I salute those of you who are courageous enough to follow your soul’s direction even though you have no idea of the details, results, or purpose of your journey. You who intuit from the depths of your hearts that certain choices must be made, do certain things, or live in ways unimaginable to others often cannot explain reasons behind your choices, but know from the depths of your being it cannot be any other way. Truly, you are the courageous who are able to make positive differences in this world.

I salute both men and women who go your own way, acknowledging your particular gifts of Spirit along your journey. Even though you often are unique puzzle pieces who cannot fit into the ordinary status quo of the world’s puzzle, you forge ahead anyhow, becoming teachers of wisdom and torch-bearers for others, showing them a new way. You assist in awakening our universe to possibilities far beyond ordinary perception.

I salute the brave who go against the grain of humanity’s wayward directions, realizing life’s choices must be re-chosen, what is considered the norm is not always optimal, and there is always a better way. Your soul’s journey formulates an eclectic soul dance that moves to tunes heard by only you and God. You are the change-agents, assisting others to reconnect to themselves and others with greater inclusiveness as well as spiritual intent.

I salute all who forge ahead regardless of your tears, anguish, and personal fears. Your laughter is found in the twinkling of your own eyes, pools of ecstasy bemused by Spirit’s authenticity. You are the Lightseekers, without whom the whole of humanity would remain in darkness.

I salute all who keep seeking, exploring, and positively changing. I salute your humanity, your unique spirit, as well as your individual beauty discovered in the recesses of your own authenticity. I salute your interconnectedness, your love, and your glory. Allow yourselves to twinkle like sunlight on the stream’s rippling waters for God’s Light shines brightly through you.

The world needs you, and always will.

Have you ever seen an emperor penguin walk? Because of their body configuration, they take short steps, often waddling from side to side in the process. Their head bobs side to side also, moving in rhythm to the cadence of their walk. If humans had to walk this way, we never would get anywhere. Yet, these emperor penguins travel in this manner anywhere from 31 to 75 miles in ice and snow in order get to their breeding ground. The journey is spontaneous; the need to travel is never questioned as to distance, effort, or necessity.

Then, as the young are hatched and begin to grow, first the female emperor penguin makes the trip back to the sea and then returns to the breeding ground in spite of the winter weather. Then the male penguin does the same thing. That’s a lot of distance to travel in frozen conditions, a distance that can only be traversed by taking very small steps.

Have you ever thought you would never be able to complete a task? That the time and effort you would need to put into the project seemed to be more effort than you intended? Or have you been in the middle of an event only to realize that you cannot leap forward as fast as you wished? Or perhaps been afraid to even begin?
Actually, we all have.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. This Native American slogan has meant the world to me when writing books, painting, or when any other task I have chosen is at the beginning stages. Nothing is more intimidating than facing a blank page, knowing you only have 220 more to go before your words turn into a book. An artist told me once that the hardest part is just putting that initial wash of color on the blank canvas. When a friend of mine was just starting a course of study to become an acupuncturist, she became intimidated quickly by the chart of the human body dotted with what looked like thousands of points to learn. Her instructor reassured her by saying, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

No, I am not advocating eating an elephant. But, I am encouraging you to cease thinking of the entire journey ahead of you, and focus instead on making that first bit of paint present itself on the canvas, on the one step forward, or on that first word on the page. Whatever it is, just make the first movement forward, accepting the process as it presents itself. Then, do it again, and again, and again. Eventually, the progression will create its own energy, as if the painting, book, or event begins to have a life of its own. It will lead you where you need to go; you will automatically follow. It will also let you know when it needs more, or something different, and when your created work or special event is completed. At some point, you may not be able to do otherwise than to let this creation you are involved with continue until it is fully expressed.

Whereas you first assume you are creating something, assume the success of this creation is entirely of your own doing, eventually you realize that you are simply the methodology by which this creation, event, or product may come into five-sense existence. Michelangelo said one time that his statues already exist inside the stone. All he ever did was chip away, one tiny bit at a time, at what wasn’t the statue.

Small steps gather great results.

I did not want to be in the check-out line at the grocery store that afternoon because it was so very crowded. Yet, Easter was the next day and I had family coming to dinner. I attempted to move my cart a few inches to the right, hoping to find more space. Yet, there was no space to my right or left because the line had morphed into people pushing their baskets beside each other instead of front to back. This was going to take a while.

Somehow, a man I did not know had moved to the front of his basket, maneuvering himself to my immediate left. Without an introduction, he began moving his hands all over some of my food, then began fondling my basket handle as he said, “You want to have a good time tonight?”

“I’m happily married,” I answered.

Yet, that had nothing to do with his intentions. He touched my shoulder, saying, “Not all the time, are you?”

Quickly, I moved my shoulder out from under his hand. I was absolutely, completely mortified to the point that I had trouble even answering him; my breathing became shallow as I began to unavoidably go into a shock-induced fight or flight mode. After another quick but firm no, I looked to my right again, hoping to find space to get away from him. There was none as another basket was inches away. However, there was space in front of me, if only the elderly lady would move her basket forward a bit. Because she was sorting her coupons, she had not noticed that the basket in front of her had been emptied and the clerk was checking out the shopper.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice quivering slightly. “Do you mind moving up a little bit?” I either had to move forward, get the manager, or leave. Moving forward was my first choice, for I truly needed the groceries. I wasn’t prepared for her answer.

“If you are so rude, and in such a hurry, then you just move ahead of me!” she immediately screamed. On she went, her voice getting louder and louder. She called me names, she talked of the rudeness of some people, and she began to speak in a harsh voice about me to the clerk, who had by this time pulled her basket forward to empty it.

Frankly, I did not know what to do. People were beginning to stare at us, shaking their heads at me, the woman who had been rude to the older lady. Not wanting to match her intensity, I tried to explain to her in my gentlest voice that I was not in a hurry, that I only needed space, but she would have none of it. I was not comfortable trying to explain to her why I needed the space. Besides, when the older lady started screaming at me, the man I was afraid of quickly moved away. She never saw him.

The more I tried to explain, the worse she reacted. Quickly, I realized that nothing I could do would make one bit of difference to her. The manager had come over, but her presence had no effect on the older lady. By this time she was pointing at me, announcing in a loud voice to all around that I was the rudest person on earth. The clerk was moving in warp speed, trying to get the older lady checked out so she could leave. She looked at me several times, shaking her head while wondering why I had been so rude.

What in the world was I to do? I already was in borderline panic mode because the sexually aggressive man had frightened me so. And now I was being screamed at in an accusatory tone. How was I to handle this?
I did what I always do when in trouble. My prayer was quick, short, and to the point. “Help me, God. Tell me how to handle this.”

Immediately, the intuited answer came to me from a place beyond me, yet connected to me. “Stay in a state of Holy Love. Claim the feeling of Holy Love. Surround yourself in Holy Love and let it radiate around you.” I breathed deeply, allowing Holy Love that is readily available for each of us to take over my emotions, to calm my temperament, and to support me. I could feel it in every cell in my body. I even was aware that it was radiating out from me. Even though I had been on the verge of panic, I now felt like I was sitting by a woodland stream watching a gurgling brook swish over smooth rocks while butterflies flitted near and ancient oaks dipped their leafy wisdom toward the stream. I could not have been in a more peaceful mode if I tried. Meanwhile, the older lady raged on, shaking her finger toward me. Her words just passed me by.

Thinking back to this incident, I understand now that the man has his own issues to manage. The older woman may have not understood my situation, over reacted, or perhaps she was aging in non-optimal ways. Maybe she reacted to the underlying horror in my voice. I have no idea.

What I do know is that each of us was quite human in that moment, with our own issues. I chose to move beyond my fears, claiming Divine Love in the situation. As I was paying for my own groceries, the same clerk asked me how I was able to remain calm. I simply told her the truth.

“Divine Love is stronger than fear, rage, and misconduct. All we have to do is claim it for ourselves.”

Settling down last night after a rather full day, we delightfully discovered a program on TV that made us think, then one that made us laugh. Yet, it took less than five minutes of watching the news before we cut that nonsense off. What was reported to be news actually was sensationalism, exaggerated horror stories made from events that weren’t really newsworthy at all. It was as if the intention of the newscasters was to shock you into some sort of negative frenzy by portraying only the evils of the human condition.

This morning, I am finishing my tea while watching the birds come and go at the feeder. Small songbirds all gather at once, moving quickly when the large woodpecker arrives in order to give him room. They return unbothered when he leaves. The doves waddle on the ground under the feeder, sharing discards with two squirrels. The blue jay is our local intimidator, but no other birds seem to mind, just accepting him as he is. When old, toothless Alice the cat appears from around the corner of the garage, the squirrel makes a loud noise and all flee momentarily. Alice doesn’t even glance at the feeder, but just moves to her sleeping place on the glider cushions ready for a morning nap. All work peacefully together, taking only what they need.

Birds, old Alice the cat, and squirrels just all seem to have good personal boundaries, respect others differences, and go about their business in peace. Supposedly, we humans have a higher intelligence. Yet, it is our species that emerges with greed, envy, control, and all sorts of bothersome behaviors. Some want to hear of others’ horror stories not out of compassion but because it makes us feel better to know that someone else has had it worse. Yes, there is good news in the world, but rarely will you have it shown on television news hours. Even though we have been given the ability to rationalize, discover, and make conscious choices, perhaps we have forgotten the innate gifts of love, respect, and the beauty of good, wholesome boundaries that allow life to be fully appreciated instead of just endured. Perhaps it’s time to make better choices for ourselves, relearning what is innate to nature and discovered within our very souls and then applying it to our lives. Perhaps it’s past time.

The other day while cleaning out a drawer in one of the vacant bedrooms, I rediscovered some old photographs I had taken when on a trip to Greece overlooking the Mediterranean. The pictures jogged an old memory of rather concerning thoughts that flooded yet again into my mind. Oh, the area was so beautiful. But, after a while when visiting that mountainous Greek hillside that fell right into the sea, I felt like something was out of place. The area looked beautiful, but it did not “feel” beautiful. So, I started noticing the life around me. It was hard to process.

Yes, there were plenty of plants, some blooming. The sea was calm, lake-like in character, with a color that mesmerized the senses. What I noticed though was the absence of life in the water. I saw no sea gulls or sea birds of any sorts. I saw no fish jumping. The boats were pleasure boats, not fishing boats. The restaurants served fish that was imported. There were no shell remnants of sea creatures, in fact, no sea creatures at all that I could find. I have seen more life in a polluted lake! Had I simply not understood the nature of the Mediterranean? Did I miss something? Isn’t it supposed to have life in it of some sorts?

I think back to a visit to New Zealand, a country where the paradigm consciousness supports the earth’s resources. I think of the USA, a country having those who are earth conscious and those who are not. This type of consciousness affects not only the world around us, but much more. Pollution goes further than simply trashing the earth with chemicals, papers, etc. We pollute our perceptions as well.

When I taught 3 year olds for one very long year several decades ago, I knew by the first week which children had been placed in front of a TV for hours and which ones had not. Not only was the cognition level different, but the play was more harshly aggressive for the TV watchers. People get so accustomed to the violence in movies and television, they become numb to it.

How do we wake up? Will we as society have to reach a breaking point before we try to change?

I think the change that is needed is not one of a revolutionary nature. To revolt is indeed a change, but the movement is parallel; often it is forced. In other words, one behavior is simply exchanged for another one, sometimes better, sometimes worse.

What I would like to see is an evolution of consciousness. Think of this like a growth of sorts, an honoring of the living species: human, animal, fish, foul, and plant. If humanity continues to over use the available resources, then where do we go for life? If the televisions and movies continue to show such violence and hate, where do the children go to learn to be conscientiously productive, conscious, and the art of respect and negotiation? Has the entire earth society become Narcissistic, after only self gratification?

These problems cannot be changed quickly. Not even by revolution. New belief systems have to evolve to have effect, for sudden change is commonly perceived as threat. How do we, as humanity, evolve into a consciousness of respect for earth and ourselves?

Perhaps it has to start with the individual and grow from there. Life is so beautiful. Why don’t we respect it as such?

The blue sky stretched out above me as an all encompassing joy. The trees were busy doing whatever trees do in early spring when old leaves lay scattered about in crispy applause for life and new ones are an internal nudge pushing out toward the light of day. Two squirrels were playing tag between the trees and our bedroom roof line, scurrying about just as they do in the early morning light, making galloping noises like miniature horses in a tiny child’s imagination. Several bluebirds were busy carrying small twigs to a future home; early signs of spring seemed to be everywhere.

Somewhere between the bare limbs and that everlasting blue, two red-tailed hawks circled, so high one could discern them only through shape and gliding wings. To me they seemed to float on unseen spiritual currents rather than fly. Like the Native Americans, I have always considered sighting of hawks and eagles to mean messages from Spirit.

“Look!” my husband exclaimed. “There are two more.” He pointed up to an area slightly behind us, just over the dogwoods beside the driveway.

As I glanced in the direction he pointed, I noticed two more that were flying much lower. We could see their feather patterns, beaks, and underbelly easily. “Four hawks,” I mused more to myself than my enthralled husband who loves nature as much as I do. “Whatever does it mean?”

“Well, they are flying in pairs of two,” he smiled, placing his arm around my shoulder. “Maybe that’s a sign for us.” Gently I kissed his cheek, caught in one of those mystical moments uniting man, spirit, and nature.

Suddenly, our moment stopped as we heard a tiny, piercing scream. It did not come from the hawks, but from somewhere closer to us, nearer the ground. Obviously, it came from a small animal nearby, sounding an alarm. The brief, high pitch intensified, as if an alarm signaling imminent danger had been thrust into the forest like a knife into soft butter.

My husband and I looked first at each other, wondering whether to stay or hide; neither of us had heard that level of terror shrieked through the forest before. Then we looked up to the sky. The last two hawks dived instead of circled, a unit of two acting as one. Lower and lower they came, until they landed full force upon the uppermost bare limbs of an oak tree not fifty feet away.

One of the squirrels disappeared quickly into a crevice caused by a rotten, dead limb in the side of the nearest tree. However, the other squirrel had been mid-roof line when the piercing warning sounded. Quickly, he dived headfirst into the open gutter, navigating his way slowly to the end. We could see only his ears just above the gutter’s edge, trembling. Obviously, he did not wish to be a hawk’s version of Chateaubriand for two. I cannot blame him.

The moment stretched slightly into two moments. However, it felt like an eternity. Would the hawks see the squirrel? Was our presence between the two enough of a deterrent to keep the squirrel safe? We did not know. Yet, we stood absolutely still mimicking the quiet forest around us. No birds chirped, no leaves rustled underfoot, and no squirrels twittered back and forth with each other. The once alive forest felt like emanate death.

Suddenly, the hawks flapped wings as they flew into the blue fathoms. I noticed the other pair circled nearby, as if they were two parents watching, waiting, to see how their youngsters hunted. The little squirrel’s ears twitched briefly, and then slowly he lifted his eyes just over the edge of the gutter’s edge. He waited. We also waited.

As much as I loved the hawks, as much as seeing them so close felt like a kiss of Spirit into my soul, I also felt compassion for the little squirrel. My annoyance at his early morning rooftop excursions paled in comparison to what I only can describe as love for him. I witnessed his fear. I felt part of his fear, part of his desire for life, part of his wanting to really live fully. I also felt the hawks hunger. All of it seemed to be part of a Whole to me, yet far beyond my rational thinking. For a deep, quick moment, forest enemies and lovers united as One in my soul.

“Look,” my husband said, pointing at the grass at the edge of our small yard and into the edge of the woods. “The bluebirds are back.”

And they were back, all six of them flying to and fro from our azaleas to the grass and back again. The squirrels began to chase each other across limbs, onto the roof, and back to the tree trunks. A Red-headed woodpecker became the enemy of insects located in an old pine, as his rat-a-tat sound bespoke of his own dinner. Just like the woodland nature, I came back to my own feelings again, renewed with the joy of being. Enemies, friends, lovers, danger, and safety – all felt Whole to me, lusciously complete and alive with that special Spirit that makes us joyful.

“Isn’t it all so special? All of it, just the way it is,” I asked my husband. He took my hand as we crunched leaves on the way to the rocking chairs on the back porch.

“It certainly is.”

Today’s blog is all about POSSIBILITIES!

WHAT IF….

…you simply wake up one day realizing that you had evolved so much your life so far felt like someone else’s story.

…you could at that moment of recognition, write the rest of your life from a place of empowerment, a place of conscious decisions, a place of spiritual connection, a place called yourself.

…you realize the past is a history lesson, all events were simply a classroom experience, and you are better for the wisdom.

…all emotional ups and downs are but bricks of empowered fortification in your true spirit.

…you now realize that you are stronger than you have ever been, more connected to love than you have ever been, more in charge of yourself than you have ever been, and more able to live life as you desire than you have ever been.

… the over-stuffed suitcase filled with heartrending history that you dragged through life can now be dropped, left by the curbing for the trash man to carry off to a place more suitable than your consciousness.

…you now understand tears are a blessing and it is OK to open your heart even if it might get hurt again.

…you are not afraid to sing your own tune and dance your own dance, even if your tune is off key and your dance has an unrecognized syncopated beat.

…you can look into the face of someone that has caused you discomfort and bless not only the experience, but also bless the essence of that someone.

…you remain unaffected when someone simply does not have the ability to understand you.

…it rains on your picnic and you enjoy getting wet.

…you can look at the new wrinkles around your eyes to delight when they turn upward as you smile, consider grey hair a crown of honor – well earned.

…you realized that choice can be re-considered – it is OK to change your mind.

…you allow yourself to move through the darkened tunnel of emotional disquietude to find yourself immersed within the Light of Love.

…you are able to honor the fact that it bothers you deep within your heart when you witness man’s inhumanity to man.

…you wake up every morning in the new day knowing that which was not accomplished may be finished, those imperfections of yesterday are quite satisfactory, and you know you can begin again the same, differently, or choose another activity.

…the heart-warming music you hear is literally coming from the depths of your own soul.

All are possibilities!

True Self – Eminently Connected.

Could there be anything better?

What blessings!

According to our cat, Sir George…

To get dinner every night, he has to follow a rather specific procedure.  At the first sign of tummy growling, he goes through the kitty door at the bottom of the screened porch door. While standing on his hind legs, he boxes continually on the glass kitchen door.  Sometimes this boxing continues for an hour or so; sometimes longer.  Then, when I finally come out with his food, he walks through my legs twice before hurrying outside to the exact spot where his bowl was placed last time.  His system never varies.

If I surprise Sir George by placing his bowl down before he is ready, or by coming outside through another door, he’ll still follow the same procedure of entering the porch, boxing, and circling.  The food remains in its proper location, unnoticed. I’ve even picked him up and placed him in front of the bowl of food, but if the procedure of porch, boxing, and circling has not been precisely followed, he will leave the food to go through his routine.  Because he is so conditioned to his set procedure, he has no way of noticing his food often comes from another direction.

Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”  Often our tunneled vision limits us because we think our goals can be accomplished only one way.  Yet, if a bigger, grander, more wonderful experience were to be forthcoming in our lives, would we even recognize it, especially if it were presented differently?

Perhaps there’s a greater plan than any of us could even possibly imagine. If hearts are fixated on smaller standards you cannot recognize larger ideals. Don’t keep boxing at the glass petition between you and your dreams. That’s no different from being in a tiny rowboat while furiously paddling upstream, going nowhere. Dreams may just be fulfilled in ways greater than you could ever imagine.

Right now, with pen and paper in hand, write down your fondest dream.  Include as many details as you possibly can.  Explain ways how it could happen, what you needed to do, and how your life would change if this dream came true.

Next, pause a moment to deeply imagine as if the results of these dreams were coming true. On another piece of paper write the resulting increase of this dream specific to your own life; write how you would feel as if this dream came true.  In other words, use results oriented words such as pleasure, wisdom, joy, love, etc., to describe your situation as if this dream came true.   Keep this paper for it is the most important. Throw the first one away.

Those are the words you then use to include in your life affirmations.  I know joy, I am joyous, my joy increases daily may be similar to your own affirmations. You do not need any more details of how the dreams should happen.

Instead, just feel the truth of your affirmations with every cell in your body as if they already were part of your life. Then, instead of following a specific Sir George routine of making those results come true, just take baby steps into their direction, letting God (Universe, Higher Power, etc.) do the work. Your possibilities may be greater than you ever imagined.

A “personal bill of rights” is simply affirmations for living. They, too, are self-evident; however, after emotionally abusive situations, many have been conditioned to forget these rights. It helps to read them daily for an inner empowerment resurfaces as they become ingrained into your personal viewpoint.

These are some I have created over the years, unique to my own beliefs. Feel free to use any that seem appropriate, or create your own. As you read each of them, pause not only thinking of the meaning behind each one, but allow yourself to feel its truth. The results can be quite amazing.

 I AM.

 I am a special, unique, individual created in Divine image.

 I love myself just the way I am.

 I am who I am, wonderfully created with great intellect, intuition, creativity, wisdom, and personal power.

 I have the right feel love, to be love, and to love.

 I have the right to be myself.

 I am capable of making my own choices.

 I have the right to change my mind.

 I have the right to say, “I do not wish to experience this right now.”

 I recognize my worth as a person; I have the right to have others see me as the worthy person I am.

 I am learning to trust myself and others.

 I have the right to have others trust me as I trust myself.

 I am able to recognize my needs and take care of my needs.

 I have the ability to be self-sufficient.

 I have the right to be healthy; I take care of my health needs.

 I am strong, capable, and self-empowered.

 I live in the present moment; I take one day at a time.

 I am able to replace my fears with freedoms.

 I know that my feelings and needs are just as important as other people’s fears and needs.

 I have the right to have abundance of joy in my life.

 I am able to create my own happiness.

 I am able to release old painful thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

 With every breath, I feel love enfolding my very being.

 I know the love of my Higher Power surrounds me at each moment.

 I recognize that memories are a part of my past, thus can do me no more harm.

 I am able to release those memories that are not helpful to me at this time.

 I am able to turn over to my Higher Power (God, Christ, Universal Spirit, etc.) any memory or any part of a memory that may cause me discomfort.

 I am aware that as each memory leaves my body I am able to ask my Higher Spirit to replace it with love and a feeling of security and safety.

 I am secure in the present moment.

 I realize that each little step in a positive direction leads me to a journey of my own choosing.

 I realize that even though I cannot control the actions of others, I can control my reactions to others.

 I have the right to my own agenda.

 I am delighted to be myself. I am not formed by the words of others.

 I look inside myself and to my Higher Power for the answers I seek in my life.

 I am an empowered child of the Universe (God, Spirit, Christ, etc.).

 I am protected, cared for, and watched over by grace.

 I grow into the beauty of my tomorrows.

 I have the right to a loving, supportive relationship.

 I will accept myself as I am in this moment, as well as respecting my right to change.

 I listen to Divine guidance.

 My perceptions of today create my reality of tomorrow.

 As I love myself, I invest in my future.

 My body has a unique form of intelligence. Listening to this intelligence guides my journey.

 I accept myself just as I am, right now in this particular moment, and grant myself the joy of change.

 I recognize my own truth as separate from any negative words thrown in my direction.

 I am a valuable person in the world.

 To change the world, I first start with myself.

 I maintain my personal boundaries.

 I am able to discern my self-knowledge from the beliefs of others.

 I tap into the unconditional Spirit of my unique creation in order to fully utilize the inner strengths of which I am endowed.

 I realize that success and failure are judgmental terms coming from the beliefs of others.

 I will practice non-judgment of myself as well as of others, recognizing that judgment of my self sets limits.

 I have unlimited creative potential.

 I can be who I am and who I want to be without being what others expect me to be.

 I do not feel guilt for being myself.

 I feel overjoyed for feeling my own feelings.

 I am an open expression of my own words, thoughts, and actions.

 I am a drop of soul in the ocean of Spirit.

 I AM.