donna Ashworth

The Pendulum

 From Ladies Pass It On

LET THE PENDULUM SWING,

let the good times begin

What if we are on the cusp of something truly 

wonderful?

A period of time we will refer to as "the re-roaring

twenties."

A time where so much suffering and loss leads to a

halcyonic hurricane of reunions, missed celebrations and

long awaited gatherings.

A time where everything is appreciated and the simplest

of events feels new, fresh and iconic.

A time of love, counted blessings and laughter, so much 

laughter.

Maybe we are on the cusp of something truly wonderful

my friends and if so, take a moment to look back over

your shoulder and congratulate yourself on what you've 

come through.

Make peace with the past year, let it go with love and

ready yourself to move on.

Better days are coming and you deserve every moment 

of joy heading your way.

You have endured.

Let it go.

Ready yourself for the new.

Let the pendulum swing in your favour my friend, it's 

long overdue.

~Donna Ashworth

Light up rooms

Some of you don't even realize how you light up rooms and inspire people just by being you. 

You're literally magnetic and you don't even realize it.

Evidence of the Holy Spirit

 From Flying Free

In reference to "M-1"...

If you haven't seen evidence of the Holy Spirit

in the life of your husband, don't blame the

Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn't there.

And if the Holy Spirit isn't there, your husband

can't be convicted of his sin; therefore, he

cannot change. Just because someone says they

are a Christian and uses spiritual language and

knows some choice Bible verses to lob at others

when it serves their purposes doesn't mean

they have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Save ourselves

 From Flying Free

As traumatised children

we always dreamed that

someone would come and

save us. We never dreamed

that it would, in fact, be

ourselves, as adults.

~Alice Little

Like themselves

 From Ladies Pass It On

(Side note: I'm so glad I'm in this category now)

Women who like themselves give

out a totally different light. It's 

like pure sunshine mixed with that

golden hour glow you only seem to

get on holiday. Where everything

and everyone looks so much more

beautiful and the air is filled with

something special that sparks joy

somewhere deep in your heart.

Seek out the women who like

themselves. They will like you too

and if you watch them hard enough,

they may even teach you how.

~Donna Ashworth

Real friends

 From Ladies Pass It On

REAL FRIENDS CAN'T BE LOST

You cannot lose real friends.

You just can't.

They won't go, no matter how hard you push them away

when you are not yourself.

They will wait

and wait

and wait,

until they see a tiny glimmer of your light breaking

through

and back they will come with open arms.

Your real friends are still there.

And if they feel lost to you right now,

perhaps it's because they are lost to themselves.

Just wait

and wait 

and wait,

then knock on that door,

reach in, just in case they can't reach out.

And do it again until they answer.

If you are feeling sad about the people you have "lost"

along the way my friend,

don't.

They were never yours to keep.

The real ones don't need to be earned, or appeased, or

coaxed.

They are in it for the long haul and for all the right

reasons.

And each of those friends is worth a dozen fair-weather,

so count your lucky stars if you have one.

Keep your circle small but let its light be mighty.

You can't lose real friends, they just won't go.

~Donna Ashworth

Let herself go

 From Ladies Pass It On

"She let herself go," they say.

How wrong they are, how little they

know. She simply stopped fighting time,

stopped fighting nature and ceased

being a slave to the unreachable

dictations of society. Just briefly, she

focused instead on the real things

pressing for her attention. She let

herself in. She let herself rest. She let

herself be. At no point did she let

herself go my friend. Quite the

opposite. If only they could see it. If 

only they could too.

~Donna Ashworth

Mother Nature

 From Ladies Pass It On

(Side note: I don't really believe in "Mother Nature")

MOTHER NATURE WANTS A WORD

She wants to remind you how over-stretched you were,

how exhausted you were, before all of this.

How much you needed a rest.

She knows you saw that, in the quiet and she wants you

to keep that close, now things are starting up again.

No more using stress, tiredness and lack of time as 

badges of honour.

You see now that life doesn't have to be a race.

You know what value lies in the silence and the peace.

You met yourself again and she wants you to hold on 

tight.

Most of all she wants you to remember that the world

won't stop if you do.

Only Mother Nature can do that.

Take it slowly child of the universe, you're not here to 

burn out,

you're here to burn brightly.

Protect that precious light of yours, you only get one.

~Donna Ashworth

Teach them

From Ladies Pass It On

Don't teach your children to win.

Teach them how to lose, without letting it affect their 

self-esteem.

Teach them how to help others lose well too.

Let them be the kid that waits behind to run with

someone who can't.

That kid will forge through life, mending, bonding,

inspiring, creating yet maybe never winning a race.

That kid will have control of his own self-worth and not

put it in the hands of so many variables.

That kid will have access to the peace that not requiring

outside validation brings.

What a gift to one so young.

Don't teach your children to win my friend, teach them to

lose.

That's the hardest lesson to learn.

~Donna Ashworth

Once a day

From Ladies Pass It On

DON'T MISS ME MORE THAN ONCE A DAY

Don't miss me more than once a day,

For life is moving fast.

Don't wish all of your time away,

Dreaming of the past.

Don't waste the moment looking at,

The things I left behind me.

I'm not there anymore my love,

Your heart is where you'll find me.

Don't dread to say my name, sweet one,

Don't fear the wrath of sadness.

Just take the love you had for me,

And turn it into gladness.

Some days your anger will rush out,

Your tears will find their way.

To me, wherever I am then,

I'll soothe them all away.

When I am gone don't miss me more,

Than once, or twice a day.

There's so much life to live, my love.

I'm with you all the way.

~Donna Ashworth

A space

 From Ladies Pass It On

THERE'S A SPACE

There's a space,

in my life,

in the ground,

in the world.

A space so vast I must avoid stepping too close and

falling in.

Falling to the end of all time and all feeling, where

nothing makes sense anymore and the air burns like fire.

I tiptoe, small steps, around that space.

I live a full day fearing it, knowing the pain it holds.

Sometimes I feel a surge of courage and rush towards it,

ready to dive in and be consumed

by the past,

by the memories,

by the pain,

by you.

What sweet hell that would be.

There's a space where you once sat my love, wider than

the world itself.

Greater than the point of all life.

One day I will go inside and meet you there.

Just for a moment.

When time weaves me a cloak to protect from the burn

and

your love becomes the cushion that bears the brunt of

the impact.

For now, I tiptoe around the space,

that's wider than the world itself.

~Donna Ashworth

A whole lot

From Ladies Pass It On

I could tell you to make amazing things

happen this week.

And maybe you would.

But what I really want to tell you, is how

amazing what you already do every day is.

It's a lot my friend.

Your life is a lot.

The world is a lot.

Your mind is a LOT.

So this week, why don't you take some time

to look at what you already do and what an

impressive, kick-ass machine you actually are.

You're a whole lot.

(And that's more than enough).

~Donna Ashworth

Just a number

 From Ladies Pass It On

Age means nothing,

It's your energy that counts.

Some people age before their time,

others are endlessly young.

If you fear growing old my friend, stop.

Fear is something which will age you faster.

As is bitterness, regret, envy and greed.

Drop them like hot potatoes, they are weighing you down

and draining your joy.

Embrace your journey and the place you're at.

It's only a number.

Your energy will determine how "old" you are.

And if your looks are a worry as the years tick by,

remember, a beautiful young woman is a happy accident

of nature but a beautiful older woman, is carved and

chiseled by a life well lived and a heart full of love.

Time can't erase your beauty my friend,

only anger can do that.

~Donna Ashworth

Glory

 From Bible Study book on Jude

The glory of the Lord is the expression of God's person. It is any manifestation of God's character, any manifestation of His attributes in the world, in the universe, is His glory. In other words, the glory is to God what the brightness is to the sun. The glory is to God what wet is to water. The glory is what heat is is to fire. In other words, it is the emanation, it is the effulgence, it is the brightness, it is the product of His presence, it is the revelation of Himself. Anytime God discloses Himself, it is the manifestation of His glory.      ~John MacArthur

Rest now

 From Ladies Pass It On

May you rest now, in peace,

your journey here is over.

And you toiled so very hard,

you deserve that precious gift.

May you sleep now, so sweetly,

the slumber of the loved.

Your life will be remembered,

you need worry not for that.

May you pass now, with permission,

you tried so hard to hold,

but it's not your weight to care,

for those who stay behind.

May you rest now, at last,

your time is right for crossing.

You gave your all to life

and for that you will live on.

May you sleep now, in peace,

till eternity awakes you.

May the love we still have for you,

be the pillow for your head.

~Donna Ashworth

Without touch

 From Ladies Pass It On

"How do we survive without touch?" said a little voice

inside my head.

"Well, that's simple," said another,

"You remember,

What it feels like to dance in a crowd, music loud, hands

in the air, transported far away.

You remember,

Sandy toes, salty kisses, sunny days and cleansing

waves.

You remember,

Warm hugs that last too long, sticky toddler kisses,

greeting friends with arms so wide.

You remember,

Delicious meals served in beautiful surroundings, the

laughter never-ending.

You remember,

Smiling at babies on the seat in front of you, waiting to

fly to sunnier climes.

You remember,

The life we knew, the life we thought was forever, when

we didn't know it mattered."

"How do we survive without touch?" said a little voice

inside my head.

"Well, that's simple," said another,

"You remember."

~Donna Ashworth

Wild child

 From Ladies Pass It On

Keep a little bit of you wild,

child.

That little part of you that seeks out the moon, the

sunrise, the waterfalls.

The part of you that craves the freshest of air, the

thickest of forests and the giant waves.

It's important.

For she is directly connected to the core of the earth,

the tides and the stars.

She's intrinsically linked to all creation, to life itself, to

existence.

Don't let the modern world push her out, she is wild and

she is free

and you need her, to be you,

the you you were always meant to be.

Keep a little bit of you wild,

child.

Just a little bit.

~Donna Ashworth

Find someone

 From Ladies Pass It On

I hope you find someone, who won't let you face the

darkness alone.

I hope you find someone, who listens; to your words and

your silence

I hope you find someone, who loves to make you laugh

I hope you find someone, who sees you

I hope you find someone, who wants to know more about 

you, every day

I hope you find someone, who makes you feel safe even

when they are far away

I hope you find someone, who cares about your

happiness as much as their own

I hope you find someone, who bends

I hope you find someone, who dreams of holding your

hand to the very end

I hope you find someone who can't stay mad with you for 

long

I hope you find someone would let you go, if they

had to

I hope you find someone, who deserves

I hope you find someone, who sees your "flaws" as the

very best things about you

I hope you find someone who can't sleep if they don't

know you're okay

I hope you find someone who brings their own sunshine

I hope you find someone who forgives

I hope you find someone like this my friend but most of

all, I hope you find all of the above within yourself first.

It makes it easier you see.

Love yourself the way you want to be loved,

the rest just falls into place.

~Donna Ashworth

Your sparkly little light

From Ladies Pass It On

There is little you can do to make everyone like you.

Some people will see the real you, straight away. The you

with the worries, the fears, the kind heart.

Others will only see what you have that is not theirs. Or

who you have. Or a life that sparks a tad too brightly 

for their liking.

In Some People's Story You're An Angel, In Others You're

The Villain.

And that is pretty much that.

If you are spending any time worrying how others see

you, or whether they think you are a good person or not,

you are wasting precious time my friend.

Precious time that is much needed elsewhere.

It is universal truth that you cannot please all of the

people all of the time.

That in fact, the best way to get even close to this goal,

is to stop trying and to just be your authentic self, with 

kindness.

Always with kindness.

So, if you have been hurt by an unjust representation of

you in someone's story, take comfort in the fact that it is

not the truth.

And that the right people will see that.

Keep your sparkly little light shining and your people will

find you.

And they will stay.

And you will never have to convince then of who you

are.

~Donna Ashworth

Slowly fading away

 From Ladies Pass It On

(Side note: this used to be me, but not anymore, thankfully)

TO THE WOMAN WHO IS SLOWLY FADING AWAY

To the woman who has lost her spark.

To the woman whose get up and go, has well and truly

gone.

This is for you.

This is to remind you, that you don't have to be

everything to everyone, every day.

You didn't sign up for that.

Remember when you used to laugh? Sing?

Throw caution to the wind?

Remember when you used to forgive yourself more

quickly for not always being perfect.

You can get that back again.

You really can.

And that doesn't have to mean letting people down or 

walking away.

It just means being kinder to you, feeling brave enough

to say no sometimes.

Being brave enough to stop sometimes.

And rest.

It starts the moment you realise that you're not quite

who you used to be.

Some of that is good, some of that is not.

There are parts of you that need to be brought back.

And if anyone in your life is not okay with that...they are

not your people. Your people will be glad to see that

spark starting to light up again.

So, if you have been slowly fading away my friend, this is

the time to start saying yes to things that bring you joy

and no to things that don't.

It's really pretty simple.

~Donna Ashworth

The old you

From Ladies Pass It On

You don't have to defend the old you.

You didn't know then,

now you do.

You did what you could, with what you had, at the time.

And as with all things in life, you evolved, you've grown,

you've moved on.

So, if you find yourself trying in vain to defend the old

you, to argue on her behalf,

please stop.

You don't have to do that.

She was someone you parted ways with, gracefully but

after much suffering and if anyone in your life cannot do

the same,

that's their issue.

It's their job to catch up, not your job to go back.

You don't have to defend the old you.

You didn't know.

Now you do.

~Donna Ashworth

What a thing

 From Ladies Pass It On

WHAT A THING THAT WOULD BE

Being around someone who likes their self, is like sitting

in the springtime sun.

It lifts your soul and spins it around on a virtual dance

floor, like your favourite song, your favourite treat and a 

lingering hug all rolled into one.

The reason for that is simple; people who like

themselves as they are, don't judge.

They don't look for flaws, neither do they filter your

words for signs of weakness.

They have learned to stop all that.

They accept themselves and so naturally, they accept

you too, just as you are.

Even better, they see you in all your glory, the way you

should be seen.

It's a truly uplifting experience which brings a whole new

energy of its own and you should seek it out more often

my friend.

After a while of that, maybe, just maybe, you could be a 

person who likes their self too.

And you could bring that sun shine to someone else in 

need.

What a thing that would be.

~Donna Ashworth

I see you

 You cannot see me but I see you.

I walk beside you everyday

I never really went away

I am with you morning noon and night

When you are sad I hold you tight

Don't cry (mom) I am ok

And we will meet again some day

One day when the time is right

I will be waiting in the light

But you have a life to live

So much love you have to give

Don't cry (mom) I love you so

More than you will ever know

Speak to me and I will hear

Never far I am always near

The bond we share was oh so strong

I am still here I have not gone

~John F. Connor

(Side note: changed "mum" to "mom")

You'll be okay

You learn to deal with the loss. But you never forget them. Because somewhere, deep within the halls of your heart, the pain they left behind will always linger. It will always remind you of how it went down. Of how they left this earth. And that's the type of thing that haunts you. Forever. Some pains can never be cured, no matter how much time passed, no matter how many times you tell yourself you'll be okay.

~R.M. Drake

What a love

He died for me knowing I might not ever want Him.

What a love.

I'll live for that.

~Marcus Stanley

On the inside

 From Life of Pi

And that wasn't it. There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, "Business as usual." But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.

These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good us not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defence, not God's, that the self-righteous should rush.

Happy wife

Happy wife, happy life is so misunderstood.

Women are reciprocal.

Make her happy and she will make you happier.

It wasn't intended to mean sacrifice your happiness to accommodate hers.

Your wife is going to treat you how you treat her.

Potential witnesses

From Flying Free

If your abuser violated you in private but was lovely in public, anger management was not the issue. 

They were able to control their anger when there were potential witnesses.

Read that again and let it sink in. 

Self-sabotage

 Self-sabotage is also:

• not asking for help
• rejecting praise
• isolating yourself when hurt
• saying "yes" to everything
• putting your needs on hold
• procrastinating on important tasks
• trying to be perfect

Still yours

On the days when no one but

you mentions their name, I am

so, so sorry. Say their name

bravely. Know that they are

still real, they were still here,

and they are still yours.

~Scribbles & Crumbs

More than enough

 From I Am A Mother To An Angel

Sweet girl,

don't ever let anyone

make you feel like

you are not good enough.

You are more than enough.

No one can change that.

~Stephanie Bennett-Henry

Missing from me

 From Ladies Pass It On

TU ME MANQUES

The French don't say, "I miss you,"they say...

Tu me manques..."You are missing from me."

You are missing.

I feel your absence as though it were a vital part of my

body that's gone. A part of my body that I need very

much but for some reason, I continue to live on.

You are a vital part of my soul, so I suppose that makes

perfect sense.

They say that grief is simply the love you felt for that

person, roaring around in pain, inside your body, with

nowhere to go.

I have so much of that for you.

I have so much of it I could open the windows and let

that roar encompass the world.

Tu me manques...

You, are missing from me.

~Donna Ashworth

Deserve the joy

From Ladies Pass It On

Dear Friend,

When this is over, can you promise me something?

No more wasted beach days, because you didn't like your

body. You deserve that sun, that sea, that freedom. You

are beautiful whether you feel it or not. We all are, we

really are.

You deserve that joy.

No more wasted weekends because you didn't want to

eat too much, drink too much or let yourself go too

much.

Time won't wait for you.

You deserve the joy.

No more saving for best or for that "rainy" day.

When the rainy days come your wonderful memories will

keep you warm.

You deserve the joy now, not later, not when you have 

"earned" it.

When this is over my friends, promise me that you will

live this life every minute of every day and that you will

never, ever tell yourself you are not enough.

You were always enough.

Now you know this life is really a blessing, it really is a 

gift and it's your gift.

You have been blessed,

you always were.

~Donna Ashworth

Only get better

From Ladies Pass It On

Don't prioritise your looks my friend,

they won't last the journey.

Your sense of humour though, will only get better.

Your intuition will grow and expand like a majestic

cloak of wisdom.

Your ability to choose your battles, will be fine-tuned

to perfection.

Your capacity for stillness, for living in the moment,

will blossom.

And your desire to live each and every moment will

transcend all other wants.

Your instinct for knowing what (and who) is worth

your time, will grow and flourish like ivy on a castle

wall.

Don't prioritise your looks my friend,

they will change forevermore,

that pursuit is one of much sadness and

disappointment.

Prioritise the uniqueness that make you you, and the 

invisible magnet that draws in other like-minded

souls to dance in your orbit.

These are the things which will only get better.

~Donna Ashworth

Not that day

 From Ladies Pass It On

This will all make sense soon,

but today is not that day.

If you can't seem to gather your thoughts or feelings and

pull yourself together, as you normally would.

If it feels as though everything you used to do, to get

your life back on track, no longer applies.

Perhaps that's because your subconscious knows we are 

still in the midst of the chaos and therefore won't commit

to the clean-up, until you are out of the woods.

Which means the only thing to do right now, is to be.

Until you are well and truly clear of the obstruction which

has been placed in your path.

Just be, let everything around you be and wait until the

time is right.

When that time arrives, you will know because that's 

how a subconscious works.

Let's trust the wise words being whispered (by

ourselves) my friend

and

let 

it 

all

be 

so.

This will all make sense soon,

but today is not that day.

~Donna Ashworth

Mystical magnet

 From Ladies Pass It On

Am I pretty?

Am I funny?

Am I clever?

Your child will ask you one day.

And your mothering heart will rush to answer yes yes yes

but maybe that's the moment we should all begin to 

teach,

that none of it matters.

Maybe we should say, 

"My child, you are a mystical magnet all of your own

design.

And you will attract into your life, people who value you,

simply for being exactly who you are.

It's science and nature inextricably combined in the most

beautiful way.

And sadly some people will see something in you that 

upsets them,

perhaps because they want it,

or perhaps because they have been taught to fear it.

None of that is your fault or your responsibility.

You must shine through your life being exactly who you are,

regardless of how others label you,

it's the only way to wake up every day feeling at peace."

Maybe if we started this mantra very early,

we could save our beautiful, complex little humans,

so much sorrow and wasted energy...

Trying to fit in when they were born to stand out.

~Donna Ashworth

Battle of your body

 From Ladies Pass It On

THE BATTLE OF YOUR BODY

You weren't supposed to battle with your body.

Your body was never supposed to be your fight.

Life was supposed to be the fight,

survival was supposed to be your challenge and peace

was supposed to be your aim.

Your body was gifted to get you through the other wars

you face.

It's a body of great design and amazing resilience.

You are the top of the body tree, in mother nature's

kingdom.

Your body was not supposed to be your battle my 

friend.

It was supposed to be the ship that sailed you to new

shores, to taste life in all its glory and adventure the way

humans were made to.

Your body is the house to host your soul and attract all 

the other like-minded souls into your garden.

If you're trapped battling your body, it's time to stop.

When illness comes your body needs you as a friend, as

a teammate, to battle the attackers.

Not to be one.

Listen to your body, it knows nothing of the current

fashion or the way people look around you. It's doing its

job and it needs what it needs.

Give it what it needs but above all give it acceptance.

You don't have to love it but you do have to accept it,

otherwise peace will never be achieved in your time on 

this earth.

Wouldn't that be a sad thing indeed.

~Donna Ashworth

Needed you today

 From Ladies Pass It On

I needed you today.

I needed you so much it hurt to breathe.

There's nothing I wouldn't give to hold you one more 

time and tell you how much you mean to me.

I hope I told you this enough when you were here.

I hope you can hear me now when I say it inside my

heart, over and over and over.

I love you.

I wish you could see what is going on in this world you 

left behind. Can you see?

It's absolutely beyond belief.

And yet, I can almost hear your words of comfort, "this 

too shall pass."

You would take this in your stride.

I needed you today.

I needed you so much it hurt to open my eyes and see a 

world without you.

Now that life is so very still, I can almost feel you beside 

me.

Are you beside me?

I like to think that's you. Sitting with me in the darkness,

through the hard times.

Like you always did in life.

Please stay.

I need you, very much.

I miss you, more than I ever thought possible.

~Donna Ashworth

Somebody somewhere

 From Ladies Pass It On

WHAT YOU HAVE

Somebody somewhere would love your home,

your car,

your bank balance,

your nose,

your figure.

Somebody somewhere looks at you and thinks their life would be perfect, 

if they could just have what you have.

Meanwhile, you look at someone else and think the same.

If we let every one of us swap something they didn't like, 

with someone else,

would we all be happy?

I don't think so.

We would find something else, someone else, to covet.

That's just the human way.

Maybe the solution then, is to look at what we do have with fresh eyes.

As though watching from afar.

Maybe then we would realize how blessed every one of us is.

I say it a lot and I won't stop,

if you must change anything,

change the way you see, my friend,

change the way you see.

~Donna Ashworth

Family of sinners

 From Flying Free

"...there are always folks who fancy themselves bouncers to the heavenly banquet, charged with keeping the wrong people away from the table and out of the church. Evangelicalism in particular has seen a resurgence in border patrol Christianity in recent years, as alliances and coalitions formed around shared theological distinctives elevate secondary issues to primary ones and declare anyone who fails to conform to their strict set of beliefs and behaviors unfit for Christian fellowship. Committed to purifying the church of every errant thought, difference of opinion, or variation in practice, these self-appointed gatekeepers tie up heavy loads of legalistic rules and place them on weary people's shoulders. They strain out the gnats in everyone else's theology while swallowing their own camel-sized inconsistencies. They slam the door of the kingdom in people's faces and tell them to come back when they are sober, back on their feet, Republican, Reformed, doubtless, submissive, straight. But the gospel doesn't need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, and shouting, "Welcome! There's bread and wine. Come eat with us and talk." This isn't a kingdom for the worthy; it's a kingdom for the hungry."

~Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday

Not so dependent

 The truth is: You need to learn how to love yourself and not be so dependent on other people's love.

~R.M. Drake

She didn't

 From Flying Free

She didn't know the path.

She didn't know the way.

It didn't matter.

She kept going.

She kept putting one foot

in front of the other.

She kept showing up.

She kept giving.

She kept trying.

And eventually the path

became clearer

and she found 

that she was indeed

brave.

~Rachel Marie Martin

Simple

 From 3 am Thoughts

The truth is, none of us is easy to date, deal with, or please all the time. We have our vices, our attitudes and way of doing things that make us unique. You won't like everything about somebody, it's impossible. This is life, and it isn't about finding the perfect person, there is no such thing. It isn't about living some happily-every-after fairy tale. It's about finding someone you're willing to work for, and who is willing to work for you. It's simple, but yet so hard to achieve.