When I look at everything in life, family, friends,on line friends, other creatures, home and garden and the whole of creation, then I feel such gratitude to the creator of all this
and when I settle to sleep and when i wake, that gratitude is expressed silently, but oh so truly there is so much to delight and more to discover ad infinitum, ensuring we all need never be bored.

I try to put my beliefs into practice in an active and positive way, environmentally, spiritually and practically. That means being peace, spreading love, being compassionate and caring, living and gardening in a sustainable and non polluting way and that's just for starters.it  means being mindful of these things every minute of every day, of course being human I slip up at times, but at least  i am trying hard to change things by changing me and it warms my heart to see how many others here are doing much the same. As more join with the same goals inevitably things will become more positive

We are a conscious expression of a huge living organism that we call earth, we are made from her we return to her, interdependent with all other living beings and things that thrive on earth, we are also energy or spirit somehow connected to this whole wonderful universe, together we are One.Energy or spirit, energy doesn't dissipate it simply changes so we are evolving on a journey of discovery together -  to infinity

A sugar-free peanut butter for my diabetic mother, why oh why do they add sugar to everything these days, even in savoury foods? Sugar can be added, but we can't take it out once mixed in, so a lot of shopping time is spent poring over labels to check if sugar free; the print is tiny, and I shudder to think how elderly diabetics living alone manage, often their sight is poor.  For myself, I honestly can't remember, often things are offered before I realise a need, and these days I am content with a simple life,  the best  things in life are free.

There are parts of me that don't want to grow up, my imagination and creative side or instance, and also that sense of awe with nature that a child has, today I noticed dragonflies drying their wings as they emerged from the pond and stopped to wonder at that small miracle. When I started nursing I grew up pretty rapidly, to help others one needs to be well balanced and mature - no good going to pieces in a crises. Yet, most patients appreciated a smile and some laughter too at the appropriate moment it helps lighten heavy loads but needs handling sensitively.

We are a diverse group on this scavenge hunt, each with our own agendas, and with different views, hoping to discover the big prize, not even agreeing on what that prize is.
there will be so many varied answers to this question that I have decided personally to turn the question on it's head. I watched the latest scientific 3d view of the universe today and you know what - it looked like an enormous brain, a neural system, and I thought to myself - what does this obviously loving nurturing intelligent universe want from us all. What do you think it might be asking of us.? How as a collective human race can we better unite with it's obvious intelligence and gifts to us all.. We all have our pet ways for doing it individually, but if we are One and interconnected, maybe we should be looking at things from the opposite point of view of the whole of creation and not as individuals scavenging around for ourselves?.

Within - to access higher self. if I fail then there is no one else to blame. Sometimes practical help is offered and that is wonderful but for deeper issues my higher self knows better than base self. For this reason I encourage others to do the same, I don't know their heart as they do, to help I reflect back to them, give my time and hold up a mirror, enabling self help, it's how we grow..

The first thought that came to mind was Rainbow coloured, the second green because it is spring like and I went out first thing to plant some runner beans before my mother woke, the third colour soft pink cos I feel loving, who knows what colours will show as the day progresses - my first guess intuitively right, will be seing all the colours I think, grateful for all the colours and the infinitely subtle shades of each colour. Trusting my intuition, going with the flow. Have a wonderfully varied rainbow day everyone, may any cloudy skies give birth to rainbows..

Not just in relationships, but my environment, my community, other species, and the whole world. I feel a personal responsibility, for my part in what affects the whole planet and this guides my actions in life. We send out ripples, we affect what is, how can I do better, how can I help unravel and re-knit the mess we have co-created in our ignorance. I can change me.and continually strive to do better, I can be change.. I can make my garden fertile,environmentally friendly to other creatures and pollution free,  I can  use eco friendly products and return the water into the system minus medical and chemical pollution, I can recycle instead of adding to pollution.I can ,buy ethically and refuse to purchase products that harm livlihoods or the environment.
I can use renewable resources. I can share and lend a helping hand and be charitable. I can plant trees,reduce my emissions, buy locally, garden to sink carbon, and not travel to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere. I can be compassion and love, and work to change what I see as unjust.  If I am loving and not judgemental I can hope others will respond n similar fashion.  I still have much to learn,but I can keep abreast of what is happening, have enough humility to learn from others and be be positive and change me. The wider I spread the use of  use my mirror, to first  change myself, then the more beauty appears in the world.  I can hope seing me change, inspires others to aspire to be change too. Being change is bringing beliefs into action, all life is our mirror, relationships, yes, but so much more, what do we see in the mirror?

Staying put - going deeper - all is here.now.

Well, i have learned by past experience anything I deny or ignore will rear it's ugly head again and again, until I address the cause. LOL Some hard knocks and lessons.
The hardest to overcome is when I allow myself to remain ignorant or lacking in knowledge. For instance for years, I suffered mood swings with premenstrual tension,
the answer lay in a change in lifestyle, it all dissipated into thin air when I became vegetarian and changed my diet for the better, adjusting diet to my beliefs / conscience gave me a bonus, but. I could have solved the problem sooner if  i had researched the causes of what ailed me. If I am aware of a problem now I try to tackle it head on, before it comes back again and again. though if a problem recurs then it's worth a bit of detective work to find out what I am ignoring, denying, or unaware of.

Aiming for the stars, and maybe I will land on the haystack.....no,...don't laugh but my ultimate goal is to try to be as wise, impartial, imaginative, humerous,and loving as the creator / intelligence behind all of creation....in for many lifetimes and a very long haul, when we love we try to emulate that which we love, so grateful that we were set such an awesome target. I feel like a toddler, learning to walk, and when I fall i am scooped up into the arms of Love again. As you can see, another part of me wants to retain my inner child and sense of fun and wonder....

There is steady decline in our honey bees and wild bees, with several recent extinctions. Is this an early warning about the state of our planet ?  Our crops will suffer in line with their decline, much of our food relies on their pollination. It is enough of a problem to warrant the worlds first bee sanctuary. Farmers are to be offered financial incentive to provide habitat.

http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/vane.htm

Lets see more thought worldwide given to encouraging their habitat. If you have a garden please plant a wildflower mix. If you have hedges let them flourish only cut occasionally. Make your own bee homes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/gardenwildlife/myspace/content.shtml?28

I never knew my paternal grandmother, she was a nurse and died before I was born, but I recognised the love and compassion in her eyes from her photograph, and saw it reflected in my fathers caring nature, there are many memories of integrity,  love care and compassion which I received as a child and learned to share these values also, off the top of my head my contribution  -

3 healthy happy,well balanced children and many grandchildren, some of whom are
almost old enough to produce greatgrandchildren.

Life - to four who would have died without my help,
 I also saved the eyesight of a young lad with lime in his eyes by prompt and appropriate action.

education and help to restore  health for many
and assistance to a pain free death for many terminally ill.
counselling to help folk to help themselves
taught / enabled learning nursing skills for many nursing and community nursing students.
pioneered,  better pain assesment / control framework in our health authority, also adopted by local ambulance staff and pioneered, head of team writing standards for nursing care locally
Campaigned to right injustices, after ten years campaigning we now have a proper emergency admissions unit for the mentally ill - before they were slung in a police cell without appropriate care, as a place of safety for 2 or 3 days till a bed was available. Supported many other campaigns

A light carbon footprint.
Richer deeper, unpolluted soil, thriving wildlife on my patch of earth.
contributed to cleaner water, atmosphere, more energy efficient home
Planted more trees to help the planet.

help to global, national and local charities, and disasters

help given and received between friends ....and to strangers.

God willing my mother will pass on knowing she is loved and in the care of family not alone and forgotten in some care home.

My poetry and stories.

Hoping the paternal grandmother I never met is pleased to see her legacy continue
down the ages. Thank you, I am so grateful Gran,and my parents,  for I had first to receive, enabling understanding and to learn how to give.
 Love snowballs down through the generations to eternity.

I aim to see it as It Is, not how I want it to be, this guides my priorities all the time, it is to be real, authentic and not in denial, I accept what is and plan accordingly,
I have dreams, but work towards them now, I don't live in my dreams. I accept global warming is our greatest threat and reduce my emissions as low as possible in the now.  I see the economic situation and money gurgling down the drain and work to be as self sustaining as possible, and encourage others, if nothing else it is practical and logical. I choose creativity now rather than media entertainment and living a fantasy.
I have enlightened moments and ordinary moments, rather than chasing enlightenment, this keeps me grounded and in the real world, the real world is beautiful, it is the artificial that is crap.

If wishes were horses - beggars would ride, was my Gran's frequent remark. Life is pretty perfick as Is.  My grandaughters are visiting this week.  Mum's younger sister too, my partner has a long 4 day bank holiday, the sun is shining, the garden is flourishing, there is the village flower festival where I will get some cheap bedding plants, a boot sale ( who knows what treasures I will find there,) and there is plenty to keep me busy - all this at an age when a lot of folk live quiet, lonely, uneventful lives,. My cup runneth over, living life to the full, what else could I possibly wish for? To cap it all I noticed today my self fertile Kiwi plant now in it's second year has climbed right up over the arch we put it by, and has produced some tiny fruits, only cranberry sized at the moment, but all being well we will be picking our first homegrown kiwi later this year. I won two hundred pounds in a competition, and we have been granted solar heating on a grant. I am grateful for so much, a wish would seem quite unneccessary.Does anyone know how to prune a kiwi?

Right now!!!!  It's all I have, sending love to you all.

I holiday at home - it's relaxing and it doesn't cost the earth, it won't add to global warming, it will help the poor who will suffer most at the hands of climate change.
We have a nice sandy beach near, a river,harbour, nature reserve, and woodland.  A holiday for me is having someone else take care of Mum for a week..I can look my grandchildren in the eye and say I did all I could to prevent the problems they will face.

When i was a child I was ill for long perioods of time, I missed about 4 years school in total, I spent many happy hours teaching myself to play music on a set of tubular bells -
by ear. When we left the island of Jersey our luggage was limited and they were left behind.  I would love to find another set, but have never seen any since.  I am thinking a set of tibetan singing bowls might be similar, they have the same continuous vibratory effect.

By constant awareness moment to moment, by watching my thoughts and aiming to plant only seeds of love, generosity, compassion,. and humility - by taking care to not allow any seeds of hate pride, anger, and greed to drop, for what we plant here on earth will surely flourish in this precious gift of earth's fertile soil.
         This includes not only how we treat one another, but also all that is on the planet and the planet itself.. If we want to calm the increasingly devastating weather then we must show mother earth our humility, compassion and love, lose our arrogance and listen to mother nature. If we want to stop these devastating storms such as Eli and Debbie recently experienced, and stop the floods, the droughts, then we must take personal responsibility,  work for and with nature to restore her natural balance.and cut emissions and pollution drastically to the absolute minimum.

Nowhere, all love is here, with all of my loved ones.  The two birds singing the most heart stopping duet from the growing tips of the tallest trees this morning,
the frog splayed in the warmth of the sun on a lily leaf next to a few perfect lilies and a newt lazily drifting by The baby blue butterfly, the even smaller miniscule dainty white one and the showy painted ladies. The darting gauzy dragonflies, and the soft
hummmmmmmm of bees, Queens and smaller bumbles,mason bees wild and and honey bees,visiting raspberry,loganberry and strawberry blossom, and pollinating things I left to flower and seed, like rocket, broccoli, chives onions and land cress. The golden slow worm i rescued from the cat, slithering into the woodpile 
My journey feels more like growth in spirit rooted in nature and this beautiful planet, all growing towards the light of universal love and creator, I feel at One with all of this perfection