Transitions-Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Real Estate Blog

Possibilities~anything is possible.
The universe is non static and non bounded. The only bounds exist within your awareness or limiting beliefs that you place upon yourself and others.

Always remember Phil Daniel's words 'reward excellent failures, punish mediocre successes'.
Dare to go for it, dare to be different and try outrageous things.
Failing while trying something innovative and outrageous, is far better than succeeding while doing something totally mediocre and predictable.
Engage your right brain, dare to imagine, use the tools that make up your physical body and get out there riding your free-reined and un-encumbered imagination. It's a gift, use it.

Step forward and be counted.
You matter, you make a difference every single day that you are 'out there' or 'within yourself'. No moment is wasted as long as you are either opening yourself to the universe or out there 'doing' and receiving.

Believe and commit.
Entrench. I like that word. Don't you?
When we 'entrench' something within our mind, we take it fully in and lodge it in a firm place.
Then we move forward.
Entrench within your mind the simple and profound fact that you are powerful. You matter. You make a difference, no matter what you are doing.
What kind of difference will you make today? In your own life, in the life of another?

Stand in the centre of the light.
When you stand within the centre of the light, there is peace. Nothing can harm you or throw you off balance.
You are protected and safe.
Always stand within the centre of the light and know that you belong there. If you step outside of the beam, guide yourself gently back in until you feel that balance and wholeness once more.

Connect.
Draw yourself closer to the people around you. Don't be afraid of rejection or of not receiving the reaction you're hoping for.
Remember, their reactions are 99% about them, not about you.
Not everyone is going to respond to you the way you might be wishing. Don't let this ever stop you from drawing close to those who you are attracted to and feel have a message for you.
Sometimes the reaction that you didn't want, is exactly the message you are meant to receive and there is a deep kernel of new wisdom to be found in that reaction, if you only stop and peel back the layers.

Handle yourself gently and with great reverence.
Be kind to your mind, your soul, your heart and your physical being.
Filter and censor all that you come across and be very careful what you are putting into your body.
Your body and brain are fine tuned machines that can be greatly enhanced by only supplying them with the finest of inputs.
Steer clear of excessive fats, salt, sugar, meat, artificial ingredients and processed foods. Steer clear of negativity, news that you do not need to hear, people who don't uphold you with respect and gentleness, places that make you feel uncomfortable.
Listen to your intuition and instinct. Your body does not lie to you. It's signals are based on tens of thousands of years of trial and error.
Listen to them.

Love from the deepest core of your being.
Find the good in each person and love that part of them. From there you will grow to love and see the entire person.
Each person brings something to you, a gift that you may not at first recognize, however the gift is there never the less.

When you have an idea , act upon it.
Ideas are messages from the universe. It's up to you whether or not you grasp on and put the idea into action. Make it a point every day to act upon at least one or two of the ideas that come to you.
You'll be amazed at the results.

Recognize that fear is often unfounded.
When it appears in your being, stop and examine it. Don't let it freeze you.
This is a realm where actual 'doing' is rewarded. When you allow yourself to be frozen or withdraw in fear, you stop yourself from 'doing' and miss the whole point of your life here.
This is a 'realm of action' and only action will move you further in the direction you desire to go.

Live in the moment you are in.
When the past appears in your thought process, recognize that it is surfacing in order to be processed and let go of. It's part of your healing process.
Allow it to surface quietly, observe it carefully, then let it go and return to what you truly have. The moment you are in now.

Recognize that the future is not here yet and hence there is no need to fear it.
Imagining what you would like the future to look like may be a fine exercise to do in certain moments; however always recognize that there are numerous variables that you have no control over and the future you are planning for, may not appear in the format you are aiming for.
It is much better to immerse yourself in a positive field at this very moment and realize that you do have control over your actions and reactions in each moment as it presents itself to you.
Give your wishes to your subconscious mind and then let them go.

Never hoard your ideas, your love, your knowledge, your material assets or your kindnesses.
Every gift you have is meant to be passed on and only by passing it on when-ever the opportunity presents itself, will you be able to open yourself up for more to flow in.

The universe is in a constant state of becoming and so are you. By remaining open and allowing yourself to be a conduit for the gifts of the universe, you will enrich your own life and all of those whose lives you come into contact with.

©2007JoSmith

M   Merriment and laughter that brings a lightness to your step and a floating feeling to your heart and soul on each of your daily journeys.

Y   A Youthful heart so that you may see the world through the eyes of a child.

A   An Abundance of Positive Action in every area of your life.

C   Clients and Customers who show a newfound loyalty to you for all that you are and all that you do

T   Truth that brings clarity and positive movement in every corner of your business and personal life

I   Inspiring moments sprinkled here and there throughout Christmas and the coming year, and especially when you need them the most 

V   Virtues that are bestowed upon you and that appear in all of those who interact with you.

E   Excellence that comes easy to you in all of your blogging, personal and business activities.

R   Rare and precious gifts that appear to you  every day, and the gift of insight so that you may recognize them when they arrive.

A  Amazement that presents itself to you in flashes of insight and beautiful experiences each and every day.

I   The gifts of Intuition and Insight so that you may navigate better on all of the journeys you take.

N   Nuances that intrigue you and cause you to take time to reflect and incorporate the new sensations into your inner being.

W  Wellness in your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being.

I   Ideas and Imagination that come to you in flashes of insight and when you most need them.

S   Silence when you need to take respite from the world and peace is all you need.

H   Healing energy and Hope whenever you find yourself needing it the most.

F   Faith in your abilities and in the intelligent life force that surrounds you...may this always come easy to you.

O  Openness and innocence of a child-like heart and eyes, so that you may see and feel the beauty in all that surrounds you.

R   Reliability in all of those who's paths you cross, so that your life will flow along more smoothly and you will know you're going in the right direction.

Y   An abundances of YES's when you desire them the most.....may the universe open up to you and your dreams.

O   Organizational skills that leap to the forefront in any area of your life that requires them.

U  Ubiquitous Joy, Love and Peace.....may you find yourself immersed in these gifts of the universe every single day of the Christmas season and in the coming year.


Merry Christmas everyone..... and thank you for the gifts of your friendship, support, knowledge and inspiration  this past year,

Jo 

The final countdown is upon us as we head into a busy weekend of last minute shopping and festivities. Tomorrow at the Empire Theatre, which is owned by our broker, Mark Rashotte, we're having our annual office Chinese food luncheon up on the stage. It's always a festive time with many funny tales, some songs, a fine luncheon and greetings all around.

We received news today, via email, that all of the children on our 'Wish Tree' had been taken care of. The 'Wish Tree' is a Christmas tree at our office decorated in gold stars with the ages and sex of each child currently staying in a local woman's shelter with their Mom.
We each pick a star and purchase gift(s) for that child, wrap them and place them under the tree. The gifts will be delivered to the shelter this weekend and each child will have a special gift to open on Christmas day. My star was a little girl 9-10 years old. I enjoyed picking out special gifts for her and wrapping them all lovingly before placing them in a giant snowman Christmas bag tied with a colourful bow and ribbon.

This time of the year, more than ever, we are reminded of how life is not ideal for all people, and the ones who feel this the most are the children who are going through troubling and hard times.

My heart breaks for all of these children and I ask the universe to bless each one of them, keep them safe and warm and dry, bring plenty of unconditional love their way and help them to believe in themselves and to know that they have the ability to fulfill any dreams that they may have. Most of all I wish that all children, the world over, could be kept safe from abuse, hunger and homelessness.
The suffering of children in the world is something I will never be able to understand. I hope that everyone takes time out this busy season to bring some special joy into the life of a child. We can never tell our children we love them often enough and helping them to believe they are capable of accomplishing anything, will always be held close to their hearts as they grow older and face their own trials and tribulations.

I've heard that a child will turn out well and have good self-esteem as long as there is at least one person who believes in them and consistently shows it by word and deed. Perhaps you could be that 'one' person in the life of a child.

We received plenty of snow this past week. The homes in the Old East Hill are all decked out for the Christmas season.

As you drive around town, evergreen wreaths dress many a fine old door and porches are adorned with cedar swags and pots of spruce and pine.

The streets and sidewalks are carved between snowbanks and everywhere there are smiling people gaily clothed in bright wool hats and wrapped in scarves. Even dogs are sporting their colourful little parkas these days.

For many years I used to make Amaretto balls every Christmas. They were a welcome treat on the holiday plates and have a delectable flavour, especially if you love chocolate and almond.

Every Christmas Eve I make a smorgasbord of special foods for visitors. This Christmas Eve I'll set out a buffet of many traditional foods once more, amongst them being my Mother's tortiere ( a French Canadian meat pie that is always served on Christmas Eve) and her Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

They'll also be the traditional giant scallops with seafood sauce.

I'm a vegetarian however that doesn't stop me from serving meat dishes when I have guests over. President's Choice makes a delectable little meatless meatball that can be used in Sweet and Sour meatball recipes this time of year.
It's great for any vegetarians who may be visiting your home.


Mom's French Canadian Tortiere

1/2 lb Lean ground beef
1/2 lb Ground pork
1    Onion, chopped
Garlic powder            
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Savory 
1/4 tsp Celery salt
1/4 tsp Ground cloves
1/2 cup  Water
  
   Brown the beef and pork together with all other ingredients. Add 1/2 cup
of bread crumbs and allow to cool. Pour into unbaked pie shell and add a top crust 
(cut little maple leaves out of extra dough and place on top). Bake for 25 minutes in 450 
degree oven.   

Joyeux Noel !!  

Christmas Day will be spent at my Mother's in Trenton. I'm almost finished my shopping and have already had one Christmas celebration with my brother Curt and his family this past weekend.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Golden Valley Restaurant in Trenton on Saturday night and then we opened gifts and visited at my Mothers. The little ones enjoyed themselves and were on their best behaviour at the restaurant, as always.
My brother and his family left on Sunday morning to travel back to Ajax and made it home safely, even though the snowstorm had begun.
They'll spend this coming weekend and Christmas at their summer home on Moose Lake in Haliburton County.

If you're ever looking for the most beautiful enchanted retreat to take either in winter or summer, be sure and visit the Domain of Killien. It is the turn off directly before the windy backwoods road that leads down to my brother's gorgeous lakeside cottage.

The Domain of Killien is one of those places that immerses you in luxury all within a forest setting on the shores of sparkling clean lakes and 5000 private acres for you to explore.
This special place is a member of the Relais du Silence association and aims to offer you a peaceful and quiet time surrounded by nothing but nature and gentle ambiance.
In such, there are no televisions or radios, so bring your eyes for observing the beauteous wonders of the precious planet we live on, and bring a few good books to relax by the fireside with.
I could spend a lifetime there and want for practically nothing.

Clayton, my other brother, will be arriving this coming Saturday with his family.
Saturday we'll have a gathering at my Mother's and Sunday will be at my Dad and Stepmom's for another Christmas get-together.

This is what Christmas is all about, seeing our loved ones , sharing in conversation, hugs and watching the smiles and sparkling eyes of the children in our families. Everyone seems to have grown at least another 6 inches everytime I see them!

Things aren't the same as the old days when all relatives lived within a short distance of one another or just the farm over.

I'm thankful that we have hung on to traditions such as Christmas get-togethers and only wish our loved ones did not have to travel so far to be with us.

I'm enjoying having my son Rob home from university this past week and we've shared in many wonderful conversations amongst the muffins and cookies and meals and shopping. He was fortunate to find a part time job this past week while he was home and earned some extra spending money for himself.

Tonight a friend picked him up and he is off with his gear for a day of snowboarding in Batawa, a nearby village where I lived and attended school for grades 1 and part of 2.
The house we lived in is gone now, in fact the whole street of homes where I lived is gone.

Now there are fairly new homes lining the street and the small village ambiance has taken flight along with our quaint little houses. My old church where I used to attend Sunday School, is now the village library and my old school has been remodeled into a senior's residence.

All of my Christmas cards have been sent and I've included a little calendar in most of them; one of my yearly traditions. This way people always have my contact information on hand should they want to call me just to say hello of if they have a real estate inquiry.

Already some of my past clients have called me to say they received my card and would like to get together in the new year. I'm so thankful for the wonderful people I've had the pleasure to serve over the past 12 years and I enjoy hearing from them and being brought up to date on the happenings in their lives.
Babies born, older children flown the nest, new jobs, trips taken and general news about their journeys through time.

I hope you're all enjoying the season and things are going along smoothly for you. Remember to stay stress-free, take time out for you, and smile as you immerse yourself in the joy and love that surrounds you.

Jo

This Little Box Holds Nothing Everything.

The cold winter winds were howling loudly early this morning when I awoke
at 5 am. As I lay cosy in my bed, my brain began to grease it's wheels and
before long it had sprung to life and was going full force. I barely had time to rouse myself from lazy dreams.
As I lay there thinking of the events of the previous day, I smiled at the memory of the things my son had said to me as we drove along.

19, going on 40 ( as he says, he feels so old since he is almost 20 and that is HALF-WAY to 40 !!), he revealed a few newfound realizations his young brain had recently gleaned; the major one being that 'everything' is affected by your attitude and the mood you choose to be in.
He has come to the realization that if things are going badly, change your mind and look at the positives rather than any negatives and miraculously things will begin to look differently.
Not only will they look differently, he has realized that suddenly positive things start happening all around you !

At his young age he has come to know one of the foremost laws of the universe~ at any given moment you have the ability to choose the energy field you wish to be in, and therefore, the things that will happen to you and around you.

What if you could give this as a gift to someone? What if you could give this as a gift to yourself? What if this gift cost absolutely nothing and yet would be one of the most priceless and appreciated gifts that anyone receives this Christmas?

Giving a little box that holds something most precious and yet costs absolutely nothing, may be the most appreciated and loved gift you can give this year. I call them 'little giving boxes', they keep on giving long after they have been given.

Many years ago, when my son's Father and I had gone our separate ways and were sharing custody of our three sons, I was going through a very rough time whenever my sons were with their Dad; I missed them so much and everyone commented that I seemed so different when the boys weren't with me~ meaning 'down'.

David, my oldest son found a little gift for me at a church bazaar and gave it to me one Christmas morning. Opening the tiny package I discovered a tiny blue box and as I read the tag, an ache came to me heart and tears began to fall from my eyes.
The little blue box said,

"This is a very special gift that you can never see. The reason it's so special is it comes to you from me. Whenever you are lonely or even feeling blue, you only have to hold this gift and know I think of you. You never can unwrap it. Please leave the ribbon tied, just hold the box up to your heart; it's filled with love inside."

To this day I cherish that little box and the very special gift it holds. Long after I'd forgotten about more tangible gifts, I never have forgotten this little box or the special feeling it gave me that long ago Christmas.

This would be a wonderful gift you could make for a loved one far away, or for a little stocking stuffer or special someone. They will cherish it forever and it doesn't cost a tangible cent, just a few pieces of your heart, the kinds of pieces that grow by giving.

You can use any little box you have on hand, just wrap it up, tie a ribbon around it, and add a special tag with the above saying or one of your own. If you don't have a little box handy, you can make some very pretty ones out of old cards. They're easy and fun to make and different methods can be used. Here is one way of making them.

I suggest you also make a little box for yourself and inside of it place all of your goals for the coming year on little tags or cutout shapes. You can call it your 'goal box'. Once all of your goals are placed inside, tie a ribbon on it and place it on your desk nearby where you can always be aware of it. It will remind you and your subconscious of your goals and bring you closer to them. Using the same principle, you could craft a 'dream box'.

A thoughtful gift for the children in your life would be a little box filled with little shapes where you have written everything special about them. You could write on the tag 'You're special because you're.....' and inside the box are little hearts with each attribute of the child ...for instance 'smart', 'loving', 'kind', 'beautiful', 'thoughtful', 'helpful', 'handsome', etc. Place a little picture of your child in the box along with the powerful little words.

This little box will be treasured by your child and will boost their self esteem immeasurably. You could even give such a little box to your partner or parent or anyone else in your life who is special. This is the kind of gift that keeps on giving and will be treasured far beyond the day you give it...all it takes is a little of your imagination, a bit of your time at crafting a special little box, and a whole lot of your love.

Children would love to make little 'giving' boxes for their grandparents or parents or perhaps even for a sibling or special friend or elderly relative/neighbour.

Well, I suppose I should get back to my day's real estate work, filling out the remainder of my Christmas cards and then hit the mall once more before the giant storm that is forecast for our area makes it's appearance.

I've been so busy lately with real estate, Christmas preparations and getting my son settled in for the Christmas break (he arrived home on Sunday night from university ) that I haven't had much time for other things.


You're all in my thoughts every day though, and I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

©2007JoSmith