Serenity Sunday

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,


And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.


I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.


Emily Dickenson




I love this little poem, it cheers me up just reading it. What things give you hope...what little inspiration burns within you that causes you to hold it dear to your heart? Let's not just practice our gratitude but our hopes too....how can you celebrate your hope today?




My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Good friends


4.) Hope


5.) Fabric softener


6.) Cheese


7.) Cat litter scoops


8.) Fresh soil


9.) Balloon animals


10.) Benadryl cream

Serenity Sunday

THE VISIT

A stranger called on me today she said she'd heard my 'plea',
To have someone to hold me close, to guide and comfort me.
Her name she didn't let me know, she said as I 'moved on'
That I would know, 'within' myself,
That's where 'she' had come from.
She told me:-
"It's alright to cry, to unleash all your fears,
You cannot banish years of hell, without releasing tears.
"You have a right to 'find' yourself, let go of guilt and shame,
To feel the comfort of 'safe' touch - break free from all your pain."
I know her as my ally now, and when I cannot cope,
I call the name I found 'within' - her name I know is
'HOPE'!


By Ri

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) Fresh salmon

3.) The pond lily blooms

5.) Ornamental Horticulture

6.) Great friends

7.) Herbs in the garden

8.) New tarot decks

9.) Not having to go to the laundromat

10.) Sunshine breaking through the clouds

Serenity Sunday

The Legend of Yourself

Once upon a time, you were a Great Being, a beautiful Spirit living in total Oneness in Heaven with Mother/Father God – All That Is. You could not be angry, for there was no one to become angry with. Could not be afraid, for there was no thing more powerful than You. In fact, there was no thing, period.

One day, you went to the big Bulletin Board in the Sky, and saw that Mother/Father God – All That Is was calling for volunteers to enter into the Fields of Matter. If you volunteered, the announcement said, you should realize that upon entering the Fields of Matter, you would gradually lose your Knowledge of Oneness, finally perceiving Yourself as a totally separate entity. The memory of Heaven would fade like a dream.

But to compensate, there would be experiences in the Fields of Matter that were not available in the All. For example, in the Fields of Matter, it would be possible to watch snow swirling around a corner streetlamp on a winter's night, soundlessly wrapped in quiet calm.

"Amazing!" you remember exclaiming — for you had never experienced a thing like "quiet" or "snow" or "night" or "streetlamps." All That Is was a tapestry, a network of All Light and All Sound. Each experience was All Experience, like dancing on a tightrope that vibrated to every single Event in every possible Universe.

You kept reading....

In the Fields of Matter, the announcement continued, it would be possible to walk along the beach holding hands with a lover. To relax in a woodland clearing and listen to the chirping of birds, the rippling of water over stones that sparkled in the sunlight. Experience would no longer consist of All Birds At Once and All Water At Once and All Trees at Once and All All That Is, All At Once.

Gradually, as you took in all these wonderful ideas, the immediacy and intimacy of Physical Reality began to seem precious and unbelievably desirable. You wanted to go there and have these experiences.

The announcement warned that for everything that you loved in Physical Reality, there would be something that you hated, and the something that you hated would always be there, like an ugly frame around a beautiful picture. But you placed no great importance on these warnings, for you could not imagine anything but Love. You absolutely knew, despite what others might have reported, that you would never make the mistake of spending millions of years ignoring the beautiful picture and staring at the frame.

And so you volunteered. And out of many, many others who were called to read this announcement, you were one of the very, very few that was chosen.

And You were chosen for your strength. Your beauty. Your courage. And your eagerness to serve Mother/Father God – All That Is.

 My List:

1.) My kids

2.) Dear friends

3.) Those who read my blogs and understand

4.) Learning self confidence

5.) Hope

6.) Knowledge to share

7.) Dreams

8.) Life

9.) Sunshine on my face

10.) Green grass under my naked toes

Serenity Sunday

If only for one day

If the world would just stop turning,
If only for one day,
If all the nations lived in peace,
And leaders had no more to say.
If broken hearts were healed,
And raindrops fell on barren lands,
If people would stop fighting,
And black and white held hands.
If the poor would feel no hunger,
And the sick would never die,
If there was never any pain,
And orphaned children didn't cry.
If we all loved each other,
And found the strength to say,
We'd live in perfect harmony,
If only for one day.

Rachael Webster.

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) A sharp mind

3.) Elemental Dignities

4.) The ability to have a dream

5.) Hope

6.) Doors opening

7.) My dog, Niko

8.) Laila and Minchie updates

9.) Fantastic friends ( you know who you are ;)

10.) Intuition

The Star And The Emperor's Shadow

Once upon a time, in a land very far from here, there lived the Star.The Star radiated with her own inner beauty and had the gifts of pleasure in nature, reasoned intuition and of shining hope. Those who experienced difficulties or were depressed or unwell traveled from far and wide to ask the Star for healing. There was something about her twinkling light that drew them out of themselves and up into a higher plane, because as we all know, with our eyes heavenward, we no longer feel the distress of earthly woes.

One day, while filling her shiny silver pitcher with water at the tranquil pond of hope, a small band of the Emperor's Knights happened to come upon her while riding their horses back from battle and were struck by her ethereal and somewhat other-worldly presence. All the harshness and density of their everyday lives seemed to slip away and they began to feel uplifted and blessed to be in her company. One Knight, so taken by her radiance, dismounted his big black horse and approached the Star.

"What are you doing maiden?" he asked and the Star answered simply with the beautiful clear voice of a soprano "I am filling my pitcher from which I renew joy and hope to my garden." The Knight's grief and despair that had overwhelmed him from the many battles he seen, instantly vanished and a sense of hope, enlightenment and great happiness filled him. He became filled with purpose and that knew he must tell the Emperor of the inspiration and enlightenment that he had found when hearing the maiden speak.

Now the Emperor who was short and pudgy, hard and aggressive and prone to sudden fits of irrational rage, had become very disenchanted with life after claiming the throne from his controlling and very rigid father (who recently had met with a sudden and untimely end during a jousting exhibition in which he arrogantly bragged of his military prowess.) The Emperor had long ago given up his sense of wonder and adventure and had become entrenched in stubbornness and took great pleasure in choosing domination over  balanced authority when dealing with his subjects.

When hearing his Knight's tale, a plan began to take shape in the shadow recesses of the Emperor's brain and he went to bed that night plotting of just how he might possibly squelch these silly, nonsensical, fluffy bunny qualities that his Knight had claimed that the Star possessed. After all, he couldn't let this maiden influence his subjects in such a manor, giving them hope and confidence in themselves, challenging his heavy handed control. "There must be a way to stop it...but how?" he grumbled.

(part two next Thursday)

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."-Albert Einstein

Serenity Sunday

Hope is the thing with feathers

"Hope" is the thing with feathers --
That perches in the soul --
And sings the tune without the words --
And never stops -- at all --

And sweetest -- in the Gale -- is heard --
And sore must be the storm --
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm --

I've heard it in the chillest land --
And on the strangest Sea --
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb -- of Me.

Emily Dickenson






My List:


1.) My kids


2.) Seeing my kitties on their webcam


3.) Hecate


4.) Hope


5.)The beautiful autumn colors


6.) Ficus trees


7.) Grandchildren


8.) Dreams


9.) The gift of imagination


10.)  Hardy water lilies

Serenity Sunday

The economy...such a touchy subject lately, politics and the economy has been the cause of struggles, sacrifice, strife and even wars. I've always been a Democrat and been somewhat liberal in my thinking but when it comes to the economy, I suddenly want to be concervative. It's tight out there... real tight...I think my budget needs WD-40 just to get through sometimes!

I even put a PayPal donate button on my cat's webcam page because the price of food, vet bills and internet service just to keep broadcasing the camera has almost doubled! I know so many of my friends and family that have been cut back at work, layed off or just can't seem to find anything over minimum wage... it just makes me cry. This blog is for all of you out there struggling right now....

My List:

1.) My children

2.) My cats

3.) Great friends

4.) Buy one get one free

5.) Piggy banks

6.) Pot roast

7.) Blessings

8.) A shoulder to cry on

9.) My blog readers

10.) Hope

* On a side note...I have added several new and wonderful blogs to my Google Reader and I need to update my blogroll so if you don't see your blog listed, please by all means drop me a line and I'll update it immediately! Bright Blessings!

Serenity Sunday

I was reading my favorite blogs yesterday and came across a very special post at Domestic Witch about her brother Joe and other troops serving in Iraq who love to getting letters and care packages from friends and family. They put their very lives on the line on a daily basis to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy and it's an absolutely wonderful idea to take just a few minutes to send a letter or care package to brighten a rather grim environment and bring a smile to a soldier's face. I encourage you to drop by her blog and let her know that you'd be glad to be a part of this great opportunity. My thoughts and prayers are with Joe and his comrades...Bright Blessings troops!

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My cats

3.) Family

4.) Best friends

5.) Freedom

6.) Seedless grapes

7.) Hugs

8.) Hot baths

9.) Digital cameras

10.) Evening walks

Serenity Sunday

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickenson

I love this little poem, it cheers me up just reading it. What things give you hope...what little inspiration burns within you that causes you to hold it dear to your heart? Let's not just practice our gratitude but our hopes too....how can you celebrate your hope today?

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My cats

3.) Good friends

4.) Hope

5.) Fabric softener

6.) Cheese

7.) Cat litter scoop

8.) Fresh soil

9.) Balloon animals

10.) Benadryl cream

The Greatest Little Fighter

Today I would like to introduce to you a distinguished little gentleman named Moki. I am completely in awe of his spirit and courage and I'm sure that it greater than anyone I know. Moki is a special little guy in a handsome striped suit who just happens to be a cat. He has special needs but they never seems to slow him down in the least... I only wish that we, in the human world, would have as much gumption and tenacity as he has shown despite his difficulties.

He walks rather stiffly and like some of us, he has his bad days but he has his good days too and this little man has surmounted odds that would have made the strongest of us give up long ago. He is in no pain, I must say that right away and sadly his Momma Bean gets her fair share of emails (out of ignorance mostly) that are less than compassionate towards Moki and his condition and my heart goes out to her. You can read about disabled pets on the webpage called "Moki's Friends" which speaks from the heart about those special furry friends we consider to be family and there is a link you can click on to read about Moki's story.... there is also a blog Momma Bean keeps updated about how Moki is doing on "Save Moki"

I have been following Moki and his story for a while now and wanted to introduce him to you because, bless his fuzzy little heart, has been a true inspiration to me. There was a raffle recently to raise funding for his care, as it is very expensive, and donations are always welcome. Moki's needs are ongoing and it is always appreciated when folks can assist in making Momma Bean's load a bit lighter.

I truly hope that you check out his website and follow along with all of us who read his blog updates... to cheer him on, send him positive vibrations or to just say hello. Moki is a true fighter and one of those rare little guys that just warm your heart and touch your soul.

Bright Blessings Moki,

from my furry bunch to you!

Serenity Sunday

This last week we implemented a plan for the children in the hopes that our combined environment would become more peaceful and organized....So far I am very happy to report that this system has worked out rather well and the children are going with the flow and adjusting nicely. My number one observation that has resulted from this past week has been that children love structure, they crave it as a matter of fact. The schedule of specific times for specific activities has given them a better sense of security as they are all aware of what their responsibilities are as opposed to wanting to be in control of things that are being taken care of by the adults in the household.

Although our two families come from different backgrounds, my roommate Coral and I do share the same history of parents with addictions. Things were very chaotic when we were growing up and therefore we decided long ago to break the unhealthy cycles and patterns that had been passed down from generation to generation. It's had it's difficult times but with hard work and a lot of patience things are going to be alright.

My list:

1.) My children

2.) My friends

3.) My cats

4.) Learning from past mistakes

5.) My willingness to let go and let the Universe handle it

6.) Time for myself

7.) The scent of the air after a rainstorm

8.) Finding the positive in a negative situation

9.) Knowing hope is always present

10.) Seeing joy on another's face

When One Door Closes...

The Five of Cups is about disappointment, loss, what "might have been" and crying over spilled milk. It is the card that sees the world as half empty instead half full. If the stricken looking little bunny would just look behind him, he would see that there are two cups that still remain standing.

We may feel discouraged upon seeing this card, but it does have a positive side. Every loss opens new possibilities for growth because every loss initiates change and the idea that better might be coming is indicated by the two remaining cups. Loss hurts because it is our emotional resistance to change... and no matter how much we accept intellectually that we must go with the flow, if that flow separates us from what we love... our emotions often object.

This card also reminds us to be aware of our actions, should those actions lead to undesirable consequences. Remember, the cups deal in the realm of emotion and the movement it takes in our lives. This card asks us to remember past disappointments and losses .... and calmly navigate our way to better solutions. The key thing to remember about this card is that hope is not completely lost as long as long as we choose to focus on the remaining cups,

Inspiration....

Today Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president and I hope everyone was able to listen. I found myself listening attentively to his words and could not help feeling the surge of hope that has begun to grow in every heart around the world. Although he stumbled a bit on a couple of words he was to recite, it showed me that he is indeed human and suddenly he became more accessible, more "real" so to speak. I look foward to the coming months of his presidency and the progress that he has promised.