There is only this moment, Christmas, Family Values, Life Lessons, Living Examples

There is only this moment….

I remember when I was just a little person we used to open our Christmas presents and when we were all done we would do an "instant replay" so my father could video tape it. That was a long time ago. He used a 35mm motion picture camera.

I used to fuss about it because I wanted to just enjoy my presents. Ma would remind me that he really liked doing this so she would tell me "Dawn do this for your father". If I had only realized at that age what she was really teaching me.

I got a little older and I kept to myself. I had one close friend but I wasn't interested in what the rest of the kids were into. Some of them put me down for being a loner. I truly enjoyed the time I had alone….just to read or write or spend time out in the yard. I would complain to my mother that I didn't fit in and it really bothered me. Ma would say to me "Dawn what's important is what feels right to you. Never mind what those kids are saying. Do what brings you happiness." I still didn't get the full concept of what she was trying to tell me.

I got a little older, into my later teens, and became a bit rebellious. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to voice my opinion and have people hear me. I wanted to leave my mark on the world. Yet I was still too shy. Ma reminded me "Dawn learn to walk before you run. Take right this second and do the best you can with it." I understood what she was saying. I just wanted so much more.

I moved out and got married and learned a ton of life lessons there. I was graced with children. One who went his own way and one who has created miracles with me. I told my parents that I needed to be free of the abuse I was living in. My father wasn't sure of how to handle it. So I sat alone with my mother and talked about the divorce I was about to go through. She said to me, "Dawn you only have this moment. You need to live for you. Make every breath count".

I listened to Ma. I got divorced and found my freedom. I became active in life. Found my voice. Understood what I was feeling inside. Recognized my dreams. Finally started to gain the courage to follow them.

Ma hit the peak of her illness and the night before she passed she asked me to stay with her. I couldn't handle seeing her the way she was…full of pain …full of sorrow. I made an excuse to not have to see my mother so empty … so helpless. She died before morning and her words …her voice echoed in my heart. "Dawn you only have this moment."

Need I tell you that from that day forward I have lived life consciously. With her in my heart I have followed my dream.

My Grandma taught me a ton about faith…about life's sanctuaries…about survival. Ma taught me to live within the moment. Between these two courageous women I was offered a foundation for success.

I have picked some of the hardest lessons to learn throughout this lifetime. Yet if I apply the teachings of each of these women I can and have survived, and thrived, from the obstacles that have presented themselves within my life.

With the faith of my Grandma and Ma's understanding of the importance of "this moment" I have created a community based business with a great deal of help from my daughter. We have shown that all things are possible if you live within the moment and truly, with every fiber of your being, believe they are.

We have taken on new opportunities that present us with the ability to 'stretch' ourselves into who we truly are. We have gone past the surface living and reached out to the world with conscious thoughts of how and why we would be affecting our surroundings so deeply.

I had wanted to open a 'new age' store over 15 years ago. I'm glad I waited. It wasn't the right time and I hadn't grown enough. We, my daughter and I, have now opened our store and we are offering so much more than just product. We have created a mini healing center that offers products to cleanse your life and heal your heart.

I try to be a living example of what my mother and grandmother taught me. So others will see that miracles are truly possible and there is always hope.

For it is true. We only have this moment…this breath…this thought. We need to live each and every one as if it could be our very last. Morbid? No. Truthful…responsible…fully alive…conscious living. Yes. An incredible life is truly lived this way.

I thank Ma and Grandma both for the wisdom that they instilled in me. For the love they offered even in the darkest of hours. And for the faith…for believing in me when it seemed like no one else did.

And what have I tried to teach my children? "We only have this moment. Live like there is no tomorrow. For this may be all we truly have."

To all of you… I wish you happiness with each breath you take. I wish you awareness in each second you live. I wish you hope within each moment you are gifted. I wish you the awareness to see each moment as a 'gift' and to live it fully.

Many Hugs
Dawn Ellen

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