Hello to you today. How are you? I hope this finds you well. As I look out the windows this morning you would never know we had thunder and lightening yesterday! Beautiful blue skies out there!
Whenever I experience thunder and lightening – especially the lightening part- a word comes to mind: thinking. Seeing all those bands of light flashing about makes me imagine what’s going on inside my own brain….my body. The phrase “as above so below” comes to mind too. Where did the concept of making beings like us come from? What was God’s inspiration to fashion us brains running with electricity? All those flashes of light from one neural path to another right in our own heads! It makes sense to me that before there was science that our ancestors saw thunder and lightening as God speaking to them. Last night I just sat and listened….watched. I could almost hear God saying, “I am God! You are guests here! Everything belongs to me!”
To me the earth is a sentient creation of God…..not just some mere blue marble. Look around you and listen beyond our human activities….despite it all the earth can make a beautiful flower grow in a tiny crack in a driveway. So much meaningful intelligence going on just to keep us all alive even as we continue to harm ourselves, each other and the rest of creation we share life with. What a merciful God! Sometimes the weather patterns seem like expression of emotion. One storm will be gentle and yet another like rage.
A couple messages from A Woman’s Spirit today – sometimes all you can do is laugh at how ridiculous life can be:
“I will not take myself so seriously. I will let laughter heal.” Jan Pishok
“Laughter promotes personal growth and health. I will practice this prescription today. “
God thinking A little boo bear cuteness this morning! I saw a heart in this Despite everything going on in our human world, God and the earth are doing this! Life giving water – a valuable resource that must be managed more carefully! Things doing things…thoughts swirling in the ether
Your brain is made up of networks of small cells called neurons that communicate electrochemically to enable you to think, feel, and interact with the world around you. Because electrical charges are responsible for brain activity, electrical stimulation can in turn be used to change the brain’s functioning.May 15, 2019
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:
“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.
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/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!
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.
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:
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:
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:
Sometimes you need a power ballad to encourage yourself to put your feet on the ground and engage with gravity! When I hear this song it just takes me to such wonderful places. Thank you Etta!
Itty bitty roses An example of cross pollination
Yesterday Link and I had an experience I hoped not to face again with another dog. We were walking in the neighborhood and a dog we pass, that is normally on a leash, wasn’t and he went after Link and I. Link and I were both screaming and trying to get away when finally the dogs owner came out. He had to get another neighbors help as his dog just took off. This experience triggered feelings from when something like this happened in Alvarado when Spot and I were attacked by two pit bulls that had gotten loose. The town ended up passing a viscous dog law because of what happened! I’m not mad at the dog in all this. Dogs that don’t get regular exercise and stimulation get pent up and bored – they “do shit!” All those times Link and I had walked past while he was secured and would lunge at us I guess was foreshadowing for what happened yesterday.
It’s important to remember that the animals we choose to share our lives with have feelings, emotions and needs. These things unmet, neglected or ignored can have scary consequences. They don’t handle what’s going on inside like we do and as was the case yesterday, can’t really be reasoned with! Thankfully all that happened was rattled nerves and in Links case, a normally curly tail gone flat and between his legs. It was hard to get over hearing him scream like he did.
Thinking of St Francis, a saint that loved animals:
Franciscan and Other Common Prayers
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glad to see change is being considered in light of recent events in our country. I hope it will go beyond just consideration and become action.
Link cooling his belly on a break during our walk yesterday. He loves the grass! Every time we walk past this rose it’s more lovely!
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.
Drawing I did of my Dad and his Mom Irene many years ago More roses waking up! Just a few pictures – remembering and loving my Dad Probably my favorite picture of Dad in his younger days – so handsome! Still is!
Hello to you. How are you today? I hope you are doing ok. It’s been rough here but I’m doing better. Last night I tried to sleep without extra meds and was doing pretty good until I woke up after a weird dream. It started with seeing my phone and an image on it like from the group Anonymous. Then I was sitting with someone watching tv. The tv flickered and that same image appeared on the tv screen! What woke me up was hearing a scary voice saying, “no need to alert the authorities.” My brain doing weird stuff again lol!
Anyhew…. today is my Dad’s 79th birthday! Wow! It’s hard to believe but he and I used to joke that he was going to live as long as Moses! That’s like 120! If he and I were together today we would be dueling with our forks over Mom’s chocolate pudding dessert. The past couple of years have been hard on him but he is a survivor – something he and Mom always taught me to be! I’m missing him today. I miss his hugs! There is something about a hug from your Dad. I just felt so loved and safe when we hugged….the worlds noise and cares couldn’t reach me for a little bit. I love you Dad! ❤️
Many years ago, when I was still in Junior High, I was in an advanced writing program . They liked analogies I wrote. This one I wrote thinking of my Dad:
“An open window in spring is like the loving arms of a father.”
John 15:9New International Version
9 “As the Father has loved me,(A) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
This morning I am reflecting on Memorial Day or Veterans day as it is referred to. I’m remembering visiting Arlington National Cemetery several years ago. My husbands father and his family participated in a ceremony of playing taps. Each person positioned at different points in the cemetery and playing at the designated hour:
The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying time off from work for the national holiday. Taps is instantly recognizable as the somber 24-note bugle call played at American military funerals and ceremonies.Apr 29, 2022
This experience was extremely hard for me emotionally and spiritually. As we arrived at one of the places they would be playing we passed fresh graves…..new ones in the process of being dug. Ages on the tombstones were the ages of my husband, his brothers and me. There were people sitting with these stones with children. I looked at the vast field of white stones and was overwhelmed and overcome with sorrow. Today as I think of that experience, what all those people died for…hoping, thinking their sacrifice could make this country….this world a better place. I have to wonder were they mislead or have we betrayed them with the world we’ve created where hating and killing each other is still a common occurrence?
Can’t believe it’s been 2 years since this picture!
As a Veteran speaking only for myself, the best way to thank me for my service is to do whatever is possible to manifest a world where soldiers are no longer needed.
Questions…..”what are we doing?” and “what is all this for?” I hear the phrase “Happy Memorial Day” and my first thought is “what is so happy about it?!” Same thing for Labor Day. I think many people don’t realize how much blood was shed and lives….families destroyed just so we can have a day off of work. Nothing is free especially not our freedom. People long for things to go back to normal and sadly I think, unless drastic steps are taken, this IS normal.
Each time trauma happens to a person, to a world, it’s an infinite drop making ripples that never cease. Once the drop falls the waters never remain still….at peace. Generation after generation endure the stories and the wounds. Each new trauma ripping off the bandage from the last wound….perpetual bleeding of flesh and souls for wounds that don’t get a chance to heal. I read yesterday there was another mass shooting in Chicago: https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2022/5/29/23146412/weekend-roundup-shootings-homicide-chicago-memorial-day?_amp=true – it’s not if another one will happen….it’s when.
You can turn off all the devices that broadcast these shared traumas….put your head in denial but I think we still remain affected. The collective consciousness of God and this earth just know when things are wrong. You can feel it in the air….in your soul. Kind of like what the movie Donnie Darko illustrated. Something or someone is missing but your not sure just what it is until you finally learn another trauma has been inflicted.
I know this song is sad but sometimes sad songs help us clear out the traumas and make a bigger space for God…for inevitable change:
All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for the daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I’m dying Are the best I’ve ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles it’s a very, very Mad world, mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy birthday, happy birthday And I feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me Hello, teacher! Tell me, what’s my lesson? Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I’m dying Are the best I’ve ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles it’s a very, very Mad world, mad world
13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I experienced this yesterday and it was very healing – a lot of tears! When I awoke in the middle of the night in excruciating pain in my right leg, it was remembering this video, using the medicine inside myself with The love of Jesus – transmuting pain with love energy, that helped make it go away. Thank you Andrea:
https://youtu.be/QY_nhXgQbtw – Receive Love Now – Full Hour Distance Reiki Session ( Reiki Master Andrea Kennedy)
My neighbors have made such a beautiful space to see each day Finally the roses are awakening – my Dad used to buy this color rose for his and moms wedding anniversariesNo matter what things seem, just know you are loved beyond words.
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.
To be 