Beginnings

7 November 2013 Today I have had a luxury - plenty of time to write, and even more significantly, time to prepare to write. I began by playing with my pastel crayons, fun but messy and an easy way to doodle in colour. I was thinking about this card 'Beginnings' which has been my companion for two weeks. During this time I celebrated my birthday, so my thoughts of the bud of beginnings linked in with my own beginning. As a tiny baby, I contained the 'bud' of potential. And today that potential is still there, as still there are new aspects of my self to emerge as the years pass. At any time, any moment, I can pause and ask myself - what is beginning, where am I going, who am I being? Am I being ME or am I following someone else's expectations? As I experimented with the pastels I found the bud I was drawing at the centre of the paper was shaped like a heart, with a pink centre and a green border. There are a number of shoots emerging from the heart/bud, and it is surrounded by large question marks. At the end of each shoot is a different sort of flower. In one corner I found myself drawing in black, maybe a black cloud, then I encircled it with another green shoot and put in a glimmer of light in the centre of the blackness - which then exploded outwards into an impression of bright light. Sometimes the most significant beginnings come from the darkest night. Those black experiences, such as my own of cancer, can be the most transformational of catalysts for change. Realising I am writing about change, I think "Does a 'beginning' need to be about 'change?" Maybe sometimes, or maybe a gentle evolution, a growing, blossoming and blooming of what is already there. The potential already within my heart which is the true essence of ME, that potential is there and can emerge without drama or hardship. Looking back, my journey through life so far has been a series of beginnings, and, yes, a considerable amount of change. Looking back I see the patterns and cycles: times when I have lost my way; times when I have been offered guidance and have found my way home to myself. My beginnings this year, I now see, will be continuing the process I sketched out subconsciously in my picture. The gift of the black clouds that provide rain for the plants to grow and flower; the gift of the uncertainty, the questions. The gift of this little card bearing the word 'Beginnings' on the green background, that prompted me to reflect and appreciate the joy of all the beginnings still to come. ********************* The photo I took of my picture did not show it well enough to include here, so I have described it as well as I am able. Thank you to Kathy Kane for sparking some of the thoughts on 'Looking back', and especially for mentioning me and the cards in her blog post on Gratitude this week. As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.  If you would like to own a set of cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page. Thank you dear friends for visiting with me again this week and sharing my musings. Until next time, with love, Mary *if you have any difficulty accessing the 'blogspot' service, you can also read here on the Daring to Blossom website, or find 'Dare to Blossom Life Coaching' on Facebook.