The Awakening

The journey that you are making now is most wonderful. 

It is called human life. 

This life, as you have manifested a body, a career, a dwelling
place, a mate, co-workers, experiences of workshops and
places of gathering, this experience of life is most wonderful,
because you have created it. 

You are creating it moment by moment. 

Enjoy the journey. This lifetime you will never live again.
so make the most of it. Enjoy the journey of this lifetime. 

Allow yourself to come completely truly alive
in this lifetime, to be able to speak to other ones
from the heart, not fearing that you are going to fail
or have some other tragedy befall you.

(Author unknown)

Today is the beginning of a new year . . . the turning of a calendar page that is synonymous with making resolutions and reflecting on life in general.

My focus on the new year is the celebration of life itself . . . concentrating on home and family . . . making this house an awesome home for me and my new husband.

I don't like to make resolutions . . . 

I'm making incremental lifestyle changes!

Happy New Year :)

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Desperate Times

What is happening to our society?  Perhaps it is desperate economic times?  Or do we just not care about others?

I'm watching the news and hearing reports of the bizarre behavior.  Sometimes the news sounds like a spoof of the news.  A 70-year old woman was punched in the face while doing her job at Wal-Mart, merely asking a customer to produce a receipt, which is a normal practice.  She ended up in the hospital.

Mob mentality struck the Mall of America after it was rumored that some rap stars were making an appearance at the mall.  What resulted was a stampede and general mayhem.

Black Friday just begins the holiday shopping season which used to bring out kindness in society.  Now shoppers come armed with guns and pepper spray so they can get a good deal on "stuff" . . . if all fails, just knock the weaker person down and step on them.  How sweet . . . watch out who you casually say "Merry Christmas" to, they may get offended.

What about flash mobs?   Large numbers of teenagers who have choreographed criminal behavior with great success. 

Sometimes I wonder why I enjoy online stopping as opposed to going to the mall or the local Wal-Mart . . . just watching the news today reminded me why.

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Merry Christmas

From our family to yours

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is happy, festive

and full of love :)

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Breathing in Heaven and Earth

When we choose not to focus
On what is missing from our lives
But are grateful for the abundance
that's present,
We experience heaven on earth.

Sarah Breathnach

It was a troubling chapter in my life . . . I was so lost and desperately seeking the way to crawl out of the situation, knowing that in time I would.  Sometimes I go back to my old journals and blog posts to grasp reality and see the transitions in my life since JR died.  Those days were like a roller coaster that I could not stop . . . one day good, the next day unbearable and miserable . . . back and forth.  I had to go through it to get to where I am today.

The following post was written back in 2008.  Of course I still have bad days . . . and I've come to accept the fact that I have a condition that has been diagnosed as restlessness and anxiety.  As time goes on, I've learned how to cope when those days appear.  With the help of the wonderful man I married, I learned how to move on with life itself.  It has been quite a journey back from the depths of depression as a result of grief and drastic life changes!

One of the reasons I blog about my journey is to help others going through a life situation that seems hopeless.  Nothing is ever hopeless when you have faith that "this too shall pass" . . . it will.

The feeling of  breathing in heaven and earth is awesome . . . in good AND bad times, when you learn how to be grateful.  It is the lesson I had to learn before moving on with my life.


THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY 

WRITTEN JUNE 2008 

The presence of faith, hope and limitless opportunities in my life is what I am most grateful for today. It is the absence of faith and hope in our lives which brings the mindset of depression, hopelessness and dread of life. The ability to regain faith within us, exhibiting the strength to blindly walk the path of opportunity, pulling oneself out of the pits of depression is the feeling of heaven on earth.

Sometimes we must go there . . . to enter the pits of depression and feel the fire . . . to be reminded of how much we have to be grateful for and realize what is missing in our life. Surprisingly, at this moment, I am grateful for feeling the heat of that fire.

To wake up with a smile on my face is a blessing . . . the hope and promise of a new day rather than the dread of having to wake up to face a living hell . . . that is the feeling of heaven on earth.

The pleasure of preparing a home cooked meal, enjoying and savoring every bite . . . rather than not having the appetite for anything or the emotional energy to put it together . . . another feeling I am so grateful for at this moment.

Living life rather than anticipating and waiting for death, pulling oneself out of the pits of depression, the feeling of standing on a steep cliff and seeing your life flash before your eyes . . . I'm so grateful for heaven on earth.

A thought occurs to me . . . as long as we are breathing there is hope and opportunity is always present, we just need to open our eyes and minds to see it. And from the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara . . . tomorrow is another day.

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Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the  home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guestroom. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem".

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the, couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel "how could you have let this happen! The first man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die." "Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later.

Think about this:
Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight,
just remember the homeless family who

 has no bed to lie in.

Should you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair.
There are people in this world for whom

 driving is an unheard-of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work,
think of the man who has been out of work

 for the last three months.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad,

 think of the person who has never known

 what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend,
think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve

 hours a day, seven days a week, for -15.00

 to feed her family.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles

 away from assistance, think of the paraplegic

 who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror,
think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes

 she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering

 what is life all about, asking, "what is my purpose?,"

be thankful. There are those who didn't live long

 enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of
other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness

 or insecurities, remember, things could

 be worse--you could be them!

Source:  Unknown

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Decide Today

Decide today that you will have no regrets. And you'll free

up much time to actually get things done.

Decide today that you'll have no complaints. And your
thoughts can be focused on creative, productive pursuits.

Decide today that you'll carry no anger or resentment. And
you'll bring out the best in those around you.

Decide today to be accepting of whatever comes your way. And
you'll discover much value that would otherwise be hidden.

Decide today to be sincerely thankful for every moment. And
you'll be delighted at how beautiful and filled with
opportunity the world becomes.

Decide today to be truly alive. And joy will pour forth from
your soul. 

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Too Much Of A Good Thing . . . Not Possible!

Too much of a
 good thing is wonderful. 
(Mae West) 

In my opinion . . . no such thing as too much of a good thing!

I've entered a state of contentment, an acceptance of the way things are in my life and knowing that isn't such a bad thing after all I have been through in the past.  The Captain and I have settled into married life and I have no doubts that he is the most perfect person in this world for me.  We have everything we need, but most of all, we have each other.  This state of stability, contentment and happiness brings me peace.

Trust and faith in God also brings me peace and contentment.

 Of course any situation could be better. 
 Couldn't any of us say that? 
 Anything could be better. 

Peace comes from contentment with the status quo.


Have you ever thought of where
 your peace comes from? 

 What brings peace in your life?

May you find peace and contentment in your life, especially in this holiday season!  It can be a very lonely and sad time for so many . . . reach out to someone who is in need.

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