Connecting to the wonder we are, Inspiration

Connecting through our Curiosity

Erin Keane

Did you just see that?
See what?
That over there.
There’s something in the water there.  
Watch! Oh, I see it. What is it?
Aha, it’s a seal.
I knew I saw something!
Look there are: One, Two Three, Four of them.
They are beautiful.

As new groups of people approached the seaside, these words of curiosity and wonder would surface over and over again. While the visitors gazed upon the water, brief engaged conversations happened between strangers. These conversations happened with an ease, and lighthearted tone.  It was as if the seals were creating harmony in a world where so many of us experience chaos. They were giving us the permission to be human again, when so often we function in our boxes and our roles. And in the grander scheme of things it was the invitation of nature: the soft sand between our toes, the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore, the hope for a beautiful sunset on an Eastern seacoast, and the desire for a longer lingering away from our every day lives that drew us together.

As the sun began its journey of setting along the horizon, the seals began to pop their heads up more often, keeping themselves above water for a bit longer each time. We laughed and made up stories–imagining that they were gathering together just like all of us, and saying to one another look: “There’s another one of those two-legged creatures walking on the sand and pointing at us.” It was as though the curiosity was mutually welcomed.

This whole, wonderful curious  interaction of human to human, seal to seal, human to seal, and seal to human represents how we are created to be a part of the world, and the world to be a part of us. It is the rhythm of the sound of the sea, like the pulse of our heartbeats that invigorates us, and draws us near to the waters edge. Bringing unlikely strangers together to remind us that being human is a wonderful, marvelous gift.

It’s moments like these that make me wonder, why we allow ourselves to be so lonely in this world?… But that’s a conversation for another day.

How about you, what makes you feel alive? How has your curiosity transformed your life for the better?

Be well today, and always.

You are a wonderful, marvelous creation.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Life: Photography by Bella Bleue

Inspiration
Erin Keane

Erin Keane's avatarBella Bleue PHOTOGRAPHY

An incredible sense of healing embraces you, as light touches your eyes…and warms your heart, filling your spirit with beauty and peace. Connect to the deeper sense of yourself that reaches beyond your soul…Blessings.

©Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Life: Photography by Bella Bleue.  All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my healing blog: Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

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Discovering Strength, Healing

Don’t Panic!

Erin Keane

Yesterday, I Panicked! That feeling of “Oh, No!–This can’t be happening!” My panic wasn’t the result of the most awful thing in the world. No one was hurt; everyone I love was safe and sound, and the earth was still tilted and spinning normally on its axis.  But, it was life-shattering for me in my immediate moments of realizing what had occurred.

I put my photo memory card in my computer, and it wasn’t recognized. Of course, no worry yet. I had the brilliant idea of trying it in my camera. It would certainly read in there. But, NO! No response, no recognition. Hu? Why? What’s going on here? THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! All of my pictures of my son for the last 6 months—GONE! NO! A portion of the story of our life as a family erased. And of course this is when my heart, Sank.  And panic flooded my insides…Hot hands, racing heartbeat, uncontrolled thoughts all dismantled, defeat, worry….

But wait a minute...I don’t want to feel this way!

With everything else calm and quiet around my house, I was able to grab a hold of the chaos inside me, and put it on pause for a few minutes. Okay, brain: You work. You got to help me out here: You [mind] got to get this heart of mine under control, and help me FIX THIS! I won’t accept defeat!  Normal brain function returning, I was able to start solving this problem like a puzzle: Getting out another memory card, and examining the two together, I realized a significant part of the edge around the access point of my broken card was missing.   So of course the panic returned for a minute, and then my mind started buzzing:  “I’VE GOT to FIX THIS, I’VE GOT to FIX THIS!”

Stabilizing myself, I began some creative ideas to fix this. But none seemed practical. And then I paused, as I sat at the window, and I began to say a prayer: “Saint Anthony, I know I ask you to help me with things I have lost, I’ve lost my photos. Please help me find them.“—Connecting to my faith calms me down; it re-centers me….What works for you??  Believe it or not, I started to get my answers. I went back to where I was sitting on the couch the night before, and laying on the rug, was a tiny strip of black plastic. After many cross-eyed tries at the microscopic puzzle and with super-glued fingers, I got that strip back on! I put my memory card gently in my computer. And there were my photos. BREATHE, AGAIN. All was not lost.

I realize this was a lesson for me about Life, not just about this particular moment of panic. I know in many situations when I am panicking I lose all sense of hope; i.e., I become hopeless. I feel like nothing will change. And I get stuck. But yesterday, I handled myself well. I need to remember   this experience when I lose control of other parts of my life. I know that I won’t be able to fix everything that’s placed in front of me. But I can learn to work at re-centering myself, and being more intentional about asking for help (because we aren’t made to walk this walk of life alone).

It also made me realize, how much I don’t want to sink into that trap of Depression again. It’s funny how proactive we can be with ourselves, when we are working in opposition to something negative in our lives, isn’t it?  And that’s the key here: Yes, I’m writing about not wanting my pictures to be lost, but what I am really writing about is: “I don’t want to get stuck feeling this way!”  And wanting to change the way I feel, has great power in it. This power is what I want to hold onto. It’s what we all need to hold onto when we want to change our emotional state in life. It’s not the kind of power that dominates, and dictates, rather it’s the kind of power that is gentle and honest. It’s the kind of power that says to each of us in our own unique way, “ You are going to be okay.” ” You are going to get through this somehow.” And thus, it is the kind of power that also says, “It’s okay if I don’t know the outcome, I’ve just got to give myself the chance to Live through this, rather than being a puppet of panic and anxiety.”

The best part of this lesson learned, is that the strength to get through the obstacles in life is right there inside each and every one of us. And life offers us the opportunity to tap into our inner strength daily. Sometimes this inner strength moves us forward to discover solutions (like fixing my memory card) other times this inner strength teaches us how to take care of ourselves (like in my case asking for St. Anthony’s help…maybe for you its taking a relaxing bath, meditating, admitting when you need to rest, etc).

So know you are not alone when you panic. It’s a very real feeling for all of us. Knowing this is healing. Taking care of ourselves in the midst of struggles is healing.

Somehow all will be well…Life will find its way to take care of you, when you open your arms to receive healing.

Blessings of healing and peace to you,

Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All Rights Reserved.
Please visit my photography site: Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Life: Photography by Bella Bleue

Healing, Inspiration

Do You Remember when Healing Happened for You?

Erin Keane

Healing  gathers great power when we remember:

In your moments of frustration, disconnection, pain, suffering, brokenness, you can also absorb healing energy right from within your body. This energy, comes from the memories stored inside your mind, your heart, your finger tips and toes; it comes from every part of your being. For example, when  you get on a bike, your body remembers what it needs to do to keep balance and pedal, each and every time you get on. Just as easily as you can remember to  ride a bike, you can remember your moments of strength, peace, equilibrium, balance, brighter days, happiness, forgiveness, etc. Tapping into memories of times when you have overcome an obstacle can bring healing into your life in an instant.

Healing is an on-going journey, it never has a specific end date. So evoking a memory won’t heal everything instantaneously, but evoking memories of healing in your life will allow healing to begin to happen. Just think for a moment of a time when you went through something difficult in your life, but you were able to make it though. Embrace this memory of your inner strength, your body feeling peace, laughing again, feeling in balance again.

For example:

    • When you went through a break-up and were heart broken, but day by day you got a bit better, and then one day took the chance to love again.
    • When you were in pain, that seemed to never have an end, but you awoke one morning and felt peace within your body
    • When  you thought God forgot about you, but then something wonderful happened, even if it wasn’t the way you expected it to
    • When you thought that you would cry every day for the rest of your life, but one day you started to laugh again
    • Fill in your own obstacle that you over came, and how

By remembering the “overcoming” of something difficult in your life, you give yourself permission to have hope, and to believe that healing is possible because you remember when something positive came out of something negative—it gives you the hope that you can get through this present difficulty. Furthermore,  by transforming the negative, painful energy into positive energy, you also allow healing to begin to happen. Lastly, by remembering the positive outcomes from a difficult situation you give your body permission to work towards healing, instead of having your body work against you (like not eating well, or sleeping good, now you can!)

You already have these positive memories inside you. Go to them, and use them to help you be well in your life.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Cityscapes

Connecting to the wonder we are, Inspiration

You’re Just So Good

Erin Keane

“You are such a good person.” “Your dog is such a good boy.” “You are such a good friend.” “You always take good care of your plants.” There are so many times a day that we say someone or something is GOOD.   Having positive feelings and acknowledging the “Good” around you and in your life opens yourself to accepting and loving yourself and others more deeply. But I wonder, for all the goodness around you, how often do you look at yourself and say, deep down inside, “I am good?” 

I know for me that believing and saying  this statement can be challenging at times. I often ask myself: “Am I good mother? Am I a good wife? Am I good believer? Am I a good person?” It can be so frustrating that negativity sneaks into our hearts and minds at times, and does its best to try to beat us down. So how do you change this belief so that you can really believe you are good?

I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately. My son is three-years old now, and I’m noticing how much my reactions to him seem to effect the way he views himself. I’ve been trying to be encouraging, as he attempts to do new things, like potty-training, even when he is unsuccessful or stubborn. I am intentional about saying to him, “Good Job;” or “You are being a good boy.” We’ve put stars on a chart when he is successful in his endeavors, and provide him with praise. But sometimes, I fail and get frustrated, and express my disappointment.  And I notice his face will become sullen, and then I begin to judge myself, and wonder, “Am I taking away from his ability to trust in himself as good?” Here I am as a mom, trying to instill deep within my son, that he is a good person. I want him to trust in this as his truth. I want him to believe deep down inside, “I am good.”  So that no matter what he faces in his life such as let downs, mean people, or a break-up, that he can trust in his inherent goodness. 

I wanted to divulge deeper into this because this sense of goodness  is not just about me or about my son, but about all of us. It’s a question each of us ask ourselves, no matter how absolutely perfect or imperfect we believe we are.

So, here I am working on it. And I turn back to the words, I just wrote: “inherent goodness*.”  Inherent means, “existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.” (Online definition). I am good. You are good. I was created with goodness deep down inside. You were created with goodness deep down inside. But its not just deep down inside—your goodness is a part of your being…it’s in your eyes, your heart, your mind, your feet, your ankles, and elbows, it’s even in hairs on your head. And if this goodness is all over you, then you must be “Good.”  There’s no getting around it, as long as you can trust in it.

But! of course I get in my own way, and I don’t trust, saying, “Well, you might be good, but you are broken too. You aren’t always so wonderful to be around. And at times you can be really mean.” And then my day, turns the corner and I’m back to forgetting about my wonderful, amazing, “inherent goodness.”  It is this on-going battle that can be harmful if the power is given to the negative. I realize that embracing inner goodness, comes from acknowledging that we need guidance about what can be harmful to us, as well as, affirmations about what can be helpful to us, so that we don’t get stuck in this on-going battle of am I good, enough? Thus, begins the answer, to the question: How can I believe that I am good?

I can trust that I am good, even when I feel I am broken, or mean, by admitting when I am wrong, by asking for some guidance when I need to change my inner direction towards that which is good, rather than the negative; and to recognize that celebrating my inner goodness also means I need to have a healthy balance between my expressions of frustration and affirmation. For example, I need to remind myself that my feelings of anger, or frustration do not change my goodness…these feelings are here for a reason when they occur, but I need to let them go, so they do not consume me, and I need to reconnect to my deeper goodness—which for me is also my connection to God.

How would you answer the question, How can I believe I am good? 

  • Take some time and reflect by imagining a circle where I am good is at the top of the circle, and you create your answers along the path of the circle, that bring you back to your truth: I am good.

——————————————————————
*Inherent goodness, as I am using it, also means that there is a deeper longing in us to connect to the Sacred, that which is truly good.

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

Discovering Strength, Healing, Inspiration

HopeFull Healing

Erin Keane

Fill yourself with hope, and abundance will overflow within you.

What does being hopeful feel like within you?

For me it’s like an ocean flowing within me, and each time I think of something I am hopeful for a beautiful drop of water falls into my ocean, making a splash, sending ripples , and connecting other drops of hope together. It’s like filling myself up with goodness and peace. And the feeling is so full that  I have to connect to things outside myself, and share this wonderful energy with all that surrounds me. This sharing comes from the healthy longing I have for something good, something wonderful…

I call hope a healthy longing, because being hopeful, actually does make us healthier. For example: Have you ever reflected on when you’ve been sick with a cold? Most of us, when we are sick, may be frustrated that our cold is getting in our way. We may do things to take care of ourselves like, resting, getting our vitamin C, and drinking hot tea with honey. We do these things because they are good for us, but have you ever realized maybe you are doing these things also because you are hopeful that you will get better?  This HOPE to get better, motivates you to take care of yourself because you want to be well.  And within this HOPE is also your ability to imagine…you are able to imagine what you will feel like when you are better. Imagining something wonderful and good for you, fills your body with HOPE.  And this HOPE flows within you, filling your body with goodness, healing energy and love. Hope allows your body to rest, by filling your cells with positive energy; i.e., your body isn’t fighting something off instead it is creating balance, equilibrium.

Hope also creates a wonderful energy within our spirit. I often imagine hope is like a flame that keeps burning even when the oil has run out. This kind of hope ignites our spirit…invites us, and even forces us to move forward in a positive way. It creates a longing within our hearts that makes all that is good within us blossom within us. Hope removes our fear and disappointment and fills us with “confident expectations”  that what we want in life will truly happen for us.

I know that being hopeful has brought me through experiences and circumstances in my life, that I would not have gotten through without it. When I was depressed it was very challenging to be hopeful. But it was the one thing that did keep me going. I don’t know how I would have made it without some kind of hope. That is why I deeply believe that “hope is a flame that keeps burning even when the oil has run out.” I kept believing that one day things would be better, even in the midst of my “valley of tears.’ And it did. It is hope that continues to keep me moving forward—and in difficult times, it is the remembering of when I have been hopeful and life has brought me into the light of goodness that gives me strength.

What has hope done for you in your life?

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

Connecting to the wonder we are, Healing

Healing Wonder is All Around You

Erin Keane

Children remind us that wonder is all around us. All we have to do is look.

May the world you see around you bring wonder through your eyes,

and fill your body with healing joy.

Remember that one of the gifts of life is to take the time to PAUSE and soak up life. The more often you do this the deeper the healing that will happen in your life. This “down-time”—will rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. You need to open yourself to these healing opportunities in life…because they can easily be missed if you are too busy.  

Life already has healing available to you everywhere. It is just a matter of allowing  yourself to experience it.

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


Connecting to the wonder we are, Discovering Strength

Take a Step Back from Your Challenges

Erin Keane

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

Please also visit my photography site: Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Cityscapes

Inspiration

A New Photography Website by Bella Bleue…I hope you’ll take a look!

Erin Keane

One of my deep passions in life is my photography. In order to nourish this passion more, I have created a new site called Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Cityscapes: Photography by Bella Bleue. I invite you to stop by from time to time. As many of you know, the natural world nourishes my spirit and inspires many of my posts on Bella Bleue Healing. I am reblogging this post today, but will only do this from time to time. If you find my photography site speaks to you, as always it is a blessing to have you along in the journey. May you celebrate your inner gifts and share them, for when you do those who cross paths with you receive blessings.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
Copyright, Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life TM. All Rights Reserved.

If you would like to follow along my photography site. You can click on the link title: Nurture Your Spirit with Love & Compassion. I will also be creating a link in my page section.

Blessings again, Erin

Erin Keane's avatarBella Bleue PHOTOGRAPHY


I love turning to nature to fill the empty gaps in my spirit. Pink offers us feelings of compassion & love…and encourages us to give and receive nurturing.  I have sprinkled pinks around my gardens to remind me to offer myself compassion throughout my day. These beautiful pink flowers of the Moss Rose plant nurture my spirit.  I hope as your eyes soak up the pink hues, your mind, body and spirit are blessed with compassion and love.

 See link for more about pink.

©Photography by Bella Bleue: Naturescapes, Flowerscapes & Cityscapes. All rights reserved.

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Inspiration, Life

Being Playful is Essential to Our Humanity

Erin Keane

Children running around at a city fountain. Laughter everywhere. Cameras flashing.  Water spraying. Horns honking. Music playing in the air.

I am always awe-struck at how much I learn about myself, and what it means to be human when I’m watching my son  run around and play. I think part of the reason we were made, is to simply have fun. There’s something very invigorating and inviting about being spontaneously playful—like running through a fountain just because it’s there. This playfulness seems to awaken our bodies and fill them with life. Maybe it’s the surge of energy running through our veins, or the positive endorphins that ignite playful cheer in our cells that makes us feel alive.  But I’d like to think it’s more simple than all that: You feel alive because being playful is a part of what makes you fully human!

This is a good reminder that life needs to be fun..and to get there, you should return to the roots of your early days. Return to the freedom of being a child; return to the spontaneity and worry-free mind-state of your younger self—the one who sees splashing water as an invitation for being playful, for laughing, and for freeing your spirit.

Let go of the worry, the responsibility, and the pressure you put on yourself to be a certain way, and instead just be.
Be free.
Be human.
Be YOU.
And run through a sprinkler…

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

Please visit my new site: Photography by Bella Bleue