Friday, December 24, 2010

Traditions

It is Christmas Eve and for the first time in 55 years my Christmas is totally without the usual traditions. It brings a deep sadness. In the midst of chaos and change, I find myself clinging at least to my belief that this is time for peace, generosity and goodwill. It seems the usual "Spirit of Christmas" has disappeared for this year. Even the children I know do not have that same sense of awe and excitement. I find less reminders of the spiritual side of this holiday, as the years pass. Is it just me or have you noticed it too?

Shopping and wrapping are all that remain the same. This is the first year that I remember the gifts being more important than the celebration of the birth of Christ, everlasting love, and hope for peace on earth. Is it just me?

I cannot help but miss the family time, the foods and goodies that have always been a part of the season. I miss the smell of fresh baked buns and christmas bread. I miss planning Christmas Eve with my daughter, and anticipating our usual 3:00 am Santa time.

I miss reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and remembering how we were raised to understand that Santa was a representation of the gift of giving to others, not just at Christmas but everyday. Not just presents but the gift of ourselves.

I miss watching "A Christmas Carol", and all the old-time movies that gave representation to how precious our lives are, and lives of those we interact with daily. Year after year they have brought laughter, tears and memories - all building upon another to create a special feeling that, for me, is Christmas.

Traditions form a basis not just for celebrating holidays such as Christmas, but also for the way we live our lives. It seems, though, that times such as this are a deeper reminder of what is important to us. As I sense the slipping away of Christmas Tradition, I find myself wondering if that trend will run over into the values I live by everyday. How far do we go in compromising our traditions, to meet the new and modern beliefs and values? Should we compromise?

As I share this sense of loss with you, I also want to share my Christmas Wish for All Mankind - Joyful Memories of family and friends, Love of Life, and Peace On Earth. May we be blessed with the reminder that Christmas is a time to give thought to the most precious gift of all - Life itself.

Merry Christmas to All.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Lest We Forget/Rememberance Day

"Today is a new day and I am glad in it."

Have you thought how different your life would be, if each day you allowed yourself to feel the moment, instead of perceiving each experience based on similar experiences of the past?

Holding memories whether good or bad is natural for all of us, but do you lose out on new opportunities by choosing your actions and reactions based on the past? Do you create a greater gap to joy by holding grudges for what has gone before?

Have you found yourself holding back on inspiration because of past failures? Do you stop yourself before you offer love or friendship because of past disloyalty? Have you tried to recapture a beautiful memory, only to be disappointed in the current result, and then found the beauty of the previous moment disminished?

How is your past affecting today? If yesterday was filled with sorrow, guilt, challenges, or pain, do you expect the same today? Do you wait for someone or something to clear away your clouds, before allowing yourself to laugh again?

How would your life change if you began each day anew? If there was no memory of past sunrises and today you were seeing the colors and light for the very first time? What if you had no way of comparing how brightly the stars shone on the previous night - would they not stop you in awe as you looked upon them as if it were the first time they shone?

If you had no memory of being let down, betrayed, or upset, how easy would it be to reach your heart and hand out to a stranger? If we could let go of the anger, and see another as we first saw them, how different would our relationships be? What if it was safe to trust without fear of harm?

Today as I think of November 11th - Rememberance Day, I ask myself, why we would want to remember the days and years of suffering for so many soldiers, family and friends. They fought for freedom and country. They fought with pride and endurance. Many who returned, spent years trying to forget, few spoke easily of that time.

Lest We Forget - perhaps it is the reason they fought that needs to be remembered, rather than the horror they endured. Perhaps we need to let go of the reasons for war, and begin anew each day, so that wars may stop. Most who fought for our country believed that is why they were fighting - to end all wars.

If we truly want to honor the veterans, our parents and grandparents, I believe it is time to live as they prayed we would live for their efforts -in peace, acceptance and love. Let us clear our minds of anger, power, control, greed, and revenge. Let us remember integrity. Let us remember we are equal. No matter what country, what culture, what religion or system of beliefs, if we could all just begin today, seeing the beauty of the world, the abundance surrounding us there would be no need to react with bombs, bullets, and bayonets.

Let us remember that today is a new day and what we do today will change the future. The choice is ours.

If there is any memory I ask all of you to rekindle, it would be this:
Remember, we were all created in love. Love was all there was. It was not until the addition of "freewill" that anything but love existed. In honor of our veterans I hope you will use your freewill to make each day a new day, filled with peace, joy, love and faith. Accept all others whatever their differences. Forgive the past. Forget all grievances. This is the way to end all wars in a way that fighting never could.

Lest we forget - our choices create the reality in which we live, and we have the ability to create heaven or hell. As we give thanks for those who fought to protect us, let us also remember our responsibility to uphold the reason they put their lives on the line for us - that we might live in peace.

Be Blessed

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Thanksgiving Weekend

Count your blessings and give thanks - though I believe that this should be a daily process, I also enjoy a weekend that has created a time for us to be especially aware of how truly blessed our lives are.

As a farmer's daughter, and later a farmer's wife it was easy to see the abundance at this time of year. Cereal crops were being harvested and vegetables from the garden were gathered, canned, frozen or put into cold storage. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing results after months of tending and nurturing.

I only have to think about the golden grain pouring into the hopper, to remember, not just the hard work it took, but also a feeling of joy and gratitude for mother nature's part in bringing an abundant harvest. Her gentle rain, warm sunshine, the lightening and the brillance of the full moon night's all created perfect conditions for growth.

These past few years have not been so perfect, and more often than not  farmers have felt cheated. I am sorry. Sorry for their feelings of futility, but even more sorry, that they cannot let it go and give thanks for the experience and for whatever crop was produced. When we lose gratitude, we lose abundance. It goes full circle.

The same is true in our lives. It is not enough to be grateful for only perfection in our lives. We must also show appreciation for the smallest of gestures, the sadness and pain. In our failures we find the seeds of success, the strength of survival, the anticipation of a new opportunity. In sickness, we can create health and in sorrow we learn the true appreciation of joy. When we learn to be thankful for the worst, we find our way toward inner peace, joy and love. Without the opposites of life we could never truly be grateful for the good. It would all be taken for granted, the depth of the moment lost in the sameness of yesterday.

Thanksgiving weekend is not only an opportunity for us to give thanks for the past year's blessing and harvest. It is also a time for us to give thanks for that which is still to come. This year take time to be grateful for all the good you know is on it's way to you right now, tommorow, and in a month from now. Plant the seeds of gratitude today, so that the harvest you reap tommorow will reflect joy and acceptance of the abundance you deserve.

I want each of you reading this to know how much I appreciate you. Thank you for friendship, support, honesty, integrity, love, nurturing, being a shoulder to lean on and a wise council. Thank you for being unique and inspiring in all you do. Thank you for being a part of my life, whether we have ever met or not. Thank you for all you give to this planet, your family and friends, coworkers and strangers. Each contribution you make to creating a life of joy, love, peace and prosperity lifts us all. You are a blessing!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I felt compelled to share this short post with all of you today. I am asked so often how I keep going with a busy schedule, and endless weeks of continual work, clients and responsibilities. There are days when if I stop to think about it I feel like the "eveready bunny", so I stop thinking about it. Instead I start my day with the following intention:

"Today is the best day of my life. Please show me all the beauty and joy this day has to offer and allow me to love and prosper everyone I encounter as I go about the tasks that are set before me."

At the end of the day, I take note of what I have learned, experienced and shared and offer gratitude for all of it with this short prayer:

"Thank you for the best day of my life. Bless all who have helped to make this a day filled with love, joy, beauty and prosperity. Bless all those who have challenged or shown me parts of myself I needed to see. Thank you for allowing me to experience one more step on this wonderful adventure called life."

The wording is not always exactly the same, but the intention clearly puts me in the moment with no worry for tomorrow, and allows me to let go of any troubles of the day, knowing that all is as it should be. As I sort through the day, I make note of anything that stands out as unfinished business and make a mental note to clarify misunderstandings, mistakes, or errors in judgement as soon as the opportunity arises. With everything taken care of I can then enjoy a good night's sleep, in preparation for the beauty of tomorrow.

Create your own intentions or prayers and make them a part of your daily life. The results are beyond amazing. Feel free to use mine until the right wording for you shows up.

May Today Be The Best Day Of Your Life

Monday, August 2, 2010

EACH MOMENT IS AN OPPORTUNITY

Today is a new day, and I begin anew. I begin by greeting the day with love, in acceptance of all the opportunities placed before me. Today I see each moment as an opportunity. For even obstacles or boredom are nothing more than opportunities to seek, to grow.

Fear asks me to stand tall, to move, to reach out for support. Therein I find courage, strength, new friends.

Sadness calls out with memories of happier times, encouraging me to experience true sorrow, so that I will also know true joy.

Lonliness beckons me to lend a hand, to help another. I need never be lonely when there are so many who would be a friend. Lonliness is an opportunity to take time for meditation and fuel creativity.

Illness is but an opportunity to heal. As I sit with illness, I see my thoughts more clearly, and find new ways to regain the vitality I long for. A day of rest is often well deserved. Long suffering is for those who choose to blame rather than claim responsibility. In this suffering I see my truth revealed, which now becomes an opportunity to let go of self-pity, guilt, remorse.

Pain reminds me that I have given without thought to physical capabilities. Here I find the steps I need to take to strengthen my muscles and replenish my fortitude. In my own pain I see those who I have hurt, as well as those I need to forgive. Thank you for this opportunity to forgive others and myself.

As I watch the clouds from window, I sense the wonder of the world. It is in this moment I feel the joy of living. In this joy my heart opens to the opportunities for love, for purpose, for dreams.

Within a crowd there is opportunity to spread love and blessings, without words or recognition. In stillness I find time for prayer, in gratitude for silence, peace, and breath.

Celebration is an opportunity to reunite with friends and loved ones, to regain the awe of childhood, to feel the bonds of family and community.

Each moment of our life offers opportunities to see the work we do, the joy we share, the love we need, the talents we have, the blessings, the trials, the possibilities. Each moment can bring us closer to our dreams or further from our goals. Each moment gives us the opportunity to choose what we offer others or what we  keep for ourselves. Each moment soon becomes our life.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Ending the Struggle

Are you continually looking for one miracle to change your world, to bring peace into your life? Are you constantly looking for another writer or speaker who offers 30 days to wealth, wisdom, love, weight loss?

Are you tired of envisioning your dreams, only to have them dashed time and time again? Do the Laws of Attraction continue to evade you, even though you study them closely, and live according to their creed?

Can you look at your life, and know in your heart you are a good, generous, loving person who gives value to the world each day of your life? Perhaps it is value given through generosity, kindness, your friendly demeanor that sets people at ease. Maybe you provide health care, aesthetics, or other feel-good services. Are you the person who bakes for your co-workers on a regular basis? Do you keep your neighborhood clean and recycle on a regular basis, taking care of "Mother Earth"? Do you send prayers out for all who bless your space, or join in world healing circles? What is your contribution?

I know so many who for all intents and purposes live according to the laws, without even knowing what they are, yet the dream lays dormant in their heart. Why? When I ask, the answers are similar - they got tired of the struggle. After years of financing a dream that was going nowhere, they had to let it go. Others just got tired of feeling like a failure after several failed attempts. Others just felt Karma was getting in the way, even though they were unsure what they had done to receive such failure in their lives. Some release the dream to raise a family, help a loved one or to support a spouse in achieving their dream.

At some point many realize they are living the dream, though in a different way than anticipated. I invite you to revisit your dream - how close does your life resemble what you most desire? What choices have you made redirecting your path away from the goals you are struggling to achieve? Who or what has become more important than your original aspirations?

I would like to suggest perhaps life did not get in the way of your dream, but rather gave you opportunities to expand your experience of your deepest desire. Perhaps the Universe placed opposites in your path, in order to broaden your horizons, knowing there was something grander for your life. It may well be that where you were needed most, is where you are.

Again I ask, "Does your life reflect many of the qualities you included in your goals?"

While I do not support giving up on your dreams, I would like to encourage you to let them go, for just a while. Take time to examine where you are, what you are doing, how you would be feeling if you put your focus totally on the events of today? What small thing could you do today to give value to your life? What if you stop beating yourself up for the choices you made in the past, and lived totally in the now, without the grandiose plans of tomorrow?

What if you completely cleared the slate, and asked the Universe to simply guide you in the direction that most suits your skills, talents, and character, asking only to live today in the highest and best possibe scenario for the present moment? What if you used those talents and skills without conditions surrounding wealth, fame, love, or freedom? What if you started saying yes to invitations that seemingly take you in a different direction, yet offer in a simple, easy way, a small part of your desires? What if an opportunity presents itself, with no apparent reason, that seems totally off-track? What if you said yes without really knowing why?

What if you just decided to stop feeling the pressure, let it go and accepted the gifts being offered today? Would you recognize blessings in disguise? Can you open your heart and shut down your mind long enough, to feel the feelings, rather than listen to the ego, saying you are not enough? Can you feel the joy of today, releasing regret, releasing guilt, releasing anger for those who stood in the way of your dream?

Today is a new day - Ask for the best experience for your life today, and know it will be given to you. At the end of the day, it is your responsibility to see the blessing you have just received. End the struggle, giving thanks for the experience of each new moment, each new day....................

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Love Cannot Abide In Fear/Trust Cannot Live Within A Lie

Now, if you have absorbed my previous blog, you will be facing your true feelings. Hopefully, you are expressing your truth, in appropriate ways, allowing yourself to feel anger, resentment, fear, grief just as they appear in your day to day experiences. When we are able to release the so-called negative emotions, we create room in our hearts for love, joy, compassion and peace with integrity rather than as a mask to meet socially acceptable behavior.

We are told that love and fear cannot live in the same space. That is not to say that a loving person does not occasionally become angry or defensive. Even the Universe gives off a jolt of lightening, erupts a volcano, creates a tsunami, or an earthquake once in awhile, to release toxic energy.

Have you ever paid attention to the new growth after a forest fire, or the way your garden takes a spurt of growth after a lightening storm? I am sure you have noticed the compassion and gratitude that come to play at the event of a major disaster. How many of you have reached out to communities rebuilding after a tornado, earthquake or flooding?

We are so afraid of speaking our truth, fearful that those we love will leave us or love us less, for showing our anger, or speaking beliefs contrary to theirs. This fear prevents us from being honest with others, until at some point we lose sight of who we are. The vibration of distrust begins to override the vibration of love until at some point we overreact to an event, shattering the mask of bliss we tried so hard to maintain.

Can you think of a time when you  argued with a loved one? Do you still feel guilty or can you look past the anger, and see a building of trust, thanks to the honesty of each of you in the moment? We feel the vibrations of conflict, even when the words aren't spoken. Though we prefer the vibration of love, it is easily overridden by words unspoken and feelings repressed to protect the cherished relationship.

I believe relationships become stale and mundane due to our lack of honesty. When we tuck our less than loving feelings away, to keep peace, we also tuck away a part of our soul, until one day we wake up and realize that our relationships have become a convenience rather than a partnership. Trust cannot live within a lie.

That trust cannot live within a lie, becomes even more important than the statement, love cannot abide in fear. Love can only be built on truth which leads to trust. Life is the totality of our expression. Reality lives beyond the illusion of love. If we are to find our wholeness, we must accept love as a reality only when it allows us full disclosure of our feelings and beliefs.

Begin today sorting out your true feelings, allowing the masks to slip away. Be honest in your conversations. Check in with your soul - are you trustworthy?

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Illusion or Life

Secondary Title - God May Love the Sparrow - But he also loves it's predator

BIRDS FIGHT OVER ROAD KILL, DEER AND ANTELOPE RUN IN FEAR AT THE SOUND OF GUNSHOT, PLANTS SHRIVEL UP WITH LACK OF MOISTURE, AND DETERIORATE UNDER THE EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH RAIN. SNAKES LASH OUT WITH A VENOMOUS BITE AND BEARS ATTACK WHEN THEY OR THEIR SPACE IS THREATENED. SPIDERS WILL CURL UP IN A DEATH LIKE POSITION AS SHADOW OR LIGHT FALL OVER THEM.

It seems contradictory to me that our teachers will tell us that birds, insects and plants thrive in the love of their creator. Do they really feel completely in trust that they will be provided for? Do they give the impression that there is plenty for all? I think not.

In fact, if you spend the day in nature, you will find many defense mechanisms in place, you will notice adaptations of plants and animals trying to survive in less than perfect surroundings, you will be astounded by acts of territorialism. Study the behaviors of our animal friends. Many species battle until death to be the leader of their pack, and between species to control the lush green feeding areas. There does not appear to be guilt when killing to survive is a requirement.

Fox and coyote are well known for their trickster attitude, guiling their prey into peril. I wonder what they would do to the dove who tried to sit with them and explain that love is more important than the lunch they are plotting to have? What about the bear who stalks his prey to learn their patterns, in preparation for the kill? Isn't this premeditated murder? I wonder how our creator really feels about that?

Do you really believe the fresh new plants of spring just sigh and forgive when a blast of snow and frost freeze their newly forming blossoms? I know we do not see them kicking and screaming, nor can we read a post on facebook, expressing their disappointment, but do you really think they are expressing gratitude to their creator for this "lesson in life"?

Have you ever sat and watched as a Raven catches the wind and appears to soar as a hawk or an eagle? What happens then, if he swoops down to grab a mouse from the field? Could Raven survive as an eagle or a hawk?  We are constantly told by mentors and potential teachers that we can be anything and do anything we choose....  How can that be? If I do not have the talons and beak of an eagle, how can I live as an eagle? Without roots and branches, could I exist as a tree? There are many days I'd rather be my pet, but then again do I want to drink from a seldom washed plastic bowl on the floor?

Okay, I hear the voice of friends telling me to be realistic. I guess that is the point of the this writing - to get back to what is realistic. Within the realm of realism, there is a part of me that believes we can be and do anything. I am a believer that love is more important than dinner. I am often caught by fox and coyote, tricking me into buying another self-help program that will allow me to live the life of my dreams. Too often that has left me open to that blast of frost, killing my passion, my dreams and my finances. I wish I could be an eagle, in order to see the greater picture, but I accept the blessing of being able to watch the eagle soar above me..... Though I believe in the power of peace, I now have a better perception of the fight for survival and the need to be agressive from time to time, in order to preserve my identity and soul.

Several times a week I receive emails asking me to save animals or birds from extinction. I ask why there isn't more compassion for our own kind. We see our friends, neighbors and strangers losing their homes and jobs. We criticize them for not being prepared, not being financially savvy, and look down on them for their past mistakes. They are awarded poor credit ratings, and find it almost impossible to rebuild. The corporations who helped put them in this situation proudly sponsor a "Save the...." campaign, while sitting in judgement of a fellow human who is facing the loss of his habitat. Hmmmmm ..... Strange don't you think that we are willing to save a forest, the whales, seals and other wild life, but we have little time or finances to help our fellow man? Does survival of the fittest belong only to the human species?

I am glad that I was pushed to be more aware of nature - to study the birds, beasts and flora. Now I see that there should not be judgement of anger, fear, and survival mechanisms for they are as natural as the rising and setting of the sun. I may never condone the murder of another human, but there is less guilt when I trap a mouse who is invading my space, or kill the spider who refuses to stay in the garden killing bugs. It strikes me as how important it is for us to allow our lives to flow, rather than to force - for in doing so we too often try to become that which we were never meant to be. I can accept that I am human, and that there are limits to what I can do and be.  So now I wonder, "Am I a bookkeeper, pretending to be a healer, or a healer, pretending to be a bookkeeper or am I both?" Is this my balance - to see what is real, and believe in what I cannot see?

Can I believe that there is more than enough for all of us - that lack only exists in our minds? Once you have convinced the whales, seals, and polar bears, and rain forests, ask me again. Better yet, convince our governments that we are all created equal and deserve similar quality of life......

For now this is enough for me:  God sees the little sparrow fall, it meets his tender view. If God so loves the little birds, I know he loves me too...........

Monday, February 1, 2010

Feeling Your Way

It seems the more we analyze and review our lives the more questions we have about what is truth. I will be honest, I have found myself in doubt about my beliefs quite frequently in the last few weeks.

With so many versions of God, Spirituality, Manifestation, Healing, and just plain simple living, how do we know what is true and what is false perception? As a writer I ask myself - Am I leading you on the right path or further away from joy, peace, health and love?

It seems the more inner work we do, the rougher the waters become. Some call this "meeting the opposites"...  It is said that if we acknowledge the opposition it will disappear, bringing the sun into our lives again. How long must we stay in the fog, chilled to the bone, before we see this sun again?

In fact, lately I wonder if it is true, that love, joy and health are a birthright. Obviously these are brought to us, when we send out loving, joyful vibrations, but does everyone have access to this gift? Are positive expectations, and belief in the generosity and love of our creator enough to open the channels to a better life? For so many this seems not to be true? So how can this be explained?

Have you ever taken a look at your life, and asked yourself if you are living in denial, or self-deception?

Have you read the Universal Laws and felt that you have followed them, to no avail in transforming your life? As I reviewed the book "Working With the Law" by Raymond Holliwell, the other day - I found myself saying, "This is the way I live, so where are the promises that come with that lifestyle?"

What has caused me to fall off the path, or is this just where I am supposed to be in my life? If so, why? There seems to be no answer, as if my angels have left me to go off on some holiday.

I know there are many others who feel they too have been deserted. What can I offer to bring comfort? Does what I offer make a difference?

All I know is that we are here, for good or bad, for a short time or what seems like forever. How we came to be created will remain a mystery until we return to that place of creation. It is our choice to be happy, or sad, loving or angry, afraid or courageous. We cannot let our circumstances be the focus in life. Our focus must remain within, finding the strength to make each day count for something.

If we can feel our way through the fog, the sun will shine through at some point. If we can feel our way through the fear, and cope with unknown territory, there is joy in each moment. Find your own way. Each of is unique. Look not to another for the answers, for the answers are within you. Trust that they will be revealed.