One Million Emotions Per Hour

With a clear vision and a calm spirit, life has the opportunity to make way for the extraordinary.

Healing takes time 💝
Healing takes patience 💝
Healing takes courage 💝
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Today, the mundane gave way to the spectacular.

For a moment, the beauty around me seeped into my soul; the spring breeze brought a feeling of awe, a kind of wonder only experienced when one gives room for it. As I stood in this unusual place, a sense of peace came over me. You see, at this moment, time stood still, and I could see, feel, hear, and touch the tangible beauty all around me.

Japanese gardens

The further we get into spring, the more I ask myself, "Am I ready for what lies ahead?" And the more I realise that my answer is Yes!
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Photo: Pink Blossoms on a Sunday💗

You get to choose how much fun you have in this life. None of us know how much time we have to be alive; this knowledge alone should motivate us to live in all the most beautiful ways.
Grab those moments and make them last; be present in all the ways that matter. Laugh, love, dance, sing, be silly and find your joy♥️
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Photo: By Ducks Castle Adventure 💞

This little face belongs to the sweetest, prettiest, cutest, softest, moaniest, clingiest Mr of all time, and I love him ❤️

Today, 3 years ago, I took my first step onto a road I had long been searching for. I spent most of my life (about 29 years) struggling with substance abuse; I had become comfortable drowning in my pain. I hid from healing because I did not think that I was deserving of a life filled with joy, love, understanding, compassion, kindness, laughter, and success. My choices were a cover for a more profound hurt that even I had not fully comprehended. I had to admit to the truth, the truth that I could not heal from this pain until I submitted to actual, genuine, and profound healing.

I openly declare that I spent many a night begging God to rescue me, to take away all the pain that ripped at my soul and left me emotionally bleeding, wounded, and alone. I was so focused on my pain and suffering that I could not see all the people God had put in my life to love, help, guide, and sit with me in the darkness while their light tried to break through the cracks in my walls. Slowly, I started recognising their faces in the darkness. All these people, my recovery family, as I call them, are the ones who have taken this journey with me. Some were family, and some were friends. Some were people I had stumbled upon along the way; some were brand new, and others I had only seen on Zoom calls and connected with via WhatsApp. Our paths crossed one way or another because our stories were written before time began. I had no idea their role in my life until I could feel the warmth of their light shining in my darkest places.

Recovery is not easy; much growth work must be done. I have done some work alone, pouring words onto pages of journals and prayer books, referring to scripture for clarity and asking for a deeper understanding of what I am fighting against and who is fighting for me. There have been tears in quiet rooms during conversations with people I trust with my darkness and pain. There was a time of bringing out emotions that I had kept hidden, even from myself and all those around me. There was learning to identify my feelings, control my reactions, and manage my responses to life as I had lived it. I had to dig deep into my toolbox. I needed to understand which tools no longer served me and identify the tools I needed to live the life I truly desired. This was work that took every ounce of my being to complete, and I am yet to be done.

Recovery meant traumas would be actively dug up and old wounds opened so that they could be washed out with love and healing prayers. There was a reframing of old understandings and experiences that kept me hostage, and it changed how I viewed my life. I still continuously pour energy into recovery groups, writing multiple life recovery plans, learning new skills, organising action lists, writing declarations, and doing step work for myself and with others as they take their steps on their journey.

I've had more tough conversations than I care to count, but I am grateful they brought healing and mended bridges. I have written and spoken apologies and found and given forgiveness so freely that you see it flowing from heaven itself. Forgiveness and healing are gifts that keep on giving.

Recovery has taught me that healing starts with acceptance. I had to accept that I was the only one stopping myself from becoming whole. Once I submitted to that knowledge, the wisdom I needed to move from being the victim of pain to the healed person I am today became easy to apply. I found recovery, and I found my place because of a God who knew what I needed, because of prayers prayed by people who loved me before they knew me, and because somewhere inside me was someone stronger than the pain.

I carry these words spoken by my wise council in my heart, and they will always ring true, "Recovery is a journey you make for yourself but not by yourself".

Because of love, I will never be alone.



Photo: Sitting in the light.

Something extraordinary is stirring, and I, for one, am excited to see what comes from the storms that brought us to where we are right now!
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Photo: Pots of Purple Happiness🌟

Blooming beautifully 💗

Sunshine, blooming things, walks, chats with people I love and cuddles with kitties I adore... All my little big things that bring me so much joy💗
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Photo: Stolen moments 🌻

I'm dreaming about the sunny days to come. Days where birds sing and flowers bloom, days that have the children out to play, days where laying on green grass is the best place to be. I'm dreaming of the sunny days ahead of me.💙
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Photo : Waiting for Spring🥰

The simple things bring more joy than we imagine💗
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Scrolled back 50 scrolls in my photo gallery and these 2 pictures were right next to each other❤️ My heart filled with joy as I remembered these moments❤️

These are the things I am grateful for... The memories we make everyday, these are the treasures I carry with me, these are the things that fill my heart and these are the things that fill me with joy❤️❤️❤️
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Photo: My harts se punt💙

Blessed Be...

The darkness tried to overcome the light, but in the end, the darkest days had to give way because the sun always found a way to come out and shine!

How much beauty I can see!
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Photo: Morning Roads💗

May 2024 be the year you have been waiting for💗

Our Christmas wish from our house to yours, is that all your homes be filled with Joy, overflow with Love, and reflect Peace. May every day be a celebration and when you gather around tables we pray that all your needs are met and your hearts pour out words of gratitude.

Merry Christmas everyone.

With love from Lee, Bernice, Tori-Ann, and Seth❤️🌲❤️

The first candle we lit welcomed in hope, the second candle welcomed in love, and tonight we lit our third candle and welcomed in joy. This family has had some amazing blessings, we have created memories and taken time to rest in each other's company. Sometimes we do not see eye to eye, we bump heads and with reflection, we work it out and come to a place of forgiveness. We live, learn, and love together. This is what the hope, love, and joy of Jesus does for our family, and this is why we take the time to celebrate the life we live because we know that we are blessed in all the ways blessings matter💗
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Photo: Advent No.3

When your cat decides to remind you that he is your favorite gift of all time❤️
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Photo: Just a cat under the tree💓

So in love with today's beginning💕
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Photo: Sunrise in the park

Every year as December 1st knocks on our door, we put up a tree and set out our decorations as the celebration of our Savior life begins. Christmas is more than trees and presents, it's a time of joy, love, peace and togetherness, and for us this is how it all begins ❤️
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Photo: 2023 Christmas tree 💕

Autumn skies invade the world I knew not so long ago. There is a rumbling and a stirring in the air and today I feel the changes setting in before the season of rest arrives.
BM Nicholson 2023-11-02
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Photo: Autumn is here💗

Your journey can be taken by no other. You are the one who has to take the steps, plot your course, and move in the direction that calls your name.
BM Nicholson 2023-10-27
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Photo: The road ahead💗

My friend gave me this journal on my second sobriety anniversary because she knows how much I love to put pen to paper. When I first received it I had no idea what I was going to put on the pages. Now almost 9 months later it is filled with my deepest prayers, the ones I take to God in confidence and present in the rawest of ways. I don't think she knew how important this book was going to be in my day-to-day life. This book has helped me navigate some of the hardest things I have had to endure and it is such a valued gift. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to her. I do however thank God for the friend I have in Claire❤️
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Photo: Pages of prayer💙

Autumn is made for wondering, it's the season of warm colours, deep breaths and cool breezes. It is when the rain falls and leaves blow off the trees. Autumn is the time when that which hides comes out to be seen. Autumn is a season of far more life than even I imagined.
BM Nicholson 2023-10-23
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Photo: Mushroom delight❤️

When your little lady turns 16 and your are beaming with pride❤️❤️❤️❤️

She is as kind and gentle as she is wild and free.
She has depth like the oceans and thoughts that span the universe.
She has as much beauty in her smile as she has in her heart.
She is graceful, playful, fun-filled, mindful, and wonderful.
She is my daughter, my mini-me, and she is her own being.
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Photo: Adventures of us❤️