lara simmons

        "Patience. Understanding. A cup of hot tea...." --From Day 1 of " 28 Days of LOVE " So begins MY definition of LOVE on the first page of my latest book, 28 Days of LOVE . As we head towards Valentine's Day, many of us may be thinking more about LOVE than usual. How to express it. How to find it. Maybe even how to define it. If you are thinking about LOVE this week now is the perfect time to buy 28 Days of LOVE . Whether you have twenty-eight days, or only 28 minutes, my new book will help you explore - and find - your own definition of LOVE. Full of photographs of "found" hearts, inspirational quotations, as well as exercises and meditations designed to bring more LOVE into your life, this is the perfect book for February explorations. Starting TODAY, 28 Days of LOVE is available in electronic format from the Blurb website for just $4.99. Just follow this link to purchase a copy. May you find all the LOVE your heart can handle this V...

28 DAYS OF LOVE By Lara Simmons It's been a long time - a L-O-N-G time - since I wrote anything on this blog. One thing I have been working on is this book: 28 Days of LOVE.  It started out as a passion project, something to work on when my "real" writing wasn't going very well. I could nip on over to Blurb and while away a bit of time on this little side project.  After publishing WRITE YOUR LIFE , however, I started to take this "little side project" a bit more seriously and to see how maybe it could become something in its own right. And now it is.  I think it is the perfect book to give as a gift to someone you LOVE this Christmas. On every page there is a new way to practice LOVE, to think about LOVE, or to LOVE the people in your life. I hope that it will encourage you, inspire you, and fill you with LOVE.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! LOVE is all you need! Click on the book cover above to order.

Just one today, but I think it is a powerful one. And maybe one that explains our whole election...

Today I am unveiling a new feature on the blog: Inspire-ME Monday ! As you know if you have read my Blogger Bio (see right) I am a collector of quotes and photographs. For the past few weeks I have been trying to come up with a way to share more of both with YOU, my fabulous readers. Inspire-ME Monday is it! Every Monday I will be posting a series of quotes along with a photograph I have taken. Some weeks the quotes will have a common theme; other weeks they will be a totally random selection of my current favorites. Starting today I am also taking a one-week break from the "business" of writing and indulging in a little "pre-summer vacation" vacation. (If you are a parent with kids about to be out of school for the summer, you know what I mean ;) So the theme for this week is RESTING . Here are some of my favorite quotes about taking a REST: "Not by anxious use of outward means had Buddha unveiled the True Mind and ended suffering, but by resting ...

Join me on Instagram ( fridgeoracle ) this month, where I will be posting daily reminders of LOVE. Like this one: "LOVE is contagious." --My take on a Sandra Cisneros quote, "Anger is contagious."

"When you need to rest, rest fully, completely and without guilt. Your earthy bodies are made to require it because it is good for your SOUL."   --From The Akashic Records I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 90 days spent focusing on forgiveness, love and gratitude and hope you have too. And now it is time for me to take a rest. I will be taking at least ten days off from writing so I will see you sometime after April 10th. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this bit of resting wisdom from the Akashic Records. Peace.

"Whatever you love is your path." -- Coleman Barks , Rumi translator in The Sun magazine Last week I wrote about feeling lost , not knowing what I want to do with my life or where I am headed right now. Over the weekend I got a little clarity when I sat down to write my final post for 30 Days of Forgiveness and I realized I didn't want it to end. I really enjoyed sharing my favorite quotes and my experiences of forgiveness with you. I enjoyed finding just the right photograph to go with that day's post. And I enjoyed connecting with all of you on Facebook and Twitter around the topic of forgiveness. And that's when I knew I didn't have to search for what I wanted to do, I am already doing it. I felt the same way when I sat down today to get started on 28 Days of Love . Since I didn't know I was doing this until a couple of days ago, I am a bit behind in my preparation. I didn't have any quotes picked out, no themes identified, no plan in...

"There shouldn't be a leash on life." --Tess On Halloween my son invited one of his new middle school friends over to Trick or Treat with us. She is a delightful girl - warm. open, chatty and wicked smart. I was cutting up apples for their snack and she asked if she could have some peanut butter to go with them. "It doesn't have to be much," she said, "My mom limits me to one tablespoon because she says I'll eat all the peanut butter." She paused and then spoke words of wisdom I wish I had known when I was her age:  "But why not eat all the peanut butter? There shouldn't be a leash on life."  Ah-h-h-h. It was a deep-breath moment for me. I just stood still and breathed in the truth of these words and the truth that they had been missing from my world-view for far longer than was good for me. I know it is time for me to start living without a leash. Cassie (see above) couldn't agree more. Thanks Tess!

I happened upon this fellow at the Farmer's Market near our hotel. Apparently the city of angels sponsored a public art project where different artists created different angels, which were then auctioned off for charity. This one found a home at the Farmer's Market.  I love the idea of angels all around the city and wish I could have seen the whole exhibit.  Last time I was in LA, my sister and I noticed that the city does indeed seem to be populated by unexpected angels , many of them riding the city bus.  For more info on this project, see the photo below:    May angels always travel with you....  

  One of the coolest things we did in LA was visit the Watts Towers , a unique display of public and personal art by Simon Rodia . (If you want to learn more I highly recommend following one of these links.)  While there I picked up a postcard, which was a photo almost exactly like this one I shot by Marisol Manzano, with the following caption: "I want my life to be full of light, color and flavor."  Me too, Simon, me too!

This lovely lighted heart was part of the decor at the Farmer's Daughter - warmed my heart every time I passed by. May it also warm yours. 

Walking along the streets of West LA we encountered a family of giraffes and they somehow softened the day for me. Words that come to mind when I see these giraffes are: gentle, kindness, vision, seeing, loyalty.  For more on the meaning of the giraffe see these two sites: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-meaning-of-giraffe.html http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6035/giraffe-power-animal-symbol-of-grounded-vision-farsightedness

Woah, it's been awhile since I posted anything to the blog. According to one of my favorite energy alert sources - http://www.thepowerpath.com/index.php/power-path-home/the-power-path/monthly-forecast/572-october-forecast-2013 - October is a month to reset and reboot so I guess it's all in divine order. I spent the past few days in LA, visiting my sister and attending the wedding of a lovely couple, so this week and next I'm going to share some inspirational photos from my trip. I hope they will make your world a little lighter, a little brighter as you reset & reboot. This first photo is the street sign for an organic, vegan cafe called Cafe Gratitude. The original was in San Fran and although I have heard it is now closed, it was the origin of the movie "Let Me Be Frank," which is a great film for anyone interested in transformation.  We had a lovely meal there and it was the perfect way to kick off a trip that would contain many opportunit...

I have no idea who Ashleigh Brilliant is, but I like her style. The urgency of fall is upon me. I am starting to feel the pressure of all that needs to be done. Lazy summer days by the pool are numbered and the truth of this is seeping in... So I post this today to remind myself - and perhaps you as well - to slow down, take rest, and breathe.  Sometimes it's the most urgent thing to do. UPDATE: So, Ashleigh Brilliant is a man. You can find out more about HIS work and life here . And, one of my favorite card readers, Lee-Anne Peters couldn't agree more. This week is all about the urgency of a complete rest.

I love to look for signs - that I am on the right track, that the Universe is watching out for me, that I am loved. Last week on our camping trip I found this sign at a restaurant we ate at. It's a straw wrapper, lying on the floor near our table, in the shape of a heart. I took it as a sign that we were exactly where we needed to be and that the Universe was taking care of us.  What signs do you see today?   I

"Have the courage to be where you are." --The Universe Sometimes it takes all the courage we have to move forward; and sometimes, it takes even more courage to just stand still and be where we are. When we have a job, all we want is a little time off. When unemployed, we just want a job and can't stand all the free and unscheduled time we have been given. When we have a relationship we often long for something new and exciting. When we are alone, all we want is someone to snuggle on the couch with and watch TV. The hardest thing to do is to embrace what is, to live in the now, to be where you are. This tree is a 140 year-old Banyan Tree that stands in the town square in Lahainia, Maui, HI and it is my new symbol for this kind of courage. For 140 years it has stood still, providing shade and a place to sit, climb and explore for all who walk beneath it. It never wishes it were somewhere else or tries to walk away, and yet, it never stops growing. Expanding it...

"Meet anger with LOVE." -- The Universe to me on April 12, 2010 I have been thinking about this advice from the Universe a lot lately. As I have gotten a better handle on my own anger over the past ten years, I have started to see the pain and the sadness and the loneliness hidden deep within the anger of others. I know from my own experience that when I get angry and lose my temper what I really need is love, understanding, compassion, but it's kind of hard to see that at the time. And it's even harder to show love to someone who is yelling at you. But I know for sure that is what we are called to do so I'm gonna try. Won't you join me? [This photograph is second in a series of three. Come back tomorrow for #3.]

" ...[ L]ove really is all around." -- Hugh Grant , speaking as the Prime Minister in Love, Actually At the climbing gym this weekend I found this little bit of evidence from the Universe that love really is all around. And that it exists in the imperfections, as well as the perfections.

One of the thrills of visiting New York City is the celebrity citing. This one filled me with joy. Tony Danza, looking so happy to be at the top of the Empire State Building . (Full disclousure: this is a photograph of a photograph of Mr Danza, but it looks like the real deal!)