joyful living

Here are some new souvenirs from the  The Landscape of Joy.  The Landscape of Joy is my own name for the Heart Realm, The Compassion Realm ~ the place we hold within that is of oneness, love, light, truth, bliss, the spirit- which we can return to at any time for nurturing, and which we can carry into the world.    

      This week I  was shown a vision of my little shop as a souvenir shop, much like one you would cross through on your way into a museum or a botanical garden.  I took this vision further, and  as I recently had a guest exclaim she felt she had tumbled into heaven on her visit here, I imagined my shop full of books and gifts  just outside of the entrance to the realm of the heart( my heart, your heart, the spiritual center in us all).  And then I thought, why Ingrid, why on the edge, why not plunk yourself right down into the middle of it and live and work from there?  And I realized that we were here all along, only I had forgotten.  
     And that’s what I make my poems and books and gifts for- for remembering.  I have loved producing  these new gifts, each an invitation, a remembrance, a doorway into Now…

Let’s start with the mini fold out accordion prayers:  I’ve made fold-out accordions with lovely photographs on one side, and a prayer on the other.  They are finished with ribbons and pretty cameos.  They are perfect for an altar, a dashboard, a desk, or to give to a friend.

There is the Metta Prayer of Loving Kindness:

 May all beings everywhere be free from suffering.
May all beings everywhere be fed.
May all beings everywhere know joy.
May all beings everywhere awaken
to the light of their true nature.

A Mothering Prayer:

 As mothers, we pray for a world of peace.
We pray for a world of joy.
We pray for the nourishment and safety of our children.
We pray for wonder, enthusiasm, goodness and truth;
For compassion, love, and kindness.
We pray for discipline and we pray for maturity.
We pray for courage and strength.
And we give thanks.
The way we live is the way we give thanks.
Let our lives be a dance of prayer and thanksgiving.

And the Prayer of Saint Francis:

 Lord,
Make me an instrument of thy peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying to the self
That we are born to eternal life.

And here’s a sweet spark for the imagination:  If I Were A Fairy.

I’ve combined a whimsical poem with some favorite vintage fairy illustrations to make the sweetest little treasure book.

If I were a fairy…

I’d live in a summer garden with a lovely ocean view.
I’d drink honeysuckle nectar, and bathe in the morning dew.
I’d make as many memories as stars alight the sky.
I’d laugh when I was happy, and cry if I wanted to cry.
I’d ride on gentle breezes and flit from there to here.
And in winter when it freezes, I’d find a house of cheer
where children live and play and spill their sweet crumbs on the floor.
I’d build a nest beneath a bed, in a dolls house, or a drawer.
I’d be happy with those children, and peaceful on my own.
I’d be joyful all the seasons, and in love my whole life long.

~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

And, last but not least… and not last for long, TWELVE WAYS TO GET HAPPY

I’ve used more wonderful vintage children’s illustrations, with colorful pick-me-up suggestions sure to turn around crankiness, boredom or ennui. With glitter accents and golden thread, this is 14 pages with an envelope for gifting.

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