My Soul...

Moving, Merging, Consolidating...Simplifying

Please pardon the dust during this simplification process as I move to a new home, {Inspired Simplicity} I am merging my two sites, My Life and My Soul, for after all they are one and the same. In efforts to live up to my new blog title and to live my passion in simplicity, I hope you find this new site much simpler and improved as I try to consolidate and, well, keep things simple. In moving forward, I hope to incorporate tips and resources that not only inspire me but that I find to be very useful in my quest for a simple, authentic and balanced life. May {Inspired Simplicity} bring out the simple pleasures and treasures of the simple life. Please update your links to my new address and visit soon.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 10/10/2008 0 comments    

{On Thoughts}

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you;
you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
- James Allen

"Change your thoughts,
and you change your world."
-Norman Vincent Peale

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 10/02/2008 0 comments    

{On Peace}

Peace is not the absence of conflict
but the handling of conflict without loss of balance
-Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro

No Jesus, No Peace;
Know Jesus, Know Peace.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/18/2008 0 comments    

{On Prayer}

Prayer is not a way to draw God's attention to our needs.
It is a way to draw our attention to how much we need God.

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
-Joseph Scriven-

Upload prayer, download peace.

a fave verse from Philippians 4: 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/18/2008 0 comments    

Living Life to the fullest

From the book 100 Most Important Bible Verses


John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.


The kind of abundance that Jesus promised is a measure of the quality of life, not the quantity of possessions. You can't measure this abundance in square footage or bottom lines. Jesus promised to provide a surplus of what makes life worth living - things like love, grace, guidance, forgiveness, and joy. These are Jesus' gifts to you, a life that is overflowing with riches of the heart that no one can ever take away.


Matthew 6:19-20

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy".

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/18/2008 0 comments    

"Oneness"

The world is a global village, an interconnected whole, where one part affects every other part.
-Neal Donald Walch-

my thought:
the realization of the "oneness" we all share is our path to the discovery of our authentic self, thus the key to inner joy and peace.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/14/2008 0 comments    

Happiness Is.....

....when your concerns about things that are out of your control lose their grip in your heart.
....when your dependence on material provisions is transformed into a deep dependence on God.
....when you continually choose to live your life in a way that reflects the law of nature.
....when you discover that whatever God provides is enough.
....LOVE

"As You Sow, So Shall You Reap" (Divine Math)

{On Happiness and Contentment}

Key to Happiness

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/07/2008 1 comments    

De-Cluttering the Soul 101

Spiritual Do's and Dont's

• Don't think of how far we have to go....Do think of how far we've come.
• Don't wait until everything is perfect before you decide to enjoy your life everyday....Do enjoy where you are on the way to where you're going
• Don't compare and judge yourself and others....Do realize we all have strengths and weaknesses and therefore need one another
• Don't take on cares....Do cast off your cares on HIM.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/07/2008 0 comments    

Differences and Similarities

My husband and I are very different.
He's a night owl and I'm a morning person.
My top choices of fave movies would be his least and vise versa.
I love to go out and I don't mind crowds. He'd rather stay home especially if there's a big crowd.
The list can go on and on.
But over the years we learned to respect our differences and focus on our similarities and what binds us together.

words from the wedding song:
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name.... There is love.

The love that binds us together is more than enough... for God IS Love.... and God is most certainly more than enough.

One thing my husband and I have in common is that our first names start with an "I". So do the names of our 4 children. Even our dog "Indy" named after one of our common fave movie, Indiana Jones. In the third Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade, we were made aware that Jehovah's name starts with an "I".

I recall a conversation with an angel friend who shares the same initials with our Savior, Christ Jesus. She did not realise it at the time when I pointed it out to her. Her response after a moment of quietness: "How humbling it is for even just a shadow of similarity that I would hope for with the Lord."

I pray that we will come to know Him more and strive for similarity in His ways.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/07/2008 0 comments    

Putting our house in order

The hardest step in tackling a dreaded task is taking the first step. But once you get started it gives you this sense of accomplishment turning the dreaded task into an exciting project.

I am {Simply} Grateful for my Labor Day Weekend Nesting

Cleaning and organizing a closet is so much like cleaning and organizing the mind.

A de-cluttered closet enables us to see our clothes and accessories more clearly making it easier to find needed things and more fun preparing/getting ready whenever we need to.

A clean and organized mind allows for clearer thoughts making it easier to 'find' whatever it is we need to understand.

I may be a ways to an organized home but I am simply grateful for the progress I am making in clearing my soul.

De-cluttering the soul of worries and anxieties allows for a quiet heart making it easier to 'find' the peace and joy amidst the clutter in a not so clean world.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 9/07/2008 0 comments    

Labels: Personal Thanks

{Simply Grateful}

for great ending to a wonderful summer vacation.

• a visit from "inspired" guests
  
  
• finished kitchen. Yehey! finally done! I am also simply grateful for having been blessed with a second home we can retire to anytime we need to (specially during a renovation:)

• van maintenance in time for back-to-school. (oil change, tires, and air filter that Phil and I learned to replace)



• Successful and fun show for Isabella at Pier 39



• for the love and support of BFF's (thank you ate Cecile for driving from a company picnic in San Jose to San Francisco to watch and photograph Isabella's performance at Pier 39. Then making a disk for us until almost midnight. I am so very grateful for the time, energy, support and love you showered us....it will forever be remembered and cherished.

• for a genuine mutual admiration among BFF's at such a young age
  

for the good timing of a bad thing

for Isabella's academic recognition/achievement as an entering 4th grader and for her love of learning and love for everything she gets to do.

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 8/28/2008 0 comments    

Labels: Personal Thanks

This is the day....

Posted byImelda@Inspired Simplicity at 8/22/2008 0 comments    

Labels: My Poetry