HEARTSONG, ISSUE 20, SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2007

WELCOME TO HEARTSONG!!!

In This Issue:
Quote From The Heart
A Note From Kim
From The Lighthouse, With Love
Home And Hearth
Prayer From The Heart
Heartsong Reflection

QUOTE FROM THE HEART
In each issue of Heartsong, I will open with a quote, poem or lyric, which I have found inspiring and uplifting. I hope they will inspire you, as well!

"Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch."

~Ramona C. Carroll

A NOTE FROM KIM
Welcome to today's issue of Heartsong! I've spent the last couple of weeks battling a knock-down-drag-out cold, which has kept me from being as energetic or productive as I would have liked! Nevertheless, I'm pleased to announce that my ebook, "Inspiration For Life's Journey," is finished! I plan to have it up on the site and ready for purchase in the next few days! I'll be sure to let you know when it's available to order. I hope it brings you joy and inspiration, as the title implies!

Until next time, enjoy the rest of today's issue!

Love,
Kim

FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE, WITH LOVE
A lighthouse serves as a beacon of hope in a violent storm. A lighthouse sheds light on our worries and troubles, and brings us joy and peace. Therefore, in each Heartsong issue, I will include an article, which will help to guide you through the dark and troubled times, or lighten and brighten your heart and life in a special way. In today's Lighthouse article, we're talking about the benefits of living our lives in the here and now.

Life In The Here And Now: Living In The Present Moment

You've probably heard people talk about how they "live life in the here and now," or "live in the moment." Upon hearing phrases such as these, what thoughts come to mind for you? Do you think the whole idea of living in the here and now, or in the present moment is too unrealistic, impossible or downright ridiculous? Does the idea baffle, astonish or intrigue you?

Up until quite recently, when I heard others discussing the empowerment and confidence that living in the present moment brought them, I found myself thinking, "Well, that's great for them, but that philosophy could never work for me." Somehow, in my own mind, I'd equated life in the present moment as some sort of cop out or get out of jail free card. I considered it to be irresponsible or careless to simply live for the moment. Have you ever seen it in that way?

A few months ago, I had a very disturbing encounter with someone, which left me fearful, and on edge. I dreaded having another brutal confrontation with this person. I became pretty paranoid over the incident, and had a desperate wish not to ever hear from the other person ever again.

Sometime after this encounter, I was again reminded of the "life in the present moment" philosophy. This time, given my fear and paranoia, I began to wonder if it really had some merit after all. So I tried a little experiment. I wanted to see if I could attempt to live life in the here and now for a whole day, just going with the flow, and taking life's circumstances as they came. I learned a lot from my experiment. Though it was not a total success, I was able to discover a number of extremely wonderful benefits from focusing on the present moment. Here are a few of my discoveries.

Living in the present moment assisted me in decreasing my worry and anxiety. When I focused on the present moment, without dwelling on my past or envisioning my future, I discovered that my anxiety level lessened considerably, and my worries seemed minimal. I was able to focus on the tasks, situations and circumstances at hand instead of dwelling on yesterday's mistakes or tomorrow's issues.

I became more motivated. As I concentrated all of my energies on the here and now, I became motivated to give one hundred percent of my attention to what I was currently working on. I finished tasks more easily, with less effort and in a way that made me very content. My work was really up to my standards, since I was giving it complete and total concentration. That was a terrific discovery, indeed.

Life's lessons had a greater impact. For instance, while concentrating on the here and now, if I experienced an inspirational thought, an intuitive nudge or an "ah ha" moment, I found it easy to pay attention to whatever that God, Spirit, my higher self, was trying to tell me. Because that moment had just occurred, and I was so intensely focused on my present, I couldn't simply shrug it off or come back to it for later pondering! I learned that each special inspiration was there to teach me something, and I was able to learn and integrate these great little lessons more easily and effectively through being in the present moment. And since I was focused on, and grateful for these inspirational, intuitive and thought-provoking moments, I received more and more similar experiences - the law of attraction in action!

Finally, focusing on the present moment allowed me to enjoy life's little pleasures all the more. The happy songs of birds outside my window, the chatter of a squirrel in a nearby tree, the lilt of classical music pouring from my stereo speakers, became all the sweeter when I gave them my full attention. The sweetness of life's simple beauties became more and more evident to me. I grew to appreciate life more, and to cherish its wonder.

My experiment lasted only 24 hours, so just imagine the results that can occur if we attempt to live in the present moment all the time? Needless to say, I'm no longer skeptical about the "here and now" philosophy, and make it a point to cherish each golden moment with which I am presented. May you, too, learn to enjoy the magic and wonder of each moment of your life, may they teach you all they have to teach, and may you be richly blessed by life's precious little discoveries!

HOME AND HEARTH
In this section of the newsletter, I will provide tips to help you to bring your own creativity, spirituality and unique talents into your everyday life, and, more specifically, into your home.

The Glass Overflowing

I took a class about a year ago, which focused on ways to bring greater abundance into our lives. Our instructor, Sharon, used the example of the glass half full or the glass half empty. She discussed how some people think negatively, and always see the glass of their lives as half empty, while more positive people may try to look at their glass of life as half full. Sharon shared that she looked at her own glass of life as being overflowing. I really admire this attitude, and since hearing her use that phrase, have tried to emulate it in my own life.

One thing that always brings the "glass overflowing" image to mind for me is when I literally fill a glass to the top with liquid. When I do this, I always think of my glass of life as being overflowing with love, abundance, wonder and goodness. It's a concrete physical image that helps me to keep an optimistic attitude about my life circumstances.

How full is your glass of life? What steps can you take to fill your life's glass to the brim with greater love, peace and contentment?

PRAYER FROM THE HEART
Each issue of Heartsong will feature a prayer, either from my own heart, one which I hold dear in my own life, or one suggested to me by others. I hope they will speak to your spirit, as well.

O God, I thank You for this day of life
for eyes to see the sky
for ears to hear the birds
for feet to walk amidst the trees
for hands to pick the flowers from the earth
for a sense of smell to breathe in the sweet
perfumes of nature
for a mind to think about and appreciate
the magic of everyday miracles
for a spirit to swell in joy at Your mighty presence
everywhere.

Marian Wright Edelman

HEARTSONG REFLECTION
Until our next issue, try to live more of your life in the present moment. What positive results can you gain from keeping your focus on the here and now? Do you find that living in the present moment brings you greater peace and happiness?

Love, Light and Blessings,
Kim

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Heartsong is a biweekly publication, and is published on the first and third Sunday of each month. All content is copyright Kim Loftis, unless otherwise indicated.
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Have any questions or comments about this issue, or about Heartsong in general? If so, please don't hesitate to email me.   Kim@KimLoftis.com  And who knows? Your questions may inspire an article for an upcoming issue! Your questions and comments help me to make Heartsong as engaging, fun and inspiring as possible, and I thank you in advance!
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I would be honored and delighted to be your coach!

Until the next issue of Heartsong, let your heart sing, and I send you all my love!

Kim