Aging gracefully

 From Ladies Pass it On

THE ART OF AGEING GRACEFULLY

Think about it, you have EARNED this face.

Every line, a laugh shared.

Every wrinkle, a year survived.

Every age spot, a day that the sun shone on you.

Some women believe that as they age, they LOSE their

looks. Oh my friends how wrong this is.

A beautiful younger woman is a happy accident of nature

but a beautiful older woman?

She is a work of art.

The Japanese have a practice whereby they fill any 

broken objects with gold, believing that something which

is broken has earned its beauty and should be

celebrated and decorated rather than discarded.

I feel this way about women.

It took a long time to find out who you really truly are. A

long time. The acceptance that old age brings is freeing.

It brings with it peace and happiness.

Everyone knows, happiness looks good on us all.

Your body has been changing since the day you were

born and will continue till the day you depart. Ride with

it, accept it, embrace it. Be amazed by it.

Allow your face to represent your life, your stories, your

joys.

Why choose to be an older woman fervently chasing

youth, when you could be that older woman who knows

what she is worth and has earned every minute of her

hard-won self-acceptance.

The trick with ageing successfully, my friend, is to pay as

little attention to it as possible.

~Donna Ashworth

This moment

 By Charles Mackesy

"Be in this moment...

...now is all there is."

Scared together

 By Charlie Mackesy

"Everyone is a bit scared," said the horse.

"But we are less scared together."

Forever

 From Lewis Carrol

Alice: How long is forever?

White Rabbit: Sometimes just one second.

One and only

From God's Revival 2018

Who is above reproach. Who is perfect in every way? Who can lead, never making mistakes. Who is able to foresee what is to come. Who is able to withstand the forces of nature. Who can stop a mighty whirlwind or a tidal wave. Who can stop a mighty disaster? Only one. His name is above all names. He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the prince of peace. Only one is perfect in every way. He is our one and only, true God. 

A woman

 From Ladies Pass it On

TO BE A WOMAN

"What's it like to be a woman?"

a little bird whispered in my ear.

"Is it just like being human?"

oh it is so much more, my dear.

We are the holders, we are the keepers,

of the secrets and the truth.

We are the safe place in a storm,

the creator of all youth.

We are the place where life is softest,

we are the colour in the story.

We are the wisdom and the instinct.

Mother Nature in all her glory.

We are the taker of all worry,

we keep it deep within our hearts

So that others may unburden,

so that great new lives may start.

We are the makers of the home,

not just the walls but of the spirit,

Bringing everyone together,

letting love and laughter fill it.

We are sisters, mothers, wives,

so many things in every day,

We are the start of every life,

we are the reason, we are the way.

We are fuelled by intuition,

call it magic, if you like,

We are women, so much more,

than any words that I could write.

~Donna Ashworth

The way you see

From Ladies Pass it On

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE

I don't have crow's feet.

I have happy happy memories of laughing with friends

until the tears flowed.

I don't have frown lines,

I have the marks of my frustration and confusion, which I

battled through, smiling in the end.

I am not going grey,

I have shimmering highlights of wisdom, dashed

throughout my silver hair.

I don't have scars,

I have symbols of the strength I was able to find, when

life got tough.

I don't have stretch marks,

I have the marks of growth and the marks of

motherhood. My womanly evolution.

I am not fat,

I bear the evidence of a life filled with abundance,

blessings and good times.

I am not just forgetful,

I have a mind so full of stories, memories and moments

there is scarce room to hold much else.

I am not old,

I am blessed, with a life of great length, something

not everyone can say.

Don't change the way you look my friend,

change the way you see,

change the way you see.

~Donna Ashworth

Hits the pillow

 From Ladies Pass it On

WHEN YOUR HEAD HITS THE PILLOW TONIGHT

Remember the smiles of the day, the laughter, the warm 

words,

and let everything else go.

Put the lessons learned in a file marked "done" and give

yourself a pat on the back for the things you got right.

Leave the stresses of tomorrow where they belong,

tomorrow.

Leave the stresses of today where they belong too.

And let the night take away the heavy weight from your

shoulders.

Let it go.

Let yourself be safe.

Let yourself be still.

Let yourself be at rest.

When your head hits the pillow tonight my friend, let

sleep come and let your soul get ready for a new day.

You did your best today.

You did enough.

We are all just doing our best with no rule book, in a 

game with no referee and no half-time. None of us are

getting it right, we are all just winging it.

We are all just as scared, just as weary.

When your head hits the pillow tonight, my friend, close

your eyes and remember, you are worthy.

Choose peace.

~Donna Ashworth

Courage

By Max Lucado

Courage doesn't panic, it prays.

Courage doesn't bemoan, it believes.

Courage listens to the voice of God calling through Scripture.

Far too much

From Flying Free

Far too much Christian teaching for women about marriage can be summed up as,

"Know your place."

A far better message is: "Know your worth."

My worth

 From Ladies Pass it On

YOU WON'T FIND MY WORTH IN THERE~~

Don't define me by my size,

You won't find my worth in there.

See no measure in my thighs,

Or the colour of my hair.

Don't judge me on possessions,

Or the holidays I take.

Don't wonder of my treasures,

Or the money I may make.

I'm a mixture of emotions,

All rolled into a form.

Full of life and love and laughter,

And memories so warm.

I'm all the lands I've wandered,

All the stories that I've read.

I'm all the thoughts that visit,

When I rest at last in bed.

I'm a complex mix of lessons,

Which I've learned along the way.

I'm an echo of my musings,

And the things I didn't say.

I'm often fiercely happy,

And sometimes deeply sad.

I'm kind and deep and loving,

For that I'm truly glad.

So look at me and wonder,

Of all that's deep inside.

Don't just assume you know me,

And the stories my smile hides.

If you take the time to delve,

You will find more out each day.

But for now no need to judge me,

Till you've walked with me some way~

~Donna Ashworth

The sooner the better

 From Ladies Pass it On

(starts out with middle finger references, so left that out)

By 40...(see above)

By 50...(see above)

By 60...(see above) and not a single care is given anymore.

I mean, we care about our family, our friends and our

passions.

We care about the environment.

We care about equality and living in peace.

But we don't care about "fitting in" and we don't care

about what people think of us.

Not anymore.

Too many years were wasted on that. 

We certainly don't care to stay quiet, or bite our tongues,

we haven't wasted all these life lessons to play dumb

when the situation calls for our wisdom.

Neither do we care if our waistline is the acceptable size

or if our thighs are toned and unblemished.

We have wrinkles, we have stretch marks, we have war

wounds, warts and all.

And we are rocking each and every one of them in all 

their glory.

You see, there comes a time in every woman's life where

you realise that this is it.

This is the time to be alive.

To live without restriction or oppression.

To break free of the chains society binds us with and

tear loose.

This is our time to be completely and totally who we

were supposed to be all along.

The sooner you get there, the better.

Life waits for no woman.

~Donna Ashworth

Just getting up

 By Charles Macksey

"Sometimes," said the horse.

"Sometimes what?" asked the boy.

"Sometimes just getting up and carrying on is brave and magnificent."

Storms

 By Charles Mackesy

"What's the best thing you've learned about storms?"

"That they end," said the horse.

Isn't good enough

From Ladies Pass it On

TO THE WOMAN WHO THINKS SHE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH

To the woman who looks around and wonders why 

everyone else is so much more capable, so much

stronger, so much more ambitious than her.

To the woman who thinks everyone else is blazing a fiery

path through this thing we call life, while she limps

behind, barely getting through the days.

Somewhere, another woman is looking at you and thinking

exactly the same.

You see, we all look like we're kinda nailing it, from the 

outside in.

We all look "together" sometimes.

Catch us on the right day and hey, we look like we have it

all.

Because guess what, we learned to look that way a long

time ago.

We learned to hide our struggles behind a smile and

whack on that mask every day.

And actually, we are doing each other a favour when we

show up,

just as we are,

warts and all,

late,

frustrated,

human.

What we really need to see is that we are all the same.

We all struggle.

We all fall apart.

Some days we nail it, other days we get nailed.

By hiding our own weaknesses, fears, worries, we give

them more power.

If you let it out, shine a light on it all, it becomes so much

less scary, funny even...

And goodness only knows we need to laugh.

So, to the woman who wonders if she is good enough...

If this is you.

Yes you are.

You always were.

You don't have to live up to everyone's expectation of

how you should be coping.

You are human, flawed, wonderful, miraculous, lovable,

loved.

I see you,

Now do me a favor and go see all the others too.

Spread the word, we are good enough, just as we are.

~Donna Ashworth

After a while

From Ravenous Butterflies

This seemed familiar but definitely worth reposting

After a while you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning

And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts

And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head up and your eyes open

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all of your roads on today,

Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,

And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn

That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden and decorate your own

soul,

Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong,

And you really do have worth.

And you learn and learn...

With every goodbye you learn.

~Veronica Shoffstall - Comes the Dawn

Greatest illusion

"What is the greatest illusion?" asked the boy.

"That life should be perfect."

Rollercoaster

 From Parenthood movie

Grandma: "You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster."

Gil: "Oh?"

Grandma: "Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!"

Gil: "What a great story."

Grandma: "I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it."

No one else can

"Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you. It can tell you you're no good, that it's all hopeless. But remember this: You are loved, and important and you bring to this world things no one else can. So hold on."  ~Charles Mackesy

Calm

 Calm is a superpower.

Don't hold your breath

Youth and beauty are not accomplishments,

they're the temporary happy by-products of time

and/or DNA. 

Don't hold your breath for either.

~Carrie Fisher

A kind of magic

"There will be things that happen in this life that will make you feel like you can't go on.

But you must," said Bear.

"How?" asked Rabbit.

"You'll know," said Bear.

"There is a resilience in each of us that remains hidden until we need it."

"Like a kind of magic?" asked Rabbit.

"Exactly," said Bear. "Like a kind of magic."

A time

 From Ladies Pass It On

THERE WAS A TIME

There was a time I would have set myself on fire, to keep

others warm.

There was a time I would have crossed oceans to reach

people who wouldn't cross a stream for me.

There was a time I would try, too hard, to be seen by

those, who would simply never see me.

There was a time I felt myself unworthy of a person, who

could actually never be worthy of me.

But not anymore.

You see my friend, there are many ways to spend your

time on this earth

but wasting it on those who are not worthy of your

attention, it is a crying shame.

Use your time wisely.

Save your best efforts for those who care.

For those who would return the favour or at least

appreciate your attention.

Those who truly value you.

And the rest?

If they do not see you now, they never will.

And they are missing out.

Make this the time that you realise your time is precious

and should only be bestowed on those who bring you

comfort, positivity, support, love or joy.

Or all of the above.

Remember, you are the main act, not a warm up,

and this, my friend, is no dress rehearsal.

This is it.

The curtain is well and truly up.

Shine on.

~Donna Ashworth

Theological error

 Almost every theological error can be boiled down to one of these two mistakes:

1. Not thinking as highly of God as we ought; or
2. Thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.

~R.C. Sproul

Green flags

 I can't believe I have never thought of the concept of "green flags", so much emphasis is placed on "red flags". Quite refreshing~

Green flags in a relationship might look like:

• People honoring their word
• Being able to have a healthy disagreement
• Feeling heard
• Being able to process issues with each other as they come up
• Feeling free to be your authentic self
• Discussing your feelings openly without fear of judgment or consequence
• Clear expectations
• Willingness to be open to a different perspective

Never hurries

God never hurries.

There are no deadlines against which He must work.

Only to know this is to quiet our spirit and relax our nerves.

~A.W. Tozer

Treat right

 From Flying Free

If a man doesn't treat his wife right,

I don't want to hear him talk about Christianity.

~D.L. Moody

Because God is

Find joy in every day,

not because life is good,

but because God is.

Because you are

Treat everyone with politeness and kindness,

not because they are nice,

but because you are.

Faith

 From Life of Pi

I practiced religious rituals that I adapted to the circumstances -- solitary masses without priests or consecrated Communion hosts, darshans without murtis, and pujas with turtle meat for prasad, acts of devotion to Allah not knowing where Mecca was and getting my Arabic wrong. They brought me comfort, that's for certain. But it was hard, oh, it was hard. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love -- but sometimes it was hard to love.

Bring you out

One thing I love about God is, 

He'll bring you out of situations that you got yourself into, 

and won't hold it against you.

Considers

 Psalm 41: 1-3

Blessed is he who considers the poor;

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

And he will be blessed on the earth;

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;

You will sustain him on his sickbed.

As an aside

From Life of Pi

As an aside, story of sole survivor, Mr. Piscine Molitor Patel, Indian citizen, is an astounding story of courage and endurance in the face of extraordinarily difficult and tragic circumstances. In the experience of this investigator, his story is unparalleled in the history of shipwrecks. Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.

The better story

 From Life of Pi

Mr. Okamoto: "Yes, that's it. Let's go. Well, Mr. Patel, we have all we need. We thank you very much for your time. You've been very, very helpful."

"You're welcome. But before you go, I'd like to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"The Tsimtsum sank on July 2nd, 1977."

"Yes."

"And I arrived on the coast of Mexico, the sole human survivor of the Tsimtsum, on February 14th, 1978."

"That's right."

"I told you two stories that account for the 227 days in between."

"Yes, you did."

"Neither makes a factual difference to you."

"That's true."

"You can't prove which story is true and which is not. You must take my word for it."

"I guess so."

"In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer."

"Yes, that's true."

"So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without the animals?"

Mr. Okamoto: "That's an interesting question..."

Mr. Chiba: "The story with animals."

Mr. Okamoto: Yes. The story with the animals is the better story."

Pi Patel: "Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Flat story

 From Life of Pi

Pi Patel: "You want words that reflect reality?"

"Yes."

"Words that do not contradict reality?"

"Exactly."

"But tigers don't contradict reality."

"Oh please, no more tigers."

"I know what you want. You want a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile

story. You want dry, yeastless factuality."

Hard to believe

 From Life of Pi

"Mr. Patel, please calm down."

"If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for? Isn't love hard to believe?

"Mr. Patel --"

"Don't you bully me with your politeness! Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?"

Magical life

 From Ladies Pass It On

I hope you've not forgotten,

how magical life can be.

It's understandable if you have.

Your soul is depleted, weary and worn,

But remember life is capable of so many twists and

turns.

And nothing, nothing is permanent.

As fast as you can feel at your very end,

life can throw out a rope and pull you,

To the highest of heights.

It's a rollercoaster.

An up and down, in and out, over and under ride,

This chapter in your story is almost through

And if you can just cast your mind back to the magic,

Your silver lining will find you, pretty soon.

And I think it's going to be the most magical time in

your life,

You've come so far and taken so much.

I hope you've not forgotten how magical life can be

my friend.

You must believe.

You must believe.

~Donna Ashworth

Hiding your happy times

 From Ladies Pass It On    

I think you've been hiding your happy times,

afraid they will make someone watching feel worse.

I think you have and I have too.

But, much like refusing to live small, to honour the loss

of someone you love

(they would hate that, more than you can know),

we should not fall into this mindset for too long.

We must let the light win you see.

Hope is all we have sometimes and by sharing your joy,

you share hope.

You cannot feel guilty for the good times my friend,

especially now,

you deserve them.

So, share your happy, share your fun, share your "normal"

and let that sharing bud little blooms of hope wherever it

lands.

We need it now.

The worst is over.

~Donna Ashworth

Lost youth

 From Ladies Pass It On

AGEING ISN'T ABOUT LOST YOUTH

It's about finding...

Who your true friends really are.

The difference between shiny and worthy.

The confidence to be yourself in any room.

The time to dedicate to the things that bring you joy.

The wisdom to say no to the things that don't.

The freedom to choose your own path in life.

The courage to be happy in your own skin.

The knowledge that very little really truly matters in the end.

Ageing isn't about lost youth, my friends,

no...it's not.

I haven't lost a thing, in fact.

Except perhaps, my ability to give a toss, about the things that

won't matter when I'm gone.

And remember, not everyone gets the chance to grow older.

It truly is a privilege denied to many.

No, ageing isn't about lost youth,

It's about finding,

who you were meant to be, all along.

Come home

 From Ladies Pass It On

I want to take you back, to the last day you loved

yourself.

You were 12, maybe more, maybe less and until that

moment, thoughts of your body had not existed.

Your life was not marred by the self-doubt you now carry

so well.

Something, or someone, broke a sacred piece of your

spirit that day.

Someone with a sharpened tongue, a blackened heart,

or perhaps the blind ignorance of youth.

And each day that passed took you further and further

away from the comfort of your own skin,

the acceptance of your vessel, the synchronicity of your 

parts.

Until you became so disjointed, you barely recognised

the shapes you saw in the mirror each day.

And as I take you back, I think we can agree, you were

perfect, if perfection exists.

And I think we can agree that if you could, you would

wave a magic wand and give that little girl her joy back,

her confidence back, her clarity of vision.

And watch her fly.

But my friend, it's not too late, never too late, to forgive

and heal.

You are simply a wearier version of she.

And you are even more worthy now of the piece they

took from you.

Take it back.

Synchronize your parts, climb back into the comfort of 

yourself and fill your skin once more, as though feeling it

all for the first time.

Come home, little one,

Come home.

~Donna Ashworth

More than you see

From Ladies Pass it On

You are always so much more than you see.

You are the laughter that rings in the air, infecting

everyone around you.

You are the softness of your heart when problems are

placed in front of you.

You are the words you passed on in times of need, that

stay with each person you gift.

You are the music you hum in the car with the windows

down and your sunglasses on.

You are a special scent that lingers long after you leave.

You are the memories of childhood stored safely, like the

precious cargo they are, in the heart of your family.

You are the little girl who cried, who fell, who got up.

You are the friend who stayed when others had gone.

You are so much more than you measured yourself upon.

You are so much more than your failings, your bad days.

Sweet girl, you were always good enough.

The world isn't always good enough for you.

~Donna Ashworth

Personally

 From Averstu.com

Don't take

everything

personally. You

would be surprised

to know that the

words and actions

of other people

literally have

nothing to do with

you, but everything 

to do with them.

Helpful distinctions

 From Ben Everson

There is so much to love about this...

Helpful distinctions today:

1. Men are not women
2. Women are not men
3. Pets are not kids
4. Boyfriends/girlfriends are not spouses
5. The internet isn't the local church
6. Words are not guns
7. Feelings are not facts
8. Creatures are not the Creator
9. Sin is not righteous

Perfection

From Ladies Pass It On

If you're trying to reach perfection, be prepared to try

forever.

Perfection isn't a place, or a destination, or a goal.

That's a myth.

That doesn't exist.

You're on a long road to nowhere.

And yet, perfection does occur.

It occurs every day in fact...

It's in the moments, the minutiae, the everyday.

It's that feeling when your beloved snuggles in and two

souls become one.

It's the love in a fleeting look that says, "I got you."

It's the table filled with food, family, friends, and laughter.

It's the achievement of another battle fought and

survived.

It's the smiling eyes that look like your own and those

who went before you.

It's the knowledge that you can, no matter what.

It's a safe roof over your head on a stormy night.

There is no such thing as a perfect life my friend, there

are only perfect moments in every day.

The real worry, is a life spent chasing perfection when

actually, it's passing you by.

In all the little moments, right here, right now.

~Donna Ashworth