Happy New Year!

I have been reading about New Year Resolutions, not making any, getting inventive about them, just living in the present, and creating an epic life.

Epic?  Epic is defined as very great or large and usually difficult or impressive.  I don't want my life to be large, or difficult but maybe a little bit impressive.  Rather, I would like my life to be significant which is defined as very important.  I think having a life that is important is easier than large, difficult or impressive.

Lots of authors on self-improvement have a great many ideas on what works and what doesn't.  Most of what many say, don't work for me.  I have discovered that my mind works differently than most minds.  So, what works for me is asking different questions about what stimulates me into action.  

Questions like:

1.  What gets me really excited about the New Year?

2.  What new things would I like to do, or learn or find out more about?

3.  What would I like 2015 to stand out in my mind in 2016?

4.  What would be really fun and exciting to do?

 5.  What does my ideal life look like?

Rather than getting depressed about having more resolutions bite the dust in February, I look at resolutions in a completely different way.  Most of why I do this is to make sure that my life works for me.  How about you?

New Title?

Last Sunday was my last with Unity of Norman.  Apparently, the Jr. Church leader admonished the kids to say "good bye" to me after the service.  One little guy, probably about six with front teeth missing, came up to me and said, "Thanks for being our priest."

It took all I had to be serious with him and say, "You are welcome!"  

Ministry has such wonderful experiences!

Things that open my heart...

Beautiful Christmas music by orchestras.

Puppies discovering snow for the first time.

Kindness of strangers - sometimes in a strange land.

Changing scenes out my office window.

The smell of coffee early in the morning.

Someone reminding me of an early memory we shared together.

A laugh taking me back to my childhood.

A decorated Christmas tree that is filled with red ornaments, white lights and red ribbons.

A small puppy demanding some attention - a quick hug, a snuggle and a quick tongue lick means, "That's enough for now."

A pipe organ playing "Silver Bells."

Walking through an art gallery with beautiful paintings, sculpture and art objects.

Little children giggling on a merry-go-round as one of the grown ups pushes it faster, faster and fastest.

Did this help you remember some for yourself?  Allow this season to "open your heart."  

Wait! Whose Story is This?

During a conversation with a good friend, she, off the top of her head, explained why all of "my" activities of the recent years were exhausting me  when I told her that I was tired and had again given notice that my last Sunday at Unity of Norman would be December 28, 2014.

Listening to her talk about my story stunned me.  Wait, whose story is this and why is she telling ME my story?  

And the light dawned!  She has no story to tell.  How sad that she choose to tell my story as something that she discovered.  

Just as recent, an acquaintance of mine, called me and suggested I read a book about the "Harbingers of the Old Testament" because she wanted my opinion on it.  Why would I want to read about a radical Rabi justifying being Jewish?  I have enough books to read about being a good Science of Minder.

While in the ministry, I have accumulated several thousand books which I have professed on several occasions that I want to read.  I have done that and have disposed of many.  Many more to go.  My story friend, suggested I reread Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way," to get an inspiration on what to do next in my life.  

It took everything I had in me to not blast her!  You read the book.  Tell me what You got out of it.  It is time for You to live Your dream and allow my dream to be all mine.  No wonder we are encouraged not to tell people what it is that we want to experience in our lives.  The ideas and dreams get dumped on big time.  

Have I learned my lesson?  You bet!  She can get her news from me through our annual Christmas letter.  Maybe she will discover something she would like to do, or dream, or have an idea of her own.  God, I hope so.....

It's Terrribblle

Between coughing, sneezing, achy muscles and a runny, runny nose, it's terrribblle.  I can't remember ever being this sick!  There is a way of saying terrible that Alan makes it sound just awful.  Well, that's me right now.  Just terrribblle.

I had all of these plans to get done before I started on my Christmas stuff and now all I am doing is shuffling around the house being beyond miserable.  Being in bed is terrribblle - my back is so sore.  About the time I get comfortable in the recliner, I have to sneeze, cough or blow my nose.  It is terrribblle.

This is not complaining, mind you.  This is just stating the facts that I am sick.  Normally, I would take this time and get some reading done, watch some shows I missed "On Demand," or just sleep, sleep and more sleep.  None of that is working for me this time.  

Don't know what has invaded my body, but it is achy beyond hurting.  None of my "meds" is working for me this time.  Being in bed just makes me ach all the more.  So, my solution is to camp out in the recliner for the next several days.

I will be back when I am feeling better....

Holidays

I am convinced that holidays were invented to remind us to be something better than we are.  Thanksgiving is to put us into a state of mind that fills everything with gratitude. Even the titles of the holidays allow us to fill in what it is that we need at the time.

Valentine's Day is for us to remember that love surrounds us all the time and that we can give and get love whenever we feel the need.  I remember a class I took years ago, we had to find fill out a card to ourselves and the following Valentine's Day, we received it in the mail.  I was thrilled to find out that I loved myself - there it was in writing - in my own hand - and it said, "I love you."

Easter is to remind us to use our imaginations and play with eggs, candy and baby bunnies.  One Christmas, in one of my sermons, I told the congregation that we, as Religious Scientists, didn't believe in Christmas because we were not Christians, but that we did believe in the Easter Bunny.  So sad, so many people without a sense of humor. 

This holiday, Easter, is to remind us that we entomb ourselves and that sometimes we need help in rolling away the rock that keeps us stuck in whatever.  When I remember, during those times that just suck, that within three days, it will all be over and I will be in a different state of mind.

Why do we have Labor Day?  And we get to rest on a "labor" day.  Doesn't make sense to me.  But rest I will.  

Christmas remains the myth because most of us believe it in.  I know, it is fun to give and receive wonderful gifts.  Some of us are very creative and know how to do more with very little.  

Veterans Day is obvious.  We need to remember that there are those to are willing to give up their lives for us.  A trip to Washington D.C. and seeing the Vietnam Memorial was and event I will never forget.  It moved me beyond words that so many men gave up their families, friends, and life for us.  I don't know whether or not I could do that.  So, I am grateful for the reminder that there are those who are that courageous and generous.

Whether holidays are character building or not, I like it that whatever holiday comes up, it is a reminder that I need to think about, reflect, maybe make some changes, and create something better for myself.  I will willing to take your hand while you support me in this...

What's in store for today?

We are told that we choose the life we live beforehand.  We choose beforehand what it is that we want to see.  The more I think about this concept, the truer it seems to be for me.

Recently, we returned from a trip to Texas and then, because of the cold temperatures predicted in Oklahoma, we were going to spend about 8 days either going east or west depending on the weather forecast.  We decided to go west.  We decided to explore southern Arizona.  I remember telling myself that we were going to explore, discover and see some amazing scenery, have wonderful experiences and eat fabulous food.  

I must say, I made some amazing choices because all of that happened for us.  We skipped the snow and ice that blanketed Oklahoma and had some wonderful times exploring Tombstone, Arizona.  We walked the streets filled with cowboys, watched the equivalent of a western court jester - I can't think of what they were called in the Old West, ate home made chocolate fudge, and watched the plow horses pulling the old stage coaches.  For a time, we were in the Old West and I could imagine what life must have been like during those times.  

We toured Bisbee and looked at original art in its many forms including the prices, drove through and around Sierra Vista and then back to our base in Benson.  I was delighted to get back to hot and cold running water, a delightful heat source and to be able to sit across from an electric fireplace reading a book and sipping tea.

One of the major things I appreciate about my life partner and companion is the fact that we have been able to live several of our dreams, one of which, is traveling in a huge motor home.  I love taking the comforts of home with me and it allows us to travel with our three puppies.  Snuggling with a warm, furry puppy is one of life's greatest luxuries.   

Now, I am ready to create a greater dream, a larger life and to only see good, beauty, wonder and awe around me.  Join me?

Mystical Experiences

"Everyone who is destined to have a spiritual transformation comes to the journey with a wound as big as God.  There are very few people who become advanced mystics because they simply feel happy on a Sunday afternoon."  Andrew Harvey

Being on a spiritual journey is one of the hardest adventures I have ever undertaken in my life.  Granted, the rewards have been many but getting to the rewards takes a huge amount of discipline and focus.  Many times, the urge to just give up is very strong.

As Andrew Harvey says, most of us come into the spiritual life because of the wounds, or the desperation that we are at the end of our rope and there is no where else to go.  As a last resort...God.

One of my spiritual practices has been with a written journal.  In it I have captured many of my moods, experiences, anguishes, pains of all sorts, and, many times, just conversations with God and things that I want to get out of my head.  I have realized that once I have written something down, I can forget about it.  In this process, I have gotten use to telling God all sorts of things that are bothering me, exciting me, things that I want to explore or just questions that come up. What I love about the experience, is the answers that come in new ideas, insights or concepts that allow me to explore and contemplate on a different level.  

Some of the ways I explore are with words games.  For example, I use the "what if," this happens but I use it in a positive way or what I would call an up-leveling of the issue.  What if it turns out to be the best thing I could have done?  What if this is better than anything else I could have thought of?  

Another is the "I wonder if," and take it to different conclusions.  I wonder if this could possibly be the answer that I have been looking for all these weeks?  I wonder if all of this is for my highest and best for the moment?  I wonder what else there is about this that I need to know?

What I know for sure is that when I am experiencing the deep "wound" of an issue, that writing it all out and turning it over to God does wonders for my psyche and my sense of well being.  I invite you to give it some thought and see where it takes you.  Some of my answers have sometimes felt a bit mystical.  Some magical.  Some just ordinary. 

The Start of Something New

Last night I was initiated into a Sorority Club with lots of pomp and circumstance and some well placed humor.  I was warned to wear loose clothing and to have a spot picked on my body for the formal tattoo of the Sorority emblem.  

Needless to say, I had to give some serious thought to even joining when I decided that with the humor some of them had, this was a joke on me.  It was.  No blood letting or tattooing process.  Only someone holding my hand so as not to get away and for someone "standing" for me during the process.  

There was lots of "vowing to" and listening to lots of rhetoric symbolizing the purpose of "sisterhood."  

I was presented with a ribboned pin, a yellow rose and a secret handshake.

Secret handshake? Yup! So secret, I can't even remember how to do it. I will have to practice that one at the next meeting - if I can find someone who knows how to do it.  

There is something wonderful belonging to a club where we all have something in common even though we come from different backgrounds and have different interests.  There is a common bond of knowing that we "belong" and that we are the "favorite" to a select few.  Wonder what a convention of all of us together would feel like?  Something to think about.

For now, I am glad that I am "vowed" in and that the only secret part of the organization is the handshake.  On to the community service and doing good for the masses not as "chosen."  I know that all of us are truly blessed in our lives.  

New Vistas - Present Vistas

We just returned from an extended trip though the Western Rocky Mountains.  There is an adventure waiting when you are riding in the passenger side of a huge Motor Home looking for the "scenic views" that go straight down into the crevices, gorges and valleys of the mountains.  The protective guard rails simply disappear when you are that high looking down into an abyss that is seemingly endless.  The colors at this time of the year are breath-taking.  

Using this time for a deeper reflection and greater sense of consciousness with the Oneness of Spirit, I took the book, "The Art of Being Yourself," by Frank E. Richelieu.  I have had this book in my library for too many years to admit to, but I can now say that I have read, no! Studied this book because it is so clear, deep and wonderful.  There is something underlined on every page of the book.  

What I really got from this wonderful book is a new sense and clarity of the Oneness of the Power of Life and Spirit.  Every turn of the page, the author is reminding us of this glorious power within us and that recognizing and using it benefits every area of our lives.  It also stresses how necessary it is to stay in the "present" moment while meditating, praying, doing affirmations, and all of what constitutes a "spiritual practice."

Imagine my distress while reading a spiritual magazine and the prominence of a spiritual teacher and writer saying things like, "I look forward to entering the fullness of life."  Or, "I turn to that divine and radiant center of life." Or, "I enter into the joy of conscious union with the Infinite."  All of these sentences emphasizing the "separateness" of who I am and the Power of God or Spirit within me.  "Looking forward," is a concept that never happens.  Being One with the joy of conscious union cannot happen with "turning or entering."  

Somehow in reading Dr. Richelieu's book, I got how important the words and the context in which these words are used in expressing the wonder of Spirit in our lives.  No wonder some of us use affirmations and nothing happens.  We have placed all of our "good" out into the nothingness of space and "nothing" shows up in our lives.

I invite and encourage you to pay closer attention to what you think, say and accept as the truth in your life.  I know that this is a lesson that I will use for a long while because it explains so much of what has been missing and what has shown up in my life.  My words are so much more powerful now that I am in the present and using the Power of Spirit in a new and different way.  Richest blessings on your exploring, learning and discovery journey.

Forgiveness, again.

My reading for today talked about forgiveness and the need to release more of our pent up emotions and feelings about people, places and things.  Again?  I have done all of the forgiveness I need to in my life.  

But I got to thinking about it.  I have more forgiveness I need to do.  For example, I need to forgive my genes that didn't keep me lean and slim, or allowed some of my teeth to fall out or decay.  I was reminded to forgive myself for being stupid about my body when I was young because I am sure that some of that abuse is now showing up.  I forgive me for so desperately wanting to be loved that I made some wrong decisions in the process of learning about life.  I have to forgive myself for getting myself into some dangerous places while young and thinking I knew it all, that it was difficult to get back into feeling safe and secure.  

While rethinking about some of the situations, I found it difficult to breathe as I relived some of the memories - a sure sign that more work needs to be done.  Even while typing this, I am having to remind myself to breathe, release and let go - it is only a memory and no longer a reality of my life.

I forgive myself for all of the wrong twists and turns I took thinking I knew what was right in my life.  I forgive myself for not remembering that the Spirit of God was my source for life, substance, supply and intelligence.  

I forgive myself for not remembering.

Knowing that I have more work to do, I stay open for more memories that I need to forgive and release.  Do you need an invitation to do the same in your life?  I already feel lighter - it is worth the time and the energy to do the inner work.  Remember, that no matter what is going on in your life, you are always God blessed. 

Nurture New LIfe

Several days ago, I had the pleasure of snuggling with a seven week old puppy.  Gizmo is a Shih Tzu and came complete with needle teeth and puppy breath.  He is so small that he fit into the palm of my hand.  

There is nothing like encountering new life to give me a sense of what is new and different around me.  Spending time with Gizmo gave me a sense of the Spirit of the Presence in all of us.  But it seems particularly present with Gizmo.  You can see the light in his eyes that he is interested in all that is present around him.  He is fascinated with what can he get into his mouth and chew up.  

When he collapses with fatigue, he is out like switching off a light.  Amazing to watch.  This little creature gave me several lessons I needed to remember for my life.

1. Get really interested and focus only what is in front of me.
2. No past; no future; only present.
3. What can I have fun with right now?
4. When hungry, cry for food.  When tired, collapse and sleep.  When needing to take care of body elimination, do so immediately.  Why wait?
5. Play with me.  Life is all about fun.

Filled with energy that amazed me, he doesn't run; he does a hop skip to get to where he wants to go.  Walk?  Who wants to walk, when skipping works best?  One minute he was exploring with his nose buried in the grass, and the next he was flopped over sleeping.  

What a delight it was to spend time with him and have him remind me to relax, have more fun and stay in the present.  I invite you to join me in this quest for it leads to a more exciting life.

Plan for what's new and what's next.

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it."  David Starr Jordan

We are in a constant state of learning, accumulating experiences and acquiring knowledge that makes us wiser so that it makes our lives easier.  But how often do we reflect on our life lessons, and in what ways do they influence the actions we take?  If you could live life over again, would you do anything differently?  Maybe there are some things you can start now to make life more interesting or easier.

There is no time like the present to write down five things that you would like to accomplish in your lifetime.  Pick one of the five and make it a priority.  Create a plan for seeing it through.  If you feel you don't know enough about it, take a trip to the library on a hot afternoon and spend some time in air conditioned comfort and research what you need to know.  

Ignore any negative thoughts that may be causing you to second-guess yourself.  Too tired, too old, too young, too busy...?  No.  No.  No.  Life is too short for excuses.  Get proactive and get going on your plans.

Write down what you discover and pass it on to some else quickly.  We learn and retain 90% of what we attempt to teach others.  Plus, it will make you so interesting that your friends will flock to be with you to see what else you have been learning.  

Now recognize your growth as you are able to assimilate more insight at higher levels.  All of this is designed to expand your consciousness so that your life becomes more interesting to you as well as the people around you.  Unusual thinking thinks about what and how you are thinking.  In the process of doing this, look for simple truths that can make a profound difference in your life.  

Join me in leveraging our combined intelligence to a higher level in order to create a more spectacular life.  I am ready and anxious to experience more good.  Are you?

Language Insecurities

I recently ran across an article on hunger and how over 17,000 million children live with "food insecurity."  Before it was okay to say that these same children went to bed hungry.  

My mother had polio as a child and because of it, she had one leg shorter than the other - she limped when she walked.  What I find interesting is that we never thought of her as impaired, handicapped, or disabled.  She did everything she wanted and then some.  I remember her working beside my father in the fields.  My job was to keep track of both of them so that I wouldn't get lost.  

In thinking about our language usage, most people on the "outside" don't know how to call or say what they mean when they see something that makes them uncomfortable.  Most of the time,what they do use, makes the people they are talking about uncomfortable.  I remember once in a store, some woman asked my mother how she was able to get along being handicapped.  I thought my mother was going to come unglued because she had very little patience when something as directed at her.  I remember her saying something to the effect that she was no more handicapped than the woman and could probably run circles around her.  

Who makes up the silly rules about being politically correct or not?  Do the English professors for the upper classes sit around on Saturday mornings over coffee and pastry and decide what is going to be correct from that point on? 

We need to think about our language and our use of it.  Because I know that what is in my mind is what is creating my life, I am very careful of what I am thinking and what I say.  I invite you to do the same with me.

The Richest of Blessings

In my socializing with different groups of people and listening to what the conversations are about, I realized that what I was hearing was what was valuable to them at this time.  Most were mid-thirties, and the conversations were about family, vacations, and work.  Most were already talking about "when..."  When they retire, when the kids are out of school, when they could quit working, etc.  

In thinking about those conversations and the lack of thinking through some of the statements made, I had to come back to my life and I felt very grateful that I can work or not, I  have more than enough money to do what I want to, and I can choose a life experience that enhances all of what is going on with me.  

I realized that the differences in the conversations were the values that have been set up or that they believe they need at this time of life.  I was so focused on a career in my mid-thirties that retirement never came into the equation until much later in life.  Even after retirement, I realized that what I needed was time to rest a bit or to take a sabbatical and then get right back into the game of life.  

The quality of my lifestyle now is because I kept in the game long enough to get what it is that I wanted while I was still able to do the long stretches of work.  Youth really is wasted on the young.  I didn't realize while younger that I had more than enough energy to do so much more than I was doing.  

I realize that the values were different when I was moving up the career ladder than what it is now.  However, I am really grateful and can appreciate the lifestyle I have based on the values I decided I needed at the time.  Thinking about life and what I wanted to accomplish early on has served me well.  I encourage you to keep on while you can and think about a higher quality of life as you move forward into your later life.  

More Life Lessons

Several things have astonished me this week.  1.  I am amazed at what people know but won't practice what they know.  2.  I am amazed at what people don't know and act in obvious ignorance that fact that they don't know.  3.  The arrogance that shows up in some people who think it is smart, clever and think it is virtually fine to be the way they are.

I had the misfortune to deal with someone in business to exhibited all of the above traits during a small amount of time.  When it was over, I was so frustrated with him that I completely lost my composure, got really upset, and told him what I thought about his actions.  Probably not a very good example of what a spiritual leader should be.  

Since our business dealings are not yet complete, I have been asking for guidance, for peace, for composure, for patience.  What I know for sure, is that a jerk is a jerk is a jerk and not very much is going to change unless they really get whacked on the head.  I decided that it was a waste of my time to take that one on.

What I learned from this experience is that even though I am a spiritual leader, there are times when pushed to the limit, my anger shows up.  It felt good blasting this arrogant man to smithereens but I doubt that any of it managed to get through his limited intelligence.  

What I forgot was that it is difficult to reason with a stupid personality.  Only careful observance and good listening skills can burrow though to the truth of the person.  I assumed that because he was in business, he had good business skills.  This man really caught me by surprise.

Some of my anger was about me since I was caught so off-balance.  Assumptions usually do that.  All of this is a good reminder to practice what I know and not relax my stance for any reason.  Good lessons in moving forward on the path of life. 

Think again

Suddenly, my world is filled with people who are upper aging.  That, is at least, better than talking about hanging out with old people.  I am now at the age that I thought was really old when I was in my late teens and early twenties.  

Even talking about aging is uncomfortable for me since I am not "old" in my mind.  Actually, I really haven't decided what age I am in my head but I know it is not "old."  And, of course, when a subject is in mind, all I see are articles on "aging gracefully," ads featuring "quality of life over 65, etc.," and wonderful places to "retire" in the United States.  

Recently, I came across an article about "radiant aging," and I thought, "yup! that's it."  That is what I want to do.  I want to go into upper aging radiant, vibrant and energetic.  This is really necessary for me since my current husband is younger than me by four years.  He keeps me moving, bending, stretching and making me go through endurance stretches (long walks) or what I call, "forced marches."

Since I have formally retired and then got talked into going back to work for Sunday's only, I realize that what I need to do is work occasionally, meditate daily, keep up a reverence practice,  exercise in moderation (in fact, do anything that is disliked in moderation or stretch it out and do it only when necessary or just jump in and get it done and out of the way), do what you really love most of the time, and laugh a lot.  

My Sunday mornings are with a congregation that have not had the training that I have had and so I am always challenged to come up with easy "to do" things for a reverence practice.  In fact, most of them are new to any spiritual practice.  So, like the above paragraph, I am teaching them to pray while showering, loving themselves while brushing their teeth and doing personal grooming, blessing people with good thoughts and smiles while driving and in super market check out lines, etc.  

All of us can do this.  Whatever your "issue" or "challenge" is in life, come up with interesting things to move you "on down the road", so to speak.  I want my "road" by a wonderful journey that is amazing, interesting and filled with fun things to experience.  I believe that life shows up the way we think about it and so, figure out ways to make your thoughts support you and your life.  Allow yourself to be astonished!  It certainly makes life worth living.  Be blessed!

Choices

We have the right to choose what we wish to experience.  We have the right to choose what kind of life we want to live and who we want to share that life with long term.  We have the right to choose what it is that we want to do and how to do it.  That all means that we have the right to choose what we put into our minds in order for our minds to manifest the greatest good we can imagine.

A certain, specific, intelligent idea in Mind, will produce a certain, specific concrete manifestation equal to itself.  However, what we place in Mind must be what we want, we have to believe that we deserve it and we have to keep thinking about it and all aspects of it, until it manifests in our lives.  

Ernest Holmes tell us to, "Throw out into Mind an idea and Mind creates it and sets it on the path of your life."  Sometimes when faced with obstacles, asking for several solutions, brings several answers.  But what is interesting is, that no matter what solution you choose, it is the right one for you at the time.  

All choices are the right ones.  As we go along, if the outcome or the result is not what we thought we wanted, all we have to do is choose again.  It is so simple.  

More lessons

We have lived in Oklahoma City for over a year.  Most of that time, I have asked, "What in the world am I doing here?"  Having lived in California for most of my life, Texas for ten years, and now here, it felt really strange for me.

Having missed the "big" tornado last May while visiting in Phoenix, I really questioned why we were living is an area that is commonly known for "interesting, severe weather changes."  

Three weeks ago, I was in California traveling between Simi Valley and Concord.  The traffic was horrendous. Vehicles were packed on the freeways and most were driving fast and very dangerously, in my estimation.  

I was in a Chevy Suburban, which is not known for it's Indy 500 qualities, riding with a driver who has probably never driven anything larger than a four seater Singer Sewing Machine.  She was driving it like it was her personal sports car and because of it's size, she decided that most other cars would automatically move out of the way.    Because the speed limit was 75, she assumed that our car could do that easily.  It did.  But I felt it go air borne several times.  

I finally had to sit back, relax and turn it all over to God.  In the process, I felt an enormous amount of gratitude that there wasn't that kind of traffic in Oklahoma City.  Now, I know why I am in Oklahoma.  

Not having that kind of stress in my life is wonderful.  Being able to relax while driving is a luxury I never appreciated before.  

Back home, I had enough time to do laundry, work one day, and we were back on the road for our vacation time in our Recreational Vehicle.  We drove through the mountains of New Mexico and Arizona and I discovered that scenic views were vistas of deep gorges, usually on my side of the vehicle, and since I was sitting fairly high, it was really scary looking into the depths of the earth going by.  Fortunately, my chauffeur is a careful, and sedate, driver as he knows he has precious cargo aboard. I cured myself my of not looking down, but looking across the scenic views.  It made the trip much more comfortable.  

Having a greater appreciation of massive green trees, blue, clear skies, and, for the most time, clear, clean air, I am about to fall in love with Oklahoma City.  Divine Intelligence again knew what it was doing with me.  

Life Challenges

After getting the news about having to have some work done on my teeth, I realized that during my life, I had heard about "saving for retirement," and other sundry things about what would happen after retirement.  Well, no where did I hear (to choose to hear) about what happens to one's health after retirement.  

Sure, I laughed at all of the jokes about losing your hair and losing your teeth, but that meant "other people," didn't it?  I never thought it would happen to me especially because I take good care of my teeth.  I see the hygienist once every three months for cleaning and I brush, floss, water pik, and use all of the implements given to me to assist in keeping my teeth clean between cleanings.  

No where did it say to me to save money for health challenges.  I consider having to have work done in my mouth as a major health challenge.  Part of what is bothering me about all of this is the fact that I am having to give up my teeth in the process.  

I have journaled about this, prayed about this and I have yet to come to a place of peace about what is going on.  That means that there is an element of this whole process that I am missing.  What is it?  Maybe it is because I don't have the resources to recoup the funds that I have to spend on this process.  

There is a point of peace in all of this and I know that it is within me...somewhere.  Now is the time for me to focus on what's important and how does this fit into my ideal life.  I encourage you to think more broadly about your life in order to more easily come to your major decisions.

More changes

“Everyone who is destined to have a spiritual transformation comes to the journey with a wound as big as God.  There are very few people who become advanced mystics because they simple feel happy on a Sunday afternoon.”  Andrew Harvey.

I am fascinated with Spiritual growth and how it shows up in its various forms.  Right now I am on the growth path of learning - learning how the cosmic 2 X 4 showed up and surprised with a crown that lifted off one of my teeth.  In the process of figuring out what to do, the one next to it did the same thing.  

In the process of finding a dentist, the first one said he didn’t do crowns.  The second one does but doesn’t do extractions.  The third does extractions and wants to put in implants in place of the ones that have to come out.  

In the consultation session, I was quoted $2,796.25 for four implants.  I am mentally calculating and thinking that $11,185.00 is a lot of money for false teeth.  The dentist looks to be a bit beyond his thirties and I am thinking, “surely, he has his student loans paid off by now!”  There seemed to be a lot of people in uniform floating around his office, so his overhead must be high.

My “wound” right now is my teeth failing me.  I am not even sure I know how to stop the process.  The second dentist looked at my bottom teeth and said that he could fix those up to look a lot better.  Meaning, more implants and with all said and done, my good looking mouth would cost about $54,000.00.  

I have just gotten to the point in my life where I have some money in the bank, enough in savings for some interesting travel and to fund some wonderful experiences.  I am thinking that while I still can move easily and with great flexibility, I want to travel and have some wonderful experiences.  When I am in that place of infirmity, can’t move and am stiff and when food is the only wonderful thing in my life, then I will have implants up in.  Until then…I want easy surprises, no more cosmic 2 X 4’s or train wrecks  or anything else that will disrupt my comfortable life.  I am closing the wounds and allowing myself the spiritual growth in the mystery of life.  Join me?

Changes, Ouch!

In all of my training, I have been told that change is a way of life.  However, when it comes to change in my life, it almost gives me the hibby jeebies. I am the first to admit, that when it comes to making change, I dig in my heels.  I don’t want it.  I don’t like it. And it usually brings surprises and I really don’t like surprises.  

It is hard for me to relate changes and surprises to something good.  It has never come natural for me.  I have to work at remembering that change always means something better and that surprises are delightfully wonderful.  

Going back into my lifetime, the stories that I have recorded have some element of surprise in them and I have had to rewrite the story in order to get what the “good” was in it.  Even in retrospect, it is sometimes hard to find the elements that have led me to my here and now even though I know that to be the truth of the matter.  What else but my experiences have brought me to my here and now?

Realizing that my story is unfinished, some of my memories are vague and sketchy.  One writer once told me that in writing out my story, I will get the first step in recognizing the holy mystery behind the life I have been given.  There are so many stories.  Do I really want to know the holy mystery of my life?  

Is finding out all of that paramount to what success or accomplishment or what I need to do necessary?  Sometimes when I read or hear stuff like that, I wonder what it is the people do - must not be very busy.  

What I do know is that I have to look for and sometimes pretend that I know the ending of the story of what is going on in my life.  That means that I have to discover and sometimes make up the good in the changes that are going on and how to see my life differently.  When I am in the midst of the “stuff” it is sometimes hard to see the “good” in any of it.

Just now, I felt a cold nose on my leg as I am sitting in front of my computer.  The cold nose is attached to Jackson, our youngest puppy, reminding me to “lighten up.”  Maybe it is time to think about the more important things in life like playing with Jackson.  

It all reminds me to accept, adjust, relax and let the story play out.  I don’t have to control all of it.  I can “just let it be.”  I have to learn how to change the rules as to what something things are.

Accept, adjust, relax and let the stories play out in your life.

The Story of Your Life

"You have to start telling a different story.  You have to start telling the story of your amazing life, because whatever story you tell, good or bad, the law of attraction must make sure you receive it, and it will be the story of your life."  Rhonda Byrne

Being actively engaged in life means creating a totally new story each day.  Since each of us is responsible for our own lives, we need to think about the greatest reality we can compose for ourselves.  

“All sorrows can be borne if  you tell a story about them.”  Karen Blixen

No matter what is going on in your life, there is something good to be found in your current situation.  Granted, sometimes, it needs to be searched out, but it is there.  Just be declaring that there is something good in a situation, allows the circumstances to change and the good shows up.  I am not sure how that takes place, whether its alchemy or something else, I know that it works.

Writing is the way I ground myself in my life and it helps me to see what is going on differently.  It is the way I make sense our of my life.  I am always looking for meaning and reasons why something happens.  Writing calms my mind and by writing, it slows down my flashing thoughts into something that is very manageable.  

Lately, one of my older sisters is going through some drama and the whole family is involved in the solving her situation.  I have to remember that this is “her” story and not mine.  It has nothing to do with me.  Yes, I am concerned, but I do not have to claim any of the stuff for myself.  

What I am doing is creating a new story around what I am hearing and how it affects my thinking about what is going on.  I can think about how I can handle it in the highest way possible for the good of all concerned.  Sometimes, it is not easy.

Create what you can to live an amazing life.  

Immediate Guidance

Your subconscious will give you promptings, ideas, answers and definite intuitive impressions based on the nature of our focused attention and intense interest.  Joseph Murphy

Recently, I have been decidedly lacking in inspiration.  Everything I have had to write has been a struggle, time wasted in light contemplation and not very productive.  I am out of practice in writing.

I kept telling myself that this was a project that was simple, fun and easy.  Yet, sitting in front of the computer with a black screen was all I could come up with.  

Deciding to be productive is just as daunting.  Then it means that not only do you write, but that writing should be brilliant.  I have not often written “brilliantly.”  

Then, I realized that I have not been using my God given talents in order to create what it is that I needed in order to be brilliant.  Somehow, I forgot to “go to my higher self” and request the information needed in order to write what was necessary.

It also struck me that I didn’t have that “intense interest” that Dr. Murphy write about above.  Great lessons in staying in the present time and developing the focused attention and intense interest.  Works all the time!

Divine Plan

You are not here merely to make a living.  You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope 

and achievement.  You are here to enrich the world 

and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.

Woodrow Wilson

Have you noticed how much we have to remember, or learn, to pay attention to during a lifetime?  Every book has places in it that are inspirational, or moments to ponder, or solutions to put into action.  

I know that each of us has a particular talent that the world needs or we wouldn’t be here.  But I also know that most of us are multi-talented and can do many things and are able to teach many things.  Sorting them out takes us back to having too many choices in our lives.  Back to choosing what is the most fun, uses our passion, and is very satisfying and fulfilling.

Some of my talents are very latent.  For example, in speaking for a living, I also want to sing - high and low and in-between.  But when I do, my throat closes up, fills with phlegm, and I end up coughing.  Another example is that at times, I am a very good writer.  In fact, sometimes I discover that my writing is smarter than I am.  I never have enough time for hand crafts and always have several projects going at one time.  Jigsaw puzzles and Lego’s are my very favorite, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to make money putting pictures together or pilling plastic blocks into forms that resemble wonderful buildings.

Inside of me is a natural curiosity about metaphysics and even after studying and reading for over 35 years, there is still a fascination about my Divine Plan and how to manifest an expanded horizon for myself.  Most say that the Divine Plan is naturally revealed while relaxed and filled with inner peace.  And I know that when I am teaching, which is part of my Divine Plan - because it comes so easy, I feel that I am touching individuals with my talent which then gives them the impetus or encouragement to step into their own Divine Plan.  

More than that, I know that each of us attracts those people who can assist us down our path and we can also assist them journeying down their path.  I know…I know…there are some I don’t particularly like or I wonder what I need to learn from them.  But as my former husband said to me one day, “Cindy, you don’t have to marry them!”  Ah!  Okay!  All I have to do is pay attention and release them them into their highest and best.

The lesson here for me is to just relax and all will be revealed in due time.  I know there is more to my Divine Plan but for now, I can just enjoy the process and the journey.  I hope you do too.

Richest blessing in all you do.

Spring is Almost Here

Am ready to plan my next month’s theme, since I have gone back to work, and when looking at March 9, it is time to change our clocks again.  Six months has already gone by!  Then, too, March 1 is our one year anniversary of living in Oklahoma City.  This last year has gone by very quickly.  

In January’s resolutions, one of them for me, is to stay in the present for longer periods of time so as not to lose track of what’s important or what’s happened, or what is going on at the time.  I have a tendency to look back and wonder…”where has time gone?”  I don’t want to rush my life that much that I don’t remember.

Yesterday, the temperatures changed dramatically from being a high of 24 to a high of 46 degrees.  It felt so warm that I wanted to drag out a lounge chair to the patio and lay in the sun.  

So, am I ready for Spring?  You bet.  I am ready to be able to take walks around the neighborhood and enjoy nature again.  I have this tendency to “hunker” down in the winter and stay put.  All I want to do is snuggle in front of the fireplace in a comfortable chair with an afghan and good book.

The birds outside seem to be in perpetual motion.  What fun watching their antics in feeding, keeping warm, and just having fun.  

Recently, I was having some challenges in time, scheduling and making the changes to working, and I realized that I want this time to be simple, fun and easy.  I want my intentional experiences to be easy.  I am tired of hard and challenging.  

So, with a deep breath, relaxing out and realizing that “this too shall pass,” I know that my experiences with rest, relaxation, working and all else that comes up with living is a lot simpler than it has been in the past.  Realizing that I am too blessed to be stressed, I let go, release it all into the highest and best.  And so it is.

Waking Up Even More!

“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the low- lands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.”

John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

“Anything you do from the soulful self will help lighten the burdens of the world.  Anything.  You have no idea what the smallest word, the tiniest generosity can cause to be set in motion.  Be outrageous in forgiving.  Be dramatic in reconciling.  Be off the charts in kindness.  Mastery is in increments, not in leaps.  Be brave, be fierce, be visionary.  To live this way is the most dramatic gift you can ever give to the world.  Consider yourselves assigned.”  Clarissa Pinkola Estés

On this very cold February morning, the most notable thing is the birds outside.  They seem to be very active and vocal.  Some smaller species are especially noisy while chattering to all of the other birds flying around.  This may be the way they keep warm.  And winter or not, they have to eat, but what I can’t imagine.  

One of the things I have noticed living in Oklahoma is that the flying insects are huge.  I have taken to calling them “flying livestock.”  But in the winter, it seems that they have almost disappeared.  So, what are the birds eating at this time of the year?  I can only hope that they are cleaning up the insects that are left over from summer.

The two quotes above have captured my attention.  There are times when I really want to say, “Stop!  Let me off this dizzy machine!”  There are times when I really want to go back to innocent bliss and crazy - where I can blame everyone else for what is going wrong in my life.  That was so much easier.

Now, all I can do is introspection.  Sometimes even having to contemplate the introspection.  And really having to take a look at my pusillanimous behavior.  It is not always easy nor is it fun to see some of my other character defects.

Once I build up my courage to see what is really there, there always seems to be the solution right next to it.  I love how this opens up new avenues of being and it always seems to be huge steps forward in consciousness.

It seems to me that the birds are always fierce, brave and visionary.  They go in spite of the seeming pitfalls.  And in all kinds of weather!  Oh, to be more like them in spirit!  

Surprise Yourself

Contemplating going back to work part-time, I am reading a wonderful book by Marcus Bach called “The World of Serendipity.”  In it he talks about engaging in life with less planning.  He defines serendipity as an unexpected discovery of something worthwhile during a search for an expected something worthwhile.  I love that concept.  

Last year I took a sewing class for a Serger machine.  On the first day of class, our instructor asked each of us what we wanted to get out of the class.  I told her that I wanted to learn how to do a hem stitch with regular stitching on the right side and an overlock on the underside.  

During the last class, she went through and made sure that all of us got what we had been looking for and when she got to me, she told me that all I needed was to get a twin needle on a single shaft and put it in my regular sewing machine.  Turns out that the bobbin toggles between the needles to give that “overlock” look.  I got what I needed while learning how to do something complete different.

Mr. Bach goes on to tell us that, “everything has meaning even though the meaning may not be immediately clear.”  I take this to mean that declaring everything as good even when life is challenging will lead to that “unexpected” something else.  

When we deeply think about that concept, it makes life a lot more interesting and we can accept that challenge as a “divine command” and do it joyfully and with the best of good intentions.  We know that that always leads to something else that’s good.

All of this leads to a most interesting insightful life.  Everything matters.  Everything has meaning.  And usually, it leads to something fabulous and wonderful in life.  

The secret?  Do the unexpected.  Surprise yourself.