Category: Inspiration

Awards, Inspiration

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Erin Keane

I would like to thank the very inspirational, Truth Warrior, for the nomination of the The Very Inspiring Blogger. The Truth Warrior inspires you to discover and celebrate your authentic self…the wonderful, amazing, you! I am humbled by this nomination by someone who shares so much compassion and inspiration with others.

The Rules for this award are:

 Share 7 things about yourself 

  1. I love being a mom & wife
  2. My inspiration comes from the belief that we are all miracles and deserving of love–because we were all created this way.
  3. I am working on my flower garden—I love new plants
  4. I work every day at caring for myself with love
  5. I am taking a walk at least 5 of the 7 days of the week
  6. I love listening to music, especially Indie Pop—it inspires me!
  7. I take time to pray every day and be with my Creator–, it’s my meditation.

 Pass the award to 7 nominees that you find inspiring;

Thank you, each and every one of you, for your wisdom, and inspiration! You all inspire this world to be a better place, and make the journey all the more enjoyable! Congratulations!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Connecting to the wonder we are, Inspiration

You Belong to Life.

Erin Keane

You belong to Life.  Life belongs to You.

Today was a beautiful, sunny warm day in the Northeastern U.S.  It was the kind of day, where nature just draws you out—the Atlantic Ocean was beckoning  my family & I, and we followed its call to the shore. While we were there I took a few minutes and walked along the seaside with my toes in the water, alone. As I walked, I suddenly began to feel this strong sense of connection to the sound of the waves, and the water between my toes. I didn’t fully understand what my experience was saying to me, as I walked along, but I knew in my being , that this experience was grounding me to Life.

Have you ever been to the sea shore? What was the experience like for you?

**

I’ve been to the ocean many times over the last 12 years and have always enjoyed being there…but this time I felt like I began to belong to the sound of the waves….

                                          Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in the U.S. It’s a day of celebrating all women who are mothers, who will be mothers, and remembering & celebrating our mothers who have died.

Being a mother myself, I was reflecting today, on who I am as a mother to my son…

Maybe that’s why the ocean sounds were so powerfully present in my being… 

When we are living inside our mother’s womb we feel the sense of her rocking us as she walks along. And we hear sounds like the ocean waves day and night…the beating of her heart.

The song of the waves is connecting your body and self  to the natural world and at the same time is connecting you to where your Life began..in the womb.  The sounds of the waves remind us that we all began Life in the same way; i.e.; we are all connected to each other.  The ocean waves also reconnect us all to the deeper part of who we are—where we came from…where we began….

The sounds of the ocean embrace us, calm us, ground us & connect us to Life:                                                                                                                                          

Thus, if you ever feel disconnected from Life, you can listen to the ocean and allow your body to soak up it’s wonderful sounds…You will connect to the source of your Life—being in the womb—and begin to feel like you belong again…

The ocean sings to you, as the waves beat upon the shore, “You belong to all of creation, You belong to Life.”

And a gracious blessing upon all Mother’s of the World…

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

**(If you would like to truly experience the sound of the ocean as you read a long, or just want to take some time to listen and allow your body to become aware of the sounds and to feel how the sound of the ocean effects you personally…
Take some time to listen here.)

Healing, Inspiration

Listening to the Wisdom of Your Body Opens New Doors

Erin Keane

Sometimes we have to Ponder Life,

to discover the answers we are searching for.

These last couple days I needed an extra dose of refection time. I gave myself the gift of listening to my inner wisdom–i.e., what my body was telling me–so that I could make choices that would be best not only for me, but also for my family. Do you take time to listen to your body when you are searching for answers? If Yes: Do you usually feel like your body directs you in making choices that are good and right for you? If No: Why do you choose not to listen to your body?   

I usually can’t avoid what I feel…my gut just keeps bugging me until I pay attention and take time to reflect. So that’s exactly what I did these past few days. I pondered life, so that I could open myself to discovering my deeper truths…& share what I discovered is right and good with those I love.

Give yourself these gifts

  • Make space in your life for reflection
  • As you reflect take time to get to know your body better
  • By becoming aware of your body you can notice imbalances
  • These imbalances are indicators that some kind of change needs to happen within your Life
  • Write down what you notice or make note of it in some effective way
  • Reflect again
  • Write down possible changes
  • Act upon them
  • Notice your body again: if you begin to feel balanced again—note what is working. If not, keep searching.

May you be blessed with the discovery of your answers!—the ones that transform your life!
 As you discover the answers in your heart
Your world begins to transform
You hold your head up
And your Spirit opens
to receiving Life
And you smile
because you understand
your gifts
and are ready to share who you are.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Inspiration, Life

A Deep Longing, Fulfilled.

Erin Keane

Deep within us all is a longing to be connected, to be loved, to belong. Sometimes this yearning is more intense than at other times. Each of us discovers how to function in the world and how to be connected to this deeper part of who we are.  What do you do when you need to fulfill this longing within you, and have no one to really be there to help you fulfill these needs?

When this happens to me I turn to my “spiritual” side and take the time to pray or meditate. Opening myself to that which is beyond me, and inviting it to become a part of me seems to create that sense of connection that I need at any given moment. In other words, connecting to the Divine is something I need sometimes, well maybe lots of the time.

When I open myself in prayer I just allow myself to talk freely about what I feel. God is my journal buddy—-I can share whatever I need to from my heart, without writing it down, and yet it feels like I’ve got my pen in my hand. I find that when I have this deep longing for connection I need to release what I feel somehow somewhere, to someone. And why not give myself the gift of some quiet, where I can speak clearly, and know that the one on the other end of the phone-line wants to do nothing but listen to me?

Sometimes this longing for connection, love and belonging, is most fulfilled when I am able to share what’s in my heat & mind freely without hesitation. Or it happens when I just let go of my needs and send them out into the benevolent universe and into the hands of the Divine.

What happens to you when you meditate or pray? Do you feel the connection you need, or does the experience do something else for you? Do you have to be in a certain place or posture to achieve the connection or can it be spontaneous?

I find I need the spontaneity of sharing what’s on my heart and mind at any moment. But for the deeper sharing of my heart I need to take the time and be intentional, so that I can really allow myself to share what I feel.

If you haven’t already discovered a way to feel connected, I invite you to open yourself to all the energy in this beautiful world we have, and ask it to receive you. Do  it over and over again, until it becomes a part of who you are.

We are all connected to each other, the earth and all the creatures. So when you don’t feel connected, loved or like you belong. Just walk out your door step, and see the world…and thus you are, never alone.

And when I pray, I pray for your happiness too.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

Healing, Inspiration

Allow Yourself to be Proud of You!

Erin Keane

Every one of us is filled with special gifts. We all are unique in our own special way. When you give yourself permission to feel pride within your heart, body and mind for your gifts, you can create a sense of gratitude within your being.  When you actually feel this gratitude, you are giving yourself love, and acceptance.  Being proud of yourself encourages a positive sense of yourself. As you feel proud of yourself more, you begin to love yourself more deeply. As you love yourself more deeply, you begin to treat yourself with more dignity and respect.

In this day and age, we are either encouraged to show our pride, which often can be misinterpreted for boasting, or we are shamed, and told not to be proud of our accomplishments because it can be seen as boasting.  (See Glennon Melton’s Post about Bragging Rights). Either way it’s really difficult to win. But the truth is you can win by being grateful for your gifts—i.e. humility. Being grateful allows you to feel good about yourself. When we are able to feel good about who we are, feeling proud no longer becomes a ‘bragging right,’ rather, feeling proud becomes a source of self-Love.

Allow yourself to be proud of your gifts and abilities, and by doing so, Love Yourself more:  As you love yourself more deeply and honestly, others will feel and notice this about you and in return feel love from you—being near you may cause them to discover a deeper love for themselves.

I felt moved to write this post because for me, one of my greatest challenges is feeling like “I’m good-enough.”  The deep truths of who we truly are, are so often revealed in our days as babies and children…somehow we just forget about it when we ‘grow-up.‘
Today, my little boy had a deep sense of pride in his eyes because he kept himself dry (potty-training). And as I looked at him and saw this sense of pride and accomplishment, I was filled with a sense of joy–I knew,without me saying any words other than, “Good-Job!” that he deepened his love and understanding of himself as a person at that moment.

And thanks to my two-and-a-half year old son, I was reminded that I too deserve to be proud of myself and thus, love myself more deeply.

WE ALL DESERVE TO BE PROUD OF OURSELVES, AND THUS, LOVE OURSELVES MORE DEEPLY.

A lesson you will have to  learn again and again: to see yourself with your own eyes, to love yourself from your own heart.–Oprah, from Oprah’s Letter to Her Younger Self

  • You have gifts & abilities. We all have gifts and abilities
  • You deserve to feel proud about who you are and what you offer.  We all deserve to feel proud about who we are and what we offer
  • When you feel proud of yourself—pride that is derived from a positive sense of self–not pride that is done to be boastful—you channel love for yourself throughout your mind, body and soul.

Congratulations to each of you for all you do and, all you share with the world! You are wonderful & amazing!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

(Take a look at a post by my friend an fellow blogger Lisa,  How about a Little Tenderness?)

(See the Free Dictionary for a more detailed definition of Proud).

Inspiration, Life

Share Yourself with the World

Erin Keane

May you be blessed today with the realization that you are an awesome, beautiful & amazing creation for the world!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

Inspiration, Life

Listening to your body is Good for You!

Erin Keane

It always amazes me how much our bodies hold. I know this too well. Whenever I am confused or stressed about something, my body goes into overdrive and falls apart on me…headaches, tummy aches and all that other stuff that comes with stress. I realize I need to be very conscious about my well-being during these times. As a person who has suffered from depression– I put myself on ‘high-alert’ so that I can regain my equilibrium without falling off the deep end.

I’m not always good at following steps—I just like to go with the flow, but these things seem to help me and re-ground me:

Take a Step Back: Remove myself from the stressor and find a place to go and breathe. Do you have a special place to relax?

Breathe in Deeply, and Let Go: Release all that is within me that is causing me suffering—Letting go with every exhale. And breathing in calm and peace. What do you do with your breathing that is helpful during a stressful event?

Pour a Cup of Coffee: The caffine helps with my migraines—they come along when I’m really stressed. I’m really good at holding stress right in my neck and head…Where do you hold stress in your body? Do you have a ritual of coffee or tea etc. that helps you re-center?

Listen to songs that make me move my body & dance: Even though I need the calm I also find I need to move my body and get those positive endorphins moving! There is something freeing about moving your body—it gets me out of my state. What do you do?

Get a Hug: My son is good for hugs during the day, and my dog and 2 cats also love to be hugged—there’s something about connecting to humans and animals through touch that releases so much of the negativity and refills my body with a sense of love and care. Do you have someone or a pet that you who reconnects you to sense of care and well-being?

Writing about it: I know this has been the topic of lots of my recent posts, but I’m realizing how much better I feel by having an outlet for my feelings. I used to journal all the time when I was younger and stopped when my life got too busy…and of course that’s when depression got in my being…I guess I need to write to get to that place of balance after I’m stressed, anxious, etc. What about you? Do you find change happening within you when you write or sing, etc.?

It’s Friday evening in New England. So I’m letting go for a while, and ready to just enjoy the evening. I hope you are well, and find joy in your journey today too.

Remember: You are capable of feeling good in your life whenever you want to—especially when you change  your state and give yourself the freedom to be happy.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Related Reading: Tea & Comfort by I Stop for Suffering

Healing, Inspiration, Life

You Have the Potential for an Amazing Day

Erin Keane

Each new morning opens
My Life
to a story of Healing
I do not let my past define me
nor determine my future.
I go forward knowing my past
is a part of me
but I am
Strong,
Amazing
& Wonderfully Made.
So today my present is
the force that propels me foward.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

Inspiration, Life

EarthSong: Happy Earth Day!

Erin Keane

The Earth Sings a Song of Beauty
The music it plays echos through the voices of Birds
Tu-La
Life is beautiful today…
Do you see the newness all around?
Mother Nature gives birth to bursts of colour
And the earth smiles at the breaths of Life
that the green leaves of the trees
Sing
Woosh…Swoosh…







Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

Check out Bella Bleue’s Facebook Page for More Healing and Inspiration.

Inspiration, Life

Oh, Anxiety! Why Don’t You Just Leave Me Alone?!

Erin Keane

I hate that feeling of anxiety. The kind of anxiety that is there when you go to bed and still there when you wake up. It’s that kind of anxiety that comes from uncertainty…the unknown.

I would love to create something that would just make it all go away….I guess I’d have to know the future then. And if that was the case then the enjoyment of creating my future would disappear, because I’d already know what was going to happen. Plus, I might not like what was going to happen. Or I might be too focused on the future excitement, that I would forget to live in the present moment and just enjoy being alive.

So maybe being anxious is what I’m stuck with.

MAYBE NOT!

Ok!

Breathe. 

So I’m not going to let the chronic anxiety take over. I’m going to be sensible and  just let life be.

Breathe. 

Let life be. But that’s what’s making me anxious.  So I’m going to do something!

Breathe. 

I’m not just going to sit by and let my life happen.

Breathe

 I’m going to do something about it!

Deep Breath.

I’m taking the time to pray and ask for some guidance…

My inspiration came from my husband this morning. I said, “I don’t know if I’ve got it in me to write my blog right now. I’m just not feeling that inspired. I’m worried about…” He replied, “Well, this is when you need to be writing the most. This is when you need to challenge yourself.” Okay…I’m challenging myself. And the funny thing is he was right. Writing about the hard stuff…unwanted feelings of anxiety…actually helps make the anxiety have less power. Writing forces the anxiety out. It doesn’t just sit right on top of my gut.  I think I will be better off today. Maybe I’ll be even more proactive because I’m not letting the feeling of anxiety control me. Instead I’m in control of my destiny. And I have the choice to determine how I’m going to feel about it.

So chronic anxiety, I’m dissing you today. I’m kindly asking you to leave, and if you don’t my other feelings of hope and inspiration are going to have another thing coming to you!

Be well all of you, and keep your head up.

It’s a new day!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health, & Inspiration for Your Life™