Gratitude!

This holiday season feels very different for me. This year the season feels so rich, so full, so joyful. I think for the first time I really realize what it is meant to be about. As I think about creating new traditions and what I want my kids to remember, I realize how a season that is meant to be a time to feel gratitude we so quickly shift into thinking about the things we DON'T have, what we CAN'T buy, how we can get MORE. I want to truly focus on the spirit of gratitude. In the spirit of celebrating so much that I have been given in my life, the grace that I have received, I want to give to others as a way of expressing my love and appreciation. Gratitude is more than saying Thank-you, it is a way that we live our lives. Practicing gratitude alone is considered a spiritual practice. When we take the time to feel the depth of gratitude we open yourselves to connect to the divine, to something much bigger than ourselves. When stepping into gratitude you are often humbled by the power, beauty, and mystery of life. Living genuinely from the depth of who you are is an act of gratitude. When we compare, criticize, and mask our truth we are disconnecting from our source. When we live authentically and truthfully we are expressing gratitude for who we are and what we have become.

Here is my prayer for this holiday season:

May we connect deeply with our truth

May we express our gratitude by living authentically

May we recognize and honor the truth in others

May we feel blessed to have the opportunity to experience connectedness with those around us

May the way we live, the choices we make, the words we speak be a constant expression of gratitude

May we begin to see a shift in the direction the world is taking because we choose thankfulness

Through recognizing our blessings, may we bless others

May we begin to understand our power to change the world through the practice of gratitude

As we take time to pause and reflect, may gratitude spill forth uncontrollably

Here are some highlights from our Thanksgiving meal. A beautiful start to this season with AMAZING friends and my family too!

We also went on our first family ski trip together!

Happy Halloween 2011

Back It Up

Ok, so it has been awhile since my last post. A lot has happened since then, so let's rewind a bit and get caught up. By the end of my pregnancy, I got huge.

I was so uncomfortable and was sure I would go into labor early and every day that didn't happen was miserable. I woke up at 4am on Tuesday, September 6th and literally begged God to go into labor. It went a little something like this, "Seriously God, I can't handle another day of being pregnant. PLEASE TODAY!" And at 7am my water started leaking!

Heath and I hung out at home all day. It was cloudy and rainy, the perfect day to stay home, relax, and have a baby. By about 3:30pm I started active labor. Our midwife, Penelope, was at our house and just let me do my thing. She was so amazing and just intuitively knew exactly where I was in my labor. At about 6pm she suggested we check to see how dilated I was (even though she knew I was already at 10cm). And sure enough, it was time. We went into our bedroom and began to prepare for the "big push". After some coaching/coaxing from my midwife, I squatted by the side of the bed and gave it my all. Anjali was born just 1 push later! Out came our little Red Head angel. It was such an amazing experience. My parents were waiting in a hotel room with Bloom and were there to see Anjali at about 15 minutes old! By about 9 o'clock our midwife had left and we all cuddled in bed. Anjali's birth was such a powerful, amazing experience and I feel so blessed.

Anjali Bliss Brown

September 6th, 2011

7lbs, 14oz

21 inches