Making history II

I am already tired of politics. And I feel compelled to say one more thing re: the election. Don't vote for Sarah Palin as a substitute for voting for Hillary Clinton. Palin stands 180 degrees across the spectrum from the ideals and aspirations for our country from where Clinton stands. I will let you do your own research on this. If you believe as Palin does, vote for her. If you believe as Hillary does, please, vote for Obama/Biden. One of the most important things we tried to tell the world 30 and 40 years ago during the Women's Movement -- and that we have tried to teach our daughters - is that Gender Doesn't Matter. Now is the time for us to stand up for that core belief and vote issues and ideals Not gender! ~ blessings

We're making history

No matter who wins in November, Democrats or Republicans, we are making history: either we will elect a slate with an African American man as President, or a slate with a woman as Vice-President. Finally - politics, even politics as usual, has entered the 21st century! Yay, us.  ~ blessings

Life in cyberspace

Yesterday afternoon about 2 I was no longer on line. Just gone. Nothing worked - all the little tricks the guys in the office had taught me just didn't work. And . . . there were no guys in the office! oops. D is able to get on neighbor's network, but the password neighbor gave us doesn't work for me. Oh, dear. Now, I am not Really joined at the hip with my computer. Often I am gone for the day and leave it behind. Or we travel and I take it along mainly to write in my journal. Most of the time I live life without checking my email every few minutes or needing to keep up with a breaking news story. And all of that I do by Choice! 

Yesterday, no choice. I wasn't there and couldn't get there. Who was writing me? Who wanted to chat? Were there any comments on my blog? Well, I made it through. And Finally one of the guys from the office arrived -- a little later than usual. Or maybe I had just been pacing the floor too long. So here I am -- and I know a little more than I did so I can Try to help myself if this happens again. And every time something like this happens I am grateful again for living Now when all of this is possible even if gives a little irritation occasionally. ~ blessings

I've been wondering . . .

What is it that makes the universe dump lots of crap on one person and leave another person to go through life dealing with things that come along in ordinary ways? Sickness (cancer for instance) comes to some families. It is hard and one person has it and everyone deals and keep moving on. People die sooner than they should and the family deals with it and keeps moving on. A son goes to jail - and it is hard to deal with and people do and keep moving on. And then there is that person whose family has three people with cancer, two people in jail, two people who die too young, all the appliances break down at the same time, the car's breaks are gone, and the bread winner loses a job to the awful economy.

We all know people like that. People whose heads are covered with a little black rain cloud that just Stays there. Maybe it is the Law of Attraction: what they concentrate on is what they get. Maybe they had a spiritual agreement that said they would come to earth and experience every nasty thing possible - their choice. Or maybe that's Just the Way It Is. Whichever, I think those of us who are fortunate enough to experience life in its fullest and happiest and keep moving through the sad, hard times need to send lots of good, positive energy with lots of Light and Love into the Universe on behalf of these folks. ~ ~ blessings to you as you move through life in gratitude for all the blessings bestowed upon you

Preference vs Expectation

Several years ago we were doing a Huge remodel and I expected it to be done by the time of Daughter's wedding. And Most things were -- but certainly not all. A friend said, "Sometimes it is better to have preferences rather than expectations." Oh, my yes! I have used that phrase over and over and some how thought I had released expectations entirely. Ha! Naive me. 

This week there was a conversation I expected to take place. I knew it needed to take place. I certainly wanted it to happen. All of this you understand from a person who probably wouldn't even be in the conversation. But I expected it to happen. Well, guess what? It didn't happen. The two people I Expected to talk with one another didn't. For whatever reason, they stayed with the superficial fun chat and never discussed the elephant in the middle of the room. And that is Their issue to deal with and I fell right into the expectation trap. Would I have preferred that they talk? Yes. I may prefer that for the rest of my life. Expecting them to talk put a lot of pressure on, guess who? Me! Not them. They went their merry way ignoring the obvious and having a good time. To give myself credit, I allowed them to do that. I didn't get in the middle of it or make any suggestions. It was only inside that I kept expecting the conversation to happen. Having preferences and Allowing is much easier on the soul. :)

~ blessings

Stars

When I was a little girl, I had a book called "Wait 'Til the Moon is Full" by Margaret Wise Brown. For some reason the book stayed around for reading to my own children and grandchildren ~ and the one line I have always remembered is the description of the new moon being "thin as the curve of a raccoon's whisker." About 2:30 this morning I stood on my deck and watched that moon peek at me from behind a pine tree. Overhead the black night was covered with starry brilliance from the thousands upon thousands of heavenly bodies that shine in the sky when there is no earthly ambient light to distract. The Milky Way really looks milky. The Big Dipper shines out from all those around it demanding by its very presence that we look and find the North Star by its guidance and know where we are. Some people say when we look up like that, we recognize how insignificant we are. When I look up like that, I recognize how absolutely amazing we are - to be part of that magnificent creation and be able to spread our wings upon that starry canvas and fly. Wow! Words are inadequate so I will end by saying, if you live where there is any chance to see the stars, do so. Lie back on the grass or your deck, look up and appreciate how amazing You are to be one with the Universe.  ~ blessings

Silence

Silence has an amazing quality of aliveness. Silence is not the absence of sound. Silence is . . . silence. Rich, textured, alive. 

For two weeks I have had a Very Good friend as a guest in my home. We have talked almost continuously. And we are good enough friends that we were able to be quiet with each other as well. Still, most of the time we talked. She left yesterday. Today the wonderful woman who comes every two weeks to help me clean was here - and we cleaned - and washed and dried - and chatted while we made beds. She had her delightful children with her and she talked to them and they talked and played. I have been working on logistics for an upcoming business session we are having here so D and I talked over lunch and my mind has been busy and I have been emailing folks to make sure we were all on the same page. And then cleaning was done and M left. The email was sent and several more answered. And suddenly there was . . . Silence. 

It descended like a gentle warm fog. It is wrapped around me like a wonderful comfortable cape. Even the clicking of the computer keys and the words coming through my fingers refuse to disturb the quality of the silence. Is it totally Quiet? No. There is still some noise: I can hear a voice, the whoosh of traffic on the road down the way, the breeze through the trees -- And, there is this silence that I am loathe to break - so no tv, no book, nothing but being for a while to restore and refresh the balance. Talking is Good. Busy is Good. Silence is Good. Take a little time and enjoy the richness of silence. Blessings -- 

Olympics

First let me say how much I love the Olympics. I have been reading more than watching this time and it is still fun to share the excitement and joy of these athletes. Michael Phelps has been amazing of course and his interview alongside Mark Spitz was a terrific bit of programing. And that young woman who took the Bronze in the women's 10,000 meter three days after having food poisoning - Incredible! And that was the first US medal ever in that race -- or something like that. I had never heard of her until I sat down to check out what was playing at the moment and there she was -- and there her Mother was, cheering, crying, urging her on. I "knew" them for 30 seconds and I was crying with them as she hugged her mom, wrapped the flag around her shoulders and kept going around that track. We are basketball fans at our house and I am just competitive enough that I am OK watching my team whomp the living day lights out of another team. (Can you also tell I'm southern?) So I am enjoying these Olympics - cheering when I do watch and reading with great enthusiasm when I check the news. 

So - what's the problem? I just read an article where a "disappointment" was listed as two young women bringing in two silvers and a bronze. I heard an announcer acknowledge a silver and then say, " . . . but no American has ever reached the gold." -- Excuse me! These folks are In The Olympics! They actually qualified and Got There. They have run, thrown, jumped, swam, played with the Very Best in the World and we are "disappointed" when they "only" get a silver or bronze???? Sorry, folks. The athletes themselves are allowed to be disappointed if they thought they might do better but we have no right to do anything but cheer. The very fact that they are competing on Olympic soil ranks them among the Top in the world. Good for them! They should all get a medal just for walking in the door - then let them compete. They are superb and it is a joy to watch each and every one of them. 

Through Other Eyes

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  

We never take it for granted. And in typical human fashion, neither do we appreciate it to capacity. The last two weeks we have had a friend from Wales visiting us and we have been guides to the area. I have walked on a beach just minutes from my house -- and the first time I have been on it since the last time friends came from far away. We have a boat and we took her on it to lunch at a wonderful lakeside restaurant at the height of the season - had to wait, ordered the "traditional" dishes of this place, rode the restaurant dinghy to and from the boat. And we looked at each other and said, "we should do this more often." It has also rained in Cardiff, Wales every day since she has been here. And every day (sometimes more than once) she has looked up and said, "it is sunny" or "there is sunshine" - and each time D replies, "yes, was yesterday, is today and will be tomorrow." How amazing. We are surrounded by beautiful scenery - lovely weather - and marvelous things to do easily because we live here. How nice it has been to spend two weeks seeing it over and over through other eyes. Delightful. 

Morning Visitor

We had a hawk visit us this morning. I was meditating and when I opened my eyes, there she was, sitting on the roof by the skylight. She was looking around. I called my husband over and he came quietly and gently to look as well. She sat for a while - time extended itself for us to enjoy each other - and then she flew off, low and strong across the front of the house. Beautiful. Lovely. We are definitely blessed this morning. I wished for the camera and her picture is in my mind and her visit recorded here. I will remember her blessing.