Stephanie Jean

Online shopping is the greatest.

I don’t have to get out of my PJs, face the cold, get in my car, or deal with people directly? I’m in. My introverted heart is aflutter.

I typically don’t do a lot of shopping for myself, but when I do, it’s usually an aid in my individual and spiritual journey. This time I bought myself some Christmas and birthday presents, because why not?! And surprise- they all arrived today!

Wednesday is my twenty-fifth birthday. I will be a full quarter century old, having made twenty-five complete trips around the sun. Yikes! Looking back on my twenty-fourth year, it was definitely an eye-opening one. I learned a lot and had a lot of good times, but I will be glad to leave it in the past. I am ready for twenty-five.

So naturally, I want to start it off right.

Every day for a year, you write down one thing you’re grateful for and you throw it in a jar. At the end of the year, you take them out and reflect on everything you have to be grateful for. I can only imagine how powerful of an exercise this is; I bet it could turn a whole bad day around. (Confession: I couldn’t wait to begin doing this. I already have a slip of paper in the jar.)

My inspiration for this project came from a fellow Emmanuel alumna and blogger, Sam. Sam and I met at a sociology club meeting, and I have always admired her positive attitude. You can find Sam’s blog over at Unpacking Happiness– I just started following it myself. 🙂

Just look at how powerful her jar looks! I imagine watching it fill up throughout the year is powerful in and of itself- never mind the fact that taking time out of your day to be grateful, as well as reading it back at the end of the year, are both powerful exercises in gratitude. And we all know gratitude is the cornerstone of happiness…

I also bought myself a five year, one line journal. My intention is to write down a memory from each day, and keep it up for the next five years. Thinking about the next five years of my life I feel excited. I feel nervous. I feel confident in going forward. Most of all, I feel my little book is going to be filled with love.

My Christmas gifts to myself were these BEAUTIFUL crystals from AlsCrystalPals on Etsy. Check out her shop here! She sells beautiful homemade jewelry and unique crystals like my two. Each piece in her shop is unique and made with love. I will definitely be buying from her again!

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about these particular crystals. 🙂

Selenite is the white sphere. It is used in meditation practices to aid in the opening of the third eye and crown chakras. Selenite is consider a high vibration crystal, meaning it connects deeply with the universe and the divine. It is a clarity stone, as well as a stone of truth and honesty. It is said to attract good business practices, as well as aids in connection to spiritual guides. This highly spiritual stone is also said to aid in connecting to a previous life and past-life healing.

Amethyst is a healing stone that also provides calm, patience, and peace. Interestingly enough, it is also known as the sobriety stone. It’s described as an all-purpose stone, one I would recommend for any beginner crystal collection (fun fact: amethyst was my first crystal, I’ve had it since I was about thirteen!). It’s beneficial when seeking out legal aid and when grieving. Amethyst has been used in crystal healing to aid in symptoms of addiction, asthma, PMS, circulatory issues, and much more.

So there you have it! I was so excited about these packages I haven’t even looked at what else came in the mail yet.

Until next time, friends! Namasté… ❤