5 June 2022 Who Is It?

Hello to you. How are you doing today? I’m doing better. Just getting sleep, singing and praying more has been helping me. This morning I glanced at the news on my phone and after being mortified at someone suggesting the answer to ending gun violence in American schools is to arm children, I found a message that resonated with me from Pope Francis about discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/251454/on-pentecost-pope-francis-explained-how-to-distinguish-the-holy-spirit-s-voice

“The Holy Spirit will never tell you that on your journey everything is going just fine. … No, he corrects you; he makes you weep for your sins; he pushes you to change, to fight against your lies and deceptions, even when that calls for hard work, interior struggle and sacrifice,” Pope Francis said in his homily on June 5.

“Whereas the evil spirit, on the contrary, pushes you to always do what you think and you find pleasing. He makes you think that you have the right to use your freedom any way you want. Then, once you are left feeling empty inside – it is bad, this feeling of emptiness inside, many of us have felt it – and when you are left feeling empty inside, he blames you, becomes the accuser, and throws you down, destroys you.”

Looking at my own personal journey, it has been a struggle at times. It can be very alluring to think about things like revenge and power. It can be easy to try and do and be everything of this life thinking it’s just your own power and attributes propelling you forward. Where does your life force come from? It’s not just eating, drinking, exercising, making love, socializing with family, pets and friends, going to church and praying, meditating, experiencing entertainments the world offers, having a career, doing hobbies, going to school, reading books and going to seminars – least not for me. Underneath all that I am and ever hope to be is a force greater than myself – God. Whatever label, whatever name the inner force is for you I caution you to it’s motives…..the “why.” Why comes before all the what’s!

Some lovely flowers from the walks yesterday- they smell so good!

Christianity. In Christianity, the word may have several meanings. Discernment can describe the process of determining God’s desire in a situation or for one’s life or identifying the true nature of a thing, such as discerning whether a thing is good, evil, or may even transcend the limiting notion of duality.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki

Discernment – Wikipedia

4 June 2022 Angel Sounds

Walking by the canals yesterday with Link, we were treated with the sight of a wild Iris! I love surprises like this ❤️

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing pretty good as I write to you today. This morning I had gone back to sleep and had one of those vivid dreams I’ve talked to you about before. It’s like being alive in a parallel world from your own. For a brief moment I saw a dog that looked like a pug, standing by a window much like mine. Coming through the blinds was a single point of light and the dog seemed to be reacting to it. It looked like the lights I see sometimes. It wasn’t a normal light you might expect to see and I startled awake!

Yesterday I spent most of the day singing and exploring music. Doing this helped a lot in trying to lift the depression I’ve been experiencing lately. The other thing about singing and listening to music is it helps with body pain too. Music is an amazing energy in its many forms. It can reach all parts of us and evoke energetic miracles. I think of The Music and Memory Organization saying this (https://musicandmemory.org/)

Here are are a couple sounds in addition to the Tanpura I found yesterday, kind of had angels on my mind:

https://youtu.be/DyjPdNFEZC0 – Audioslave Like a Stone (finger style guitar and vocals) Lucas Imbiriba

https://youtu.be/DE7_VtGIR8o – Matt Redman Angels (singing Gloria) (Lyrics and Chords) feat Chris Tomlin

https://youtu.be/uujxyfqrDg4 -Judikay – Song of Angels – Ndi Mo Zi –

https://youtu.be/_j13d5eFgQk – Libera – Angel (performed live at Universal Studios Japan)

https://youtu.be/wxgfnEkxkMI – Angels singing caught on tape (Jesus Norway) – it’s up to you as to what you think of this recording. It would be amazing to think angels voices can reach us!

https://youtu.be/hGnvp9KzimA – Rhythmic Sounds- Close or Far- Mei-lan Maurits

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1493509553 – Astravert session yesterday (Justin Carter)

I loved seeing and hearing someone who normally paints murals doing some singing too: https://fb.watch/drflU6Ktw_/ – Muralist Tony Stafki

3 June 2022 The Consoling and Healing Power of Music

Hello to you. How are you? This morning I’m feeling grateful for so many things – I don’t want to be sad again today! These past couple of weeks have been so heavy! When I’m feeling low it’s gratitude that is my life preserver. With thoughts of gratitude comes my love for God and music. What an amazing thing for God to inspire us to create. Even if all you can do is hum a few bars! To me expressing ourselves in music is a fantastic form of praise to God and this earth.

https://youtu.be/TTXBLspw_Z0 – Paul Baloche God of Wonders

Music in it’s many forms has always been something I could turn to for every facet of life experience. Whether it be a happy, sad or confusing moment, there has been some sort of song. This morning I wanted to remember happier, sillier times in my life and the B-52’s came to mind. I think it’s so wonderful that after all these years they still perform together:

https://youtu.be/9SOryJvTAGs – B-52’s Love Shack

https://youtu.be/d1Nq82S7_0Q – Rock Lobster – B52’s

This psalm, 147, has a little bit of everything in it. God mending the hearts of the broken hearted and giving praise in song. I thought it was beautiful that there was music to honor the victims at Uvalde:

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord.[a]

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion.13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.15 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
his laws and decrees to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know his laws.[b]Praise the Lord.

Voices and talents shared to help console a broken hearted Texas community:

https://youtu.be/lwmitxvM0LE – Light of the world church choir at memorial site of Uvalde shooting victims

https://youtu.be/FA1cupxYaKM – Mariachis honor victims of Uvalde school shooting with musical performance

https://youtu.be/ZjUE07zDtEA – 11-year old songs sings in honor of friend killed in Uvalde shooting

1 June 2022 Letting God

https://youtu.be/_RzsPdmfcaw – The Voice Dog remix by Timbu Fun feat Walter Geoffrey the Frenchie

https://youtu.be/92i5m3tV5XY – F*ck that an honest meditation

How are you today? Link and I are doing pretty good. Last night was a bit rough for both of us but eventually Jesus and his team got us some rest. There is so much light and energy going on at night and I’m sensitive to it. Something I’m doing now is trying to get off the phone before bed and do some singing. The Tanpura is great to sing with along with Mei-lan. Just tones varying in range and duration….no words. It’s like prayer.

Today’s message from A Woman’s Spirit is a good reminder about the futility of trying to control others….letting God:

Basically, I have two choices: either accept people and their behavior at face value, or remove myself from the situation. I cannot change other people, but I can control my behavior.

Trying to control other people has been a long- term character defect for most of us. Becoming abstinent didn’t take away the seduction of control. Perhaps for some of us becoming abstinent even heightened the seduction. Minds no longer clouded by alcohol or other drugs see with greater clarity many more invitations to control.

At first glance, it seems unfortunate that becoming free of the obsession to use chemicals didn’t also free us of trying to control the people and events in our lives. But had that been the case, we would have relied less on our Higher Power for help to grow and change. And the greatest gift of this recovery program is learning that we have “One who is all powerful” to help us make decisions, to guide us every step of the way.

I will protect my serenity today by letting people in my life take charge of themselves. If I begin to falter, my Higher Power will help me.

__________

https://youtu.be/EoZPTaoo134 – The Embrace feat Ruby Amanfu (The Chosen)

Proud of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the people of Canada for deciding to take steps towards peace.

28 May 2022 Insanity

Hello to you. How are you today? It’s Saturday here as I write to you and I’m still struggling to climb out of the valley I’m in. Last night everything was going good for sleeping and then I woke up to a violent crash. Link either fell or jumped off the opposite side of the bed. It was hard for both of us to get back to sleep. The way he was acting was like the whole thing scared him. Certainly freaked me out. He’s never done that before.

I have been sitting here trying to find positive and uplifting words to share with you. It’s hard. So I will simply say something I wish the whole world could feel and hear as we struggle together: I love you

The title of my post today is from looking for a message and just not feeling any of them are right for today. It is indeed insanity to keep doing the same things and expect anything to change. That is my message to Ted Cruz, Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and leaders like them in the United States of America. It is my sincere hope that God has a better plan than any I’ve seen or heard from you.

25 May 2022 Mom

Hello to you today. How are you doing? I’m sitting here after a nice phone call with my Uncle and thinking about my birth mom. Today would have been her 80th birthday.

Drawing I did of my Mom several years ago

My mom Jeanne died by her own hand when she was just 26 years old. She suffered from depression and used a firearm. In the wake of what happened yesterday in Uvalde Texas, Brooklyn New York, Laguna California, Lowellville Ohio and just down the street from me here in Middleton Idaho…and places I haven’t heard about I am feeling discouraged about our country. After all this time my mom has been gone things aren’t much better in regards to mental and spiritual health in this country – it seems worse. This stuff keeps happening. People with some sort of problem be it physical, emotional, spiritual or economical either turning it on themselves or turning it on the world they live in and using a weapon to do it. After all the times we have been through the trauma of gun violence as a country….a world….still it goes on. Is God too slow to answer or are we too slow to hear and act?

People say if it wasn’t guns these people would use something else. Sadly, that’s a true statement. My therapist and I have talked about it. I tried to take my own life a couple years ago – it was access to pills for me. What I see going on is deeper than the surface issues, problems and causes we like to blame for these eruptions of passion. The “why” of it is where to begin and that is complicated and that takes time. It’s expensive. It’s easier to just keep dispensing cocktails of pills. I think we are still where we are at because no one wants to face the why of it, take responsibility and enact meaningful change. So we keep wiping up blood and handing down trauma with all its labels to yet another generation.

Pointing fingers without self reflection….we are so good at that! What our country is also good at is making troubled people famous. People who felt meaningless in life do something like what happened in Uvalde and just like that they are finally “somebody.”

What I have known from my own experience, people I have known and what I’ve observed these 54 years is that we are emotionally and spiritually sick in America. The mental health system of my mom’s day and a lot of what I’ve experienced being in the system are still inadequate. Some of us are taught to pray and told that will make everything okay again. Often things don’t change and later in life some of us learn there is action in prayer….God isn’t going to do it all for us. For some, especially those feeling powerless, this realization is enough to turn to other more immediate solutions for what ails them. As we are seeing….they pick up a gun and use it to express their unresolved problems and emotions. I know when I was growing up I wasn’t taught by anyone what to do with the insecurity and bad feelings that arose in me when I was bullied at school. I mostly turned those negative feelings and emotions on myself.

What’s different from my mom’s time and mine is now we have social media to broadcast suicides, hate and violent intentions at the click of a button. God, thoughts and prayers only go so far in this modern world of 24/7 media. Instantaneous poison for the spirit and soul.

I know…..echo chamber….preaching to the choir in my words here today. Can’t hurt to keep trying.

For Our Country

lossless-page1-800px-president_wilson_1919-bw-tif

Almighty God,
Ruler of all the peoples of the earth,
forgive our shortcomings as a nation,
purify our hearts to see and love the truth,
give wisdom to our leaders,
and steadfastness to our people,
and bring us at last
to that fair city of peace
whose foundations are mercy,
justice, and goodwill,
of which you are the designer and builder;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Woodrow Wilson

22 May 2022 A Healthy Body Is A Guest Chamber A Sick Body Is A Prison – Sir Francis Bacon

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well in your today. If your not well…..I understand and hope you have love and support for whatever you are going through. You might feel alone in these moments but I assure you your not. A stranger, somewhere in this world is praying for you even as I write this.

Quote I found from Sir Francis Bacon that articulates this so well!
Another quote from Sir Bacon is “knowledge is power”

The title of my blog is in honor of a recent death in our family. Much like another friend I loved and loss when I was in Texas, her body became a prison. Things would be going well and then something else would not be working right….systematic system failure. So many people in the world in all levels of our worlds strata are in prison in their bodies. People get sick…..people get old….people get broken and so many artificial and often expensive treatments and methods are employed to extend their lives. Those who love them hold on so tight and make things very complicated. What is the quality of those final years before death finally wins out? We pray for those we love to be cured…to get well and the conversation that person may be having with God both in mind and spirit is to be set free. The “body stuff” can become a burden too much to carry. I am happy she is free of the burden of her body.

I watched this video yesterday from an interview with Master Shi and it makes me think of all this. Our creator God has a plan for each of us and when we deviate from this plan, no matter what we do, we will not succeed:

https://youtu.be/1mbPjucxYoI – Shi Heng Yi The Creator of the Universe

Talk about a body that became a prison! Jesus endured so much and then was free!

Yesterday I was thinking about a few musicians that in their lifetimes made such a mark on my life in so many ways. Each of them, in their own public and private ways suffered. Behind the glamor, glory and fame they had struggles they, with their courage, hardly let us see:

When he smiled he lit up the place he was in – smiling through the hurts of a very public life and career
There are a bazillion pictures. I got to see David in California in 1991 – my first and only rock concert to date. From what I have read, this wasn’t a great time for him personally in his career.
I looked all over to find this picture – so beautiful. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen Purple Rain! I sense this creative genius got lonely and was hard on himself. He gave his all.
As I was thinking of musicians Luciano popped in. His voice evokes so many emotions! When I think of him I think of a white canary I had named Gabriel….that little birds could trill! Trilling or vocal trilling is defined technically as a rapid alternation between two notes, most often in a high register sung by a soprano or tenor and should not be confused with lip trills.Sep 20, 2019
https://www.30daysinger.com › blog
Trilling Ins and Outs – 30 Day Singer Blog



I was with my Aunt and Uncle yesterday so not much for walk pictures! Here are a few images from yesterday:

This message from A Woman’s Spirit made me think of people I know and love that use humor to help them navigate through the pain, struggles and sorrows they are facing. Sometimes things are so ridiculous all you can do is laugh! My cousin Laura and I laugh together and one of our favorite phrases…”shit happens!”
I saw this at my Aunt and Uncles when I got out of my car. Just a little earth in a crack in a driveway and then this grows! So pretty! This earth and beings like this are so intelligent. They find a way to be under even the most undesirable conditions!

20 May 2022 The Difficulty of Releasing Earthly Attachments

Hello to you. For me it’s Friday again and I say that because it feels like time is moving so fast! Yesterday I came across a video taken from one of my favorite animated shows called Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was when Aang, the Avatar learns about the energy vortexes in our bodies called chakras and how to clear them when they are blocked. The one part that brought me to tears was thinking about letting go of all I love that attaches me to this life. When we are overly attached to things of this earth we suffer when the inevitable happens – change….loss. We can’t hold on too tight and this is a lesson I’ve struggled with almost my whole life.

https://youtu.be/StrbppmsZJw – How to open your 7 chakras as explained in a children’s show (Nickelodeon Avatar the Last Airbender)

Buddha taught that “the root of suffering is attachment” because the only constant in the universe is change. And change often involves loss. When you allow yourself to become attached to someone or something, you’re more likely to dwell on the pain of losing them.

9 Ways Attachments Play Out In Your Life To Make You Suffer – Mindful Zen

In the Bible you can find a variation of this message. We are encouraged to store up our devotion to God not to people, places and things if this earth. Our souls, the energy within us, will care nothing about the world once set free of the flesh:

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

https://chop.bible.com › bible › mat….

Matthew 6:19-34 NIV – Bible.com

Think of great storms that have happened and how grateful people are to come away from them with their life and those they love – their neighbors. Their home a pile of wreckage or ash but they praise God that they still live. In those moments reminded about what truly matters.

We are taught from a very young age living in the world structure in which we live to work hard and acquire things. Things representing the fruit of our labors. We associate memories and feelings to the things we acquire…..this leads to attachment. Then comes the time when for whatever reason we have to let go of what we have acquired and then comes the feelings…the loss….the suffering. How to live in a material world without getting overly attached but not live like everything is just disposable….expendable. What a paradox we are asked to live in our material world!

I didn’t get many pictures yesterday. The energy outside has felt “weird” to me lately and I have felt disconnected:

Trying to eat better
A quote from Robin that resonated
The sun looking like a bright moon again
Another “victrola” flower opened – In 1901, Eldridge Johnson of the Talking Machine Company created the Victrola. The Victrola is a type of early phonograph that used an internal horn. It was patented by the Victor Talking Machine Company, and only refers to internal horned phonographs.Nov 24, 2010
http://cultureandcommunication.org › …
The Victrola – Dead Media Archive
We all have different gifts God has given us for a purpose
If you look really close on the upper right it seems I captured a bird flying by lol
Lovely Willow with winds blowing her long green locks of hair
This picture really caught my attention – the artist did a great job of illumination – the eyes are filled with light seeing this

18 May 2022 “Up!”

Hello to you. How are you today? I hope you are well and if your not, for whatever reason and there are so many these days, I want you to know you are in my prayers. All things both good and bad pass on.

Last night I had a bit of a struggle again with sleep. I got some new pillows called My Pillow and it just takes some time to break them in.

Hoping these will help with my quest for restful sleep!

The title of the post today is because of what I want to call a persistent and very short dream I had last night. The dream was of seeing red clouds and Prince just saying over and over again “Up! Up!” When Prince Rogers Nelson was alive, one of the things he had talked about in interviews was the spraying in the sky. (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3znbey – he talks about his experience here.) Yesterday on my walks I noticed there have been a lot of trails going on here and I noticed myself feeling more irritable than normal. You can just feel the stuff all around. It’s rare to see a picture with sky that doesn’t have these trails in it – no matter what part of the world. So anyways……I woke up to go to the bathroom and I’m sitting there and asked in the darkness, “Ok Prince, what was that dream about?” As soon as I said that I saw a round ball of light run across the wall past the bathroom! Like someone running. It wasn’t a car or anything because I checked. More weird stuff! I just had my eyes checked so it wasn’t that. Prince was one of those artists whose music helped me so much growing up! Messages come to the waking and dreaming worlds.

Source: Internet
I think Prince was lonely too sometimes

Some messages from A Woman’s Spirit for today:

It’s all in the attitude! – Eileen Fehlen

We are learning from this program that we are in charge of our attitude. No other person or no situation can force us into a negative frame of mind. And if we have intentionally, though perhaps mindlessly, chosen to feel negative, we can instantly feel positive instead. A gentle reminder is all that’s necessary.

Most of us got so used to negativity that we failed to see that we could feel otherwise. We resented women who always seemed happy and up. Now we understand, but understanding how our attitude is developed and taking charge of it are separate acts.

Being consciously and actively in charge of a positive attitude takes lots of practice, but every time we succeed in changing a bad attitude to a favorable one makes change easier the next time. We will soon discover that we are just as happy as we want to be. The power rests solely with each one of us.

I will be a happy woman today if that is my choice. No one can make me feel otherwise.

———————-

Now for a walk and messages from yesterday:

I love the iridescent look of this trees leaves
Such cheerful little flowers!
Yesterday was hot and there was a lot of natural and unnatural “stuff” in the air. Finding a dead mother squirrel in the road didn’t help with the grumpiness I was already feeling!
A pine seeming to be struggling
I love some of the names of streets – I hadn’t been down this one yet!
Isn’t this cool? What’s even more special was for the first time in years I was greeted by a cat! We had a short and sweet little visit. Their home is for sale.
Isn’t this beautiful?! A little worse for wear but still lovely. Every time I see a blue butterfly I think of my Grandma B.
Waters and habitat like this support so many lives
Soft
Some yellow
My Aunt sent this to me yesterday – so perfect for how I was feeling yesterday!
Things were feeling a bit chaotic yesterday afternoon
“Hi there! It’s going to be ok! Love you!”

14 May 2022 Make Better Choices

Hello to you. How are you? It’s overcast. Gray and wet here but I’m not complaining! I am so grateful we are experiencing this type of weather and not the kind so many are experiencing lately! Yesterday I found out the Midwest, where I am originally from, has been experiencing wild dust storms: https://www.argusleader.com/story/weather/2022/05/13/south-dakota-storm-met-definition-derecho-what-haboob-severe-weather/9759725002/ – this is from my hometown newspaper. They do a good job of explaining two weather terms I hadn’t heard of before. A derecho and a haboob:

It’s really strange to have noticed this type of stuff going on in the Middle East a few posts ago and then to see this show up at my parents doorsteps!

The title of this blog today is a message for me and I think for others. On the small scale for myself is health related. I had a couple blemishes show up on my face and I messed with them and I know better! I was laying in bed and noticed how much belly fat was there and at the same time was feeling pain in my lower back which is one of the main parts of my body that carries that belly! I went to the mirror and the message that came to me about all of my meager issues was, “This is your fault! Make better choices!” Thinking of all that is going on in our world in all the principalities I don’t think that message is just for me. Bad choices can come from initial well meaning intentions and then they just compound on themselves making new problems on top of old ones. A good example is Roundup or weed killers. We use poison that ends up in our bodies through various means and we wonder why cancer shows up.

https://youtu.be/ZQYPlEoU9ko – Life is a Walking from Good Buffalo Eagle

ho’oponopono mantra

The next images are kind of random but may be something is for you:

With the pain I’ve been experiencing, I’m very grateful to George!
My Aunt and Uncle gave me this electric blanket and it really has been helping me manage pain
One of my neighbors lovely Iris’s
Sometimes it’s good to just stop and appreciate the world around you. Link likes to walk really slow so he really helps me slow down.
These make me smile to see each walk
This little trees leaves look like they were painted on
I was happy to see this little one again. The last time I saw them they were running off with a hurt foot! Reminds me of a cat I had, loved and miss named Amber.
One of my favorite spots – isn’t the sun amazing?!
The blooming trees on the walk transitioning to leaves and berries
My favorite pic of the day – as I stood here I was thinking of my Grandma Carol and how much she loved streams like this too. The sound and just watching it glisten in the sun is balm for my soul.
A little deja vu seeing this happening in our times. I can remember my Grandma Schmidt talking about actually living through this. What kind of choices have been made to have this sort of thing happening again?