Thank You

Saying those two small words creates magic in your life.

Those two small words, puts a smile on a strangers face, it makes your friend feel good when they do you a favor, it let’s your employees know that you appreciate them and most of all it tells God/the Universe that you are expressing gratitude for all the wonderfulness that has been bestowed upon you.

Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret wrote another book called The Magic.  The premise of the book is to bring Magic into your life by the expression of gratitude. There are 28 days of exercises to practice gratitude in every facet of your life – Relationships, Money, Career, and any other desire you may wish.  It is a very simple book, but contains profound truths! One of the parts of the book I liked best is the practice of  placing a rock next to your bed at night and create the practice of holding it in your hand and say one thing you are thankful for before you go to sleep at night.  I have made this a part of my everyday life and it’s quite something how that little act can be so calming, yet powerful. Your mind settles for the night and I find I sleep more peacefully.

I wanted to say Thank You to all of you out there who take the time to read my emails, who follow my blog posts, who have blessed  my life with your friendship and those of you who have walked through the doors of my home and filled my life with grace.

Life is all about the relationships we have in our lives and I am truly grateful that we have touched each other’s life in some way.

May your Thanksgiving Days this week be filled with The Magic of Gratitude!

Love and Light,

Kimberley

From Ambition to Meaning

So many of us struggle with our lives to find what truly makes us happy. And as I listen to my favorite teacher this morning, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, he talks about moving from ambition to meaning.

We strive and strive and work hard to achieve those materialistic things in our lives that society tells us we should want. But those "things" don't truly make us happy do they?

Don't get me wrong, I love my home, my clothes closet, going to the salon.  However, when we sit in those quiet moments of our lives - we "know" what those things are that truly makes us happy.

I hosted a Fall Open House party last week at Grace House Retreat (my home) , where there were gifted alternative health practitioners and friends sitting around the table - I was giving a facial to one new friend ,  our friend and massage therapist, Dennis Knipfing was giving a chair massage to another,  and our friend MaryAnn, an RN and Colonic therapist was helping a friend in need of healing. This event was simply intended to be a time of sharing tea and cookies and just relaxing; however it turned into so much more!

 A time of sharing love and healing. It was quiet and peaceful, women laughing and smiling, embracing each other in love - finding commonalities with those they have never met before. And a wonderful man in the mix whose spirit is one of quiet reverence and peacefulness.

At one point in the evening, I stepped back and observed. My heart and soul were full. This was the gift, I wanted my home to bring to the world. Happiness, health and healing. This was the gift I wanted to share with the world.

To think that just a year ago my life was so very different. I was stressed to the max, my health was declining with adrenal exhaustion and hormonal imbalances and my spirit was screaming to me to make a change.

I was in a job that paid extremely well and provided me with a life that had been very comfortable from a materialistic viewpoint. How could I leave? This is what I had known for most of my adult life?

I was always striving and working hard to "get to the next level" , make more money - the constant race to the finish line.

That was the "Morning" of my life as Dr. Wayne Dyer calls it.

Yet, my spirit was calling me to something very different. And I needed to enter the "Afternoon" of my life - a life of meaning.

And so, I made the decision to leave my job and answer the calling that Spirit was so strongly asking of me.

And last Thursday at the Open House , I knew I was living a life I was meant to live and I get signs each day that confirm this as well.

I propose this to all of you who are reading this blog - Are you listening to your Spirit?

Are you responding to the life you want to live? Or are you just letting life dictate it for you?

Will you walk into the "Afternoon" of your life and find what is truly meaningful for you?

I did and I challenge you to do the same.

Is this road filled with ease and effortlessness? Sometimes, yes.. other times - no. But it is my life, the life "I choose" to lead. The one that fills my heart with happiness.

Love and Light,
Kimberley

Out of Necessity comes Creativity

How many of you have experienced financial challenges in your life? How many of you want desperately to live your dreams?

Well, I am here to tell you - it is POSSIBLE! It is!

Are you experiencing more debt than money coming in? Great! Awesome! This is a great time to stop the panic (get one of those big red buttons that says STOP!) and find 10 good things about the situation and make an agreement with yourself - I will not panic about this until three days from now and within those three days, I am going to sit down and figure out what is good about this! And you must , you must come up with a list of at least 10..but try to write down more than 10.

And the end of three days, you can then panic. It's amazing to see what happens when you do this. I learned about this technique from Mary Morrisey. She is one of my spiritual transformation teachers and she has helped me through a lot of challenges in my own life.

Here is an example of what I have done recently in my own life when I needed some quick cash - I thought to myself -what do I love to do ? and how can I use what I love to serve others and give them joy?

Ohh and it's the Holidays! I loooove the Holidays! And I loove making cookies!

So, a week ago , I decided to sell my signature cookies. I went to the craft store and got some inspiration for packaging and I started baking!

I started this on a Sunday and on Thursday, the orders started rolling in and they still are coming in!

I am so excited about this that I had to share it!

Here is a few pictures of my cookie creations! And the feedback that I am getting is that everyone loves them! And they are giving me points for improvement!

Love, Light and Creative Thoughts!

Kimberley

The World Focuses on Paris .. which thoughts will we choose? Fear or Love?

So my thoughts this morning continue to reflect around all that has gone on in Paris over the last few days.

The media, facebook, people have so many opinions about what should be done and someone this morning posted this amazing clip of this little girl who really hit the nail on the head. We need to come from our hearts, not from a place of fear.  "If we live in a world where everyone is being mean, then everyone is going to be a monster in the future" "what if theres a little bit of persons  and we eat/beat them , then no one will be here, only the monsters in our place.." " I just want everything to be settled down and good."


https://www.facebook.com/mindfoodmag/videos/10153751464819533/?pnref=story


Love and Light always prevails over the darkness of our world. Will darkness always exist? Yes- just like the day turns into night. But in the darkness of the night time, shines the light of the moon and the sparkles of the stars - to remind us that there will always be light that comes to us to see our way through.

So many people are talking about closing borders and killing and fear, can we just as easily talk about opening our hearts, kindness and love? Can we not have the media, facebook, twitter focusing on those things instead of giving these darker influences in our life the attention they crave?

Perhaps we all should look at this video of this little girl and take some notes.

There is a magical power that exists in this vast Universe we live in. It is a source of Love to us all. This power resides in all of us, even those who are killing (as hard as that is to fathom). That same power wants us all to live in peace, in kindness to one another and joy. There is so much good in the world. There is so much beauty all around us. All we need to do is look around our world.

Last night I looked out into the darkness of the sky through my hallway window. I spotted a little , brightly shining star and I just sat there watching it and as I did, it appeared as if it split into two stars and they started happily playing with each other. I thought for sure my glasses needed fixing or that this was some anomaly. Captivated, I stood there fixated on this star, thinking I was "seeing" things. But the longer I stood there, it repeated the same behavior, splitting in two, going further away from each other, dancing happily and then somehow came together again as one.

Ahh.. the magic of the universe and the wonder of the "lights that shine in our darkness every day."

Which thoughts will you choose today? Thoughts of Fear or thoughts of Love?

I know what I am choosing!

Love and Light,

Kimberley

What Would I Love?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? How would you answer it? Would it be different depending on what was happening in your life this very minute instead of what would happen this afternoon? How would you answer it then?

What Would I Love? I was watching a video from Mary Morrisey, one of my many teachers yesterday and she talked about this question. She, like Tony Robbins, talk about asking our selves the right questions in order to improve the quality of our lives.

So many teachers tell us to "get clear" about what it is we want in our lives. And I do feel that this is a valuable exercise to do for ourselves. In fact, I do that myself a few times a year - I spend time writing down what my heart and soul truly want for my life and then I focus my intentions on those things.

However, as I was listening to Mary Morrisey propose this question - What Would I Love? I found that I answered the question a bit differently than I had when I "got clear" on what the dreams were for my life. Yes, many of the "concepts" were the same, but the feeling I got when I answered this question was different. One felt like it was a task oriented exercise and the other felt like I was truly checking in with myself- my soul, the spirit of who I really am.

I wrote down this phrase and I carried it with me throughout the day yesterday to see if my answers were different. What was interesting that my answers got very specific but they are related to the bigger concepts of what I wanted for my life at this point in time.

It definitely helped me keep my intentions and my vision clear and focused on what I want versus what I don't want in my life. Keeping your mind and heart centered on those things is one of the keys to having those things appear in your life. It might not happen in an instant, but they will come.

So, today - write this question down on a piece of paper, see what comes up for you when you answer it. Write your answers down. And then, carry it with you throughout the day. Observe and see what the answers are as you walk through your day - do they change or are they are reflection of your larger vision?

I would be curious to know what you wrote - share your thoughts with me if you like .

One of my answers was - to adopt a little boy! Doesn't that make you want to smile?

Love and Light and Hugs!

Kimberley

I Write in my Pajamas - Is that Such a Bad Thing?

Goofy title for a blog yes? Well, as I was doing my morning writing and studying today, I was reading a passage from Elizabeth Gilbert's book called Big Magic. I have been referring to it in several of my blogs recently. It is truly inspiring to the creative spirit in all of us!

The chapter I was reading this morning was titled : Tristam Shandy Chimes In.  I was curious about the title and read on.  In this very short chapter she talks about another writer who, when he felt blocked or like life was just in this "stuck" stage , he would dress up in costume and present himself , in character to his writing. He would talk aloud to it and lo and behold, the inspiration would come!

I thought - wow, that is a neat trick! I never thought of doing that! I might just give it a go!

The next paragraph goes on to have Elizabeth Gilbert explain that she tried this on for size and stated the following:
             
              When I am feeling particularly sluggish and useless, and when I feel like my creativity is hiding from me, I  go look at myself in the mirror and say firmly: "Why wouldn't creativity hide from you Gilbert? Look at yourself!"  Then I go clean myself up . I take the goddamn scrunchie out of my   greasy hair. I get out of those stale pajamas and take a shower. ... I might even put perfume on! "

Elizabeth Gilbert says she never wears perfume but she will do it to "attempt to seduce creativity."

As I read this , I laughed out loud because you see. That is me! In this new creative life I have crafted for myself!   I was just telling someone that I don't get out of my pajamas until about 2 in the afternoon, because as soon as I get up , I am making coffee and head  to my writing tablet.  The morning hours are my best time for creativity and if I don't get that time, I am very cranky and I feel like I didn't brush my teeth all day - you know what I mean.

A friend called and woke me up this morning and we were just talking about morning routines and it was an odd coincidence that after the phone call, I read this chapter and discovered that Elizabeth Gilbert and I have similar routines!

I guess I have truly transitioned my life to that of a crazy, creative artist/writer.

The last sentence of this chapter says: "Seduce the Big Magic and it will always come back to you-the same way a raven is captivated by a shiny,spinning thing."

I know at times when I feel stuck in my life and my creativity, I yearn to organize something, change my clothes, cut my hair - anything to get that feeling back, that new inspiration or motivation.

So, I guess the next time I feel this way - I will dress up in costume and :"Seduce the Big Magic."

That sounds fun doesn't it! I can't wait to see what costumes come about! Who knows - what the next novel turns out to be! I already have an idea!

Write in your pajamas, or your favorite Disney character or paint in a 17th century ensemble! Whatever inspires you - do it!

To Your Creativity and Mine,

Kimberley

Are we Really Dedicated to Our Creative Lives?

Are you fully committed to this creative life you want to have? Are you 100% vested?

I thought I was for the last ten years of my life as I worked toward where I am today, but I asked myself the question over the last few weeks? What is it that I really, really wanted to do with this creative life of mine? What has called me to my life purpose? Well there are many things but the one thing that I always came back to was writing.

I was so afraid of having no money that I kept chasing the dollar versus chasing my dreams and doing whatever it took to accomplish them.

As I study Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Big Magic - she speaks of taking "The Vow."  Much like a nun or a priest takes a vow to serve God in that particular vocation. Have we taken The Vow with our writing, our painting, our sculpting, our blogging? our businesses?  Businesses?  Did you find that odd that I included that?

Well, to many people,creating a business is an art form and are as dedicated to it as artists are to their craft.

As I pondered this question and went into my meditations with that in my mind, everything became very clear. I must write and I must publish, no matter what.  I made a decision to have this be the forefront of my life and I made a promise and intended that I would find a way to financially support my writing life and myself.  No matter what I had to do.

Yes, this is a very different life than I had one year ago, but I wake up everyday, looking forward to taking pen in hand and letting the words flow to me. It's the first thing I think about in the morning and it's the last thing I think about before I go to bed.

Here is a quote from this chapter in her book,

                        I did not ask for any external reward for my devotion; 

                            I just wanted to spend my life as near to writing as possible- 

                                     forever close to that source of all my curiosity 
                   
                       and contentment - and so I was willing to make whatever 

                                 arrangements needed to be made in order to get by.  

Commit to your dreams my friends! Do not let them die with you!

Kimberley

Autumn Open House Party at Grace House , Thursday, November 19th

                Come, Let Us Welcome Autumn with an 

         Open House Celebration at Grace House Retreat

Thursday, November 19, 2015  6:30 to 9:30pm

GRACE HOUSE RETREAT, 29 MORTON DRIVE, BUFFALO NY, 14226

Join us for a casual Open House party of  relaxing chair massages, samplings of Autumn and Holiday Steeped Tea and Grace Houses signature Holiday cookies! We will also be featuring free facials with our Natural Image Care, certified organic skin care products that are guaranteed to make your skin feel amazing! 

We will be taking orders for Grace House Signature Holiday cookie trays to make your entertaining easy and effortless ...

AND 

We will be offering 20% off of our skin care products for yourself or that special someone on your Holiday wish list. 

Here is a list of Grace House Retreat friends that will be serving their gifts to all that attend:

Dennis Knipfing, Licensed Massage Therapist

Katie Thurber, Steeped Tea Consultant

Kimberley Barker Nightingale, Grace House Proprietor, Author, LifeCoach, Skin Care Consultant



RSVP by contacting Kimberley Barker Nightingale at kbnightingale@gmail.com or 716-390-6140.

He Maketh No Mistakes

Today I have a special treat for my readers that was sent to me from my Grandmother this morning.  You see my Grandmother now lives in the Spirit world and I feel her presence more and more each day as I connect to her through my daily meditations.

I was sitting at my dining room table , coffee in hand, in the early morning hours, with just the dim light of the two lamps on my side board. I let the quiet surround me and I picked up the pen. I said a prayer of thanks and started on the page. I thought about my spirit guided meditations over the last few days and I looked up from the page.

And I looked straight at my bookshelf across the room that majestically holds a place in the dining room.  to give it a Hemingway /library feel. Immediately, my eyes fell upon a thick, old book. What was that? I didn't have my glasses on , so I got up from the chair and went to it. My Grandmother's Bible. It was calling to me.

I slid open the glass doors of the shelf and reached for it. It is old with the pages fading to a dusty yellowish/brown color and the black cover having a rough texture to it as I hold it in my hands, has come apart. I carry the Bible with cover and all back to my writing table and I open to the pages that I am supposed to explore. I feel honored to have this book in my hand, a gift from beyond. And I know it belongs on the shelves of this glass enclosed, cherry/brown wooden bookshelf.

She had a message for me and today I share it with you.

                                                   He Maketh  No Mistakes

                        My Father's way may twist and turn,  My heart may throb and ache.

                                              But in my Soul I'm glad I know 

                                                  He Maketh No Mistakes

                         My cherished plans may go astray, My hopes may fade away

                                          But still I'll trust my Lord to lead, 

                                            For He doth know the way.

                        Thou night be dark and it may seem that day will never break,

                                        I'll pin my faith, my all in Him .

                                               He Maketh No Mistakes.

                        There's so much now I cannot see, My eye sight far too dim, 

                         But come what may, I'll simply trust and leave it all to Him. 

                             For by and by the mist will lift and plain it all He'll make.

                                     Through all the way, though dark to me, 

                                            He Maketh No Mistakes!


I have no idea if my Grandmother wrote this or if she copied it from somewhere. It doesn't matter. 

Enjoy! 

And for those of you who would like a nice copy of this to hang on your wall at home, please send me a nice note to my email at kbnightingale@gmail.com and I will send it off to you! 

Love and Light,

Kimberley


 

The Magical Mysteries of Life, Connecting with Spirit

Each day I am awestruck at the wonderment of the Universe/God in my life.  There are little signs that come up throughout the course of the day that tell me that He is listening. He hears my every thought, my every prayer.  Why does it still surprise me when it happens? I don't know. In fact, the messages come quickly and effortlessly almost within 24 hours of my thoughts and I can't even keep up with receiving all the information He is giving me.

Did this always happen and I just wasn't as aware of the spiritual flow of the Universe or was I just too busy with my everyday life to hear Him?

My life is very different today , than it was just a year ago. I spend a lot of time during the day in silence in my beloved home, whereas in my prior life, I was in a corporate office each day, in a tangled , stressed out mess, wondering how on earth I would accomplish all the tasks that were asked of me.

 My days consist of writing, reading, meditating, exercising, taking care of my Airbnb guests and working on my coaching business. It's the life I wanted to create and I am finally here. It was a long time in coming, like ten years! I am happier than I have been in a very long time.

I can hear the voice of God more clearly and easily now and my days of being stressed out have dramatically reduced themselves from what they were over 12 months ago.  In fact, now when I feel like I get too bottled up with emotions that I know are not serving me (or anyone else for that matter) , I take the time to "go within" and meditate. Yes, does it take time out of my busy day? Absolutely! But, I find my life flows better afterwards and I find solutions to answers I need to move my life forward.

We must all take time out of our busy lives to listen to the messages that are given to us. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some come in the form of an email from someone who you follow online, some come in the shape of a book that calls to you in an airport or bookstore and others come to you in the shower! They just pop right into your head! Hahaha..

Life just works so much better when we listen and "go within." Some might read this and say, well it's easy for you to hear them because you are working from home without a lot of distractions. Really? My phone rings too and my emails pop up every two seconds , my family calls and needs to talk about weekend plans, my friends need a favor and my marketing consultant tells me that I need to learn some new software to get into this online world! I don't have distractions?

I do have them, mine just look different than yours!

So, what do I do to keep my channels open? I monitor my feelings. Am I feeling sad, frustrated? angry? If the answer is yes - I know I am off kilter and I need to do something to get myself back in alignment with my "better feeling state." Because you see if I don't feel good, nothing seems to flow right - my business, my relationships, my health.

How do I get myself back into alignment? I do something that makes me feel good. I go get a pedicure! I get a massage, I listen to a motivating You Tube video or I listen to uplifting music, I exercise, but most importantly - I know I need to meditate.

Meditation always gets my head and my soul back into a place of calm and openness. This openness allows the mysteries of life to again begin to unfold and reveal themselves to me. Those tense, bottled up, churning in the pit of my heart and stomach feelings - they just keep my dreams and the good in my life away.

Is it always easy to get back into alignment for me? No. Sometimes it takes a day or two. But let me tell you this - it used to take me a lot longer than that!

I used to be this very aggressive/assertive business woman, out to whip the corporate world. And over the course of the last five years of my life, I knew something wasn't right. I felt my soul tugging at me - saying this isn't you! Stop! Listen!

Listen to me! Take the time and reconnect with your God, your Spirit, whatever you call it. Stop the noise and let me show you how the mysteries of life unfold naturally like the world of nature. There is another way to help the world.

And so, I made the decision on October 31, 2014  to leave the corporate job, I loved in many ways to listen to what God was telling me and to follow a pathway I knew I needed to to follow.

Each day has been a new day full of amazing wonders that reveal themselves to me. I am inspired daily and wish I could write about everything that comes to mind - but alas- the laundry needs to get done! Hahaha!

My dear readers, take the time to listen closely, be aware, take the time to be still. Take a walk, sit down and listen to some classical music. Let God speak to you in quiet hours. He is always there, even when you don't think He is. He just might reveal himself in different forms!

Let the magical mysteries of life unfold , the Universe doesn't operate on the instantaneous world that we humans have created with technology. Connect with God/the Universe and your soul will find peace and calmer days.

Love and Light,

Kimberley