I was told that everyone who comes to that particular area of Minnesota needs to visit the small town of Nisswa.  Actually, Nisswa is about the size of an overgrown village.  It is very quaint and . . . → Read More: Travelling: Minnesota Tourists!]]> In my previous posting, God’s Creation: Minnesota, I shared the wonderful experience Rich and I had at our friends’ house.  However, we didn’t stay at home all the time we were there, even though it was difficult to leave that place so filled with the joy of nature.  We actually played the tourists for a couple of days and visited some very interesting places.

I was told that everyone who comes to that particular area of Minnesota needs to visit the small town of Nisswa.  Actually, Nisswa is about the size of an overgrown village.  It is very quaint and is filled with wonderful little shops (yes, I did some shopping!).  I love places like Nisswa because I’m never quite sure what exciting little treasure I may find.  For someone like me who has very unique antenna up throughout the year, Nisswa is rather like Aladdin’s Cave.

When I talk about my “unique antenna”, I’m referring to that constant awareness of the people in my life and what might make them happy.  When I’m out and about I have my bloodhound nose ready to sniff out gifts that will please my friends and family members on their birthdays or at Christmas.  And Nisswa did not disappoint.  I could have dipped into my wallet several more times than I did, but all the time I had to keep in mind that we were travelling on our Harley and there was limited space, even though Sherry and Greg offered to bring things back for us when they trucked back to Jacksonville in October.

Another day we drove out to visit Itasca State Park which is absolutely gorgeous.  The Park boasts pristine wilderness at its best surrounding the largest lake, Lake Itasca, and many other smaller lakes.  Did you know that Minnesota is known as the State of 10,000 lakes?  We took our time driving through the Park, stopping at several lookout points such as Preachers Grove, that overlook the lakes.  Our main goal at the Park was to go to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.  I was totally mind-boggled that this mighty river has its source almost in Canada and runs the full length of the USA before emptying itself into the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.

Sherry and I wading in the Headwaters of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park

Before taking the path to the Headwaters, we stopped at the Visitor Center, which I think is one of the best and most interesting of such centers that I have visited, to learn a little more about the Park.  I thoroughly recommend that you visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/index.html where you will find a wealth of interesting information, photos, and history of Itasca State Park, including the story of Mary Gibbs who was a feisty woman who risked her life to protect Itasca Park against the logging industry at that time.

Preachers Grove (left) and Lake Itasca

I’m sure that Minnesota boasts many other beautiful areas.  It is such a lush, green State and the presence of so many lakes, large and small, makes for the presence of plentiful wildlife and many interesting and beautiful places.  I know it’s definitely a place that I’d like to visit again and if you enjoy the magnificence of God’s creation in nature you will surely enjoy it.

Along the same lines:

• God’s Creation: Minnesota
• Minnesota: The Travelling Dinner
• Travelling: Family & The Kentucky State Fair
• Musings: Gratitude
• San Antonio: The Little Venice Of Texas

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-  “Feeling healthy and feeling good about yourself is not a luxury – it’s an absolute necessity.”                                  (Anonymous)

-  “I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains, but . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: There’s Always More]]> You all know that I love words.  I am so grateful to the many people who have gone before me and shared their words of wisdom.  I am so grateful that there continues to be a steady stream of wise and intelligent beings who share their thoughts on life and their personal life experiences.  Here are a few that I choose to share with you today.

-  “Feeling healthy and feeling good about yourself is not a luxury – it’s an absolute necessity.”                                  (Anonymous)

-  “I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains, but I pray earnestly to God that He would give you strength and patience to bear them as long as
     pleases.”                                                                                                                                      (from “Safely Through The Storm)

-  “May your footsteps set you upon a lifetime journey of love.  May you wake each day with His blessings and sleep each night in His keeping.  And may you
     always walk in His tender care.”                                                                                                                  (Anonymous)

-  “In those times I cant seem to find God, I rest in the assurance He knows how to find me.”                                     (Neva Coyle)

-  “God walks with us  ……..  He scoops us up in His arms or simply sits with us in silent strength until we cannot avoid the awesome recognition that
    yes, even now, He is there.”                                                                                                                       (Gloria Gaither)

-  “To be simply surrounded by God’s love and presence is pure JOY!”                                                                   (Chuck Colson)

-  “Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.”                                                                    (William Van Der Holden)

-  “Fear of trials often depletes more energy than facing them.”                                                                             (Beth Moore)

-  “If God accepts me as I am, then I’d better do the same.”                                                                           (Hugh Montefiore)

-  “Resolve to keep happy and your joy, and you, shall form an invincible host against any difficulty.”                         (Helen Keller)

And as I was writing these quotations, I realized that many of them refer to “God” and to “joy”, and I found myself thinking that those two topics are intrinsically connected for me.  Greetings from the road – New Lisbon,Wisconsin to be precise!                                 

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Laughter
• Spirituality: More about Prayer
• Shared Wisdom: More Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: More Words On The Path
• Spirituality & Shared Wisdom: Tough Times And Prayer

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And that’s what this post is about – our Harley trip from Jacksonville, FL, through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, . . . → Read More: Traveling: The Retirement Ride]]> It’s hard to believe.  Rich has finally retired from the Navy after 29 years active duty and one year “delayed entry”, for a total of 30 years career.  No more alarm clocks ringing at 4.15am. No more white t-shirts in the wash.  No more 24/7 being “beholden to Uncle Sam”.  It is still rather surreal and I’m sure I won’t feel the full impact until he has been home 24/7 for at least a month once we return from our bike trip.

And that’s what this post is about – our Harley trip from Jacksonville, FL, through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Wisconsin until we get to north Minnesota where we will spend four days with good friends from Jacksonville in their summer home.  Between Illinois and Wisconsin we will be stopping in Zion for lunch with some old friends from Naples, Italy. We will then swing down through North and South Dakota into Missouri where we will spend a couple of days with some more friends from our time in Naples, Italy. 

After that we will head over to Louisville, KY, passing through Illinois (again) and even touching a tip of Indiana.  we will spend three days with Rich’s family in Louisville, taking in a few hours at the State Fair and enjoying a Bar-B-Q with the family.  We will then head south east to Asheville, NC for two days before going a little further east to spend two days in Fayetteville with LeeAnn, yet another friend from our Naples, Italy experience.  At this point we will point Harley straight down I-95 south for the home leg.

Today is Tuesday 16 August.  We left home yesterday morning about 9am and covered three hundred and eighty three miles, reaching our first night-over in Marietta, GA at about 4.30pm.  We had an excellent day of smooth riding.  There were no traffic problems, the weather was glorious, and we got to enjoy a lot of God’s creation along the way. Because we ate a light lunch at Subway just north of Macon, GA, we were very happy to see an old favorite, Cracker Barrel right on the door step of our hotel.  We enjoyed a great dinner there before retiring early for a good night’s sleep.

This morning saw us on the road by 9am.  It was perfect riding weather: slightly overcast yet warm and not a drop of humidity in the air.  As we made our way through the mountains of northern Georgia and then on into Tennessee, we really enjoyed cool-warm weather with balmy breezes.  Lunch time found us in Joelton, TN where we found a superb Mexican restaurant called Mazatlan.  If you’re ever in the area try it.  The food is really good and the service was excellent.

We arrived at our little B&B called “Escape” in Paducah, KY at about 4pm and we’re just relaxing down and chilling out before heading out somewhere to get some dinner.  There’s a hot tub with our names on it in a room adjoining our bedroom. Hopefully along the road I will get to share not only about our ride, but will also be able to catch up on some other news that I simply have not had the time to right about in the past few weeks.  Happy summer, happy trails!

Along the same lines:

• Travelling: Family & The Kentucky State Fair
• My Bonsai Tree–Finally
• Spiritual Growth: A Dream Realized
• Italy: Experienced Through The Senses
• Poetry: The Urchin From Naples

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Often times the words of wisdom that I share have come from many places in time along my path.  These few that I share today have come to me in more recent times.  They have nurtured me on my spiritual path.

“I turn to God not so much for forgiveness but for the power to accept humbly the reality about my imperfect self. I turn to Him for the grace to give myself the forgiveness which He gives freely.”                                                                                 from Happy Catholic

“Clear boundaries are important on the spiritual path because they tell you exactly where your responsibility . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: More Words On The Path]]>  

Often times the words of wisdom that I share have come from many places in time along my path.  These few that I share today have come to me in more recent times.  They have nurtured me on my spiritual path.

“I turn to God not so much for forgiveness but for the power to accept humbly the reality about my imperfect self. I turn to Him for the grace to give myself the forgiveness which He gives freely.”                                                                                 from Happy Catholic

“Clear boundaries are important on the spiritual path because they tell you exactly where your responsibility begins and where it ends.”
                                                                                                                                Paul Ferrini

“Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”                                                                                    St. Francis de Sales

“Moments of grace are transient – will we meet this moment and be ready to serve.” and “We are being called into the holiness of wholeness.” 
                                                                                                                               J. Phillip Newall

“Be one to know God. The extent to which I am divided from you, I am divided from God.”        Meister Eckhart

“May you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God rather than by the cares of life.”          Anonymous

“I speak to you continually. My nature is to communicate, though not always in words. I fling glorious sunsets across the sky, day after day. I speak in the faces and voices of loved ones. I caress you with a gentle breeze that refreshes and delight you. I speak softly in the depths of your spirit, where I have taken up residence.”                                                                                                            from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

“God comes to you disguised as your life.”                                                                       from Center for Action and Contemplation

“We are not simply made by God, we are made of God – as is everything.”                            Julian of Norwich

“Once you find the light, no matter how insignificant it seems, your life will never be the same again.
A light-bearer never questions the light s/he carries. And so s/he can offer it to others patiently and without fear.”
                                                                                                                              Paul Ferrini

I love finding these words and phrases that resonate so deeply within me, and I love being able to share them out with you.  Blessings!! 

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Latest Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: Some More Pearls
• Shared Wisdom: Words Both Past & Present
• Shared Wisdom: Short & Sweet
• Shared Wisdom: More About Grace

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

It is a gorgeous day.  Another one of those sparkling “Princess Di” days.  The sun is shining brilliantly from a clear blue sky and there is a slight breeze sighing . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: The Two Sides Of Life]]> It is Sunday morning and I am sitting in my lanai.  I relished a short lie-in this morning after our trip home yesterday afternoon, unpacking and sorting out clothes and getting them washed and put away. It is good to be home in familiar surroundings.  We had a great week in Orlando and it was good to be away from the usual routines.  But it’s always lovely to come home.

It is a gorgeous day.  Another one of those sparkling “Princess Di” days.  The sun is shining brilliantly from a clear blue sky and there is a slight breeze sighing through the pine trees out back.  Everything is gently moving and I can see all the individual needles on the pine trees fluttering in the breeze and shimmering in the sunlight.

I sit back in my chair and breathe in the soft, warm air.  Yes, it’s warm here in sunny Florida at the end of November, although I hear that temperatures are going to dip down later on this week.  In the meantime, I am enjoying this “Indian summer” and feel very happy and content.  In fact my heart is full joy right now as I look at the beauty that God has placed right here in my back yard.

I notice that the small brown birds, I believe they are sparrows, are back again as they pass through on their way to who-knows-where and they are clustering on the feeders.  There’s a flash of red as a colorful cardinal claims his place and the sparrows flutter away until he is done.  I can hear the squirrels barking in the trees as they playfully, or maybe not, fuss at each other. Mokka, our cat, sits in the sun, her tail slowly swishing as she thinks her cat-thoughts about the birds.

But even as I am aware of the joy that I feel I am also aware that there is sadness punching and poking at my heart.  It feels as though one ventricle is full of joy and the other is full of sadness.  My life is blessed in so many ways and I am truly grateful for that.  Yet I have a longing for a healed relationship with my sister who I miss so very much, and another longing for a happy, satisfying relationship with my daughter who I also miss very much.

And I am reminded of one of my favorite authors, Kahlil Gibran, who, when asked in his book The Prophet to speak about Joy and Sorrow, responds with these wise and wonderful words of wisdom:

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.”…………..

“Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?”……………

“When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”………..

”Together they come [Joy and Sorrow], and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”

And so hangs the balance of all life.  One moment we are in joy, and the next we are in sorrow.  And sometimes we carry them together.  And I can only learn to surrender to what is, to accept the gift of my emotions no matter what they are.  As a character in the movie Shirley Valentine said, “If I can feel it means I am alive.”

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Grief
• Spiritual Growth: My Quiet Time
• Self Nurturing: God’s Great Outdoors
• Joy: Tis the Season
• Musings: The Evasive Muse

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

-  “Truth is such a rare thing; it is delightful to tell it".”       (Emily Dickinson)

-  “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”   (Albert Schweitzer)

-  “I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.”       (Socrates)

-  “Do whatever . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: Words From Others]]> Once again it is my pleasure to share words of wisdom from others that I seem to find at every corner and in every moment of my journey, many of them at just the exact moment that I need them.

-  “Truth is such a rare thing; it is delightful to tell it".”       (Emily Dickinson)

-  “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”   (Albert Schweitzer)

-  “I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.”       (Socrates)

-  “Do whatever comes your way to do as well as you can.  Put a good deal of thought into happiness that you are able to give.”   (Eleanor Roosevelt)

-  “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”      (James M. Barrie)

-  “From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven and when two souls that are destined to be together find each other,
    their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.”  (Unknown – used by Michael Podesta, Calligrapher)

-  “No man is an island entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”    (John Donne)

-  “You can lay the foundation of a friendship in a matter of moments, but it is a work of time to build a monument.”     (Madelyn Watt)

-  “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect.  We must each respect others, even as we respect ourselves.”
    (U.  Thant)

-  “Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts and no one to thank.”     (Christina Rossetti)

-  “Don’t be afraid to take big steps.  You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.”      (David Lloyd George)

-  “Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail.”       (Unknown)

-  “Why was man created on the last day?  So that he can be told, when pride possesses him: God created the gnat before thee.”    (The Talmud)

-  “No one is so rich that he does not need another’s help: no one is so poor as not to be useful in some way to his fellow man.”   (Pope Leo XIII)

I hope you enjoy these quotations and that they prove to be as helpful to you as they have to me.

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Latest Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: Words of Love and Friendship
• Shared Wisdom: More Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: More Words On The Path
• Shared Wisdom: Words On The Road

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

I have been dealing . . . → Read More: Self Nurturing: The Desert Experience]]> To say that I have been in a “dry spell” is an understatement.  I have been wandering in an arid desert for some time. It has been a month since I have written anything.  Nothing has surfaced to the tips of my fingers during that period.  Life has been happening, as usual and there is little control that I have over it.  It is a good thing that I trust in God to take care of the universe and that I do believe that everything is in divine order, even if I cannot see that.

I have been dealing with bee stings and the consequent physical reactions to them.  No, I’m not completely allergic to them.  I don’t have to carry the little needle stick thingy that some people have to carry.  But I do get very bad localized reactions – swelling, infection, and inflammation, which means a trip to the doctor.

So then I had to deal with antibiotics and tapering steroids, followed by the consequences of taking antibiotics (you ladies know what I mean by that!).  And so, guess what?  Another trip to the doctor.  Which then meant more antibiotics – great!!  The weather then turned “grey” for several days and my spirit, which was struggling to stay afloat anyway, took a nosedive.

Just to add to my personal misery, I took a tumble.  I was having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, stepped from the carpeted area onto a very slick (read greasy) rubberized part of the floor around the food area, and felt like I had stepped onto an ice rink.  I managed to not fall on my back (which was where I was initially headed), but went down hard on the outside of my right knee.  It’s amazing how something like that can affect the normal routine of life.

First of all I had to cancel my Pilates lesson and make yet another trip to the doctor.  When I walked in this time I asked his receptionist if she had my key ready.  She looked somewhat confused and asked, which key?  I smiled and said, “The key to my hotel room.  I feel like I’m taking up residence!”   I went home with a knee brace and instructions to “RICE” – Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.  So no Pilates for a few days, no exercise at all for a few days.

Just to let the universe know I was not happy, or maybe vice versa, who knows, two days later I banged the toe next to my little toe on my left foot into a door.  I’m not sure what kept the cuss words at bay.  Perhaps a lot of practicing at reducing this particular defect of character.  After icing it for a couple of hours it turned the requisite deep purple and blue green and I decided I should buddy tape it in case I had broken it.  I made the decision not to go to the doctor’s again just in case he thought I was stalking him.

It is at this point that I remember thinking that I would like to go to the airport and get on the first flight that came along.  Then I thought that maybe that could be to “Small Town, Idaho” (no offense to any natives from there).  So I went out and bought a bar of the best chocolate I could find and deliberately comfort-ate with a nice cup of tea.  Very British of me!

Well the last couple of days have seen a slight shift in the weather.  Not quite so hot and definitely not so swampy.  I love the heat and the sun and I even tolerate humidity, but we’ have had six or seven solid weeks of relentless heat and humidity and I have discovered that it drains me on all levels.  And when I’m drained my Muse disappears:-(.

So the cool breezes and lower temperatures and the lack of high humidity levels seem to have freed my spirit enough to get on the keyboard.  I am hoping that this will continue for a while now because I can already feel some ideas catching up and getting ready to pop out onto the page.  Have a great Labor Day weekend.  

Along the same lines:

• Traveling: The Retirement Ride
• Musings: Life And Lemons
• Nurturing Myself: Honoring My Body
• Self Nurturing: Changing Lifestyle
• Musings: Freedom

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”   (Muhammad Ali)"

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”    (The 14th Dalai Lama)

“May the stars carry your sadness away, May the . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: Along The Road]]> It has been far too long since I posted some wonderful words of wisdom from other souls that have or still are travelling along this road of life.  I was searching for a particular piece of writing and came across some great quotations.  Here they are.

“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”   (Muhammad Ali)"

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”    (The 14th Dalai Lama)

“May the stars carry your sadness away,
May the flowers fill your heart with beauty.
May hope forever wipe away your tears,
And, above all, may silence make you strong.”
                                               (Chief Dan George)

“You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.”   (Pearl S. Buck)

“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.”    (Leonardo da Vinci)

“Moderation.  Small helpings.  Sample a little bit of everything.  These are the secrets of happiness and good health.”    (Julia Child)

“Ideals are like the stars; we never reach them, but like the mariners of the sea, we chart our course  by them.”    (Carl Schurz)

“I never thought that a lot of money or fine clothes – the finer things of life – would make you happy.  My concept of happiness is to be filled in a spiritual sense.”      (Coretta Scott King)

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home.”    (Dame Edith Sitwell)

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you’ll discover will be wonderful.  What you’ll discover is yourself.”     (Alan Alda)

So many words of wisdom. So many God-given truths.  So much shared by our fellow travelers. Sometimes I look at a phrase or a sentence and I wonder what was the author thinking.  What was going on in his or her mind?  Or perhaps it was something they were seeing or hearing or touching or tasting or smelling at the time. 

Some phrases leave me in awe with their simple beauty.  Others leave me breathless with their construction, the way the words are strung together.  One thing is for sure, words will always hold me caught up in  their magic like a child caught in the wonder of a firework display.

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Some More Pearls
• Shared Wisdom: The Present Moment
• Musings: Relativity & Perspective
• Shared Wisdom: Words Both Past & Present
• Shared Wisdom: More Quotations

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

As I have been sitting here, stopping from time time to just breath in deeply, I have been checking the news on my info page.  I guess the biggest item that has rocked . . . → Read More: Musings: The Discomfort of Personal Growth]]> I actually started writing the following three paragraphs in the middle of the last posting that I wrote.  However, I quickly realized that they did not belong there so, rather than delete them, I saved them as a draft.  I figured that if the words had manifest themselves on the page they were important to come back to.  Here are the three paragraphs as I wrote them.

As I have been sitting here, stopping from time time to just breath in deeply, I have been checking the news on my info page.  I guess the biggest item that has rocked the world in different ways is still the news coming out of Haiti.  I have followed this story, as I’m sure many millions of other people have, and have come to realize how difficult it is to take in the reality of such a situation.

No matter how many photos they print, and there have been hundreds, even though they depict the grim reality of the circumstances it is hard to make it a reality in my own life.  Story after story carries an underlying sadness, pain, and desperation.  It is heartbreaking to think of the level of suffering and helplessness that overwhelms the surviving Haitian population in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Yet even as I understand the meaning behind the words in these stories, and even as I can see clearly what is depicted in all the photos, there is a part of me that is unable to truly comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy.  I went through something similar after the tsunami out in Thailand and Indonesia at Christmas a couple of years ago.

So now I will try to pick up the thread of my thought process a week after writing this.  As I said, at the time I was sitting outside in my lanai on the first really warm day after much freezing cold weather had not allowed me to take my lap-top outside and work.  I have just reread the three paragraphs and remember now sitting out there in the warmth and sunshine, catching up on world-wide news and feeling so strangely detached from the horrors taking place in Haiti.

I am not sure why this is so.  I try to practice compassion in a very real way on a daily basis.  I am a Christian person who “loves his neighbor”.  I am also an intelligent person, so it’s not that I don’t have the brains or the smarts to grasp what is going on over there in Haiti.  Neither am I afflicted by learning disabilities that slow my thought processes or skew them somehow.

I have read on numerous occasions that we, the human race, have been so saturated with violence in today’s world that events such as those taking place in Haiti don’t reach down into our hearts, our guts, or they only get halfway there.  Modern media thinks nothing of throwing blood, gore, and downright evil at us in the name of “action movies” and the like, and as a result we become inured to the real life stuff. 

As I said above, I see the pictures, I read the stories, the facts, but I have a hard time bringing it all into my own perception of reality. I’m not sure where I want to go with all this, or if I need to go anywhere in particular.  Of one thing I am sure,  the words presented themselves on the page out of my mind so they must have some specific significance.

I know that I do not feel very happy or comfortable about this posting.  It has come out in fits and starts, between one interruption and another.  Half way through I found myself thinking, “maybe I should just delete it and start a totally new posting”.  But there is a part of me that knows the words need to stay on the page.

Perhaps the discomfort that I am feeling is because this article makes me look at a part of me that is not so nice.  That part that wants  me to just stay in my comfort zone and get on with my ordinary life.  After all, don’t I deal with enough of my own pain without taking on the pain of others?  But I know that I cannot do that.  If I do, I will experience even more discomfort.

So the words stay, the article stands as is, and I battle on through the stuff that maybe I would prefer to ignore.  I ask God to help me find the growth that this is leading me to.  Hopefully there will be a quantum leap in my spiritual growth, in my prayer practice.  Maybe a little more honesty, another small slice of humility, and just a smidgen more courage to keep me on track.  

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Kahlil Gibran
• Self Nurturing: Reading and Writing
• Shared Wisdom: A Rush of Words–Part 2
• Traveling: Las Vegas & Sedona
• The Garden: An Inspiration

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

That done, I prepared my breakfast and brought it out here.  Because it is Sunday my husband is home with me, and he . . . → Read More: Self Nurturing: God’s Great Outdoors]]> Finally I get to sit outside in my lanai with my laptop and my Muse.  The temperature out here today at almost 1.30pm registers seventy seven degrees Fahrenheit.  It was already seventy one degrees at about 11am this morning:-).  I was able to enjoy sitting out here in the warmth, with the birds singing and eating greedily from the feeders in the yard, the breeze sighing gently through the pine trees, and truly appreciate my quiet time.

That done, I prepared my breakfast and brought it out here.  Because it is Sunday my husband is home with me, and he too made some breakfast and came out to join me in the lanai.  It is such a simple thing, a husband and a wife sitting and quietly enjoying breakfast together in the open air, but it brings me much joy.  

I am happy!!  There is nothing I enjoy more than to be out in God’s creation, breathing in the fresh air and watching His creatures in their natural habitat.  My head seems much clearer.  Not sure what it is with artificially controlled air, whether it be winter heating or summer air conditioning, but I do not feel right in my head when I am forced to breath in that kind of air on a regular basis.

The sun has been shining on and off all morning.  But even now, with gray clouds obscuring the sun, the underlying feeling is one of natural warmth and life.  I can even smell the warmth in the air.  Real oxygen energizes me in a way that nothing else does and the warmth makes my body feel alive, open, and at the same time, comforted.  I could just sit outside and experience this all day, every day, and feel totally content.  I guess I am a very simple person at heart.

Yesterday I added a new bird feeder to the garden.  This morning it was swarming with birds.  A short while ago my husband put up another hook and we added yet one more feeder.  The little guys have yet to discover it, but I’m sure it won’t take them long. And as I watch them, a black butterfly with bright markings flutters outside the lanai screening as though trying to enter: good morning Mamma:-)

And in the meantime, Mokka cat is also enjoying the gift of this wonderful day.  She is lounging luxuriously on top of the storage chest here in the lanai, basking in the sun’s warmth.  Her tail is swishing slowly from side to side as she watches the bird activity outside the lanai.  From time to time her nose or an ear twitches, and I am wondering what is going on in her cat brain.

There is nothing exotic or grandiose about all this, and that is the true beauty contained therein.  I do not need riches or an extravagant lifestyle nor do I need to be surrounded by material wealth in order to feel rich.  I just need a day like today and the undeniable gift of being able to enjoy it.  

Along the same lines:

• My Garden: God’s Creation
• God’s Creation: Minnesota
• The Garden: Hummingbird Haven
• Musings: Open And Closed
• Musings: A Day Off – Sort Of!

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Half of the trees, bushes and plants in my garden have been badly frost burned.  I am hoping that their roots have not been damaged and that there will be re-growth.  Thankfully I had covered the precious small lemon tree that my son Marco had bought . . . → Read More: Musings: Open And Closed]]> We came to Florida in January 2004 and we have just experienced the longest freezing cold weather since arriving here.  The thermometer on my sheltered back porch lanai registered thirty one degrees Fahrenheit at about 7.30am on several mornings.  It did not get above fifty eight degrees Fahrenheit at any time during the day.

Half of the trees, bushes and plants in my garden have been badly frost burned.  I am hoping that their roots have not been damaged and that there will be re-growth.  Thankfully I had covered the precious small lemon tree that my son Marco had bought me on a visit a few years ago and also my queen palm with some old flannel sheets.  However, it was not possible to cover everything in the garden.

But other damage was incurred that I did not really notice until the warm weather suddenly returned three days ago.  Regular readers all know that I had griped about the cold and the fact that I had been unable to get out into the lanai with my lap-top to do my writing.  I even referred to myself as being imprisoned by the wretched cold!

However, in my posting Musings-  Prisoner of the Cold I explained how I had beaten the cold at its own game and managed to write an article.  I felt very good about that and pleased that I had been able to “invite the Muse out to play”.  Feeling the creative juices flowing is so satisfying to me.  But there followed more days of nothing followed by a trip out of town for a few days.

Then I got up on Tuesday morning this week and noticed immediately the difference in the temperature inside the house.  At the same time I noticed that the heating wasn’t running – Alleluia!!  I almost ran to the back door to check out the thermometer.  Holy mackerel – fifty nine degrees Fahrenheit at 8am!!!  I turned off the house alarm and opened the lanai door;  no blast of cold.  I stepped outside and felt warm – in my jammies!!  Oh joy!

I quickly prepared my juice and grains, gathered my meditation books from the kitchen, and headed outside.  The birds were swooping over the fence and some were already at the feeder.  Two squirrels were on the grass under the feeder happily munching on the spill-over.  I stood and took in a deep breath as far down into the bottom of my lungs as I could get it to go.  It was real fresh air and it was quite warm, thank you very much:-).

In that moment I suddenly felt “open”.  My chest was expanded.  My shoulders were thrown back.  My face was lifted upwards.  I raised my arms above my head as far as I could reach in a big stretch.  I went up on my tippy-toes.  I felt magnificently alive for the first time in about ten days.  Even my heart felt happy.

In that moment it registered with me that I had been totally closed up during the period of freezing cold.  I looked back and realized that I had been in a “hunched-up” position against the cold.  My shoulders had been hunched forward.  My arms had, for a lot of that time, been wrapped around me.  And that was just when I was indoors!!  When I went outside I was always bundled up in heavy clothing and huddled up against the cold. 

All my energy had gone into dealing with the cold and I had been “closed”.  I too had suffered a “frost burn” of my own!  No wonder the creative juices had been unable to flow. I had been on physical and creative lock-down for about ten days; kind of under my own “old flannel sheets”.  Please God the warmth will remain and I will get to play with the Muse on a daily basis.    

Along the same lines:

• Musings: Prisoner of the Cold
• Musings: Creativity and Cold!
• Musings: Commitment Now
• Self Nurturing: God’s Great Outdoors
• Musings: Endings And Beginnings

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The month before I arrived in Jacksonville, Pat lost of her then 8 year-old daughter.  Three years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation during which she lost her hair . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: Friendship & Prayer]]> I am going to share a very intimate and personal story about a recent situation in my life.  This story involves a friend who, for privacy reasons, I will choose to call “Pat”.  I have known Pat for the six years since coming here to the States.  In that short period of time she has faced some severe trials and tribulations.

The month before I arrived in Jacksonville, Pat lost of her then 8 year-old daughter.  Three years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation during which she lost her hair but not her sense of humor nor her faith.  Last December she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, has had surgery and now faces chemo and radiation – again.  She still has her sense of humor and incredibly strong faith.

Ten days ago, after seeing Pat in church just a few days after her brain surgery, which was a miracle in and of itself, I received the following email from her:

“It was good to see you last night.  I didn’t get the chance to talk to you after Mass and really it wasn’t the place, but I wanted to let you know how much you have been with me through this whole thing.  When they told me about the tumor and having to get the PET scan to see about other possible places, I sort of let my imagination get away from me.  It was really scary not knowing how involved the rest of my body might be with cancer. Of course, I started praying, but you were in my head also.  You, to me, are such a spiritual, faithful, prayerful person with such a great understanding and insight to our faith.  Yet, I know you have struggled with letting go of control of things.  That is where I found myself before my scan, praying and still trying to control the outcome.  Stupid.  So there you are in my head trying to convince me to give it up.  You got me to visualize a totally clear scan (neck down) have FAITH and TRUST.  So during the scan that’s what I did.  I prayed for it and you told me to trust God and let Him take care of me. In times of doubt and panic it calmed me to continuously turn it back over to God, let Him take it from me and TRUST He would, put my hands up and let go.

I feel so blessed that you came into my life when you did and are still here for me.  You have planted so many seeds in people’s hearts and minds, I just wanted to let you know that something beautiful grew from one of those many, many seeds.  Thank you and I love you!”

The following is my response to this email:

“It has taken me a while to get my emotions and my thoughts sorted out since receiving your email.  After reading it I wept.  It just touched my heart so deeply.  And I went back to one of the reflection books that I had read that morning which quoted: ‘During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears …..’  Hebrews 5:7.  The reflection went on to say: ‘Praying is no light and trivial exercise.  It engages all the powers of man’s moral and spiritual nature as is evident in the scripture verse above………. It takes only a moment’s thought to see how such praying drew mightily upon all the powers of God …….. This is the kind of praying that brings the soul close to God, and that brings God down to earth.’ 

These are the kinds of prayers that I have had to make recourse to in my “letting go struggles”.  I live a very happy and joy-filled life in many ways  and I am truly grateful for all the blessings that I have and continue to receive.  However, I have never been brought to my knees as I have over my daughter.  And, although it was for very different reasons in your case, I know that you too have been brought to your knees over your daughter – so you understand that kind of struggle. 

The very next morning, in the same reflection book, I found this scripture, ‘I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.’  Romans 15:30.  And the reflection then went on to talk about the effort that Paul put into praying: ‘It is like a great battle.  Like a soldier, the praying Christian fights a life-and-death battle.  His honor and eternal life are all at stake.  Everything depends on the strength he puts in it………  This kind of praying engages our undivided hearts, our full consent to be the Lord’s’.  And I know that if I redouble my prayer effort I will benefit in the long run.

So then I read the next reflection book (I read 4 or 5 each morning), and here is what I found: ‘Your journey through life is often not easy, and you may experience times when you awaken to find yourself battered and bruised, lost and forsaken, lying helpless along the side of life’s road.  Your resources gone and your strength spent, you may wonder if there is hope for you.  Will anyone come along to help?  God has promised that there is no circumstance from which He cannot rescue you.  If you call out to Him, He will help you to your feet and provide comfort and support until your wounds heal and you are able to continue on your way.  Though the circumstance that caused your fall may still be present, He has promised to walk with you, steadying your feet and filling you heart with hope until you reach your final destination.’

Pat, we are so blessed to have our faith, to have our loving God.  We are also so blessed to have all the friends that make up our parish family who will add their prayers to ours in times of difficulty and struggle.  And at that moment I was reminded of yet another reading that I had done the previous day which reminded me, ‘The grace of God sustains me in every moment……Whatever lies before me, I can be sure that God is in the midst of it…….. I trust the grace of God to guide me.  I live calmly and confidently, and I walk my path in peace.  I have absolute assurance that the grace of God is equally present in the lives of those I care about.’

And right there I found yet another degree of inner peace.  Your email opened my heart and my eyes on another level and let me read deeply into these reflections and led me back to reread them and take them more fully into my heart and mind.  I am always so humbled and so grateful that God loves me enough to send me messengers over and over again to remind me of His message of love.  So let us both take heart in our “struggles” knowing that we have an awesome God.  Thank you for being my messenger.  You remain as always in my prayers.”

And so the circle ripples out, when friends support each other with prayers and love and compassion.  One seemingly small act by one person is received as such a huge blessing by another which, when verbally acknowledged to the first person then becomes an even bigger blessing to them.  And in my case, it opened me to further blessings as I went back over my spiritual reflections and took the lessons even deeper into my heart.

Along the same lines:

• Return To My Spiritual Sanctuary
• Spiritual & Physical: An Incredible Journey
• Shared Wisdom: More About Grace
• Shared Wisdom: My Friend Max
• God’s Messages: He Never Gives Up

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I learned the nursery rhymes one by one until I new them all by heart.  I remember Little Boy Blue, Baa-baa Black Sheep, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, Little Bo-Peep, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Jack Spratt, and so many others.  The characters all seemed so real to me and with my vivid . . . → Read More: Musings: Relationships]]> I have always loved reading.  My mother called me a bookworm.  I would devour books, rarely putting them down until the last letter of the last word on the last page had been savored.  As a little girl I heard, then read by myself, all the childhood favorites.

I learned the nursery rhymes one by one until I new them all by heart.  I remember Little Boy Blue, Baa-baa Black Sheep, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, Little Bo-Peep, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Jack Spratt, and so many others.  The characters all seemed so real to me and with my vivid imagination I would charm them all to life as I lay in bed.

Then, of course, there was Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  How many nights did I fall asleep with the image of myself in one of my very ordinary little dresses being turned into a shimmering creation of gossamer silver and silk.  Or seeing myself with a handsome prince (who looked suspiciously like Johnnie the boy next door!), riding off in a glimmering golden carriage into a rosy pink sunset.  And those were the ideals that were cast in stone in my childhood memory banks for the future that could be mine.  I would be “rescued” from whatever paltry life I was living and I would be carried off to live “happily ever after”. 

The only problem with Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty is that no one wrote the sequel.  So here we are left with the never-ending final scene of riding off into that proverbial sunset and being happy.  We are never shown what happens when they got back to the palace.  I presume that’s where they were eventually headed.

I mean, I realize that if they did live in a palace they would probably have access to a maid or two, and a cook, and a butler, and a gardener.  Life wouldn’t be too shabby as they created an edict or two and smiled magnanimously at their subjects. But they’d still have to think about day-to-day living and waking up to each other everyday. 

However, I have to admit, that if ever my little girl mind went further than that ride into the sunset, I always imagined Cinderella walking the corridors of her palace in different ball gowns and tiaras, and leaning out of balconies in the palace turrets as little blue birds flew down to her fingers and sang to her.  I’ve no idea what the prince was up to as she floated around in her perfectly idyllic life!!

No wonder we are set up for failure in real life relationships!  Given the state of today’s society full of drinking and drugs, fast paced living, crime and abuse, there probably isn’t more than a handful of healthy families in each neighborhood.  Pessimistic – maybe; realistic – probably.

Let’s just go back to the sixties.  Actually we need to back further still, to the time of prohibition.  Everything was forbidden, especially alcohol.  When that law was revoked there was a wild swing into drinking which eventually ended up in the free love and drug experimentation during the era of the hippy sixties.

Although the sixties ended and the hippies went out of style, drugs had taken a firm hold.  The hippy youth of the sixties became the next generation of parents.  Many of them continued to use “soft” drugs and some “not-so-soft” drugs also spilled onto the market.  You don’t need to be a psychologist to realize that these people were not the best of parents and a whole generation of dysfunctional families was created.

As their children grew up and began to look for mates we had the first layer of inter-dysfunctional marriages.  Many people used alcohol to chase away their demons.  Others got into heavier drugs which were becoming increasingly more available. Wherever there is a new market entrepreneurial minds will flourish, and many criminal minds were savvy enough to realize that there was much money to be made with drugs.

And let’s not forget the wave of people who began to turn to prescription drugs to treat the depression and other psychological ailments that came from the pain of knowing there was something wrong but not being able to pin point or explain that wrong. Very few people could bear the stigma that was associated with going to see a psychologist or therapeutic counselor, so they used whatever was available.

“Too depressing, way too negative”, I hear you cry.  “Depressingly true”, I respond.  “But what has this got to do with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty”, I hear you ask.  “Everything”, I say.  When there is nothing, or at least very little, left but darkness or depression we look for salvation wherever we can find it.  When no decent role models are around we turn to fantasy and make believe and the realm of fairy tales and try to turn them into reality.

Is it any wonder that the explosion of New Age religions and spirituality was so enormous?  By now we have generation upon generation of dysfunctional people searching for something, searching for salvation, searching for real role models.  On a subconscious level people realize that there is more to life than “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”.

Thank God more and more people are reaching out for the help that they need.  There is definitely a movement toward the return of old values.  Many people are seeking professional help as that stigma drops away.  The rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous are growing in number and in size. 

Many people see that it takes courage to ask for help and are discovering that courage.  Even men, the proverbial “strong, silent, macho one’s” are becoming brave enough (they always thought it was a weakness!), to approach therapists.  Couples are recognizing that jumping into divorce does not remove their problems.  Divorce may remove the other partner, but each partner is still left with attitudes and behaviors that they will drag into a new relationship.

So perhaps we can lay the fairy tales to rest, or at least in recounting them to our children and our grandchildren we can help them to understand that they are just that – fairy tales.  Perhaps some new good authors will emerge who can write a “second level” of classical fairy tales for our children as they reach early teens.  Stories that will shine a light of good healthy reality on how life can and should be lived after that ride into the sunset.           

Along the same lines:

• Fantasy: The Dandelion Fairy
• Musings: Giving Joy To My Inner Child
• Shared Wisdom: Gratitude, Love, Selflessness
• Shared Wisdom: American Indian Ways
• Musings: Sabbath with Georgina

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As his mother made her away across the narthex toward the tables full of photos and other small items, he held back a little – as though afraid.  He cuffed His nose with his wrist and his mother put her arm around his shoulder.  He . . . → Read More: Vignettes: Young Grief]]> He wore a bright apple green tee shirt.  He was probably about 10 years old, slight in build with mid brown hair.  His shoulders were hunched and he clung to his mother’s hand as they came into the church entrance hall.  His eyes were red and he had obviously been crying quite a lot. 

As his mother made her away across the narthex toward the tables full of photos and other small items, he held back a little – as though afraid.  He cuffed His nose with his wrist and his mother put her arm around his shoulder.  He leaned in, almost as if he wanted to disappear, perhaps hoping that if he did the whole circumstance would disappear too.

They approached the book where friends and family stopped to sign their names, a testimony of loving memory to Sophia and support to her parents.  Yes, we were laying little Sophia to rest.  Her parents had had to make that unthinkable decision to switch of life support.  They had hung on for a few days so that out of town family could come to say their farewells, and perhaps hoping for a miracle that would bring their Sophia back to them.

The boy was destroyed by grief.  His face was drawn and wretched with it.  His mother signed and asked if he wanted her to sign for him.  He shook his head and held out his hand for the pen.   As he bravely added his signature to the growing list, he sniffed a couple of times and hung onto his stomach with his other hand.

I watched as he slowly walked passed the photos looking intently at each one.  Tears rolled down his cheeks and my heart felt heavy at the sight of his young grief.  And yet I did not wish that he shouldn’t suffer so.  I realized he was learning a grand lesson in this grown up world.  He was courageously grieving the loss of his little friend openly.  He wasn’t trying to do the “manly” thing and cover up his feelings.  His heart hurt at his loss and he was crying with the pain, not  the least bit embarrassed .

They took seats inside the church along with his Dad and his sister.  The funeral Mass started and I saw him lean into his Dad for a while, then once more against his Mom.  He was feeling this every step of the way.  Finally, it got to be too much, and he and his mother went back out into the narthex and sat on a bench under the window.  His slight body was caved in and he clutched onto his stomach with both hands as if in letting go he might lose a part of himself.

So as I prayed for Sophia and her family,  I also prayed for the little boy in the green tee shirt.  I asked God to comfort him and to heal his broken heart. 

After the Mass, my friend Debbie told me she had spoken to him out in the narthex and asked if he was Sophia’s friend.  He had nodded yes.  She then said that she imagined they had had some very happy times together and told him to think of just one time when they had enjoyed something really special.  She then encouraged him that when he said his prayers that night, to tell God to tell Sophia that he was thinking about that one very special happy time they had had, and that he was happy to have that memory.  And she told him in the following days to think of other happy times and do the same thing: tell God to tell Sophia about them.  Debbie assured him that if he did this he would then always have happy memories when he thought of Sophia. 

What an incredibly beautiful and love-filled gift she gave that boy.  I know that it was God speaking through her.  He has a way of using her in that way – to uplift others with her words.  And once again I was grateful; grateful for community and the gift of love that we share with each other.                     

Along the same lines:

• Musings: Parenthood; Life; Death; Faith
• Vignette: Mother-Son Love
• Fantasy: A Great Treasure
• Vignette: The Young Fan
• Vignettes: Signor Ludovic’s Story

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.