Thinking about A Book of Clouds by John A. Day. Lots of geese have been passing through lately. My friend Beth got this book for me during one of my hospital stays and it brought me so much comfort as I love clouds and couldn’t see them in the hospitalTen reasons to Look Up (hope you can read the print)My little somebody Link Buds showing up on my neighbors treeSome of my favorite flowers – dandelions SunsetPine trees are waking up tooSome Idahoans doing some spring house shopping. With the drought I’ve been concerned about the animals and plants having enough water.
There was a good message today from A Woman’s Spirit. It speaks to the importance of remembering we are not all experiencing this life in the same way. It’s biologically impossible! Our bodies alone prove this point. All the walks of life with their different bodies. Different levels of vision for example. Some people can see really well and others are blind! Think of a concert and all the different eyes witnessing it. Not everyone will come away from that concert perceiving it… experiencing it the same way. It helps me to remember this when interacting with different people. It helps me be more empathetic….more understanding during times of agreement or disagreement.
The message is so good I want to share the whole thing:
There are many realities. We should member this when we get too caught up in being concerned about the way the rest of the world lives or how we think they live. -Natalie Goldberg
One of the most elusive truths we’ll ever struggle to grasp is that everyone has a unique perspective about every circumstance, a perspective that reflects a personal understanding of the universe. We never doubt that truth for ourselves, of course. We simply fail to acknowledge that it’s true for everyone else too.
There are times we can’t shake the need to be right; our egos depend on it. Unfortunately, we can’t maintain any real peacefulness if we are always in conflict with others who have their own viewpoints. Winning the “battle” then becomes a painful victory. Believing in valid, separate realities is only difficult at first. But like any other opinion or attitude, it can become habit with enough practice. We have nothing to lose by giving it a try.
I don’t need everyone to agree with me today. I only think I do.
Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. Last night my Aunt, three friends of hers and I went to see the opening night of Matilda at the Nampa Civic Center. We made it through the first half and decided that was enough. The little girl that was cast as Matilda just didn’t resonate with us. For example for the first song none of us could understand what she was singing and it was loud. My favorite character was Miss Agatha Trunchbull. The man playing the part was hilarious. As with most things in the performance arts, the performer will either resonate with you or they won’t. Not everyone likes Bono from U2 for example. The little girl just didn’t resonate with me. That’s not saying she wasn’t talented or anything like that. So that was interesting and it’s the first time I’ve driven at night here!
I was thinking about my post yesterday about how I see, experience and understand God. What came to me as an example of how complex it must be to answer even the smallest of prayers was a family meal. Think about some of the meals you make, even just the trip to the grocery store. So many little pieces go into even just a hot dog or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s like an episode of How It’s Made but for each and every part of the meal. I think about all the people involved with the life of food, machinery, climactic conditions like floods or droughts, the health of the animal stock, fuel prices….so many little pieces have to fit together for just one hot dog! When I began thinking about how complex it is to make a family meal or even feeding just one person, it made me think of what it must be like to be God answering or not answering a prayer. How complicated it must be to have everything in alignment…..so many little pieces. Sometimes pieces seen as insignificant or not relevant but if they are missing things can’t happen. I truly believe that behind every unanswered prayer there is a reason. The other thing to remember too is sometimes what we want and are asking God for isn’t possible…..realistic. Sometimes the answer isn’t how we expect it and we miss it. Sometimes we have to wait for answer. Just like with putting together a meal – all the individual pieces in all the ways those individual items come to reality have to be acquired for that meal to happen! I think Covid has shown us a lot about how dependent we are on each other – like factory workers and truck drivers for example.
The other thing I thought about yesterday with regards to answered and unanswered prayers – people in particular. What is often overlooked is the individual will of the people we are praying for. We don’t know what they want for themselves. We don’t know what kind of conversations they are having with their Higher Power. For example we might find out someone has cancer and immediately begin praying they be cured. What if the person doesn’t want to be cured? What if they want things to be over with? Again….not as simple as things may seem. I think about what we are told Jesus said when he prayed about the sparing of his own life…(Luke 22:42) 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup(F) from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus had his own relationship with God. The apostles could pray for his life to be spared but Jesus was already working things out with God for himself.
Little pieces of the big picture to consider when you are deciding if you do or don’t believe in God. The stuff I’m sharing is what strengthens my personal relationship with The God of my understanding.
The messages from A Woman’s Spirit were good. Sometimes when people get into recovery and are feeling better they try to make up for lost time. They try to do too much at once. It’s important to remember that even doing a small part, a little piece of what you want to accomplish is enough:
I don’t train for a marathon when I simply want to run five mile races. -Patricia Roth Wuertzer
Today I’ll remind myself that I don’t have to complete a big project every day. Making some progress is enough.
Hello to you. How’s your week been? I’m tired. I struggled with getting to sleep last night even with the medicine I have to try and help me. It’s comforting I guess to know I’m not alone in my experience!
The messages from A Woman’s Spirit today had to do with letting people in our lives be responsible for their own actions:
My children have a Higher Power, and it’s not me. – Carolyn White
I will focus on my life and my Higher Power today. Others’ actions are not my responsibility.
What’s hard about this message is for parents and authority figures they are put in the position of being responsible for other peoples actions. There are laws in place to help with that for authority figures in our world but not so much for the average parent! There has been a long suffering agreement that children don’t come with a users manual! Sometimes it’s really difficult to know where you end and others begin. We are so interconnected.
This morning I was thinking on last Sundays church message. How the way we deal with difficult people matters to God. This morning I reread the passage in the Bible that was used as the reference for the message. It’s in Romans:
9 Love must be sincere.(A) Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.(B)10 Be devoted to one another in love.(C) Honor one another above yourselves.(D)11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,(E) serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope,(F) patient in affliction,(G)faithful in prayer.(H)13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.(I) Practice hospitality.(J)
14 Bless those who persecute you;(K) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.(L)16 Live in harmony with one another.(M) Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.(N)
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.(O) Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.(P)18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(Q)19 Do not take revenge,(R) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[b](S) says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[c](T)
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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It’s hard sometimes not to want to retaliate when we or someone we care about has been harmed in some way. From my own experience the defense mechanism is almost a reflex. It really takes a lot of self awareness and control to be able to stop yourself in difficult situations from reacting from a defensive posture. To “turn the other cheek” versus putting up fists. This message today is difficult when I think about the Ukraine and Russia. When it comes to this sort of situation, a war, how are people suppose to react when being peace loving could cost them their lives? I am praying about this question.
A lot of non-believers ask where is God? Where was God when _________ was happening to me or someone else? Why does/is God allow horrible things to happen? Sometimes I ask myself the same thing when stuff is going on. How I comfort myself is I can’t see the whole picture of this existence – but God can. God isn’t limited in years and experience like we are. God is the big picture. I think of cause and effect – there are so many pieces and parts to even just one moment….how complicated it must be to answer even the smallest of prayers. I think of saying a prayer to save a person or animals life. How many specific seemingly minute little things have to happen to answer that one prayer. How many other prayers have to go unanswered so that yours can be answered? I don’t envy Gods job!
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well today. I found out it’s World Water Day – water is life! There are simple things each of us can do to help conserve our most precious of resources. Stuff as simple as turning off the tap when your brushing your teeth. Taking shorter showers. Not rinsing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I found this National Geographic video that is short but shows some good examples of places where efforts are being made to preserve waterways- so many lives, not just human, depend on them:
The night before Chris died I had a disturbing dream of being pulled through my bedroom ceiling. Finding out he had strangled himself really hit me hard. His music was some of the first music my husband shared with me. In particular I Am the Highway. Songs like Be Yourself have comforted me through so many difficult times. His struggles and manner of death really bothered me. With my own journey with alcohol dependency for a time hearing of his battles really touched my heart. Addiction is a disease that so many lose the battle with….Chris was one such casualty. I’m glad his family got some peace with their law suite: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chris-cornell-family-settlement-doctor-1166269/amp/
Messages from A Woman’s Spirit:
When we are all wrapped up in ourselves, we present a very small package to others. – Georgette Vickstrom
Today I can put aside my tendency to look at every circumstance in relationship to myself. With God’s help, I can put my attention on others.
Todays message from A Woman’s Spirit is so good I am going to share all of it:
We are who we are, shaped and molded by the times, by the events, and by the persons we encounter on our way, and no one ever changes very much or escapes entirely from that mold. – Ruth Casey
Everything we experience today is woven with all that has gone before. We are a tapestry in progress. We grow and change, heightening some of our patterns, successfully diminishing others, and maintaining still others. We need feel more shame for this person we’ve become; we’ve done our best. From this point forward, with the help of the program, our Higher Power , and the wonderful friendships that sustain us, we will add many new colors and stronger threads to the tapestry that continues to be us.
Even though there is often much we want to change in ourselves, there is much that will and should stay the same. Let’s trust God will guide our efforts in changing those traits that deserve our attention now, leaving the rest for another time. We have been loved, guided, and protected even though we are not perfect. That will be true always.
All that has gone before will help me handle whatever today offers. I am in Gods keeping now and forever.
______________
The skies yesterday
Today this Psalm 103 resonated. I was looking for a Psalm to read for my Twitch video and I came across this one with lots of it highlighted! May be there is something within it that will resonate with you too:
Psalm 103New International Version
Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord,(A) my soul;(B) all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(C) 2 Praise the Lord,(D) my soul, and forget not(E) all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins(F) and heals(G) all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life(H) from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,(I) 5 who satisfies(J) your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed(K) like the eagle’s.(L)
6 The Lord works righteousness(M) and justice for all the oppressed.(N)
7 He made known(O) his ways(P) to Moses, his deeds(Q) to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(R) slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;(S) 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve(T) or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love(U) for those who fear him;(V) 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions(W) from us.
13 As a father has compassion(X) on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed,(Y) he remembers that we are dust.(Z) 15 The life of mortals is like grass,(AA) they flourish like a flower(AB) of the field; 16 the wind blows(AC) over it and it is gone, and its place(AD) remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children(AE)— 18 with those who keep his covenant(AF) and remember(AG) to obey his precepts.(AH)
19 The Lord has established his throne(AI)in heaven, and his kingdom rules(AJ) over all.
20 Praise the Lord,(AK) you his angels,(AL) you mighty ones(AM) who do his bidding,(AN) who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(AO) you his servants(AP) who do his will. 22 Praise the Lord, all his works(AQ) everywhere in his dominion.
(For some reason I got interrupted mid-stream so it’s in two parts)
Hello to you. How are you today? I’ll start with the message from A Woman’s Spirit. It was really good. It was about how when we remove addicting substances or other obstructions we are able to get to know ourselves better.
“We don’t necessarily like every aspect of who we are now. And most of us loathe who we used to be. But having the tools to peel away the layers of denial about the past and having the willingness to face our feelings are paramount to becoming who we’d rather be. What we’re getting to, what’s deep in our soul, is the person God has hoped would emerge all along. Having the chance to know our soul is a profoundly important gift. Let’s gently unwrap it.”
On my Twitch Stream today my focus was on the crisis I see with our global water supply. Why does it seem like clouds don’t form on their own anymore? I lived in a state that heavily relied on cloud seeding to keep up with increased demands for water and it’s seeming to be the same here in Idaho. I think the water that comes isn’t natural water and I wonder if it’s contributing to why we have so many forest fires . I wonder if the water that falls from these manufactured clouds isn’t making vegetation more flammable. I remember seeing silver droplets on the leaves of my trees back in Texas after cloud seeding flights. I believe it’s all connected. We rely on water for just about everything we use just day to day. To think our planet can’t seem to generate “natural” water like it once did is very concerning to me.
The other thing I touched on is the potential train wreck I’m seeing ahead with the conversion to electric vehicles. I think the cart has been put in front of the horse about this. Can the current power grid support the massive increase of demand that will come with billions of electric vehicles without bankrupting most consumers with high electric bills? The smart thing to do would be to make sure we have sustainable power generation modalities to keep up with the increased demand. The back up to most alternative power generating modalities is usually gas. Nuclear power with proper safety procedures in place and proper facility maintenance is probably the near term answer. If the US would recycle fuel cells that would be good too. I just am seeing things moving really fast to get people into electric cars but the infrastructure needed to support it doesn’t seem to exist right now. I think ultimately consumers are really going to be footing a big expense. Seems to be that way no matter what we do doesn’t it?!!
Anyhew….I hope some visionaries are thinking about these things. It seems like so many people that control what makes our world go are using crisis management. Doing things and asking for forgiveness later.
Hello to you! How are you doing today? It’s cloudy here this morning. I hope we get some rain we really need it. We are having a drought here in Idaho.
Todays message in A Woman’s Spirit talks about letting other people learn their own lessons. I have always been the kind of person that has trouble just staying on my own side of the street and not trying to go over and clean another persons. For example I used to have a problem with feeling like I had to pick up trash. It was a very strong compulsion until it really sunk in that by picking up after people I was just enabling their behavior. There is so much we do in this world that we think is helping to solve a problem but really is just enabling undesirable behaviors. I saw it with the Animal Shelter back in Alvarado. People would dump their dogs and cats. The shelter would pick them up and the shelter would get full. The shelter would then have to take extreme measures to try and get the animals adopted, get emptied out and the whole cycle would start all over. People just kept getting away with being irresponsible. I see so much of that in its various forms. If there is no consequences people just keep doing things that are not ok. The other day I saw this article about Boyan Slats Ocean Cleanup operation: https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/down-to-earth/22949475/ocean-plastic-pollution-cleanup and it was an interesting perspective about what operations like Boyans do. More needs to be done to make companies and people responsible for the mess they are making. There are so many flaws with the creation of plastics and other things that end up in landfills and our waterways. It’s like no one thinks about the life cycle of their products – environmental impact- before they make things. I started doing that and I don’t make things like I used to….and it’s ok.
A Woman’s Spirit message:
“Change comes about when we stop trying to shape up the other person and begin to observe patterns and find new options for our own behavior.” – Harriet Lerner
“Accepting that we can’t change someone else affects every detail of our lives. Many of us have spent years frustrated, even frantic at times, trying to control the actions and opinions of others.”
This psalm 46 really resonated – a power ballad of words for what’s going on these days:
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
1 God is our refuge(A) and strength,(B) an ever-present(C) help(D) in trouble.(E) 2 Therefore we will not fear,(F) though the earth give way(G) and the mountains fall(H) into the heart of the sea,(I) 3 though its waters roar(J) and foam(K) and the mountains quake(L) with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river(M) whose streams(N)make glad the city of God,(O) the holy place where the Most High(P)dwells.(Q) 5 God is within her,(R) she will not fall;(S) God will help(T) her at break of day. 6 Nations(U) are in uproar,(V) kingdoms(W)fall; he lifts his voice,(X) the earth melts.(Y)
7 The Lord Almighty(Z) is with us;(AA) the God of Jacob(AB) is our fortress.(AC)
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,(AD) the desolations(AE) he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars(AF) cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow(AG) and shatters the spear; he burns the shields[d] with fire.(AH) 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;(AI) I will be exalted(AJ) among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob(AK) is our fortress.(AL)
Todays Twitch stream was good. We talked about a lot of stuff today! Addiction, the choice to have pets, psalm 26, different cultures living together, world peace, technology and responsible creation. One of my viewers asked if I feel like technology has brought people together and my answer was yes but it’s also a bit of an illusion. With technology I’m able to communicate with people all over the world – something without technology I wouldn’t be able to do. Without technology my life would be very lonely….but I have to remind myself that technology isn’t a replacement for one to one contact. Technology can’t replace what happens between people having face to face contact.
I wish there were more visionaries in the world of creation. So much of our worlds operations is based on short sightedness. How much money will this make me? Not how will this be a benefit to mankind. Follow from creation and through the entire life cycle of what is being created – where is what I want to create going to end up? Taking responsibility for our creations. When I really started thinking about my crafts and hobbies I ended up stopping a lot of what I was doing! I liked to paint but realized the environmental impact of my enjoying it – the paint in the water for example. One area of late that I am concerned about with this is robotics. I would like to see more vigilance….more regulation but it’s already kind of too late! Anyways, talked about a lot today.
“Focus on how we are the same not how we are different.” – me
My thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Ukraine and Russia – any part of our shared world that is in conflict of any kind. We must learn to focus as a world on what we have in common not how we are different – what separates us. It’s like taking out your mental gratitude list. Once you think of one thing a whole bunch of others come to your mind! I just hope everything is going to be alright with all of this.
I highly recommend this video – we are all responsible for the “stuff” that gets manifested in this world: https://youtu.be/9GorqroigqM
Hello to you. How are you today? I hope this finds you well. Today is off to a fine start. There is lovely sunshine again today – so grateful for that. My stream was kind of lonely this morning but that happens. The past couple days I’ve had not so nice people show up and this morning I was able to ban one of them. I know how to do it now!
Last night I watched an interesting program on You tube called In Search Of starring actor Zachary Quinto: https://youtu.be/OTa8jePn8iI the episode I’ve linked is about super humans. Zachary talked to these three men who each had super abilities. One man exerted over 500 pounds of pressure to bend a car door to save someone. Another man was a Shaolin monk who could break a stick with his head without hurting himself and the last man is like one of 40 in the entire world that doesn’t feel pain. What was interesting is how much of what was going on is an inside job – what the mind does. Zachary himself was tested. During one test he and the three men had their brains scanned when putting their hands inside a bowl of ice water. Zachary’s scan showed that when he meditated he was able to block pain. A lot of what is going on in our lives has to do with what we think!
Something I learned through my Quantum Touch training is if for example I bumped my leg to take deep breaths – to breath through the area experiencing pain instead of focusing so much on how it hurt. When I was able to do that I noticed less severe bruising. The natural reaction when we are physically hurt is to focus on the area we are hurt. Again, like the program I described, it’s an inside job. It really takes a lot of practice to train our brains to do what we want them to do. This is something I struggle with most every day!
A couple good messages from A Woman’s Spirit book today:
“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other.” George Eliot
“My purpose is to help someone else today. If I think someone is causing me a problem, perhaps I should address my attitude.”
Hello there. How are you? I’m feeling really tired but know I won’t be able to go back to sleep. For the past couple weeks I just haven’t been able to sleep well. It happens to a lot of us I think, especially when we get older.
So first thing this morning I got groceries at our local Ridleys. It was a little tricky getting around the store as they are doing a pretty big renovation/reorganization of the store. It should be really nice when it’s done!
The past couple days I’ve been watching You tube videos about aliens and UFOs. It makes me think of the dream I had when I was in the hospital. It was so vivid. I was laying on a table and there were two Gray aliens. I can remember screaming at them “What did you do to my face?!’” I could see myself and half of my face was a Gray alien! Then I saw my dog Spot and she was looking outside and barking but nothing was there. The dream was felt more like a memory than a dream. Weird huh?!!
When I think of aliens and UFOs I think of how much trouble we have still to this day of peacefully coexisting with life forms that are different than ourselves. Even in the year 2021 we fight amongst ourselves. If I was an alien species I would be very reluctant to show up on the White House lawn too!
I have so many questions for them! How long have they been watching us? Can they help us save this planet?!
Do you think we are being visited by beings from other galaxies? Have life forms learned how to fold space and time and travel in between? Lots of questions and still few answers!
To be 