hope Archives - Writing From The Kitchen

Share Your Gifts – Feed Your Joy

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019by Erika K Rothwell1 Comment

As December has arrived and gift buying is in full swing, I am reminded that gifts are not only made of material. Walking through the mall, listening to the Christmas music, and watching the young ballet dancer gracefully float across center stage, I recognize a deep longing within myself to reconnect to meaning as I push aside the hustling yet robotic tasks of the holiday season.

Gifts of the heart given from the center of our beings shine through us like twinkling Christmas lights. Yet it is possible that some of these lights can burn out leaving us with a half-lit strand of joy. When we allow the resentments of events that we cannot control to seethe beneath the surface, our power is drained eventually resulting in burn out.

Join me in changing the empty bulbs to once again receive positive, supportive, and loving energy. Let us recharge and reignite our passion, the direct passage of energy from the heart of our meaning. There is redemptive power in recognizing our individual gift to the world. So let it shine radiantly, joyfully sharing it with others.

Rather than allow the distractions of the season to zap our energy, let it infuse us with hope as we look for opportunities to encourage those around us even those who may judge us, outrun us, or are simply more talented than us. In truly appreciating other’s gifts to this world, we act as a conduit supporting the transfer of loving intentions and positive energy.

When we focus on sharing our unique and creative gifts, all else seems to fall into place. We reconnect to the power source, as our bulbs are refreshed.

We are once again ready to shine.

🎶”May your season be merry and bright.”🎶

©Erika K Rothwell

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hope, inspiration, writing

Grace to All – Happy Fall!

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019by Erika K Rothwell7 Comments

Autumn has arrived in my kitchen. Can you see the shadows and the reflections?

The birth phase of care-free Spring and the youthful energy of young-adult Summer have led me to the nostalgic and “time doesn’t stand still”, Autumn.

The death of winter has not yet come. Dreams are alive, just fading into colorful prismatic displays on the trees in the hills, mesmerizing me into a fantastical trance where I once again accomplish nothing, or so I think.

Negativity surrounds me, yet hope lightens my load as I write from the kitchen.

Evening’s sun rays light up my decor. Chosen colors of blue, white, and orange encourage me to share inspiration from a simple photo taken as I attempted to fend off sadness.

Who writes from their kitchen? I do. Somehow, the spirit of life brightens the space where my heart lives. My memoir speaks from the kitchen. The memoir that I have not yet written, and may never write.

There are pieces of me, in segments of 300 words or less, scattered, fragmented, and disjointed in my documents folder. All of which could be completed and shared with the world.

I keep writing, searching for that perfect view. I don’t stop. I keep living and writing more. It doesn’t feel right. So I just keep writing. However, I just may have captured my thoughts, raw and unfiltered, once again. The perfect piece to describe how I feel, today.

Happy Fall and Grace to all!

Love y’all

Erika

©Erika K Rothwell

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Grace, hope, self-acceptance

Embrace Grace

June 19, 2019June 20, 2019by Erika K Rothwell5 Comments

Imagine Grace resides at the mountaintop. Your life consists of climbing through the unknown, toward that high peak, suffering the maladies from unplanned events along an arduous journey, dreaming and reaching for Grace.

Now, instead, imagine Grace alongside you every step of the way. Perhaps, like me, place a flower in your hair as a tangible reminder of her presence. You climb without any equipment or even the necessary strength as the vertical path opens up ahead of you potentially fraught with unexpected hardship and loss. All the while, your companion, Grace, supports you. You survive the best you know how, while she reminds you she is always there for you no matter what choices you make.

Grace in a yellow mountain flower — Photo by Erika K Rothwell – Mountain Flower

Grace exists, but first you must acknowledge her existence. You must call her into your life, as if she were your greatest advocate and most empathetic friend. She is your hope and a companion in your life all the way through to the end.

Grace gently caresses your dreams, your feelings, your being. Without her, you suffer from judgment, insecurity and fear. With her you are accepted, understood, and open to be loved.

Once opened, you are filled with her and you become a conduit to spread her powerful and healing ways.

Join her. Accept her into your life. The support you find will infuse energy into your journey to the mountaintop. When you reach the top, thank her for her loyal patronage. Praise her source.

Bring her back down the mountain, inside of your heart, and share her exponentially as you strive to spread love and kindness, non-judgmental support, encouraging others to embrace her like you once did.

With Grace,

Erika K Rothwell

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encouragement, hope

Let Hope Guide Your Steps

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

Words are born in my life regularly and molded genuinely, lit up from a spirit of desiring deep connection. Projects take on a life of their own, coaxing me to follow their lead as I continue putting one foot in front of the other. With this hope, I believe my baby steps will eventually cover a mile and climb a mountain.

Without any promise of success at the peak, peace surrounds my every move as I relax into the rhythm of daily work accepting that the vision at the summit may only be seen by me and a few companions who travel along with me.

The end-point is not always the goal. And in the case of creative development, it is even more clear that the journey only refines the goal. Yet hope reaches out for all of us with it’s supportive caress, even if we have not yet arrived.

Joys of life are often discovered in today’s moments without eyes on tomorrow or our hearts being lost in the struggles of yesterday. Take notice of what gives you hope as it surrounds you. Let it guide your steps forward. And when you think you’ve arrived, contentedly accept there is always a next leg in the journey.

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Creativity, Growth, hope

Hope Blinks – Refresh Your View

April 25, 2019April 26, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

Have you ever played the game of staring at another person until one of you blinks? I have. And I must admit my strong-willed nature often insists that I be the winner.

But imagine viewing our goals in the same way, resolutely fixated on what we see in front of us. We stare at them for so long that our vision becomes blurred as we find it increasingly more difficult to focus. Eventually, we are forced to blink.

Initially, as we set out to accomplish tasks, our laser-like focus appears to work well. Our goals, however, may consume us causing us to lose balance and clarity. Over time in overdrive, our paths become obscured and we really need to blink.

New Beginnings

Letting go of our control and our self-directed will allows for a reset and a more vibrant picture once we reopen our eyes. New beginnings are the foundation of hope and an opportunity for pivotal modification in our lives. Restoration recharges our souls and we are often compensated with regained momentum, possibly even recovering lost time.

In the space of stepping away, I am provided with a brief interval to use my other senses, intensifying my vision when I refocus. Try this exercise. Stop your fierce concentration for a moment. Close your eyes for one whole minute. Set a timer if you must. Reopen your eyes. What do you see?

Get Outside

Make the time to go outside. Let your mind wander, listen to the sounds you hear, or simply feel your heartbeat. Let go of your self-driven need for control. Your goals will be waiting for you upon return.

Apologetically, I share the cliche to “stop and smell the flowers”, for if I had not done so today on my run, I would not have been greeted by the Swallowtail Butterfly. Quietly and softly, he reminded me of the rigorous growth process their kind must go through in order to bare their beautiful wings and fly, flittering between nectar sources. Our creative journey, similarly, is an individual metamorphosis.

Recharge Your Creativity

Creativity is a slowly evolving growth process that cannot be forced through time. When we push past our emotional and physiological needs or try to succeed without first putting in the time or work and balancing it with necessary rest, we run the risk of losing sight of what’s important causing our goals to suffer too.

Staying in sync with and acquiescing to the laws of the universe will not only recharge you but align you harmoniously with vitality to complete your destiny.

In fact, at times, an answer you may have been seeking stares you right back in the face and you have to blink to understand it. This is precisely what happened to me this week. After a recuperative moment, upon reopening my eyes, lucidity arrived bringing not only an answer but complementary joy in the discovery. I share it with you now.

Being a writer doesn’t restrict my creative and artistic expression to words. Upon the exploration of a multi-faceted creative life, my spirit has been enlivened “giving wings” to my writing goals.

Many of you have already made this discovery as you share your amazing artistic abilities beyond writing. I would be very interested in comments, from any and all, about what other creative avenues you pursue and how it helps you.

Have a beautiful day!

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